|
Students in grades
K-6 receive music instruction once per week for 40 minutes
with Mr. Cloonan in
Music Room 110. During the class there are many opportunities for
singing, playing instruments, moving to music, and reading music.
Many of the approaches used to teach vocal music in the classroom
focus on EXPERIENCING music, not just listening to it.
Through the study
of folk songs and dances, your child will learn to become:
1.
TUNEFUL –
by
singing songs and listening critically to music, children learn that
music has melodic and harmonic elements.
2.
BEATFUL –
by playing instruments and dancing to music, children learn that
music has a pulse that can change depending on the style.
3.
ARTFUL –
by
moving and listening to music, children discover that different
pieces can create emotional and expressive responses.
Students are
assessed on the report card twice per year as Advanced, Proficient,
Basic, and Below Basic in the following criteria:
Singing
Playing Instruments
Reading and Notating Music
Knowledge of Content

Children
in grades K-3 spend a great deal of time learning to use their
singing voices, to distinguish high and low, slow and fast, beat
groups of 2, 3, and 4, and to move appropriately to music. Emphasis
is placed on focusing the listening ear to identify similarities and
differences in music. Much of the way primary students learn in the
vocal music classroom is through singing games and folk songs. 3rd
graders begin reading musical notation, and applying their new
ability by learning to play the recorder. Kindergarten
students put on a holiday singing program with their teachers as
well as an end-of-the-year alphabet musical. First grade
performs a musical play each spring.
Students in grades
4-6 continue their study of musical notation with the recorder,
learning more complicated songs, performing for each other and
sometimes for families. Our 4th grade students have the
opportunity to perform a musical in the spring. Intermediate
students also study more about musical style by studying music from
various time periods and parts of the world, by singing in more than
one part, by dancing folk and contra dances, and through the use of
barred Orff instruments (xylophones and metallaphones), choir
chimes, hand drums, small percussion instruments, and the
ever-popular Boomwhackers - go ahead and ask your child about them!
Fifth grade students learn more about jazz musicians in a
collaborative research project in the library and also share music
at their annual Grandparent Day celebration. Sixth grade
students experience a unit of World Drumming in preparation for
those students electing to take General Music at the junior high
school. They also have an opportunity to share their personal
tastes in music during a "Current Events in Music" project.
Pittsburgh Symphony Trips

As part of our
district’s music curriculum, students in grades 2, 4, and 6 are given the
opportunity to “meet the orchestra” during a field trip to Heinz
Hall in downtown Pittsburgh. The Pittsburgh Symphony sponsors a
series of SchoolTime Concerts, which focus on introducing the
various instruments and instrument families, some of the players,
and a wide range of musical styles that are appealing to all.
This is a great
cultural
experience for our students, one which they will remember for years
to come, and that may ignite a love for music they previously may
not have realized they had. There is no substitute for live
performance - we encourage you to provide as many opportunities as
possible to expose your child to musical and artistic performances.
2010-2011
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
Field Trip Dates
For more information about the
SchoolTime programs
scheduled for each grade level this year, visit the Pittsburgh
Symphony Orchestra's website by
clicking here.
If you have any
questions or concerns about our program or curriculum, feel free to
contact either one of us, Mr. Shaun Cloonan,
at 412-318-1000, ext. 5225, or by e-mailing at
cloonans@nhsd.net.
Photos
Click on the thumbnails below to see
larger photos of Miss Crummie's 2006-07 second grade class learning to folk
dance the Virginia Reel with Mr. Cloonan.
Last Updated:
06/08/2010
|