Burnet Hill Elementary School

 

The overarching goal of the Elementary General Music Curriculum is to provide students with the opportunity to broaden and enrich their musical experiences. The period representing grades K-5 is the beginning of each student's musical development. The music they perform or study often becomes an integral part of their personal musical repertoire. Creating, performing, and listening to music provides students with unique insight into the form and structure of music and at the same time will help them to develop their creativity and abstract thinking. Broad experience with a variety of music is necessary if students are to make informed musical judgements. Similarly, this breadth of background enables them to begin to understand the connections and relationships between music and the other disciplines. By understanding the cultural and historical forces that shape social attitudes and behaviors, students are better prepared to live and work in communities that are becoming increasingly multicultural. The role that music will play in students' lives depends in large measure on the level of skills they achieve in creating, performing and listening to music.

 

As a result of study of music in Grades K-5, students will demonstrate enduring understandings in the following areas:

 

In the study of the language of music, students will comprehend that music is in itself a form of communication. They will know that music has structure and organization and that there are elements of music that are present in every composition and that these elements are used to create and shape musical ideas. 

 

In the study of listening to and appreciating music as an art form, students will extend their musical knowledge to understand that music and the other arts are a reflection of society, that music evokes a wide range of human responses, and that culture, music, and the other arts influence one another. They will demonstrate the ability to identify and use specific criteria to make aesthetic judgements about music.

 

In the study of musical performance, students will enrich and apply their musical knowledge in authentic situations. Students will be able to read or improvise their musical performances through singing or by playing musical instruments. They will understand that making music can be a lifetime experience, that performing makes music come alive, and that everyone can make music.