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Marking Period 2:
In 6th Grade Music students learn about the elements of music: Melody, Harmony, Rhythm, Tone Color and Form which are the basic building blocks of music. This corresponds with the Core Curriculum Standards for music at this level.
Presently, students are studying Meter: Music in sets of 2’s, 3’s and 4’s. Students sing, play instruments, conduct, and analyze music to discern and “feel” the strong beats that determine its meter. Students also are learning about rhythm and note values and how those elements fit together to create music. Math integration is very important in this lesson, since creating music requires a certain number of “beats” per measure depending on its “meter.”
7th graders are currently studying Ensembles from Around the World, specifically those of China, the West Indies, Mexico and Russia. From videos, listening transparencies, CD’s and computer websites, the music of these cultures truly comes alive for our students.
In this second marking period of 8th Grade Music students learn about Tone Color: The Instruments and Sounds of Orchestras. Using textbooks, videos, and student performers, our 8th graders experience a wide range of instruments used by the modern orchestra, complete with CD’s and whiteboard projections. Students also learn how modern works have been influenced by classical music. Studying the influence of the past or the present, and how older works have been rendered new, is consistent with Language Arts study.