Curriculum Overview

K-5th

2017-2018

Making Music!

This 3rd quarter we have been studying the influence of our African-American heritage as it applies to music. We learned about the hidden meanings in "Follow Drinking the Gourd," and the unofficial African-American anthem "Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing" by our local citizens: James Weldon Johnson and John Rosamond Johnson.

Also in January, seven of our students were chosen to participate in the Duval County Honor Choir Festival.

Kindergarten-2nd

In Kindergarten we have been developing our awareness of the steady beat. Through a variety of modalities we are moving, singing, playing instruments, and dancing to develop beat competency.

These skills continue through the first grade where we learn to recognize patterns of same and different, music vocabulary, such as piano and forte, and timbre (tone color), the different categories of our classroom percussion instruments,(woods,metals, shakers, and skins) and an increased repertoire of songs.

During second grade, we continue to develop those beginning skills of beat competency, singing, playing instruments, and music vocabulary with the added components of music literacy. Music reading readiness skills, through the use of both iconic and traditional notation are introduced.

3rd Grade: Beginning the journey of the recorder

In third grade music literacy skills are emphasized, as this is a developmental link to reading skills in the general classroom. Visual skills in discrimination of line and space notes lead to reading the music staff. Both traditional music notation and iconic notation are used. The use of recorder is emphasized as a means of applying those reading skills so they can be utilized and reinforced.

4th-5th Grades

In the four and fifth grades the general music concepts of timbre, meter, dynamics, genre, and music history and composers are explored. Learning to play together as an ensemble and the use of correct instrument techniques are emphasized.