FrameworkOverview,gradesK5:

Students will learn to use their voices, bodies and musical instruments,
with proper technique, to creatively express an understanding of music
as well as its cultural and historical significance.
Students will learn to be effective ensemble members through
teamwork, individual responsibility and cooperation.
Students will gain confidence through rehearsal and performance in a
variety of settings.
Students will strengthen their ability to focus on a specific task, while
maintaining awareness of auditory and visual cues.
Students will gain a deeper understanding of other cultures, and
prepare to create culture of the present and future.
Through music, students will communicate ideas to develop creativity
and imagination.
Curriculum Content for Grades K-2
1)Singing

Pitchmatching

Healthyvocalproduction

Soloandensemblesinging

Roterepetition

Singingwithappropriateexpression

2)PlayingInstruments(classroom):

Keepingasteadybeat

Keepingasteadytempo

Performingpatternsonpitchedandunpitchedpercussioninstruments

Playinginstrumentswithpropertechnique
o

posture

handposition

3)Literacy:

Assignageappropriatemusicalnotationtorhythmicandmelodicsounds

Bytheendofgrade2,studentsshouldbeabletoreadandperformfrom
standardmusicalnotation:
o

Wholenote,halfnotes,quarternote,doubleeighthnotes,
quadruplesixteenthnotes,quarterrest.

Anascendingmelodyandadescendingmelody

Tonalpatternsthatstepandskip

Measures,barlines,doublebarlines,repeatsigns,notevaluesin
barlines.

4)Listening:
o

AuditoryDiscrimination(highlow,fastslow,loudquiet,same
different)

Basicinstrumentandvocaltimbre(pianovs.orchestra,familiesof
theorchestra,malevs.femalevoice,adultvs.childvoice)

Identifyingmelodicandrhythmpatternsthroughlistening

Keepingvoicesandbodiesquietsothatmusiccanbeheard

Familiaritywithpiecesofmusicthatcouldinclude:Peterandthe
Wolf,CarnivaloftheAnimals,YoungPerson'sGuidetothe
Orchestra,TubbytheTuba,HanselandGretl.

5)Movement:
o

SpatialAwareness

Folkdances

Playparties/gamesongs

PurposefulMovement

choreography

imitation

respondingtomusicalelementsthroughappropriate
movement

creatingformationswithagroupoffellowstudents(circle,
rows,twolinesets)

CreativeMovement

expressiveresponsetomusic

improvisedmovement

6)MulticulturalMusic:
o

Studentswilldevelopfamiliaritywithsongsinlanguagesother
thanEnglish,possiblyincluding:
Tue Barima
Kye Kye Kule
Vengan a ver mi granja
La Cucaracha
Los Pollitos
Bate Chocolate

Au Clair de la lune
Hine Ma Tov
Shalom Chaverim
Hava Nagila, Tongo
Gong Si Ni Ya
Arirang
Epo i tai tai.
o

StudentswilldevelopfamiliaritywithAmericanfolksongs,
possiblyincluding:
Old Joe Clark
When the Saints go Marching In
Charlie Over the Ocean
Oats Peas Beans and Barley Grow
A Sailor Went to Sea
Old King Glory on the Mountain
Rocky Mountain High
Jim Along Josie
A-Tisket A-Tasket
Bluebird Through My Window
Hop Old Squirrel
Bow Wow Wow
John The Rabbit
Who Killed Cock Robin?
Over in the Meadow
All Round the Brickyard
The Horse Stood Around

Americanpatrioticsongs,possiblyincluding
You're a Grand Old Flag
This Land is Your Land
America the Beautiful
America (My Country Tis of Thee)
Proud to Be an American
This is My Country
Yankee Doodle
When Johnny Comes Marching Home

7) Creative Expression:

Improvisation

Composition

Dance

8)PerformanceEtiquette:
Asanaudiencemember:

Studentwilllistenattentively

Studentwilldisplayrespectfulaudiencebehavior

Asanactivelistener:

Studentwilldescribeemotionalexperienceofmusic

Studentwilldescribetheelementsofmusicusingageappropriate
musicalterminology

Asaperformer:

Studentwilldisplayappropriatepresentation

Studentwillassesstheperformanceofselfandothersusingage
appropriatemusicalterminology

Studentwillletmistakesbelearningexperiences

_______________________________________________________________________

Grade Three Recorder:

Fine Motor Coordination

Students will use particular fingers in specific locations on the

instrument in order to play correct notes.

