St. Christopher School

Music Class:

The 6th grade students are doing a unit on expression and learning to use lyrics and music to represent concepts. We look forward to a trip to Boston’s Symphony Hall in February. 5th grade students are getting very good at reading and playing melodies on their recorders. They now know almost all of the diatonic letters in the treble five-note staff and can play together as an ensemble, adding chimes and other rhythmic instruments as well. The 4th grades continue to use listening activities and folk dance to understand phrases and form in music. We begin our work with recorders this month.

The 3rd grade can identify note values and rests and have just been introduced to sixteenth notes. They recognize and can perform ostinati (speaking, singing, and moving), and dynamic marks. We will continue to work with form, also exploring two-part rounds. We sometimes work with partners and will begin to demonstrate simple problem solving in small groups.

In 1st and 2nd grade, we’re learning about chimes and use them to accompany our songs. We can also understand and perform quarter notes, eighth notes and half notes. Movement and instrument playing are part of each class. In Kindergarten we are learning that sounds may “walk” or “run” and that rhythmic patterns can be the same or different. We are learning to identify, classify and respond appropriately to sounds.

The Pre-K classes continue to learn more challenging simple songs and echo songs and use a variety of musical genre to explore movement each week. We do fingerplays and action songs, and accompany our music with rhythm instruments. Circle games will be introduced in class as we are ready.

Music Groups:

Music Groups

The 4th Grade Chorus, Boys Select Chorus, and Girls 5th/6th Grade Chorus have begun to learn music for our spring performance. We have practiced different genres of music to come up with our program and it has been fun to learn about the criteria involved in selecting music.

The Handbell and Handchime groups continue to practice new techniques and have made great advances in their reading abilities. We are also learning new repertoire for the spring.

All music classes support the National Standards for Arts Education*. Classes continue with age appropriate concepts about rhythm, melody, and performance, as well as children’s games and dances.

*National Standards for Arts Education

1. Singing, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music.

2. Performing on instruments, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music.

3. Improvising melodies, variations, and accompaniments.

4. Composing and arranging music within specified guidelines.

5. Reading and notating music.

6. Listening to, analyzing, and describing music.

7. Evaluating music and music performances.

8. Understanding relationships between music, the other arts, and disciplines outside the arts.

9. Understanding music in relation to history and culture.