Delineating the Elementary Music Scope & Sequence Into Six-Week Instruction Periods: A Case Study...

DELINEATING THE ELEMENTARY MUSIC

SCOPE & SEQUENCE INTO SIX-WEEK INSTRUCTION PERIODS:

A CASE STUDY FOR THE RICHARDSON INDEPENDENT SCHOOL

DISTRICT

by

Michael Douglas Chandler

THESIS

Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the

Requirements for the Degree of

MASTER OF ARTS IN MUSIC EDUCATION

THE UNIVERSITY OF ST. THOMAS

November 2009

DELINEATING THE ELEMENTARY MUSIC

SCOPE & SEQUENCE INTO SIX-WEEK INSTRUCTION PERIODS:

A CASE STUDY FOR THE RICHARDSON INDEPENDENT SCHOOL

DISTRICT

Approved by the Thesis Supervisory Committee:

_________________________________________

Thesis Supervisor

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to gratefully acknowledge Dr. Bruce Gleason for his wisdom,

guidance, and assistance throughout this study, Drs. Doug Orzolek and Herb Dick for

serving on my thesis committee, and Jenny Kelly, Coordinator of Elementary Music for

the Richardson Independent School District, for providing the impetus and inspiration to

begin this study. I am also grateful to Julie Scott, former Coordinator of Elementary

Music for Richardson ISD, for 10 years of friendship, mentorship, and for always being

an outstanding example to me of a successful elementary music teacher. Ms. Scott’s

contributions to the Richardson ISD Elementary Music Curriculum Guide were essential

to the completion of this study. Finally, I would be remiss to not acknowledge the many

children whom I have taught during my 12-year career as an elementary music teacher.

They have taught me and continue to teach me everyday how they learn and how to be a

better music educator.

ii

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to delineate the contents of the music concepts and

skills charts for grades kindergarten through six of the Richardson Independent School

District in Texas into six 6-week instruction periods for the school year based upon a

logical and effective sequence. The Richardson ISD music concepts and skills charts

organize musical learning into eight categories: Rhythm and Meter, Melody, Vocal

Development, Instrument Skills, Movement and Singing Games, Listening and Timbre,

Expressive Elements, and Form. In order to delineate the contents of the yearly charts,

the study posed eight research questions, each of which sought to determine a sequence

for introducing concepts and skills in one of the eight categories. To develop an

appropriate sequence for introducing concepts and skills in each category, a review of

literature examined existing research and related pedagogical literature authored by

experts in the field of elementary music education. The sequence found in the district’s

adopted textbook series, Spotlight on Music published by Macmillan/McGraw Hill,

served as a guide for delineation of the Richardson ISD concepts and skills. The

textbook series divided lesson objectives into six units for every grade level, each of

which was correlated to one of the six 6-week grading periods that comprise a school

year in Richardson ISD. Each lesson objective from the textbook was assigned to one or

more of the eight Richardson ISD concepts and skills categories and assigned to a

particular 6-week grading period based upon both the findings in the review of literature

iii

and upon the comparison and correlation with the sequence in the textbook series. In

grades K-2, the sequence outlined in the textbook series more directly influenced the

sequence of concepts and skills of the Richardson ISD curriculum. Beginning with third

grade, but particularly with sixth grade, the textbook sequence and the contents of the

Richardson ISD music concepts and skills charts became more divergent. The results of

the study should assist elementary music teachers in Richardson ISD in better organizing

and implementing the district’s curriculum. The study concludes with abbreviated and

succinct curriculum charts divided into six 6-week periods for each grade level with the

results outlined in the study.

iv

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER

I. INTRODUCTION......................................................................................... 1

Statement of the Problem................................................................................ 2

Assumptions.................................................................................................... 3

Delimitations................................................................................................... 4

Definition of Terms........................................................................................ 4

Purpose of the Study....................................................................................... 5

II. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE...................................................... 7

Introduction..................................................................................................... 7

Basic Principles of Teaching and Learning Music......................................... 8

Approaching the Curriculum.......................................................................... 14

Rhythm and Meter.......................................................................................... 14

Melody........................................................................................................... 19

Vocal Development........................................................................................ 21

Instrument Skills............................................................................................. 23

Movement and Singing Games....................................................................... 29

Listening and Timbre...................................................................................... 33

Expressive Elements....................................................................................... 37

Form............................................................................................................... 38

III. METHODOLOGY........................................................................................ 42

Introduction.................................................................................................... 42

Rhythm and Meter.......................................................................................... 43

Melody........................................................................................................... 51

Vocal Development........................................................................................ 58

Instrument Skills............................................................................................. 64

