Hello folks and welcome to the General Music Page.  It's here that I will keep you updated each week as to our goings on.  If you scroll down you'll find the general description of what it is we hope to achieve in general music for each class in the upcoming year.  You'll also find the rules/expectations of the music classroom as well as misbehavior consequences.   Thanks!

Week 1 & 2

1st and 2nd Graders

Orff Standard

• Distinguish faster from slower tempo
• Distinguish louder from softer dynamics
• Perform beat
• Sing, play and listen to music in binary (A B) form

• Perform on pitch, in rhythm, with appropriate dyanmaics and timbre, and maintain a steady tempo
• Listening to, analyzing and describing music

Last week we learned about tempo (the speed at which a song is played).  We talked about adagio (slow), moderato (medium) and presto (fast).  The kids and I listened to a variety of songs and discussed the tempos of each.  We also played The Bass Drum Tempo Game where each student gets a chance to play the bass drum while the class moves to the chosen tempo.  When the tamborine is shaken, everyone freezes and a new drummer is chosen - we had a lot of fun feeling the beat and getting to know the importance of tempo.

This week we've been discussing dynamics (the volume of music).  We talked about how certain parts of a song may be louder or quieter than others.  Lucy Locket was the poem we used to help understand dynamics.  The students practiced crescendo (gradually becoming louder) and decresendo (gradually becoming softer) by playing a game with the Lucy Locket poem where a seated circle of players holds up their hands, palms facing each other, fingers slightly curved, to make "pockets."  One player is chosen to sit out of the circle and hide their eyes.  A penny is placed in one of the "pockets."  The absent player returns when the poem is recited, and must guess who has the penny.  Loud or soft reciting from the group is used as a guide to "hot" or "cold," helping the player to find the holder of the penny.  The words to the poem are as follows:

Lucy Locket lost her pocket / Kitty Fisher found it / not a penny was there in it / only ribbons round it

Lastly, we put a three tone melody to the poem - me, sol and la and learned their accompaning  Curwin Hand Signals.

The students are settling into the music class nicely and we've been having some fun exploring.

3rd and 4th Graders

National Standard

• perform on pitch, in rhythm, with appropriate dynamics and timbre, and maintain a steady tempo
• perform easy rhythmic, melodic and chordal patterns accurately and independently on rhymic classroom instruments
• echo short rhythmic patterns
• perform in groups, blending instrumental timbres, matching dynamic levels, and responding to the cues of a conductor
• perform independent instrumental parts while other students sing or play contrasting parts
• listening to, analyzing and describing music
• reading and notating music
  

Last week we took some time to discuss in depth the rules and expectations of the class room and their importance.  We then had fun working on the Rattle Snake piece where there are three seperate rhythmic/vocal parts and the students split into three groups and speak the three rhythmically contrasting parts.

This week we took the Rattle Snake piece and transposed the rhythms onto drums. We then talked about tempo,  (the speed at which a song is played) specifically about adagio (slow), moderato (medium) and presto (fast).We learned about dynamics (the volume of music), cresendo (gradually becoming louder) and decrescendo (gradually becoming quieter).   We applied these musical concepts in contrasting groups using the Rattle Snake piece and the drums.  Basically, we had a pretty sweet drum circle session! :) 

Seacoast Charter School General Music Curriculum

1^st and 2^nd Grade

As the students become musicians themselves they will be required to perform in two concerts per year and to compose an original piece as a final project. All 1^st and 2^nd graders are required to take part in two and a half hours of General Music per week. All students are required to respect each other, their music teacher and the property of the music room.

3^rd and 4^th Grade

3^rd and 4^th graders will develop their understanding of rhythm, melody, accompaniment, and improvisation by exploring these concepts in depth. In turn, they will be extending their musical vocabulary and developing musical proficiency. There is increased use of instruments to help develop the student’s skill, musicianship and growing sense of musical aesthetics. Beginning in third grade the student is required to participate in the string orchestra. Their weekly music time is divided between the General Music Class (one hour), their Strings Class (forty-five minutes) and practice at home (forty-five minutes). All students are required to perform in two concerts per year, to compose an original piece and to take part in the Music History Time Line Project. All students are required to respect each other, their music teacher and the property of the music room.

The Golden Rules of The Music Classroom

• Respect your classmates
• Respect your teacher
• Respect the property

Music Classroom Expectations

• Enter/exit classroom quietly
• Do not talk or play when the teacher is talking
• Participate in all class activities and exercises
• Please, no “noodling”
• Don’t give up if you are frustrated. Success may be nearer than you think.
• Always do your best. You will feel good about yourself AND get better results.

Music Room Misbehavior Consequences

• Verbal warning
• Sit out with reflection card and email to parents.  After class, teacher and student will discuss misbehavior.
• If upon return misbehavior continues, student will be sent to Bill

If the above sequence happens twice, a parent/teacher conference will be scheduled.