December 2024

Access recordings of class performances:

• Chester Elementary School
• New Hingham Elementary School
• R.H. Conwell Elementary School

Kindergarten & Preschool
Our learning goal for this trimester was for students to sing songs from memory with a steady beat while demonstrating knowledge and skills of tempo and dynamics through sound and movement, while being safe, kind, and responsible.

For example, when we learned the song “Hop Old Squirrel,” students explored singing and playing simple rhythmic instruments with various dynamics and tempos to interpret the music, while also engaging in improvised physical movements to complement both the lyrics and rhythm. 

Students learned a variety of songs, culminating with a performance at the Harvest Celebration in November to showcase their work.

1st & 2nd Grade
Our learning goal for this trimester was for students to identify the four basic families of instruments and describe how each family creates sound.

For example, while learning about percussion instruments, students made their own güiro out of a soup can and demonstrated how scraping a stick along the ridges of the can causes the tin to vibrate to produce sound. And while learning about woodwind instruments, students made their own reed instrument out of straw and demonstrated how blowing air into the straw causes the plastic to vibrate to produce sound. 

In addition, students learned a variety of songs, culminating with a performance at the Harvest Celebration in November to showcase their work.. 1st grade sang “Don’t Worry, be Happy” and 2nd grade sang “It’s in Everyone of Us.”

3rd & 4th Grade
Our learning goal for this trimester was for students to identify and describe music genres popular in the Western World, including classical, folk, blues, jazz, country, rock, and hip-hop. Students listened to a variety of music samples and practiced their communication skills by describing what they heard, helping them to build a vocabulary for describing the various characteristics of sound.

In addition, students learned a variety of songs and were challenged to accompany their singing with both pitched and unpitched instruments, including drums, xylophones, keyboards, ukuleles, and guitars. They were free to explore the range of sounds and textures on these instruments to create their own unique musical arrangements. 

The trimester culminated with a performance at the Harvest Celebration in November to showcase their work. 3rd grade sang “My Kinda People” and 4th grade sang “This Land is Your Land.”

5th & 6th Grade
Our learning goal for this trimester was for students to identify and describe basic elements of songwriting (verse, chorus, bridge, etc.) as well as describe and use strategies for writing their own songs. Students listened to a variety of music samples and practiced their listening and communication skills by identifying the various elements and patterns they discovered.

In addition, students learned a variety of songs and were challenged to accompany their singing with both pitched and unpitched instruments, including drums, xylophones, keyboards, ukuleles, and guitars. Students had access to sheet music and chord charts to practice reading music and learning proper fingerings on the instruments of their choice. 

The trimester culminated with a performance at the Harvest Celebration in November to showcase their work. 5th grade sang “Count on Me” and 6th grade sang “Give Peace a Chance.”

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