Movement and Singing Games....................................................................... 71

Listening and Timbre...................................................................................... 77

Expressive Elements....................................................................................... 84

Form............................................................................................................... 89

v

IV. RESULTS....................................................................................................... 95

Introduction.................................................................................................... 95

Kindergarten................................................................................................... 95

First Grade...................................................................................................... 98

Second Grade.................................................................................................. 101

Third Grade..................................................................................................... 104

Fourth Grade................................................................................................... 107

Fifth Grade...................................................................................................... 111

Sixth Grade..................................................................................................... 114

V. SUMMARY, OBSERVATIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS............... 120

Summary......................................................................................................... 120

Researcher Observations................................................................................. 123

Recommendations for Implementation and Further Research....................... 124

APPENDIX................................................................................................................ 126

Kindergarten Music Concepts and Skills........................................................

127

First Grade Music Concepts and Skills........................................................... 129

Second Grade Music Concepts and Skills...................................................... 131

Third Grade Music Concepts and Skills......................................................... 133

Fourth Grade Music Concepts and Skills....................................................... 135

Fifth Grade Music Concepts and Skills.......................................................... 137

Sixth Grade Music Concepts and Skills......................................................... 139

REFERENCES............................................................................................................ 141

CHAPTER I

Introduction

The word curriculum is defined in Webster’s New World Dictionary (1979) as “a

series of required studies” or “all the courses offered in a school.”1 Within the context of

elementary school music education, a curriculum consists of the required or

recommended concepts and skills that students within each grade level (first grade,

second grade, etc.) should master during each year of their formal education. Music

curricula across the country differ according to national, state, and district guidelines, or

lack thereof, with some regions holding to strict guiding principles and others having

more individual flexibility for each teacher. In the case of the Richardson Independent

School District (RISD), located near Dallas, Texas, the elementary music curriculum is to

be derived from the district’s elementary music concepts and skills charts, which are

found within the RISD Elementary Music Curriculum Guide. A copy of this guide is

provided to every elementary music teacher in RISD. The elementary music concepts

and skills charts were compiled and created by the district’s Coordinator of Elementary

Music in cooperation with a number of RISD elementary music teachers and secondary

choral directors. The charts list the concepts and skills that are to be taught in each grade

level in RISD from kindergarten through sixth grade.

Consisting of seven pages, one for each grade level, the elementary music

concepts and skills charts display a table with eight headings listing categories of

1 Webster’s New World Dictionary (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1979), 122.

2

concepts and skills that are to be taught within each particular grade level during the

school year. While the headings indicate the categories: Rhythm and Meter, Melody,

Vocal Development, Instrument Skills, Movement and Singing Games, Listening and

Timbre, Expressive Elements, and Form, there is no further delineation indicating how or

in what sequence a music teacher should introduce each concept or skill. It has been the

experience of this author that such a guide would be useful to elementary music teachers

not only in RISD but in general, and because of this need, the RISD Coordinator of

Elementary Music recently requested input from the district’s elementary music teachers

to help create a guide that would provide this additional structure.

Statement of the Problem

When a yearly scope and sequence of music skills and concepts already exists,

how does an elementary school general music teacher further plan and develop a music

curriculum based upon the existing scope and sequence? In order to answer this

question, a number of other questions should be answered:

1. In what sequence within grades K – 6 should one teach rhythm and meter?

2. In what sequence within grades K – 6 should one teach melody?

3. In what sequence within grades K – 6 should one teach vocal development?

4. In what sequence within grades K – 6 should one teach instrument skills?

5. In what sequence within grades K – 6 should one teach movement and singing

games?

6. In what sequence within grades K – 6 should one teach listening and timbre?

3

7. In what sequence within grades K – 6 should one teach expressive elements?

8. In what sequence within grades K – 6 should one teach form?

Assumptions

Throughout the course of this study, it is assumed that elementary music teachers

employed by RISD are expected to follow the content of the district’s existing music

concepts and skills charts when planning and implementing their year-long curriculum

and that the content of the RISD elementary music concepts and skills charts aligns with

the content and objectives found in the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) for

music in grades kindergarten through six. It is also assumed that elementary music

teachers within the district use a variety of sources for teaching materials including, but

not limited to, the elementary music textbook series Spotlight on Music, published in

2006 by Macmillam/McGraw-Hill and adopted by the district through a majority vote of

a committee comprised of district elementary music teachers.2 The study assumes that

elementary music teachers assess their students’ understanding of music concepts and

performance of musical skills. Finally, it is assumed that the concluding delineation of

concepts and skills for each grade level will be used as a guide and not as a binding

sequence for every music teacher in RISD.

