GENERAL MUSIC
Students will have a general music class every year as part of their arts block rotation.
All students in general music classes will learn to play handbells and guitar. Grade five students begin the study of the guitar with simple chords in order to accompany folk songs sung in class. Learning basic handbell techniques and beginning to read handbell music using traditional notation are also components of the fifth grade music curriculum. Our study of spirituals will connect with the grade 5 curriculum in both language arts and social studies. In all grade levels we will listen to music of many genres to expand our musical horizons while learning about the composers and performers.
Grade six students expand their repertoire of guitar chords and begin making chord changes. Learning additional handbell techniques and reading more difficult handbell music using traditional notation are included in the sixth grade music curriculum. Sixth graders will study musical form includes simple ABA form, theme and variations, and 32 bar song form. Our study of the blues will conclude with students writing their own 12 bar blues compositions.
The music curriculum in grade seven focuses on melody, including a study of melodic motion. The guitar work will reflect this as students learn to locate individual notes and play simple melodies with melodic and rhythmic accuracy. Students will write melodies which indicate their understanding of the concepts, and the various types of melodic motion will be used as ear training exercises.
The music curriculum in grade eight centers around combining melody with harmony. The guitar work will continue as students learn to locate additional notes utilizing more strings and to playing more complex melodies while maintaining melodic and rhythmic accuracy. Using a MIDI keyboard with notation software, we will experiment with adding harmony to our guitar melodies. The guitar work will also introduce ensemble playing for the more advanced students. Complex rhythmic passages and more advanced literature will be the main focus of our work with handbells. Our listening lessons will include a more thorough understanding of musical vocabulary and common terms. The listening focus will center around musical theater, while learning about the composers and performers.
In all grade levels we will listen to music of many genres to expand our musical horizons while learning about the composers and performers.
