Vocal & General Music
Vision
Music is an essential component in the development of the whole child. Participation in and appreciation of the arts enable students to develop and apply the skills and knowledge necessary to become productive, creative and innovative members of society.
Mission
The Todd School General Music program offers an outstanding curriculum for students K – 5 that is intellectually stimulating, aesthetically enriching, and personally relevant. The program provide opportunities for all students to explore their creative potential, develop critical standards, and demonstrate their skills, while framing these goals within an inspiring, historical and cultural context. Music teachers strive to cultivate in the students a lifelong appreciation of the arts and guide students of all levels as they develop musically, emotionally, and intellectually.
Curriculum Outline by Grade Level
Through singing, playing, creating, and listening students experience and learn the following concepts:
Kindergarten
Rhythm
- Steady beat
- Short/long
- Sound/silence
- Un-pitched percussion instruments
- Body percussion
Melody
- Pitch: high/low
- Melodic direction: up/down
- Speaking vs singing
- Folk and traditional song repertoire
Harmony
- Major/minor
Form
- Phrase
- Same/different
- AB
Expression
- Tempo: fast/slow
- Dynamics: loud/soft
- Timbre: vocal and instrumental
First Grade
Rhythm
- Steady beat
- Quarter note/quarter rest/eighth note patterns
- Beat vs rhythm
Melody
- Melodic contour and direction
- Pitch Matching in limited range
- Folk and traditional song repertoire
Harmony
- Ostinato patterns
- Major/minor
Form
- Phrase
- Same/different
- AB, ABA
Expression
- Tempo
- Dynamics
- Timbre: vocal and instrumental
- Multicultural music
- Un-pitched percussion techniques
Second Grade
Rhythm
- Steady beat vs rhythm
- Quarter note/quarter rest/eighth note/half note patterns
- Strong/weak beats
- Meter groupings: 2/4, 4/4, ¾
Melody
- Melodic contour
- Call and response
- Verse and refrain
- 5 line staff: high/low/middle
- Pitch matching
- Folk and traditional song repertoire
Harmony
- Major/minor
- Ostinato
Form
- Phrase: Same/different
- Call and response
- AB, ABA
- Introduction/Coda
Expression
- Tempo
- Dynamics: pp, p, mp, mf, f, ff
- Timbre
- Multicultural music
- Instruments of the Orchestra
Third Grade
Rhythm
- Steady beat
- Strong/weak beat
- Reading, writing and playing rhythmic notation using basic note and rest values
- Time signatures: 4/4, 2/4, 3/4
- Individual and ensemble: Recorder Karate
Melody
- Melodic contour
- Singing with good intonation
- Good vocal and instrumental tone production
- Reading and writing melodies using G clef, 5 line staff, and ledger lines
- Recorder Karate
Harmony
- Major/minor
- Pentatonic rounds
- Partner Songs
- Ostinato
Form
- AB, ABA
- Musical phrases
- Introduction/Coda/Interlude
Expression
- Tempo: ritardando, accelerando, allegro, andante, etc.
- Dynamics: crescendo, decrescendo
- Timbre
- Multicultural music
- Composers and historical periods in music
- Families of orchestral instruments
Fourth Grade
Rhythm
- Steady beat
- Reading, writing and playing rhythmic notation using basic note and rest values including sixteenth notes
- Time signatures: 4/4, 2/4, 3/4
- Individual and ensemble: Recorder Karate, boomwackers, handbells, guitars, xylophones, world drums
Melody
- Scale patterns and steps/skips/repeat
- Solfege: movable do
- Singing with good intonation and vocal tone production (head voice)
Harmony
- Partner songs
- 2 and 3 part rounds
- Chords: guitar, boomwackers, handbells
Form
- AB, ABA, AABA
- Musical phrases
- Introduction/interlude/coda
Expression
- Basic symbols of music expression including dynamic, tempo, and other markings (first/second endings, fermatas, DC al fine, DS, and others)
- Compare and contrast different genre of music
Fifth Grade
Rhythm
- Steady beat vs rhythm
- Variety of rhythm patterns including dotted notes, triplets, and sixteenth notes
- Meter signatures including 6/8, 2/2 and 5/4
Melody
- Various articulations including staccato, legato, and marcato
- Phrasing and slurs
- Key signatures – finding do
Harmony
- Chord changes
- 2 and 3 part rounds and partner songs
- Descants
Form
- Theme and Variation
Expression
- Tempo, dynamics, articulation
- Components of Musical Theatre