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Music
Philosophy
Music is a universal language, one that brings people together. It is a part of everyday life. Listening to and performing music can be a social activity. All students are equal in the non-verbal activities which a music class offers. Musical experiences and learning begin with the voice. Particularly in the early years, an exploratory approach, using a wide range of appropriate materials, enables students to communicate in ways that go beyond their oral language abilities.
The development of listening skills, an important aspect of all learning, is constantly reinforced. The musical resources from the multicultural environment of the international school are used to help promote understanding and respect. Students need an environment that includes a variety of sound sources, selected recorded music, opportunities for improvised singing and the building of a repertoire of songs. Students can draw on a wide range of sources in their music learning: music composed by themselves and other students; music composed by musicians; literature; paintings; dance; their own imagination; real-life experiences; feelings; values and beliefs.
Music’s chief role in education is to stimulate the student’s sensitivity, to encourage his/her imagination and his/her ability to create. It is a necessary part of a well-balanced education, a complement to academic and physical activities. Competence in musical skills - note and rhythm reading, sequencing, movement, performing alone and in a group, has a positive influence on academic subjects and helps develop critical-thinking and problem-solving skills. Music engages students in creative processes through which they explore and experiment in a continual cycle of action and reflection, responding and creating, analysing and critiquing.
Aim
The aim of the music programme is to help students grow in their ability to incorporate music as an enriching and humanising force in their daily lives. It encourages active involvement in different forms of music making, both individual and communal, developing a sense of group identity and togetherness, creativity, and a desire for quality. It also aims to develop students’ ability to listen to and analyse music from a variety of cultures and time periods, thereby increasing their aesthetic sensitivity and appreciation for beauty.
Responding: Learners show an understanding that music is a form of expression to be enjoyed. They know it uses symbols and representations to convey meaning. They have a concept of being an audience and display awareness of sharing music with others. They are able to interpret and respond to music, including their own work and that of others.
Creating: Learners show an understanding that they can express themselves by creating music. They know that creating music can be done on their own or with others. They are aware that inspiration to create in music comes from their own experiences and imagination. They recognize that they use symbols and representations to convey meaning in their work.
- to encourage music-making as a form of expression to be enjoyed
- to develop group singing in unison
- to develop a sense of steady beat in music
- to encourage creative response through sounds and movement
- to encourage social skills (sharing, taking turns)
- to develop motor co-ordination
- to develop vocal co-ordination and motor co-ordination simultaneously
- to experiment with a variety of instruments and other sound sources
- to connect their experience with music to other subjects and the world around them
- Reception 3 and Reception 4
Course
Each student will have the opportunity to:
- sing a variety of songs, including nursery rhymes, songs with movements, musical games, seasonal songs, counting songs,
- play musical games
- create and perform movements to songs and pieces
- maintain a steady beat with body movements and percussion instruments while singing or listening to music
- respond to music with movements such as: walking, running, galloping, hopping, skipping, jumping
- explore, sort, select and recognise sounds
- explore the concept of high/low, fast/slow in songs and pieces
- recognise and perform rhythmic patterns in songs and pieces
- Year 1
Performance
- Vocal: nursery rhymes, chants, songs in unison, singing games
- Instrumental: Untuned percussion
Pitch
high and low
Rhythm
- steady beat
- beat vs. rhythm
- quarter note, quarter rest, 2 eighth notes
Expression
- soft and loud
- fast and slow
Form
question and answer
Timbre
- sounds around us
- wooden vs. metal sounds
Music Appreciation
- Peter and the Wolf by Prokofiev
- pieces from a variety of cultures are selected to support the other areas of the curriculum
- Year 2
Performance
- Vocal: chants, songs in unison, singing games
- Instrumental: boomwhackers, percussion
Pitch
- patterns
- ascending- descending- same
Rhythm
continue quarter note, quarter rest, 2 eighth notes
Expression
- getting softer and louder
- getting faster and slowerstrophic
Form
strophic
Timbre
compare and contrast percussion instruments
Music Appreciation
- Carnival of the Animals by Saint-Saens
- pieces from a variety of cultures are selected to support the other areas of the curriculum
- Year 3
Performance
- Vocal: chants, songs in unison, singing games
- Instrumental: hand chimes, percussion, recorder (Spring Term)
Pitch
- steps and leaps
- introduction to staff and treble clef
- read and perform B, A, G
Rhythm
- tie, half note and rest, dotted half note, whole note and rest
- time signature
- 4/4 timevery soft and very loudvery fast and very slowaccentphrase
Expression
- very soft and very loud
- very fast and very slow
- accentphrase
Form
binary and ternary
Timbre
vocal timbre (soprano, alto, tenor, bass)
Music Appreciation
- The Four Seasons by Vivaldi
- pieces from a variety of cultures are selected to support the other areas of the curriculum
- Year 4
Performance
- Vocal: songs in unison, rounds, singing games
- Instrumental: recorder, percussion, hand chimes
Pitch
- read and perform notes in the key of C Major
- introduction to the bass staff
- introduction to major and minor
Rhythm
- 4 sixteenth notes
- 3/4 time
Expression
- staccato, legatoslur
- slur
Form
rondo
Timbre
Families of instruments
Music Appreciation
- exploration of composers
- pieces from a variety of cultures are selected to support the other areas of the curriculum
- Year 5
Performance
- Vocal: songs in unison, rounds, partner songs, singing games
- Instrumental: recorder, percussion, hand chimes
Pitch
- read and perform notes in C Major and G Major
- major and minor chords
- the Grand Staff
- building major scales
Rhythm
- dotted quarter note/eighth note, eighth note/2 sixteenths, 2 sixteenths/eighth note
- complex triple meters
Expression
musical maps: repeats, endings, segno, dal capo, del segno, coda
Form
theme and variation
Timbre
in depth look at percussion
Music Appreciation
- The Little Prince by Saint-Exupéry as musical and opera
- music of Switzerland
- pieces from a variety of cultures are selected to support the other areas of the curriculum
- Year 6
Performance
- Vocal: songs in unison, rounds, partner songs, 2 and 3 part songs, sight singing
- Instrumental: recorder, percussion, hand chimes
Pitch
- read and perform notes in the keys of C Major, G Major, F Major and D Major
- constructing major and minor chords
Rhythm
- dotted eighth note/sixteenth, eighth note rest
- syncopation
Expression
revisit Years 1 through 5
Form
fugue
Timbre
- the changing voice
- instruments of other cultures
Music Appreciation
- messages and meaning in musicals
- pieces from a variety of cultures are selected to support the other areas of the curriculum
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