Music

As a music educator of children, it is my goal to instill the love of music and to provide opportunities for children to explore music making in a variety of ways.

The Oak Hill Lower School Music Program is designed to reflect the following beliefs:

  • All children have musical potential
  • Children bring their own unique interests and abilities to the music learning environment
  • Very young children are capable of developing critical thinking skills through musical ideas
  • Children come to early-childhood music experiences from diverse backgrounds
  • Children should experience exemplary musical sounds, activities, and materials
  • Children’s musical experiences should not have a sole focus of meeting performance goals (process over product
  • Children’s play is their work
  • Children learn best in pleasant physical and social environments
  • Diverse learning environments are needed to serve the developmental needs of many individual children
  • Children need effective adult models

According to the National Association for Music Education, the following standards should be an integral part of every school music program:

  • Singing, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music.
  • Performing on instruments, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music.
  • Improvising melodies, variations, and accompaniments.
  • Composing and arranging music within specified guidelines.
  • Reading and notating music.
  • Listening to, analyzing, and describing music.
  • Evaluating music and music performances.
  • Understanding relationships between music, the other arts, and disciplines outside the arts.
  • Understanding music in relation to history and culture.

Oak Hill School Music Curriculum Goals

  • Skill Development
    • Sings with aesthetic expression
    • Contributes to music discussions
    • Listens critically to a variety of music
      • Recorded music of different genres
      • Music generated by class
    • Shows evidence of observational skills
    • Exhibits self awareness through musical expression
    • Demonstrates performance and stage presence awareness
    • Memorizes lyrics, musical concepts, sequencing, patterns, etc.
  • Character Development/Behavior
    • Complies with class rules
    • Listens/follows directions
    • Respects self/positive attitude
    • Respects others
    • Respects classroom/school environment
    • Exhibits safekeeping of instruments
    • Works for quality
  • Proficiency in Music
    • Singing
      • Uses healthy vocal technique
        • Breath support
        • Use of head voice
        • Appropriate dynamics
        • Shaping vowels
        • Warm-up exercises
      • Sings in tune
      • Progresses developmentally into harmony singing through rounds, partner songs, 2 part/3 part songs
      • Understands solfege concepts (do, re, mi, etc.)
    • Playing Instruments/Rhythmic Skills
      • Plays in tempo with ensemble (class)
      • Uses correct technique
      • Demonstrates simple note reading ability
    • Note Reading
      • Understands note and rest durations, basic rhythm, and meter
      • Identifies treble clef pitches
    • Movement
      • Creative movement
        • Improvises/interprets music through dance
        • Uses various elements of movement
      • Choreographed dances
        • Memorizes dance sequences
          • Traditional folk dances
          • Multicultural dances
          • Choreographed songs
          • Various dance styles
    • Creating
      • Contributes to class, small group, and individual compositions
      • Improvises instrumental, speech, movement and singing pieces
  • For an in-depth look at the Oregon Department of Education State Music Standards, please visit http://www.ode.stat.edu/

Also see:

http://www.oregonmusic.org/files/image/OrMusEdStdrds.pdf