2 Judy Bond et al. Spotlight on Music (New York: Macmillan/McGraw Hill, 2006).

4

Delimitations

This study will create a delineation of music concepts and skills for the

Richardson Independent School District and not specifically for any other school district.

The basis for the yearly plan will be derived from the sequence of lesson objectives in the

district’s adopted elementary music textbook series, Spotlight on Music, and not from the

sequence of any other similar general music textbook series. The study will consider

only the lesson objectives for the eight lessons found in each of the six units for grades

kindergarten through six and will not include objectives from the series’ supplemental

materials or optional instruction ideas. The study will not consider formal or informal

assessment of student performance of concepts and skills and will conclude with a scope

and sequence chart for each grade level that includes the content of the RISD elementary

music concepts and skills charts delineated into the six 6-week instruction and grading

periods that comprise a school year in RISD.

Definition of Terms

A music concepts and skills chart is a yearly plan listing concepts and skills

from the elements of music, according to particular grade levels, that are to be taught to

each corresponding grade level (often referred to as a scope and sequence). Elements are

the basic components of music including rhythm, melody, harmony, form, and expressive

5

qualities.3 For purposes of this study, the elements will refer to five of the eight headings

found in the RISD elementary music concepts and skills charts: Rhythm and Meter,

Melody, Listening and Timbre, Expressive Elements, and Form. Concepts are more

specific ideas that are derived or inferred from the musical elements. Concepts must be

learned through musical experiences.4 Skills are the meaningful musical experiences that

facilitate the understanding of music concepts. Skills include singing, speaking, moving,

creating, improvising, and writing.5 For purposes of this study, skills will refer to three of

the eight headings found in the RISD elementary music concepts and skills charts: Vocal

Development, Instrument Skills, and Movement and Singing Games.

Purpose of the Study

The purpose of this study is to create a year-long elementary music curriculum

plan for kindergarten through sixth grade which will present six 6-week period scope and

sequence tables for each grade level. The sequence will use the Richardson Independent

School District elementary music concepts and skills charts as its basis, but the district’s

adopted elementary music textbook series, Spotlight on Music, will provide much of the

structure for the sequence within each 6-week period. In addition to aiding the music

teachers and students of the Richardson Independent School District, it is the intent of the

3 Diane M. Lange, “An Introduction to Organizing and Assessing Concepts and Skills in an

Elementary Music Curriculum,” General Music Today (Spring 2006): 6.

4 Lange, “An Introduction to Organizing,” 6.

5 Lange, “An Introduction to Organizing,” 6.

6

author that teachers and students throughout the music education community will benefit

from this curriculum plan.

7

CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

Introduction

The previous chapter suggested that elementary music teachers in the Richardson

Independent School District could benefit from a delineation of the district’s elementary

music concepts and skills charts into the RISD school year’s six 6-week grading and

instruction periods to ensure that their contents are more effectively and thoroughly

taught. The present chapter addresses basic principles of teaching and learning music and

a general sequence for introducing the skills and concepts from each of the eight headings

found in the RISD elementary music concepts and skills charts. The chapter will

prominently cite the work of Lois Choksy, an internationally recognized expert in the

Kodály Method, because of the special emphasis placed in the Kodály Method upon

sequencing rhythmic and melodic skills and concepts.

Music educators, perhaps more than educators in any other field of instruction, are

expected to develop their teaching materials and organize their instruction from an

eclectic assortment of approaches in order to meet their students’ needs despite the

existence of curriculum guides provided at the local, state, and national levels.6 During

the last forty years, the approaches developed by Zoltán Kodály, Emile Jaques-Dalcroze,

and Carl Orff have become mainstream in American music classrooms, music educator

6 Polly Carder, The Eclectic Curriculum in American Music Education, Revised Edition (Reston,

VA: Music Educators National Conference, 1990), v.

8

conferences and clinics, and in undergraduate and graduate music education programs.

Many music educators specialize in one particular approach, but many more use

techniques from more than one in order to more effectively use each approach.7 It is

important to note that the creator of each approach did not intend for his approach to be

fully independent and absolutely sufficient in and of itself.8 Kodály, Dalcroze, and Orff

were all familiar with music-teaching practices of their times and consequently developed

their approaches to meet the musical and educational goals they felt were most

important.9

Basic Principles of Teaching and Learning Music

Two prominent educational theorists have postulated ideas about teaching and

learning that have significantly influenced music education. Swiss psychologist Jean

Piaget (1896-1980) proposed his “theory of learning,” which divided human development

into four distinct stages of acquiring knowledge.10

American psychologist Jerome Bruner

(1915 - ) developed a “theory of instruction” with four aspects that are intended to

improve instruction and maximize learning. Understanding these theories helps music

educators design and implement a curriculum with lessons and activities that are best

suited for each grade level. Lois Choksy succinctly describes these two theories and how

they are related specifically to music education in her book, Teaching Music Effectively

in the Elementary School.

