General Music K-6 Yearly Overview and Lessons

Kindergarten will:
• sing together and alone
• perform instruments together and alone
• learn how to hold available percussion instruments
• read, write, and perform basic rhythmic patterns
• “Learning Song Unit” (numbers, ABCs, body parts, etc.)
• prepare for and perform a holiday show for an audience
• prepare and perform a graduation ceremony for parents
• perform a steady beat and perform motions with songs
• be introduced to the Star Spangled Banner
• create motions and rhythms for various songs

First Grade will:
• sing together and alone
• perform instruments together and alone
• read, write, and perform basic rhythm patterns
• prepare for and perform a holiday show for an audience
• perform a steady beat and perform motions with songs
• group performance will be emphasized
• create motions for ‘action’ songs
• be introduced to band instruments
• use a microphone to sing solos

Second Grade will:
• sing together and alone
• perform instruments together and alone
• read, write, and perform basic rhythm patterns
• prepare for and perform a holiday show for an audience
• perform a steady beat and perform motions with songs
• collaboration in groups will be emphasized for a rhythm writing unit
• introduction to string instruments
• styles of music will be discussed
• identify instruments using listening skills

Third Grade will:
• sing together and alone
• perform instruments together and alone
• read, write, and perform basic rhythm patterns
• prepare for and perform a holiday show for an audience
• perform a steady beat and perform motions with songs
• recorder unit- holding instrument, fingerings, breathing, posture, note/rhythm reading, performing solos, duets, and in large groups
• playing ostinato patterns on xylophone bells
• vocabulary quizzes each marking period
• thorough introduction to instrument families with playing demonstration
• identify instruments using listening skills

Fourth Grade will:
• sing together and alone using harmony
• perform instruments together and alone
• read, write, and perform advanced rhythm patterns
• prepare for and perform a holiday show for an audience
• perform a steady beat and perform motions with songs
• ability to join the chorus and/or band program
• perform ostinato patterns on bells, boomsticks, and percussion instruments
• vocabulary quizzes each marking period
• thorough introduction to instrument families with playing demonstration
• in-depth classroom discussions of musical genres
• identify instruments using listening skills
• meter unit (meter in 2, 3, and 4)
• aural listening unit- listening quizzes

Fifth Grade will:
• sing together and alone using harmony
• perform instruments together and alone
• read, write, and perform complex rhythm patterns
• prepare for and perform a holiday show for an audience
• ability to join the chorus and/or band program
• perform ostinato patterns on bells, boomsticks, and percussion instruments
• vocabulary quizzes each marking period
• thorough introduction to instrument families with playing demonstration
• identify instruments using listening skills
• relate musical interests to classroom topics
• song mapping (group project- listening skills/creativity)
• aural listening unit- listening quizzes
• sound image/special effects unit: story writing
• partner song unit
• meter unit (numerator, denominator, rhythm chart, math)

Sixth Grade will:
• sing together and alone using harmony
• perform instruments together and alone
• read, write, and perform complex rhythm patterns
• prepare for and perform a holiday show for an audience
• ability to join the chorus and/or band program
• perform ostinato patterns on bells, boomsticks, and percussion instruments
• vocabulary quizzes each marking period
• thorough introduction to instrument families with playing demonstration
• identify instruments using listening skills
• relate musical interests to classroom topics
• aural listening unit- listening quizzes
• partner song unit
• meter unit (numerator, denominator, rhythm chart, math)
• artist report and presentation
• tone chime unit (reading notes/rhythms, counting, dynamics, group performance, and overall musicianship)
• prepare and perform a graduation ceremony for parents
• pitch vs. no pitch (percussion unit)
• sound order and choosing a medium: individual classroom creativity assignment

Choral Program (4-6):
• 2 part harmony
• memorization of lyrics
• choreography
• solo auditions for grades 5 & 6
• speaking parts for grades 5 & 6
• variety of music genres will be performed
• holiday and spring performances for peers and parents
• teamwork, discipline, following general directions

April

Kdg: We will begin graduation music.

1st: Weather poem, percussion experimentation to perform with poem.

2nd: In the Barnyard, ta, ti-ti, rest applied to percussion instruments and choreography.

3rd: Song 6 & 7 due on recorder. 7 & 8 assigned for next class.

4th: Staff speed game. Last kid standing!

5th: bucket drum review lesson.

6th: Continue Foley Project presentations.

March

KDG: Circle Round the Zero, following song directions, country style, fiddle playing

1st: El Coqui: guiro, frogs, castanets, boomstick chords

2nd: Old Dan Tucker, country style, fiddle, following song directions, AB form

3rd: recorder- B and A due, small group playing assessment, assign G

4th: Continue Come Together on bucket drums

5th: introduce G chord on Ukes with alternate fingering. Be able to transition all chords we have learned so far

6th: continue Foley assignment. Story should be mostly completed

February Rotation 2

KDG: Days of the week, order, spelling, writing, identifying, boomstick performance at end

1ST: Russian Slumber, lullaby, soft, slow, gentle, finger cymbal accompaniment

2ND: Introduction to strings, violin vs. fiddle, students test out violin bow

3RD: recorders distributed, begin lesson 1. Homework: review page 1 & 2, play song # 1 'Just B'

4TH: bucket drum assessment, section B in Can't Stop the Feeling

5TH: continue working on Uke C Major chord, A minor chord, begin F chord, new strumming chord pattern

6TH: Foley Project in-class work, 10 sounds due, begin writing story

January, Rotation 3

KDG: Roll Over song and game, counting backwards from 10, following directions, writing numbers forward and backward on sentence strips

1st: Three Little Pigs Jive, chant style, syncopated pattern on wood blocks, Read story from Wolf's perspective

2nd: Frogs, Chinese instruments, staccato style singing, imagination/interpretation, draw what your hear ideas

3rd: Staff introduction continued, complete worksheet and explain game on tape lines.

4th: Finish Rolling in the Deep, introduce Can't Stop the Feeling

5th: speed up tuning process, C chord and A minor chord. Practice transition. F and G chords if time permits

6th: individual Chromebook word finding 10 sounds for creative writing foley project

Rotation 2 January

KDG: learning songs, ABC Rock, echo, writing upper and lower case alphabet

1st: repeat sign, rhyming words composition and partner performance

2nd: Oh Watch the Stars, Lullaby, ostinato bell pattern performance

3rd: Staff introduction and recorder slips handed out

4th: bucket drumming, Adele, section B & C

5th: continue Uke tuning, begin C chord and A minor chord

6th: Tech demonstration in Google Drive using Soundbible.com

January, Rotation 1

KDG: loco motor movements matched to music, Movement Rondo

1st: Chant, Rap, clave/maraca performance, introduce triplet, create rhyming word pattern

2nd: carousel music, 100 year old organ, Let's Go Fly a Kite, melodic contour worksheet

3rd: intro to recorder information, begin staff notes and basic rhythms

4th: Bucket Drumming, Lesson 1

5th: intro to Ukulele, tuning for beginnings, each section works on tuning a string

6th: intro to Foley Sound Effects unit, brainstorming sheet due in class, bullet points only