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Round Valley Arts Curriculum

I.  ARTISTIC PERCEPTION AND RESPONSE

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 tempo)

·        Harmony (mood, texture, color, instrumentation)

·        Form (style, structure)

2.       where music is found in environment and how it affects students’ feelings (school, home, car, stores, etc.),

3.       universal themes: patriotism, human nature, personal expression,

4.       musical instruments commonly used in various forms and styles of music:  identify by name, appearance, and sound such forms as modern and traditional jazz, rock, country, and electric and electronic music.

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 initiation and example. 

·        Rounds and two-part songs

·        Invented lyrics to familiar melodies

2.       Playing-make a class musical ensemble from whatever instruments can be found, made and 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 opera and ethnic music ensembles,

2.       famous composers such as Holst and Schubert,

3.       orchestral music such as Holst’s "The Planets,"

4.       famous musicians, conductors and soloists,

5.       the musical history of their own families, including music their ancestors may have made during ancient and modern times,

6.       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 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 commercial products and feelings,

6.       observing 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 instruction,

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.