MUSIC AT ST. MARY'S
FIRST "QUARTER NOTES"
We're gearing up for another great year of making music at St. Mary's! It's time to start singing, listening, and learning about all kinds of music and musical information.
If you are visiting this web site to check out our school, welcome! Read on for a little information about our music program.
Our music curriculum is set up to teach a wide variety of the basic building blocks of music – rhythm, notes, sight reading, and eventually chords and harmony.
Elementary students come to music class twice each week. Singing is always my main focus, so that is a big part of each music class. We learn to use our voices well.
Kindergarten is a big time of transition, and much of our class time now at the beginning of the school year will be spent in discovering our singing voices and learning to use them properly together. We will also learn about loud and soft, high and low, and fast and slow.
First graders have a lot of fun music activites to look forward to, and it's always a joy for me to see how much confidence they gain in their singing ability between kindergarten and first grade. Their added maturity will mean more opportunities for singing games and rhythm instruments.
In second grade, students get to use music books for the first time, which is exciting for them. We'll be spending time familiarizing ourselves with the books as we learn how to find the pages and how to follow multiple verses of a song. We'll also be reviewing the first three solfege syllables we learned last year -- mi, so, and la -- and getting ready for the next one, "do."
Students in grade three already have a lot of musical learning under their belts. We'll start out the year with a focus on rhythm, and they'll be listening to some classical music excerpts that are perennial third-grade favorites -- they usually ask for them again and again. American folk songs are another highlight of our third-grade books.
Fourth graders have a lot of fun to look forward to. Their musical ability at this level allows us to do rounds and two-part singing, and our books provide us with a lot of interesting music.
The same is true of "Music Express" magazine, which the older elementary students really enjoy. Fourth graders always look forward to starting to play recorders later in the year.
Fifth graders have lots going on musically. Many of them will be starting band lessons this fall with Mr. Ackerman. In music class, we will be doing lots of part singing and working on our sightreading. And this is the BIG YEAR for fifth graders as our K-5 Christmas Concert approaches, because they get to be the stars! Mark your calendars -- it's Wednesday, Dec. 9, at 7 p.m.
Sixth graders have choices regarding their music classes: they may choose chorus, band, or general music. Students who want to try both band and chorus are able to do so.
In grades seven and eight, it's a Fine Arts option; students choose art, band, or chorus. The Band and Chorus Christmas concert
will be Wednesday, Dec. 16, at 7 p.m.
It's my tenth year at St. Mary's, and I'm grateful to work with such a talented and fun staff. I look forward to reconnecting with students and parents, and to meeting those who are new to our school family.
Anyone with questions or concerns, either current parents or new visitors to this page, may contact me at lthorngate@stmb.org.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Thorngate
