Classroom Information

Welcome to music class!  I have the wonderful opportunity to teach all students at Holy Family, ranging in age from pre-school through eighth grade.  Being that each grade level focuses on different skills and musical knowledge, it is a fun and busy job!  Please read below about what your child will be learning this year and, as always, feel free to stop in anytime! 

*Pre-School:  Students will have an opportunity to play small rhythm instruments, experience movement with song, and learn several musical games.  We keep it very light-hearted and have a great time together!

*Kindergarten:  Students begin the process of reading and recognizing notes and their values.  We also continue to include movements with our songs and learn concepts including echo, speaking vs. singing voice, and the major scale.

*First Grade:  Students continue the process of reading and recognizing notes and their values and also begin to identify notes as higher/lower on a musical staff.  First graders also have the unique opportunity to begin using the solfege syllables as a way to identify notes in the major scale.

*Second Grade: Students in second grade continue to familiarize themselves with the solfege syllables and are able to sing and use the hand signs accordingly.  Second grade students also learn to read listening maps while listening to classical pieces and are able to participate in discussions regarding music and its' form.

*Third Grade:  Third grade students continue to explore music form and learn to identify structure through listening.  Students also begin to learn the families of instruments and are able to identify them through a listening excerpt.

*Fourth Grade: In fourth grade, students master the skill of reading music by identifying marks such as repeat signs, verse, refrain, etc.  Students also continue to use solfege syllables and use them to help determine pitches on the musical staff.  "Boomwhackers" are also introduced as another way to learn solfege and note reading on the staff.

*Fifth Grade: Combining their experience from past grades, students are able to use their knowledge of rhythm to write their own rhythm and pattern and perform using their own "homemade" instrument.  Solfege exercises become more challenging and songs continue to include the concepts of verse, refrain, and D.S. al Segno (we even get some Italian language practice!).  "Boomwhackers" continue to be used as a way to increase music learning and skills.

*Sixth Grade:  Once the students at Holy Family enter junior high, music class becomes a bit more academic.  Students in sixth grade will focus on the genre of musical theater through exercises in drama and activities surrounding putting a show together for the stage.  Sixth grade students also lend a helping hand with the Christmas program by helping younger students with their performance. 

*Seventh Grade:  Students have an opportunity to take an in-depth look at several periods of classical music - Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and 20th Century.  Although students begin fearing the subject matter, fun projects and interesting information tend to make this class very popular!

*Eighth Grade:  In their last year as a student at Holy Family, eighth grade students receive a bit of a "reward" in music class.  Together we study the evolution of popular music - from blues, swing, and ragtime, to the dawn of MTV and the rise of the rap culture.