Students will produce a complete seal around the holes being

covered to assure a pure tone.

Breathing

Students will use gentle, warm air to produce appropriate recorder

tone.

Literacy

Students will develop a working knowledge of reading standard

treble clef notation while playing the recorder.

By the end of third grade, students should be able to recognize

and perform:

Songs in 2/4, 3/4 and 4/4

Sixteenth, eighth, quarter, half, dotted half and whole notes

Quarter rest, half rest and whole rest

Notes in the D scale

Performance Etiquette

Students will demonstrate "Resting position," "Ready position,"

and "Playing position."

Students will enter the stage space with poise and quiet
presentation

Students will watch the director for cues

Students will demonstrate focus and concentration during

performance (including between songs)

The Physics of Sound

Using the recorder as a visual, students will learn that lengthening

the column of vibrating air, creates a lower pitch.

Covering more holes lengthens the column of air.

Interrupting the air column by an insufficient seal will result in a

squeaky tone. ("Leaks cause squeaks!")

_________________________________________________________
Grades 3-5 General Music
Core Concept 1: Singing

Pitch matching

Healthy vocal production

Solo and ensemble singing

Singing from musical notation

Ensemble singing in 2 or 3 part harmony

Singing with appropriate expression

Following the conductor's cues

Core Concept 2, Playing Classroom Instruments:

Performing with an ensemble at the appropriate tempo.

Performing independent patterns on pitched and unpitched
percussion instruments, while other students are performing a
different pattern.

Playing instruments with proper technique while reading notation.

Demonstrating resting position and ready position.

Core Concept 3, Literacy:

Students will assign age-appropriate musical notation to rhythmic

and melodic sounds
Students are able to read any note on the treble clef staff,
including an understanding of ledger lines
Students are introduced to the lines and spaces in the bass clef
staff.
Students will be able to play or sing patterns by reading ageappropriate musical notation.
Students will read and perform the expressive directions in printed
music.
Students will learn to navigate a vocal and/or instrumental score.
Students will be able to identify the appropriate musical line to be
performed.
Vocabulary words may include:
system
repeat
da capo
coda
first and second endings
verse-refrain
piano
forte
crescendo
decrescendo
allegro

andante
largo
presto
staccato
legato
fermata
cesura
multi-measure rest
anacrusis/pickup.

Core Concept 4, Listening:

Student will develop an understanding of musical form through

listening, moving, and analyzing.
Student should develop familiarity with a variety of listening
selections, possibly including:
o

Peter and the Wolf

Appalachian Spring

Little Fugue in G Minor

The Firebird Suite

The Rite of Spring

Peer Gynt

Danse Macabre

Sleigh Ride

The Entertainer

Take Five

The Viennese Musical Clock

The Four Seasons.

Student should be familiar with famous musical personalities,

possibly including:
o

Duke Ellington

Louis Armstrong

Ella Fitzgerald

Scott Joplin

Marian Anderson

Ludwig van Beethoven

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Johannes Brahms

Leonard Bernstein

Aaron Copland

Johann Sebastian Bach

Igor Stravinsky

Dmitri Shostakovich

Clara Schumann

Camille Saint Saens

Core Concept 5, Movement:

Spatial Awareness

Folk dances

Play parties/game songs

Purposeful Movement
o

choreography

imitation

responding to musical elements through appropriate

movement
creating formations with a group of fellow students (circle,
rows, two line sets)

Creative Movement

expressive response to music

improvised movement

Core Concept 6, Multicultural Music:

Familiarity with songs in languages other than English,

possibly including:
Al Shlosha
Jubilate Deo
Al Citron
Hotaru Koi
Sakura
Obwisana
Siyahamba
Dreams of Harmony
Schlaf Kindlein Schlaf
Huang tu gao po
Sansa Kroma

American folk songs including:

Old Joe Clark
Old Dan Tucker
Land of the Silver Birch
My Paddle's Keen and Bright

Row Row Row Your Boat

Sarasponda
I Love the Mountains
Music Alone Shall Live
Round and Round the Earth is Turning
My Bonny Lies Over the Ocean
Paddy Works on the Railway
My Home is in Montana
Home on the Range
Risseldy Rosseldy
Oliver Cromwell
Waddlayatcha
The Water is Wide