7

Carder, The Eclectic Curriculum, v.

8 Carder, The Eclectic Curriculum, 1.

9 Carder, The Eclectic Curriculum, 1-2.

10

Lois Choksy, Teaching Music Effectively in the Elementary School (Englewood Cliffs, NJ:

Prentice Hall, 1991), 11.

9

The first stage of Piaget’s “theory of learning,” the sensorimotor period, lasts

from birth to approximately age two and is the stage during which the child primarily

understands his or her surroundings through the senses and thereby functions at a pre-

language level. It is, however, during the second stage, the pre-operational stage (from

about age two to age seven), when children typically enter the elementary school and

begin to understand their world through language and symbol both aural-oral and

visual.11

At this stage, the child engages in imitation and symbolic play to react to its

environment, which makes singing games and speech chants very appropriate at this

time. Iconic notation for rhythmic and melodic concepts is both literal and meaningful

for children during this stage. Games and play allow children to express their realities

without full dependency upon formal language.12

Likewise during this stage, children do

not reach conclusions through deduction or induction, but rather through transduction

from particular to particular without generalization.13

Children from kindergarten

through second grade typically function at this level.

The concrete operational stage (age seven to eleven) allows the child the ability

to find aspects in common among diverse things or events as well as to understand a

hierarchy of classes or classifications of objects such as individual instruments within an

instrument family of the orchestra. At this stage, children can determine which parts of a

song are the same, different, or similar, and they are able to understand the form of a song

11

Choksy, Teaching Music, 12.

12


13


10

through symbols.14

This stage is primarily concerned with objects, classes of objects,

counting objects, and relationships between and among objects.15

Progressively, isolated

and group play is replaced by cooperation and problem-solving. Children in second

through fifth grade generally function at this stage of development.

Finally, the formal or hypothetical operations period (age eleven to adult) is

recognizable by the child’s ability to reason and to understand abstract concepts without

the need for tangible objects. Students at this stage will not see the world as only black

or white but will understand subtlety and can reason and predict outcomes based upon

multiple scenarios.16

Music teachers who work with sixth-grade students should

understand that some of their students may have reached this stage of development.

However, since the majority of elementary students function at either the pre-operational

or concrete operations level, it becomes apparent that the majority of music instruction in

the elementary school should be approached from concrete terms since things concrete

represent reality to most elementary students.17

It goes without saying that as one does

not feel a difference physically when crossing a state line or an international border,

children do not move from stage to stage simply because of their birthday and the age

they become. Children will move through the stages at different rates in a sort of

continuum that generally follows the ages indicated here.18

14 Choksy, Teaching Music, 12.

15

Choksy, Teaching Music, 13. 16


17


18


11

Whereas Piaget’s “theory of learning” describes stages of human development,

Bruner’s “theory of instruction” describes, through its four aspects, how to improve the

acquisition of knowledge and skills.19

The first aspect, the predisposition of learners,

considers the factors that influence a child’s desire to learn about any given subject based

on its environment and experience with the subject outside of school. In short, when

parents and siblings like and value music, it is very likely that the child will have a

predisposition to want to learn music when he or she comes to school.20

Moreover, if a

child comes from a home where music is not considered to be important, this may be

apparent in the child’s attitude toward music class, and teaching that child may be more

challenging.

The structure of the subject, Bruner’s second aspect, is comprised of

“propositions” or generalizations about the subject. In this study, the propositions or

generalizations are the elements of music referred to in Chapter One: rhythm, melody,

harmony, form, and expressive qualities. Generalizations may be thought of as the basic

underlying concepts of the subject rather than a number of specific facts about it.21

For

example, rhythm is a proposition (element) of music that may be understood through the

following generalizations (concepts):

Some music has a steady beat while other music may not

The beat can be fast or slow

The beat can get faster or get slower.



21


12

In this way, students are able to use existing knowledge to generate new knowledge,

which is known as discovery learning. Many educators regard the approaches developed

by Orff, Kodály, and Dalcroze as discovery learning. Arvida Steen states in her book

Exploring Orff that children understand music more clearly when a lesson isolates one

musical element from the whole and allows children the opportunity to imitate, explore,

and reapply the element back into the context of the musical material.22

(Note: Steen’s

use of the term “element,” for purposes of this study, refers to a concept, i.e. sixteenth

notes or the pitch re, rather than an overarching proposition of music such as rhythm.)

