Good singing and the ability to keep a steady beat are the starting points of our Kindergarten curriculum.  In order for kindergartners to develop a nice singing voice, they first must be given time to actively explore their voice.  We do a lot of vocal exploration games and activities in class where students can experience and interact with different types of vocal production: loud, soft, high, low, chest voice, head voice and more.  Kindergartners learn simple folk songs, rhymes, and rhythms.  In class, students have interactive experiences with drums and other percussion instruments, movement games/dances, and songs/vocal activities.  Parents, please ask your son/daughter to share something from music class with you.  

Curriculum for Kindergarten Music:

Rhythm

• Develop beat competency through movement, body percussion, and playing percussion instruments
• Recognize fast/slow, getting faster/getting slower
• Melody
• Sing from memory a repertoire of simple folk and composed songs
• Recognize that sounds can be high and low and can move upward and downward

Texture/Harmony

• Demonstrate understanding that music may be produced from one sound, many sounds, or in various combinations

Tone Color/Expression

• Distinguish between speaking and singing voices
• Recognize simple classroom percussion instruments
• Recognize loud and soft
   

In first-grade music, we are building upon many of the same concepts that were introduced in kindergarten such as: beautiful singing, matching pitch, steady beat, recognizing and singing simple melodies/songs, and playing percussion instruments.  A few 1st grade favorites:

• Five Little Monkeys
• Baby Beluga
• Teddy Bears Picnic

Curriculum for music in 1st grade:

Rhythm

• Develop beat competency
• Read, perform, and notate the following rhythm values.
• Quarter note, eighth note, quarter rest

Melody

• Read and perform the following melodic intervals: la, sol, mi
• Distinguish between melodies that move by steps, skips, and repeated tones

Texture/Harmony

• Sing alone and in unison with others using a clear, free tone
• Perform simple accompaniments using Orff and other percussion instruments

Form

• Recognize similar and different phrases or sections of music
• Recognize and perform music using simple 2- and 3-part forms

History/Culture

• Explore creative movement
• Perform and recognize music from various cultural groups

*These guidelines are based on the District 97 General Music Curriculum, as well as the Game Plan, An Active Music Curriculum by Jeff Kriske and Randy DeLelles.

In 2nd grade, students develop note reading skills as well as continuing to build upon rhythmic and melodic competency.  Students play xylophones, drums, and many other percussion instruments.  In 2nd grade music, we spend a lot of time working on form.  Students analyze written and recorded music from opera to folk and popular songs , discovering the many different ways that music can be organized.  Throughout the year, students are given opportunities to experiment with form by creating and then organizing their own songs, rhythms, and dances/movements.

Here is our curriculum for 2nd grade music:

Rhythm

• Read and perform the following rhythm values: half note, whole note, whole rest
• Recognize and perform music with metric groupings in 2's and 3's

Melody

• Read and perform the following melodic intervals: mi, re, do
• Sing and perform music using the pentatonic scale

Form

• Demonstrate the use of coda

Texture/Harmony

• Perform speech canons
• Perform more complex accompaniments using Orff and other percussion instruments

Tone Color/Expression

• Recognize families of instruments
• Recognize music that is gradually louder and gradually soft

History/Culture

• Perform simple group dances
• Perform and recognize music from various cultural group

*These guidelines are based on the District 97 General Music Curriculum, as well as the Game Plan, An Active Music Curriculum by Jeff Kriske and Randy DeLelles.
 

In 3rd grade, we continue reading notes and rhythms, and we dive deeper into applying literacy as a tool for students to learn more challenging music.  3rd graders play complementary rhythms on hand drums and we work on playing and composing melodies on xylophones.  In 3rd grade, we start students on recorder playing.  At Hatch, each student will have two recorders (one to practice at home, and one to play at school).  If you have not yet paid $12 dollars for these instruments you can do so here online, or you can send your son/daughter with a check made out to Hatch School.  On the recorder, students learn simple melodies using the notes B, A, G, and E. 

Curriculum for 3rd grade music:

Rhythm

• Read, perform and notate the following rhythm values in various combinations: dotted half note, 16th note
• Recognize and perform music with metric groupings in 2's and 3's

Melody

• Begin the study of the soprano recorder
• Introduce treble clef and the five-line staff

Texture/Harmony

• Perform simple rounds
• Recognize and perform songs that use rondo form (ABACA)

Tone Color/Expression

• Recognize the timbre of basic woodwind, brass, string, and percussion instruments as orchestral families
• Distinguish between acoustic and electronic sounds
• Recognize and perform forte (f) and piano (p), crescendo ( < )and decrescendo ( >)

History/Culture 

• Perform and recognize music from various periods and cultural groups

*These guidelines are based on the District 97 General Music Curriculum, as well as the Game Plan, An Active Music Curriculum by Jeff Kriske and Randy DeLelles.

In 4th Grade, students continue to learn new songs, games and rhymes using imitation, exploration, and improvisation. Students practice singing in canon. Mallet instrument playing technique is developed, as well as rhythmic work through body percussion and hand drums.  Additionally, students create short music compositions.

Our fourth grade music curriculum includes:

Rhythm

• Develop pulse, recognize note values, and identify time signatures
• Question-Answer improvisation

Melody

• Demonstrate good singing technique
• Demonstrate good playing technique on mallet instruments
• Build repertoire of songs and melodies

Harmony

• Explore singing in canon
• Create ostinati (repeating patterns)
• Experience chord change accompaniments

Form

• Label and experience extended forms, including rondo

Timbre

• Identify musical symbols
• Identify the recorder family
• Identify woodwind and brass families of the orchestra

These guidelines are based on the District 97 General Music Curriculum, as well as the Game Plan, An Active Music Curriculum by Jeff Kriske and Randy DeLelles.

In 5th Grade, students expand musical repertoire with new songs, games and rhymes. Imitation, exploration, improvisation and composition are used as the primary means to experience music. Students practice singing in simple two-part harmonies, as well as in canon. More complex xylophone and steel pan arrangements pieces are introduced with notation, and more complex rhythmic and ensemble work is developed.

The fifth grade curriculum includes:

Rhythm

• Demonstrate pulse, recognize note values, and identify time signatures, including mixed meters
• Question-Answer improvisation

Melody

• Demonstrate good singing technique
• Demonstrate good playing technique on various instruments
• Build repertoire of quality music
• Experience modal melodies

Harmony

• Explore singing in canon
• Create ostinati (repeating patterns)
• Analyze chord change accompaniments

Form

• Label and experience extended forms, including rondo

Timbre

• Identify musical symbols
• Identify the recorder family
• Identify all families of the orchestra

These guidelines are based on the District 97 General Music Curriculum, as well as the Game Plan, An Active Music Curriculum by Jeff Kriske and Randy DeLelles.