American patriotic songs, possibly including:

America the Beautiful
The Star-Spangled Banner
America (My Country Tis of Thee)
Fifty Nifty United States
Armed Forces songs
Proud to be an American
Route 66

Historically relevant music from American and other World

Cultures, possibly including:
Follow the Drinking Gourd
Wade in the Water
Swing Low Sweet Chariot
Go Down Moses
Wayfaring Stranger
Down By the Riverside
Amazing Grace
Johnny Has Gone for a Soldier
One Tin Soldier
Blowing in the Wind
Where Have all the Flowers Gone
We Are the World
Waving Flag

Core Concept 7, Creative Expression:

Improvisation

Composition (Note: the difference between improvisation and

composition is the permanence of the written music, which makes
another musician able to play the composition that is created.
Improvisation is spontaneous and not repeatable.)
Responding to musical elements through appropriate movement
With a rubric and/or guidelines, teacher can facilitate excellent
productivity with creative composition projects for any age.
Some examples include:

Telephone composition: teacher assigns one pitch for each

numeral. Using the last four digits of his or her phone number,
student notates the melody in a four-beat pattern of choice.
Students come together in groups of four and plan which pattern
starts, ends, and fills in the middle of the resulting 16-beat pattern.
Students notate their melodies, and play them on Orff instruments.
Starting with four beat rhythmic values written on cards, students
combine into groups of four and perform their 16-beat pattern on
an un-pitched instrument, determining the optimal order of patterns
to create a pleasing piece of music. Then, students assign one
note per beat, with few choices (for example, B, A, G or E), and
play on the recorder or another classroom instrument the resulting
melody. This melody can then be performed in conjunction with a
16-beat song in a compatible key, as a rondo with the full group
playing each A section and soloists or small groups providing the
B, C, D, and E sections and so on.

Core Concept 8, Performance Etiquette:

As an audience member:

Student will listen attentively

Student will display respectful audience behavior

As an active listener:

Student will describe emotional experience of music

Student will describe the elements of music using age-appropriate
musical terminology

As a performer:

Student will display appropriate presentation while entering and

exiting the stage.
Student will watch the conductor, respond to nonverbal directions,
and maintain focus during the performance, including between
songs.
Student will assess self and others using age-appropriate musical
terminology
Student will allow mistakes to be learning experiences.
_____________________________________________________________________________

ChorusFrameworkOverview,grades4and5:NewtonPublicSchools
mandateseveryfourthandfifthgradertobeinachorusbecauseitis
thebestwaytolearnmusicalperformanceskillsinalargegroup
setting.

Studentsdemonstratethehealthyuseofthetreblevoice,usingproper
postureandbreathmanagement.

Studentsareexposedtoawidevarietyofchildren'schorusliterature
fromdifferentculturesandtimeperiods.

Studentsbecomefamiliarwithreadingachoraloctavotodevelopbig
pictureliteracy.

Studentsgainconfidencethroughrehearsalandperformanceandthe
thoroughlearningofafewselectedpiecesofmusicperyear.

Studentsdemonstrateperformanceskillssuchasstandingwith
confidence,singinginunisonorinharmony,andmovinginaspecified
waybasedonthedemandsofthemusic.

Studentswillevaluatetheirownperformanceinordertoreflectand
improvefutureperformances.

EssentialQuestion:
Howdoesamusicianusesound,silenceandtexttocreateanemotional
experienceforthelistener?
CoreConcepts
1)Singing:Unisonsinging
Part singing
Singing in rounds
Polyphonic harmony
Homophonic harmony

2)Literacy:Navigating a choral octavo

Repeat signs
Dal segno and Da Capo
Coda
First and second verses
First and second endings
Following the pitch direction of the melody
Reading the appropriate vocal part

Reading expressive directions such as dynamics, tempo

markings and articulation
3:VocalHealth

Posture: relaxed neck, strong legs, long spine, chin down,

chest held high.
Breathing: Abdominal breath, relaxed jaw, prepare each
phrase with a breath.
Listen to the other singers around you and blend your
voice with the group.

4:PerformanceEtiquette

Singers will enter the risers in a prescribed,

professional way
Students will demonstrate focus and concentration
while on stage (including between songs).
Students will show confidence and competence in
showing what they have learned.
Students will bow in a unified way.
Students will exit the stage appropriately and with
pride.