About Our Class

Kindergarten

One can simply state that in Kindergarten students sing songs and play musical games and rhythm instruments as they learn to make music. In reality they discover a wonderful instrument built right into their bodies - a voice - which they can use to sing melodies, find high/low, and loud/soft sounds. They show much of the music with their bodies. They step the beat, they even hop, skip, and jog it. They clap, snap, and pat rhythms. They move fast and slow. They become better listeners. They learn to take turns, share, and show respect toward one another. Most of all - they have fun!

First Grade

In First Grade, the students' musical experience keeps growing. They continue to use their voices for singing, chanting, speaking, and their bodies for moving, clapping, patchem, and instrument playing. Emphasis is also given to develop good listening skills. Classroom and some orchestral instruments are identified aurally and visually. Students begin to recognize upward/downward movement and same/different phrases. They can identify "ta" (quarter note), "ti-ti" (eighth notes), and rest. Ongoing as always, music is fun!

Second Grade

In Second Grade, listening skills are further developed through various activities. They listen to recorded examples of instrument groups of the orchestra and learn what defines these families. Classroom rhythm instruments are used to add simple accompaniment to songs emphasizing beat and rhythm. Students are also exposed to pre-reading music notation and are building an awareness of the printed music page. Form goes beyond same/different and now becomes verse/refrain or AB. Dynamics go from loud/soft to forte/piano. Our musical vocabulary is constantly increasing.

Third Grade

In Third Grade, students begin to define, name and make conscious the concepts they have experienced in the lower grades. They are now beginning to discuss and understand tone color - the different sounds made by instrument families and voices (children's, men's, women's). In singing, simple harmony is created through rounds and partner songs. Another concentration in Grade Three is the learning of notation. The focus on note-reading (names, note values, and placement on the staff) prepares them for playing recorder and band instruments in Dater School.