Kindergarten is keeping a steady beat, using their 4 voices, identifying between musical expressions (Fast/Slow, High/Low, Loud/Quiet), echoing rhythmic patterns, using iconic notation, and singing from memory. They are also working on what audience behavior should look like, as they will be attending 4 concerts this year before their own concert at the end of May.
1st grade is learning songs for their December concert. They also are learning about simple meter, rhythmic form/icons (ta and ti-ti), non-standard notation (stick notation), non-standard rhythmic dictation, solfege (so‑mi and la) and eventually will learn about quarter note/rest standard notation.
2nd grade is experiencing songs in 2/4 and 4/4 meter, learning about standard rhythmic dictation for quarter note/ rest and half notes, adding to their solfege vocabulary (do and re), and discovering repeats and different musical forms (AA, ABA, AABA, etc) in the songs they sing/listen to. They will begin learning songs for their May concert during the second semester.
3rd grade is working on learning all of the songs for their upcoming musical BINGO in February. They are also learning about reading longer rhythms (half and whole note rests; sixteenth note tika-tika), finding new musical expressions in their songs (question and answers; form, intro, coda; canon and rondo), expanding their solfege vocabulary (low la, high do, fa, and ti), naming dynamics in songs (piano/forte), and identifying the letter names of notes on the treble staff.
4th grade is memorizing their songs and speaking parts for the Veterans Day Concert in November. This year they will also work on Standard Music Notation Identification, Dynamics (symbols), identifying new rhythms (dotted notes, eighth rest), learning how to play the recorder, identifying whole and half steps and flats and sharps, and performing partner songs.
5th grade is learning how to play Ukulele this semester, with a focus on folk songs. They will also be learning about new rhythm combinations (ti‑tika tiki-ti) and major and minor scales, introducing Bass Clef, playing simple instrumental parts while others play contrasting parts, practicing improvisation, and revewing instrument families and music genres. In the second semester, they will be learning about parodies and write their own parody song as a final project.
6th grade is reviewing how to play the Ukulele this semester, with a focus on rock and pop songs. They will learn about syn-co-pa, Bass and Treble Clef (combined), instrument families, and non-standard or found instruments. In the second semester they will parodies and write their own parody song as a final project.
