MUSIC
JBE STUDENTS GET THE BEAT IN MUSIC!
last updated December 2009
 

The music program at James B. Edwards Elementary School focuses on student involvement in learning the language of music.  In all five grades students experiment with making music and reading music notation on the many Orff music instruments and midi-adapted piano keyboards in our music lab.

I am currently in my 36th year of teaching music in public schools. My philosophy of teaching states, ‘Every child will grow in concept development through hands-on involvement with instruments, body rhythms, dance and movement, listening skills, and vocal skills. Students will explore sequential lessons in learning to read and perform the language of music.A progressive study of music will provide the student with basic insights to our cultural heritage and other world cultures, and an appreciation and understanding of the arts.’

 

Can you tell when this melody is stepping, skipping or leaping?Click on the music to hear students playing it on Orff instruments. To practice reading music notation click   Reading music and playing the piano is fun!  Practice on line by visiting these sites! Click

MAY DAY..... An old-fashioned day to celebrate a year-long study of the world around us.    Click this picture to view the May Pole dance. Students work throughout the year researching and developing a topic of global awareness. The overall  goal is to expand each child's ability to live with integrity in today's world. To develop this thematic unit, classes prepare a skit with songs, dances, costumes, and scenery. The fourth grade chorus performs the skit with all students singing, dancing, and playing instruments. This special morning in May culminates with the traditional weaving of six maypoles by the fifth graders, all of whom are dressed in pastel colors.

MOVEMENT IS INCORPORATED WITH MOST OF OUR ACTIVITIES AS WE ADD MOTIONS AND DANCES TO OUR SONGS. STUDENTS LEARN TO FEEL THE BEAT AND RESPOND INDIVIDUALLY TO MUSICAL SOUNDS.

THE PRIMARY EMPHASIS IN THE MUSIC CLASSROOM IS TO ENHANCE EACH STUDENT'S SELF CONCEPT AND ABILITY TO EXPRESS THEMSELVES. THIS IS ACCOMPLISHED THROUGH FREQUENT PERFORMANCE OPPORTUNITIES. WE HAVE A GRADE LEVEL PLAY EACH YEAR AND AN ENTIRE SCHOOL PRODUCTION IN MAY. JBE KIDS KNOW A MUSIC DAY WILL BE FUN AND FILLED WITH ACTIVITY.

We love to dress in costumes, prepare scenery and sing and dance to learn about our curriculum. Once, we wrote our own play about the parts of speech and the importance of telling our stories. This year, we are learning all about our country’s beginnings and what it must have been like to be a delegate to the constitutional convention.

 

	FAMOUS COMPOSER SERIES MARVELOUS MOZART! 1756-1792
View these sites:	http://www.mozartproject.org/biography/index.html http://home.comcast.net/~rsarkiss/iof/ http://www.bbc.co.uk/orchestras/play/peergynt.shtml
Answer these questions.	1. At what age did Mozart compose his first piece?  2. Name one of Mozart's most famous operas.  3. Do the actors speak in an opera?  4. At what age did Mozart die?
For extra credit, click the music and answer the questions on a worksheet.
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