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All elementary students come to music class. Kindergarten begins with one half-hour session a week while first through fifth grades come for two half-hour classes a week.
A scope and sequence curriculum called God Made Music is used. It covers music appreciation, performance, notation, reading, singing, and history. Students learn about famous composers such as Beethoven, Bach, and Tchaikovsky and learn classic American folk songs like “I’ve Been Workin’ on the Railroad” and “Home on the Range” in conjunction with music theory concepts. Each student has his or her own workbook from which they read and in which they write and color; these may be taken home at the end of the school year.
Twice a year all elementary students perform a program – one for Christmas (December) and one in the spring (April). These programs are a special time of song, spoken word, movement and celebration. Parents, grandparents and friends all turn out to spend these evenings enjoying their students’ performances.
In third and fourth grade the music students learn how to play the recorder (4th) and a pre-recorder instrument called a flutophone (3rd). Learning to play these instruments helps to reinforce music theory and notation concepts as well as prepares students to pick a band instrument in fifth grade. Similar to fifth grade band, these students follow a light at-home practice schedule and record the amount of minutes practiced for a recorded grade. These recorded minutes are recognized at the end of each quarter with certificates and awards for students achieving the assigned goals.
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