Vocal Music at West View Elementary

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.  3^rd 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 4^th 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.

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