Music Curriculum

Grades K-8 Curriculum Overview

STANDARD 1 – SINGING

  • Gr. Pre K – 1: Students are taught to maintain intonation, steady tempo, rhythmic accuracy through echoing the teacher on simple tunes and interval patterns. They learn difference between singing voice and speaking voice : high/low…loud/soft…clear diction.

  • GRADES 2 - 3: Students continue with maintaining the key elements of intonation, steady tempo and rhythmic accuracy to a 90% overall ability. Songs contain more intervals and rhythmic complexity. They produce proper tone quality with more facility. Proper posture and the diction are stressed.

  • GRADES 4-5 : Students continue maintaining the key elements of singing established in prior grades. A 95% accuracy level should be obtained overall. The complexity of both intervals and rhythms is added. Vocal checks for accuracy and knowledge include demonstrations by the students of speaking vs singing voice, high/low, loud/soft, tempo changes fast/slow, clear diction and proper posture.

  • GRADES 6 – 8: Students continue maintaining the key elements of singing with a 95 -100% accuracy rate. The complexity of intervals now includes major and minor modes while rhythmic patterns include steady beat and patterns which include syncopation. The element of movement to demonstrate accuracy of tempo and rhythmic patterns is included.

  • Expressive singing is also stressed at this level. This includes dynamics, phrasing and interpretation of lyrics.

STANDARD 2 – READING AND NOTATION

  • GRADES PRE-K – 1: The different note values including whole, half, quarter and eighth notes are introduced. The beginning of meter (2/4, 3/4 and 4/4) are introduced. Students will use clapping or rhythm sticks to reinforce these concepts.

  • GRADES 2 – 4: The concepts listed above are reinforced through actual notation on a staff. Rests are added – students demonstrate knowledge through clapping, singing or using instruments to play the rhythmic patterns.

  • GRADES 5 – 8: The above concepts are reinforced with symbols, numbers and letters to sight read or sing the notation. The solfege (do re mi) will be reinforced through the KODALY method of hand signals.

STANDARD 4 – IMPROVISATION AND COMPOSITION

  • GRADES PRE-K – 8: At each grade level students will improvise through the use of body procession or vocal sound their “answers” of an example pattern provided.

  • Students will “compose” their own compositions demonstrating them through vocal sound or simple rhythmic instruments. Students in the upper grades will use notation to transcribe their compositions to the staff.

STANDARD 5 : CRITICAL RESPONSE

  • GRADES PRE-K - 8: At each grade level students will describe and respond to the basic elements of music including beat, tempo, rhythm, melody, dynamics, pitch and intonation through echo and movement using manipulatives such as scarves or dancing ribbons.

  • Students will be introduced to music of different cultures and time periods. They will be able to describe the musics’ expressive qualities using “emotional words”.