





Music
Spotlight on Learning
Happy New Year and welcome back Titans! I hope everyone had a fantastic break filled with lots of great music. There will be a lot of exciting things coming up in music in the next few months.
Fourth and Fifth grade students will be continuing with their study of the recorder. Did you know that recorder was first popular during the Baroque period which is 1600-1750?! During this time recorder was not played alone, but it was frequently played with other instruments and/or singing. We will be doing the same thing, pairing recorder with xylophones, metalophones, voice, and other percussion instruments.
Do you want to buy your own recorder that only you get to play?
Recorders are for sale for $10. This price also includes a large packet of music with fingering charts, and some fun tunes. Please come see Dr. Whelan to buy your own recorder!
Starting in February all grade levels will be doing a unit on dance. Students will learn different types of organized dance, and how dance moves fit with the beat of music. Through dance, we will also get to experience and learn about new time signatures that are frequently used in dance music.
Choir and Bucket Band will start again in mid-January. Our concert will be on March 15th at 7:00Pm, coinciding with our family engagement night. If you were not a member of choir/Bucket Band but are interested in joining, please contact Dr. Whelan ASAP!
Ongoing
Each grade level studies the five major elements of music in accordance with the CCSD Elementary Music Curriculum. These five elements, and some major goals for each, are listed below (This list is not exhaustive and merely highlights major concepts within each element).
Each element is presented through several means: movement, speaking and singing, playing on instruments, listening, reading and writing notation, and creating or improvising original material in a collaborative classroom setting.
Rhythm
K-1 Experience and demonstrate steady pulse.
2-3 Develop rhythmic reading and independence.
4-5 Master basic rhythmic patterns, and experience more complex patterns such as mixed meter.
Melody
K-1 Experience pitch matching and identify high and low.
2-3 Develop proper singing and playing technique.
4-5 Master common melodic patterns (scales, etc.) and apply to learning new music.
Harmony
K-1 Experience and identify changes in harmony; play simple accompaniments on mallet instruments.
2-3 Develop singing and playing in harmony using rounds, canons, etc.
4-5 Demonstrate and identify specific changes in harmony by singing, playing instruments, and listening.
Form
K-1 Experience 2-part (AB) form and musical phrase.
2-3 Identify 2-part (AB), 3-part (ABA), and rondo (ABACA) form, and demonstrate musical phrase.
4-5 Demonstrate all basic elements of form, including introduction, interlude and coda.
Expressive Qualities
K-1 Experience differences in timbre, dynamics, tempo, etc.
2-3 Identify and interpret common musical symbols.
4-5 Describe or perform a piece of music using appropriate expressive terminology or techniques.
Classics for Kids: Listen to excerpts of classical music along with educational, kid-friendly commentary regarding the historical context of the composer and music.
MusicTheory.net: An excellent resource for middle and upper grade students to practice note naming, ear training, and other musical skills.
Websites
Contact:
To contact Mrs. Ms. Whelan, please send an email to: whelalm@nv.ccsd.net.