Students at Belfair Elementary receive 40 minutes of music instruction every 3 days. During these 40 minute sessions students will do one of the following activities:
- Play “Orff” instruments – xylophones, metallophones, glockenspiels, non pitched percussion
- Sing
- Compose
- Listen
- Move
- Learn about music note reading and theory
Most lessons contain a combination of more than one of these.
1st Grade Music:
- Uses singing voice to match pitch
- Maintains steady beat on classroom instruments
- Improvises short songs and ostinatos (short musical pattern that is repeated) on barred instruments
- Plays, sings, and moves to music of various cultures
- Recognizes the use of music in everyday life
2nd Grade Music:
- Sings on pitch and begins to develop a singing range
- Plays a steady beat and simple rhythms on classroom instruments
- Improvises short songs and ostinatos (short musical pattern that is repeated) on barred instruments
- Reads and performs simple rhythm patterns
- Plays, sings, and moves to music of various cultures
- Uses music terms to evaluate musical performances
3rd Grade Music:
- Sings on pitch and in rhythm continuing to develop a singing range
- Sings partner songs and rounds
- Sight-reads basic rhythm patterns
- Note names in Treble Clef introduced
- Improvises and arranges short songs and ostinatos (short musical pattern that is repeated) on barred instruments
- Plays, sings, and moves to music of various cultures
- Uses music terms to evaluate musical compositions and performance
4th Grade Music:
- Sings accurately with good breath control
- Identifies and uses standard symbols to notate meter, rhythm, pitch, and dynamics in simple patterns
- Identifies all note names in Treble Clef
- Sings music in one or two parts
- Describes and classifies characteristics of different music genres and styles
- Understands that music serves many purposes and functions in various cultures
- Improvises, arranges, and composes short songs and ostinatos (short musical pattern that is repeated) on barred instruments and recorders
- Uses music terms to evaluate his/her own and others’ performances and compositions
5th Grade Music:
- Sings accurately with good breath control
- Identifies and uses standard symbols to notate meter, rhythm, pitch, and dynamics in simple patterns
- Identifies all Treble Clef note names and Bass Clef introduced
- Sings music in one or two parts
- Plays one classroom instrument (barred percussion, unpitched percussion, or recorders) accurately alone, and in ensembles (groups)
- Recognizes the distinguishing characteristics of representative music genres and styles from a variety of cultures
- Improvises short songs and ostinatos (short musical pattern that is repeated) on a variety of music room instruments
- Uses music terms to evaluate his/her own and others’ performances and compositions