MUSIC VISION
Every student exiting the sixth grade will have the opportunity to learn and appreciate music. Through the sharing of musical experiences, each child forms a foundation that will help to develop relationships and tools that positively contribute to society.
Students, Kindergarten through 2nd Grade, have music class twice in a six-day cycle for 30 minutes. They experience and learn about music, along with its elements, through various activities:
– Singing
– Playing of instruments
– Music notation reading
– Listening
– Movement
The musical components that are covered throughout the year are:
- Rhythm: beginning with the discovery of pulse that lies within all music, students advance to the reading and playing of rhythm patterns.
- Pitch: pitch matching involves training the ear to hear various musical pitches and matching them with the voice.
- Movement: body movement is incorporated into the music lesson. Students begin with songs accompanied by sign language, progress to the use of larger body movements and then advance to involve the entire body in choreography.
- Listening: students listen to and evaluate musical pieces composed in various styles and discuss the elements involved such as mood (happy vs. sad), tempo (speed of song), dynamics (loud/soft), identification of instruments, etc.
- Music Terminology: students learn musical vocabulary and their meanings such as pitch, high/low, ascending/descending, scale, melody, instrument names.
- Instruments: students have opportunities to play instruments from the percussion family.
- Repertoire: beginning in Kindergarten, students learn songs, both in English and Hawaiian, which are standard Kamehameha Elementary repertoire. Depending on the grade level, songs reflecting the Social Studies curriculum are learned: self, family, Americana. Chapel, holiday and special occasion songs are also taught to the students.
- Performance: students perform at various times throughout the year. They learn about stage presence, performance expectations, and audience etiquette.
Aloha, Gayla Traylor,
email: gatraylo@ksbe.edu