Music Curriculum

The preschool years are critical for musical development  and it is our goal to foster an enjoyment and understanding of music to further enrich the lives of our students.  The music program at the Junior School consists of 9 key concepts: Voice, Dynamics, Pitch, Dance, Instrumental, Rhythm, Ensemble and Notation.

There are opportunities to explore sound through singing;  a wide repertoire of developmentally appropriate songs from around the world enable the students to learn to interpret songs in their unique style and to maintain melody.

A variety of listening experiences afford the students opportunities to respond creatively to music, moving and dancing to varied cultural and rhythmic styles, such as African, Latin, Hawaiian, and Broadway music.  Students learn that feelings and ideas can be expressed through music.  They develop a vocabulary which includes imagery and fundamental musical terms such as piano (soft) and forte (loud).

Rhythmic ability is reinforced through the playing of  melodic and non melodic percussion instruments, such as boom whackers, tambourines, shakers, claves, glockenspiels, and hand bells.  The students analyze and discuss  the  instrumentation of select classical instrumental works.

Music is a regular part of the curriculum that takes place twice a week for twenty minutes a session.  The children come as a whole group for one session and then as a half group for more individualized musical experiences. A newsletter distributed three times a year (September, January, March) keeps families informed of Music curriculum, songs and events.

The PK students perform at the Halloween, Winder Holiday, Chinese New Year and May Day programs.  The JK students perform at the Halloween, Winter Holiday, Chinese New Year, May Day, and JK Mother's Day programs, and at times at special events.