In the third aspect, the sequence of presentation, Bruner asserts that there are

three ways to encode knowledge: through action, images, or symbols.23

Each of these

three ways to encode knowledge coincides with one of three modes of representation that

progress from the concrete to the abstract. In the first mode, enactive representation,

students experience learning through action rather than words. Students raise or lower

their arms or move their bodies higher and lower to demonstrate perception of higher and

lower melodic contour while it may still be difficult for them to explain with words what

they have experienced.24

This also explains why simple songs with actions such as Eency

Weency Spider and See Saw are easier for students to sing when actions accompany the

song. In the second mode, the iconic mode, images are used to generally explain reality

without being overly specific. This is exemplified by heart-shaped icons that represent

the steady beat of a song. Larger hearts may represent a strong or accented beat while

22 Arvida Steen, Exploring Orff: A Teacher’s Guide (New York: Schott Music Corporation,

1992), 15-16.


24


13

smaller hearts can represent unaccented beats. The third mode, the symbolic mode, is

where traditional language and music notation (symbols) are found and is the most

abstract of the three modes. 25

Bruner asserts that when instruction does not progress through the three modes of

representation successively, learning is hindered and students can become confused.26

For example, if a teacher teaches students to read the pitches so and mi on the staff using

G and E without first demonstrating this concept through actions and through iconic

notation, students may not understand the concept of so and mi when it is transposed to C

and A or to D and B. Mastery of the concept must be approached from the general to the

specific or from concrete to abstract.

The fourth and final aspect of Bruner’s theory is reinforcing learning. Bruner

believed that any subject could be taught early if broken down into its essential elements

and that learning should be revisited through a period of several years at increasingly

sophisticated levels.27

The influence of Piaget and Bruner is highly relevant to music

education and is apparent in most all textbook series for any subject of study as Chapter

Three will demonstrate with the Spotlight on Music series.28


26



28

Rosalyn Harris Ball, “An Ungraded Guide to the Organization of the Elementary General

Music Curriculum in the Public Schools,” (Ed.D. diss., Washington University, 1973), abstract.

14

Approaching the Curriculum

Chapter One stated that there are eight headings listed on the RISD elementary

music concepts and skills chart. According to Bruner’s theory of learning, five of the

eight headings represent a different proposition (element) of music that contains

generalizations (concepts or skills) for kindergarten through sixth grade. Those headings

are Rhythm and Meter, Melody, Listening and Timbre, Expressive Elements, and Form.

Three of the eight headings are, by themselves, skills-related. Those include Vocal

Development, Instrument Skills, and Movement and Singing Games. This section of

Chapter Two will describe general practice of how to sequence the concepts and skills for

each of the eight headings.

Rhythm and Meter

In years past, teaching rhythm as an element in music education was less

important than other music elements until the first third of the twentieth century.29

However, rhythm is now a primary component and is interconnected with speech, song,

and movement.30

Young students should have multiple experiences with pulse-related

activities and should experience uncomplicated rhythms before experiencing those that

are more sophisticated.31

The most concrete generalizations (concepts) regarding rhythm

and meter are:

29 Molly K. Aalfs, “An Approach to Developing an Age Appropriate Rhythm Sequence for the

Fifth and Sixth Grades” (M.A. thesis: University of St. Thomas, 1997), 1.

30 Konnie K. Saliba, Accent on Orff: An Introductory Approach (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice

Hall, 1991), 2.

31

Saliba, Accent on Orff, 1.

15

Most music contains a steady, recurring beat

Some beats are accented or stressed

Some songs are stepping songs while others are skipping songs

Sounds and silences may be longer or shorter32

Before students learn rhythm, they must understand the concept of beat.

Kindergarten students will learn that most music has a regular and recurring stress known

as the beat, which may be compared to the ticking of a clock.33

The children’s first

experiences with beat should begin with students patting the beat on their legs imitating

the teacher’s beat. This may accompany familiar songs and will become more natural to

the students the more they experience it.34

Next, students should step to the beat while

continuing to pat their thighs to the beat and singing a familiar song.35

At this age,

children should experience beat and rhythm at their natural tempo, which is faster than

that of adults.36

Materials chosen for this age level of children should be rhythmically

convergent (words occurring on the beat), short, and age-appropriate.37

Once the concept of steady beat is understood, children can then focus on the

number of sounds, or syllables in a text, that may occur on each beat. This is approached

through the concept of longer and shorter sounds. The rhythm of students’ names, model

32 Lois Choksy, The Kodály Method I: Comprehensive Music Education, Third Ed. (Upper Saddle

River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1999), 20.

