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Students in grades
K-6 receive music instruction once per week for 40 minutes with Mr. Cloonan in
Music Room 110 and Mrs. Rossetti (Mondays) in Room 213. 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.
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. Our primary
students also participate in our annual Holiday Song Celebration,
held in late December.
New for 2006-07: Kindergarten
Pilot
The Fine Arts staff has been meeting as a department throughout the
professional development days this school year with Dr. Sarah
Tambucci of the Arts Education Collaborative, based in Pittsburgh,
to develop an action plan that is rooted in a standards-based
curriculum that will fully implement music and art to kindergarten
equally throughout the district. Our hope is to be providing
this valuable and important instruction to all kindergarten students
within the next academic year.
UPDATE:
Beginning with the 2007-08 school year, all full-day kindergarten
classes were included in the music and art schedule for a 30-minute
block once per week. To read more about the pilot, follow the
link to the NHSD website's "academics" link by
clicking
here.

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 at events like the December Holiday Song
Celebration. 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!
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.
2007-2008
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
Field Trip Dates
Sixth Grade - "The Great
Americans"
Friday, November 14, 2008
Join the PSO and Resident Conductor Lawrence Loh for a journey
through American music - from the influence of folk song, to the
magic of Hollywood, and everything in between!
Fourth Grade - "East Meets
West"
Friday, December 12, 2008
Explore
the cultures and landscapes of Asia with Resident Conductor
Daniel Meyer and the PSO. Experience how composers have
incorporated the exotic sounds, sights, and stories of the Far
East into their own music.
Second Grade - "Meet the
Orchestra"
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
The PSO and Resident Conductor Daniel Meyer will illustrate how
the string, woodwind, brass, and percussion sections each play a
special role in the colorful orchestra family. And don't
forget about the conductor!
For more information about the
SchoolTime programs
scheduled for each grade level this year, visit the Pittsburgh
Symphony Orchestra's website by
clicking here.
West View Holiday Song
Celebration
This is a day when each grade level gets a chance
to come up on stage and share some music representing the winter
season, and holidays of Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa. The
songs are discussed and prepared in music class, then shared in the
auditorium for fellow students, friends, and families. At the
end, a holiday sing-a-long also takes place.

2007-08: Due to the introduction
of our new music textbooks and revised curriculum, and scheduling
conflicts, we took a break this year. Look for our next
holiday sing in the 2008-09 school year!
Now in its 7th year, the West View "Evening of the Arts"
program is a night to
celebrate the artistic accomplishments of the students of our
school. Artwork from each student in Mrs. Strzempek's art
classes is displayed in the cafeteria, which gets converted into a
"gallery;" members of our instrumental music program perform on the
stage; our 4th grade students share a scene or two from their
upcoming musical performance; and
in some years, small groups have played xylophones, recorders, and
even led their families in a folk dance.
The 2008 Evening of the Arts will be
presented in conjunction with our Open House at West View this year.
Look for more information after the Winter Holiday break from Mrs.
Strzempek, Mrs. Rossetti, and Mr. Cloonan about how this will
happen. The date for Open House this year is Thursday,
February 21, 2008.
If you have any
questions or concerns about our program or curriculum, feel free to
contact either one of us, Mr. Shaun Cloonan or Mrs. Susan Rossetti,
at 412-318-1000, ext. 5225, or by e-mailing at
cloonans@nhsd.net or
rossettis@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:
09/12/2008
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