Music

Transitional Kindergarten and 3-Year-Old Music

In Transitional Kindergarten and 3-year-old Music classes, students use music to develop motor skills, communication, and imagination. They sing, dance, and play instruments to help them learn to express themselves and their emotions. Students perform in two concerts: a Holiday Concert in December and a Spring Concert towards the end of our school year. Students learn to perform several songs, including songs in Spanish and American Sign Language.

Lower School

Students sing, dance, improvise, compose, learn about music history and theory, and play instruments. Beginning in Kindergarten and continuing through 4th grade, students develop a sense of steady beat through listening and moving to music with beat and without beat. Students learn opposites of sound and no sound, beat and no beat, up and down, high and low, fast and slow by focusing on the curriculum of opposites. Older students work on developing their understanding of pitch, melody and rhythm by singing, playing instruments, and exploring creative movement. Students also learn about famous musicians and the instruments that make up an orchestra. Students have the opportunity to perform twice a year in the Holiday Concert and Spring Arts Festival.

Middle School Band

In Middle School Band, students explore the basics of music as well as sing, perform on classroom instruments, and listen to various examples of music from around the world, including musical theatre. Throughout the course of the year students study basic notation, scales, key signatures, intervals, triads, cadences, non-chord tones, form, part-writing, and analysis of a score. Musical skills will be developed through listening exercises, sight-singing examples, written exercises, analysis, and have exposure to a variety of musical styles.

Middle School Chorus

Middle school chorus is designed not only for students who have an interest and desire to sing, learn, and perform music, but also for those who have yet to discover their passion for singing. Through learning, rehearsing, and performing various styles of vocal music, students develop vocal technique, lyric interpretation, and basic musicianship skill including sight-reading, sight-singing, and interpreting music notation. 5th and 6th grade students take both chorus and band so that in 7th and 8th grade they can choose which courses they want to pursue. Students in chorus have the opportunity to perform in either the Holiday Concert or Spring Arts Festival.

Music Appreciation

In Music Appreciation, students develop musicianship, teamwork, and leadership. Students learn various genres/styles of music, musicians, music history, and how to read and write music notation. Through various class assignments, activities, and projects students grow in their knowledge of music theory and history. These activities also give students the opportunity to showcase their learned skills and knowledge while also being creative!

Upper School Band

In Upper School Band, students learn how music, tonality, and aurally heard music is represented in written form. They learn musical terminology to enhance their comprehension of music theory, and then apply it to classroom activities. Class less cover notation (rhythmic and melodic), meter, scales, key signatures, terminology, and aural skills. The courses provide opportunities to develop and refine performance skills on acoustic, electric and percussion instruments. Emphasis is placed on performance and production and may include analysis, historical and cultural influences, improvisation, and appreciation of music. These courses are self-paced and stress individual progress and group experiences.