33


34

Choksy, The Kodály Method I, 25.

35

Choksy, The Kodály Method I, 25.

36 Saliba, Accent on Orff, 3.

37


16

words, or short motives from familiar songs or poems provides the material for

understanding the number of sounds occurring on a beat.38

Meter is the result of particular groupings of stressed or accented beats. Groups

of beats may occur in twos, threes, or fours with the first beat being the accented or

stressed beat.39

Once kindergarten students can feel accented beats in a familiar song or

poem, they are able to find them in other material and may then distinguish between

simple and compound meter by labeling songs as “stepping songs” or “skipping songs.”40

By first grade, the beat is notated graphically first through pictorial icons shaped

like hearts, which students may point to while singing a familiar song or speaking a

rhyme or poem. When the students are confident with counting the beats in a phrase,

they are ready for pictorial notation of rhythm through icons representing one and two

sounds on a beat or no sound on a beat.41

After extensive experience differentiating

among these, students are ready to graphically notate rhythms that they hear or improvise

by using either sticks or rhythm cards, and the quarter note, 2-eighth notes, and quarter

rest may be identified and practiced through familiar and new songs or rhymes.42

Students may then create ostinato accompaniment patterns to perform with their songs

and rhymes.43

38

Choksy, The Kodály Method, 24.

39

Choksy, Teaching Music, 99-100.

40

Choksy, The Kodály Method, 26-27.

41


42


43


17

In first grade, children may identify the symbol for an accent and learn to place it

underneath syllables or notes that occur on a strong beat, which leads to learning the

concept of measures and bar lines.44

Although first grade students should sing songs in

and , their rhythmic reading should consist only of reading patterns in , or simple duple

meter.45

By second grade, children will extend their conscious knowledge of meter to

meter by understanding that the “loud” beat (accented) is always the first beat in a

measure, comes directly after the bar line, and is called “one.” Meter in four will consist

of counting from the first loud beat until coming to the next one.46

It is appropriate at this

level to introduce the corresponding time signatures for and , which conducting will

reinforce.47

Conceptually understanding simple versus compound meter is possible in

second grade when approached from perceiving the number of sounds in which each beat

may be subdivided – either two or three – and being related to whether songs are stepping

songs or skipping songs. The concept of notes with a longer duration than the beat is

approached by using the tie. For example, once a sound of two beats’ duration is labeled

by using two tied quarter notes, a half note will replace the tied quarter notes.48

To

reinforce their learning, second grade students should improvise and compose using all

notation values they have learned thus far.49

44 Choksy, The Kodály Method, 41.

45


46


47


48


49


18

Rhythmic learning in third grade consists of introducing two significant rhythmic

features, each consisting of uneven distribution of sounds over the underlying beat

(divergent) – the dotted quarter note followed by an eighth note and syncopation. At this

point, teachers should also introduce the whole note as a sound with 4 beats’ duration.50

More specific work in compound duple meter () occurs in third grade, and rhythmic

dictation will consist of longer and more sophisticated patterns.51

At this grade level, it is

also appropriate to introduce the anacrusis or upbeat.52

Fourth grade rhythmic learning will consist of the pattern of four sixteenth notes

and its derivatives (eighth – two sixteenths and two sixteenths – eighth), introducing

simple meter in 3, and more specific work in compound meter including the introduction

of the time signature.53

Conducting and improvisation accompanied by composition

should use all of the students’ known rhythmic elements up to this point.54

Fifth grade rhythmic learning consists of understanding augmentation and

diminution along with the concept of “cut time” or alle breve.55

Work with compound

meter will include the introduction of the meters , , and .56

Other rhythmic elements

such as the dotted eighth note followed by a sixteenth note (and vice versa) and the eighth

note followed by a dotted quarter note are appropriate for fifth grade students.57

Mixed

50 Choksy, The Kodály Method, 82-84.

51


52


53


54


55


56


57


19

meter and asymmetric meters along with the triplet complete rhythmic learning in sixth

grade.58

Melody

Children should first have a concrete understanding of higher and lower in

relation to pitch before conceptually learning specific pitches. Choksy states that, when

learning songs, kindergarten students should learn to sing them in higher and lower

places, identifying what these terms mean, before learning to distinguish between higher

and lower sounds, or going up and down, within the song itself. This will help avoid the

confusion of higher and lower with dynamic levels.59

When students can distinguish

between higher and lower pitches and can sing their simple songs in tune, the teacher

may introduce melodic patterns.60

There is general agreement that the beginning intervals children should sing are

thirds and seconds followed by perfect fourths and fifths. The general three-note

“children’s chant” uses the pitches la – so – mi, and it is typical for children to use these

pitches in their singing to improvise new texts. Because so many beginning traditional

singing games and childhood songs use these three pitches, they are a logical starting

point for melodic development. This early stage of melodic learning is also the

appropriate time to introduce the staff.61

It is important, however, for teachers to also

include pentatonic and diatonic songs with wider ranges in order to develop the



60


61

Lois Choksy, The Kodály Method I, 44.

