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Round Valley Arts Curriculum

I. ARTISTIC PERCEPTION

Students sing. They continue to learn how music communicates without words.  As they sing, play, listen, talk, and write, they increase their awareness of:

1.      changes that create drama and variety,

·        melody

·        rhythm (patterns and tempi)

·        harmony (mood, texture, color, instrumentation)

·        form(style, structure)

2.      universal themes: patriotism human nature personal expression,

3.      musical instruments commonly used in American musical history.

Students use these terms:

 II. CREATIVE EXPRESSION

Students experience the social pleasure of singing together. They sing songs they know and like and learn new songs related to familiar places, activities, and situations, developing skills through:

1.      Singing-learning songs by imitation and example.

·        Rounds and two-part songs.

·        Invented lyrics to familiar melodies.

·        American songs

2.      Playing-make a class musical ensemble from whatever instruments can be found made or borrowed.

3.      Moving to music

·        Square dancing

·        Folk dancing

·        Dramatic interpretation

4.      Listening-exploring creating and notating sounds.

·        Make and play homemade or found instruments. Experiment to demonstrate the nature of vibration sound waves, etc., that show why some materials make better instruments.

·        Create, notate, and play a class composition for an ensemble.

5.      Performing for classmates, other classes, and parents.

III. HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL CONTEXT

Students expand their knowledge of musical and cultural history of their families and community. They listen to, sing, talk and write about:

1.      major musical institutions, and the kind of music generally performed by them, including symphony, opera, ballet, dance troupes, marching bands, orchestras, and ethnic music ensembles,

2.      famous composers such as Ives, Copland and Bernstein,

3.      orchestral music such as Copland's "Fanfare for the Common Man,"

4.      famous musicians, conductors, and soloists,

5.      the musical history of their own families, including music their ancestors may have made before and after coming to America,

6.      patriotic songs of America and their ceremonial use,

7.      immigrant impact on American music,

8.      how to find out about performances (local newspapers).

IV. AESTHETIC VALUING

Students continue to talk and write about their musical experiences, such as:

1.      what a composer is trying to communicate in a specific work,

2.      the differences and similarities between two versions of the same piece (tempo, style, mood, instrumentation),

3.      preferences and judgments of an unfamiliar style of music (a discussion using descriptive musical terms),

4.      what makes a musician great,

5.      how music can symbolize patriotic events,

6.      performances by visiting musicians and their own performances for classmates and parents.

V. CONNECTIONS, RELATIONS, APPLICATIONS

Students understand relationships between the arts and with disciplines outside of the arts by:

1.      having access to practice and composition computer hardware with appropriate supporting software and instructions,

2.      being introduced to the physics and mathematics inherent in the production of musical tones,

3.      creating melody and words that will enhance studies of history and literature,

4.      experiencing music through the use of technology, including CDROM, video, CD, etc.