Grade Level Curriculum Overviews

Grade K:

Rhythm

Keep a steady beat and a rhythm pattern and distinguish between them while moving, vocalizing and playing an instrument.

Melody and Harmony

Sing a variety of songs with a pleasing tone quality in groups and alone.
Sing both accompanied (with instruments and recordings) and unaccompanied.
Sing matching pitches in simple intervals.

Timbre and Form

Identify same/different sections of music.

Reading and Notating

Use the system (symbols) to distinguish sound and silence.

Movement

Sing with a variety of movements and dances responding to rhythm, dynamics and tempo.

Playing Instruments

Produce patterns on pitched and un-pitched instruments.

Global Cultures/Historical Periods

Identify various uses of music in daily experiences.

Grade 1:

Rhythm

Keep a steady beat and a rhythm pattern and distinguish between them while moving, vocalizing and playing an instrument.

Identify/perform rhythmic symbols.

Melody and Harmony

Sing a variety of songs with a pleasing tone quality in groups and alone.
Sing both accompanied (with instruments and recordings) and unaccompanied.
Sing matching pitches in simple intervals.

Timbre and Form

Listen to and identify instrument sounds and pictures.
Identify same/different sections of music.

Reading and Notating

Identify/perform solfege (sal-‘fezh) syllables (generally known as do-re-mi, etc. )
Use the system (symbols) to distinguish sound and silence.

Movement

Sing with a variety of movements and dances responding to rhythm, dynamics and tempo.

Playing Instruments

Produce patterns on pitched and un-pitched instruments.

Global Cultures/Historical Periods

Identify various uses of music in daily experiences.

Grade 2:

Rhythm

Keep a steady beat and a rhythm pattern and distinguish between them while moving, vocalizing and playing an instrument.
Identify and perform rhythmic symbols.
Distinguish between meters in two’s and three’s.

Melody and Harmony

Sing a variety of songs with a pleasing tone quality in groups and alone.
Sing both accompanied (with instruments and recordings) and unaccompanied.
Sing matching pitches in simple intervals.
Introduction to singing simple rounds and/or canons.

Timbre and Form

Listen to and identify the sounds and pictures of orchestral instruments.
Identify same/different sections of music.

Reading and Notating

Identify/perform solfege (sal-‘fezh) syllables (generally known as do-re-mi, etc. )
Use the system (symbols) to distinguish sound and silence.
Introduce the standard system of music notation.
Notate simple compositions.
Create simple rhythmic and/or melodic phrases vocally and instrumentally.

Movement

Sing with a variety of movements and dances responding to rhythm, dynamics and tempo.

Playing Instruments

Produce patterns on pitched and un-pitched instruments.

Global Cultures/Historical Periods

Experience and compare music from different cultures.

Grade 3:

Rhythm

Continue to keep a steady beat and a rhythm pattern and distinguish between them while moving, vocalizing and playing an instrument.
Identify/perform rhythmic symbols.
Continue to distinguish between meters in two’s and three’s.

Melody and Harmony

Sing a variety of songs with a pleasing tone quality in groups and alone.
Sing both accompanied (with instruments and recordings) and unaccompanied.
Be introduced to playing simple melodies on the recorder.
Continue to work on singing simple rounds and/or canons.

Timbre and Form

Listen to and identify the sounds and pictures of orchestral instruments.
Identify same/different sections of music.

Reading and Notating

Identify/perform solfege (sal-‘fezh) syllables (generally known as do-re-mi, etc. )
Use the standard system of music notation and correctly perform the symbols on the recorder.
Notate simple compositions.
Create simple rhythmic and/or melodic phrases vocally and instrumentally.

Movement

Sing with a variety of movements and dances responding to rhythm, dynamics and tempo.

Playing Instruments

Produce patterns on pitched (including recorder) and un-pitched instruments.

Global Cultures/Historical Periods

Experience and compare music from different cultures including Native American.

