Music

Winter Music Classes

Students in 8th Grade are studying musical theatre.  We are discussing the major elements that make up most musicals, learning about famous musical theatre composers and their musicals, the differences between a musical and a play and the differences between musical theatre and opera.  An important part of this unit is being able to compare and contrast different scenes from various well-known movie musicals.

Students in 6th & 7th Grades are in the middle of our “Profiles of Modern Musicians” unit where we learn about important musicians from the 20th Century and their contributions to American music.  Some people we have been learning about are Janis Joplin, Louis Armstrong, Elvis Presley, The Beatles, and many more.  Students will also be presenting information about one of these famous people to the rest of the class.

Students in 4th & 5th Grades are continuing to learn how to play the recorder, something we have been working on since last fall.  The students are now at the level where they have small performance quizzes where they are expected to play a song by themselves in front of the class for a music grade.

Students in 3rd Grade are learning to play the recorder and are working primarily on the notes B, A, G, and C.  Soon we will be learning how to read music notation in bass clef.  Singing is also an important part of our music classes, especially making sure we sing with proper vocal technique so we don’t hurt our voices.

Students in 2nd Grade are learning to play the recorder and are working primarily on the notes B, A, and G.  We also focus on reading basic rhythmic combinations by clapping and speaking the rhythm at the same time.

Students in 1st Grade are continuing to learn about reading music notation, focusing primarily on basic rhythmic combinations.  We also have fun with song activities which help us express ourselves through singing.

Students in Kindergarten are learning about the difference between high and low pitches and the importance of singing in tune.  We sing many fun songs which help us use our voices properly.

Students in Preschool are continuing their discovery of music by learning important children’s songs through movement and dance.