20

children’s voices even though literacy may be restricted to three specific pitches.62

In

second grade, song material should then make the pitches re and do conscious followed

by low la, low so, and high do in third grade to complete the pentatonic scale.63

Also in

third grade, low la is introduced as the tonal center instead of do.64

In fourth grade,

children can consciously learn songs using re and so as the tonal center.65

Introducing

the fourth scale degree, fa, and finally the seventh degree, ti, should progress from using

simple, step-wise, pentachordal melodies to hexatonic, and finally diatonic melodies.66

This is the appropriate time to introduce sharps and flats and the concept of the key

signature. Fa may be introduced as B-flat in the key of F major, and ti may be introduced

as F-sharp in the key of G major.67

In fifth grade, students should learn to consciously

hear major and minor seconds and recognize major and minor key signatures, and in sixth

grade modal scales.68

At first, vocal improvisation includes the children singing their own original

melody to a small part of a familiar song. 69

All early vocal improvisation activities for

younger students should come from a sense of play and imagination. In first grade,

teachers and students can exchange humorous questions and answers that are sung using

the so-mi-la chant. These early improvisations should be unrestricted by formal meter or

62 Lois Choksy, Teaching Music, 22-23.

63


64


65


66

Jane Frazee, Orff Schulwerk Today: Nurturing Musical Expression and Understanding (Mainz:

Schott Music Corporation, 2006), 46.

67

Lois Choksy, The Kodály Method I, 55-56.

68

Lois Choksy, The Kodály Method I, 136-137, 146-147.

69

Jane Frazee, Orff Schulwerk Today, 43.

21

rhythm as this can be a later goal.70

Later, perhaps in second grade, students can sing

improvised answers to questions or vice versa using call-and-response songs.71

This

activity can continue into later grades. In third grade, children can improvise new words

to substitute for a song’s existing text reinforcing the concept of rhyming words.72

By

fourth grade, students may improvise a melody to the last phrase of a song, using the

song’s text, for which the teacher has taught all but the remaining phrase’s melody.73

Melodic question and answer improvisation may continue through sixth grade.

Vocal Development

The primary instrument in the music classroom, and the most personal one, is the

human voice.74

Before young children begin their school years, they engage in singing as

a solitary activity in order to please themselves. Their singing is neither formal nor

organized, and in many cases children don’t perceive the difference between speaking

and singing.75

In school, children are suddenly asked to sing songs predetermined by

their teacher at a specific time or place that he or she asks, and they must also learn not to

sing during instruction time when it isn’t appropriate to do so.76

Much has been written about how young children learn to sing. In the earliest

grades, it is most important that children learn the difference between singing and

speaking, develop a repertoire of songs with limited pitch ranges, and be given ample

70 Lois Choksy, The Kodály Method I, 48.

71 Jane Frazee, Orff Schulwerk Today, 47.

72


73


74

Frazee, Orff Schulwerk Today, 41.

75


76

Lois Choksy, Teaching Music, 21.

22

opportunity to sing alone in order to hear their own voice.77

Vocal exploration is a

concrete starting point for using the voice as children may create sound effects to

accompany simple songs or poems. Students should experience and distinguish among

the various ways to use their voice such as singing versus speaking. Teachers should

ensure that the “head voice” is used for singing rather than the “chest voice” in order to

prevent damage to the children’s voices.78

The most appropriate beginning vocal range

for children is from D (one step above middle C) to A, a fifth above.79

Children should sing individually and together as part of every music class.80

Pitch matching activities occur in the early grades in order to ensure that children can

match pitch by the end of second grade. Activities should be fun and non-threatening

while allowing the teacher to assess each individual student’s voice. Pitch exploration

using images like making a “basketball shot” with the voice, vocal sirens or “ghost

sounds,” or singing into a tube to the child’s right ear, which assists students in learning

to match pitch.81

Once children have learned to sing in tune during first and second grade

and have experienced singing a wide and diverse repertoire of songs, they should begin

singing in two parts during third and fourth grade. The most effective ways to

incorporate part singing are to begin with vocal ostinati, canons, and descants. Adding a

new, simple part to a familiar song or combining two songs that may be performed as

77 Jane Frazee, Orff Schulwerk Today, 41.

78 Lois Choksy, Teaching Music, 26.

79


80


81

Doug Goodkin, Play, Sing, & Dance: An Introduction to Orff Schulwerk (Mainz: Schott Music

Corporation, 2002), 29.