Performing Opportunities

Students have the opportunity to perform in the “Third and Fourth Grade Chorus”
Students the opportunity to perform in the ”Recorder Band”

Grade 4:

Rhythm

Keep a steady beat against rhythm patterns
Identify/perform rhythmic symbols.

Melody and Harmony

Sing a variety of songs with a pleasing tone quality in groups and alone.
Sing both accompanied (with instruments and recordings) and independently on pitch and in rhythm, with appropriate timbre, diction and posture, and maintain a steady tempo.
Sing rounds and/or canons.

Timbre and Form

Listen to and identify the sounds and pictures of orchestral instruments.
Identify same/different sections of music.

Reading and Notating

Use the standard system of music notation and correctly perform the symbols on pitched and un-pitched instruments.
Notate simple compositions.
Create simple rhythmic and/or melodic phrases vocally and instrumentally

Movement

Sing with a variety of movements and dances responding to rhythm, dynamics and tempo.

Playing Instruments

Produce patterns on pitched and un-pitched instruments.

Global Cultures/Historical Periods

Experience and compare music from different cultures.

Performing Opportunities

Students have the opportunity to perform in the combined “Third and Fourth Grade Chorus”.
Students have the opportunity to take lessons on standard band instruments.
Students have the opportunity to perform in the “Beginners’ Band”.

Grade 5:  Applying Elements of Music

Rhythm

Keep a steady beat against rhythm patterns
Identify/perform rhythmic symbols.

Melody and Harmony

Sing a variety of songs with a pleasing tone quality in groups and alone.
Sing both accompanied (with instruments and recordings) and independently on pitch and in rhythm, with appropriate timbre, diction and posture, and maintain a steady tempo.
Sing rounds and/or canons.

Timbre and Form

Listen to and identify the sounds and pictures of orchestral instruments.
Identify same/different sections of music.

Reading and Notating

Use the standard system of music notation and correctly perform the symbols on pitched and un-pitched instruments.
Notate simple compositions.
Create simple rhythmic and/or melodic phrases vocally and instrumentally

Movement

Sing with a variety of movements and dances responding to rhythm, dynamics and tempo.

Playing Instruments

Produce patterns on pitched and un-pitched instruments.

Global Cultures/Historical Periods

Experience and compare music from different cultures.

Performing Opportunities

Students have the opportunity to perform in the combined “Fifth and Sixth Grade Chorus”.
Students have the opportunity to be selected to perform in “Harmonia”(a select chorus for grades 5-6)
Students have the opportunity to take lessons on standard band instruments.
Students have the opportunity to perform in the “Symphonic Band” and “Jazz Band”.

Grade 6:  Applying Elements of Music

Rhythm

Keep a steady beat against rhythm patterns
Identify/perform rhythmic symbols.

Melody and Harmony

Sing a variety of songs with a pleasing tone quality in groups and alone.
Sing both accompanied (with instruments and recordings) and independently on pitch and in rhythm, with appropriate timbre, diction and posture, and maintain a steady tempo.
Sing rounds and/or canons.

Timbre and Form

Listen to and identify the sounds and pictures of orchestral instruments.
Identify same/different sections of music.

Reading and Notating

Use the standard system of music notation and correctly perform the symbols on pitched and un-pitched instruments.
Notate simple compositions.
Create simple rhythmic and/or melodic phrases vocally and instrumentally

Movement

Sing with a variety of movements and dances responding to rhythm, dynamics and tempo.

Playing Instruments

Produce patterns on pitched and un-pitched instruments.

Global Cultures/Historical Periods

Experience and compare music from different cultures.

Performing Opportunities

Students have the opportunity to perform in the combined “Fifth and Sixth Grade Chorus”.
Students have the opportunity to be selected to perform in “Harmonia”(a select chorus for grades 5-6)
Students have the opportunity to take lessons on standard band instruments.
Students have the opportunity to perform in the “Symphonic Band” and “Jazz Band”.