Music Through Performance - Comprehensive Early Elementary Music Part 2

This continuation of the highly engaging music class will explore the basic music standards covered in an elementary classroom.   Students should already know G, A, B, C and D on the Recorder both fingering and the notation.  They should also already have a basic understanding of reading all Treble Clef notes and Rhythms including Whole, Half, Quarter and Eighth Notes and Rests.  Students learn best by using as many senses as possible, include tactile.  We will include sound, sight and physical engagement to address each concept.  Performance is what brings music to life so each concept will include some aspect of performance.  The two that will be used weekly are Recorders and Bucket Drums.  We will learn melodic note reading that will be used on recorders.  Rhythmic notation will be used with our Bucket Drums (a true favorite!)   

Week one will be a review of musical notation, both melodic and rhythmic. The following weeks will follow the pattern of the first 10 - 20 minutes with Recorder, the next 10 - 20 minutes with a new concept such as History, Form, Solfege, etc., and then the last 10 - 20 minutes will end with Bucket Drumming.  There may be a mini "performance" at the end of the semester based on student availability. 

The section in the middle each week will include one of the following concepts.  We will use solfege and practice with our voices.   Games and interactive activities will also cover concepts such as timbre, pitch, and form.  We will use videos and examples to touch on ethnomusicology (the study of music from other cultures) as a vehicle to explore how music is used in society and how it connects us all and is vital to our communities.  Music History will also be touched on as we explore the different instrument families and how they are and have been used in music.  Improvisation is a very important part of the creative process and will be encouraged through multiple avenues.  Most importantly, students will learn that making music can be incredibly fun!