March 2026

PreK & Kindergarten: Our learning goal this trimester was to echo, read, and play basic rhythms patterns using percussion instruments and movement through body percussion. Students learned to sing the song Teddy Bear and came up with a dance to express the song through movement, and learned about how to read slow (quarter note) and fast (eighth note) rhythms, along with high notes (Sol) and low notes (Mi) using the song Frog in the Meadow. Finally, using a velcro board with rhythmic icons, students moved music notes around the board to create their own rhythms and melodies, and then played their compositions on resonator bells! In addition to this main learning goal, students also continued to practice their listening skills by listening to and identifying sounds. Listen to recordings of their repertoire here.


1st & 2nd Grade: Our learning goal this trimester was for students to practice identifying, composing, and playing music notation symbols, including quarter notes, quarter rests, and double eighth notes. As part of this objective, students composed their own 4-beat rhythm patterns and created their own body percussion compositions to interpret sound using hand clapping, knee slapping, and foot tapping. In addition, students learned to sing a variety of songs to sing as a class, including Candle in the Snow and Skinnamarink. Listen to recordings of 1st grade  here. Listen to recordings of 2nd grade here.


3rd & 4th Grade: Our learning goals this trimester were 1) for students to be introduced to music from around the world, and 2) to learn the basics of playing the recorder. For world music, students heard music from various countries and practiced identifying them on a map of the world, including Mnohaya Lita (Ukraine), Al Citron (Mexico),  Sakura Sakura (Japan), and Vem Kan Segla (Sweden and Norway). Students also learned about geographical and cultural instruments, including the sitar (India) and the santur (Iran). For the recorder, students played along to videos such as the pirate adventure to get used to identifying notes on the music staff and playing the notes B, A, and G, and then they moved to working from the Recorder Karate Book to earn White, Yellow, and Orange belts by playing “Hot Cross Buns,” “Gently Sleep,” and “Merrily We Roll Along.” 


5th & 6th Grade: Our learning goals this trimester was for students to be able to compose their own musical ideas. To help them achieve this goal, students started by composing a contrafactum of The Skye Boat Song by writing new words to sing along with the original melody. Students also completed mini songwriting assignments, including the Hot Cross Buns Streetcry, the Gently Sleep Lullaby, and the Merrily We Roll Along Goodbye Song. In the next trimester, we will explore recording software to document and catalog their music.