What we are learning in our fourth quarter...
First Grade
We end the school year by reviewing everything we have learned so far in first grade! Your student can now identify, perform, and compose quarter notes, paired eighth notes, half notes, and quarter rests, along with solfege notes sol-mi-la. They can also identify and play rhythms and steady beat on classroom percussion instruments such as the tambourine, hand drum, triangle, woodblock, xylophone, and glockenspiel. Our final project will include composing our own songs with text and turning them into a flower art project. It's been a fun year!
Second Grade
To wrap up second grade, we compile all of our skills learned throughout the year. Your students can now identify, perform, and compose quarter notes, paired eighth notes, quarter rests, half notes, half rests, whole notes, and whole rests, along with solfege notes do-re-mi-sol-la. We are currently learning about music from cultures all around the world, including Asian (China), European (Spain), Australian, African (Kenya), and Native American. We will conclude the year learning about the form of music and step/skip/repeat motion and writing our own AB composition.
Third Grade
We end the year with one of the most exciting parts of music - the musical! After rehearsing for weeks and weeks, we finally show off our performance skills in singing, dancing, and acting. After our musical is complete, third grade will review instrumental skills on classroom percussion and xylophones/glockenspiels and finish the year with an instrumental composition. We've had a lot of fun!
Fourth Grade
After working very hard with our recorders, we end fourth grade with Recorder Karate and alternate learning new songs/playing classroom games with testing for different-colored belts. The fourth graders have now become comfortable with reading music on the treble clef and combining rhythmic and melodic ideas. We end the year composing our own melody on the recorder and performing for the class. The fourth grade can then keep their recorder over the summer and keep working those musical skills!
Fifth Grade
To finish off their elementary experience, fifth grade combines all of their rhythmic, melodic, and instrumental skills by reading music on xylophones and glockenspiels. We begin to add harmony to our music-playing experience and can play music with up to 3 parts. At the end of the year, we will discuss how music is used to sell products in commercials and use xylophones to write our own commercial jingle. The fifth-grade is then sent off to junior high where several of them will continue music in band or choir!