23

partner songs is another effective approach.82

In fifth and sixth grade, students may sing

more sophisticated descants and canons as well as simple two- and three- part

arrangements.83

Proper singing technique using a naturally light and energetic tone should be a

constant goal with students. Children should learn to breathe at the ends of phrases and

not in the middle of words or phrases and should learn to sing diphthongs properly.84

With younger students, the teacher should simply model proper singing in anticipation

that the children will naturally imitate their teacher, but teachers may discuss technique

with their older students since they are more able to understand these concepts.85

A

significant amount of classroom singing should occur unaccompanied in order for the

children to develop correct pitch and intonation. It also offers the teacher a better

opportunity to hear and help individual out-of-tune singers.86

Instrument Skills

Playing instruments offers valuable experiences for children in the elementary

music classroom. Children often describe playing instruments as one of their favorite

activities in music class, and it is one for which students are more likely to remain on-

task during instruction.87 The natural curiosity that children possess for exploring and



84


85



87

Donald Taylor, “Beating Time: Refining Learned Repertoire for Percussion Instruments in an

Orff Ensemble Setting,” (Ph.D. diss., The University of Texas at Austin, 2004), 2-3.

24

playing instruments can be fostered to support the teaching of skills and concepts.88

Choksy states that classroom instruments generally fall into four categories: unpitched or

rhythm instruments, pitched or melody instruments, chording or harmony instruments, or

keyboard instruments.89

For pertinence, this study will examine the use of only the first

two categories since it is not general practice in the Richardson Independent School

District for students to use chording instruments or keyboard instruments in their

elementary music class.

Imitation is the starting point for children with any instrumental experience. Orff

Schulwerk teachers typically use three types of imitation for instrumental work:

simultaneous imitation (mirroring), remembered imitation (echo), and overlapping

imitation (canon).90

Imitation leads to simple improvisation of new rhythms and

melodies based on the teacher’s models. Body percussion provides the necessary

rhythmic preparation for instrumental skills on unpitched and pitched percussion

instruments. The levels most typically used are finger snapping, hand clapping, thigh

patting, and foot stamping. Once specific rhythms or a particular form are taught through

body percussion, transfer to instruments may easily occur.91

Kindergarten and first grade

students will begin by using body percussion, such as patting their thighs with both hands

together, to demonstrate the beat or clapping the rhythm of the words while chanting a


89


90

Frazee, Orff Schulwerk Today, 77-78.

91 Frazee, Orff Schulwerk Today, 77.

25

poem or singing a song. The steady beat or rhythm is later transferred to either unpitched

percussion instruments or to mallet percussion instruments.92

Unpitched instruments, or rhythm instruments as they are sometimes known, may

be introduced one-at-a-time as accompaniment. These instruments fall into four

categories: metal, wood, scrapers and shakers, and drums. Each timbre is prepared

through a different level of body percussion.93

For example, snaps prepare the metal

unpitched instruments, and claps prepare the wood unpitched instruments. Pats usually

transfer easily to the scrapers and shakers or to instruments with two mallets or playing

surfaces, and stamps logically transfer to drums. The first use of unpitched instruments is

literal in nature as sandblocks or the cabasa may be used to imitate the sound of a train, or

the triangle or finger cymbals may be used to imitate the sound of a chiming clock. In

this way, the instruments add tone color to a song or poem.94

Throughout this process,

each child should have the opportunity to experiment and explore each instrument and

the possible ways it may be played. Children should hear how the instrument sounds,

learn how to hold it and play it, and should play the instruments with their songs and

poems as well as with the beat.95

When enough instruments are familiar to the students,

speech pieces or rhymes may be performed with the instruments instead of with speech.96

Most unpitched instruments should be introduced to students during kindergarten and

92 Julie Scott, “A Possible Sequence for Orff Instrument Skills,” June 2006, Richardson ISD

Elementary Music Curriculum Guide, Richardson, Texas.

93



95


96


26

first grade; however they may be used to accompany songs, speech pieces, and

movement during all the elementary years.97

Pitched, or melody instruments in elementary music consist of barred instruments,

such as resonator bells, glockenspiels, metallophones, and xylophones; or as wind

instruments such as the recorder.98

This study will consider the barred instruments and

the recorder. Resonator bells consist of a small box with a single bar positioned above

that may be played by one child. The bells may be removed so that only the bars

necessary to play a melody or accompany a song may be used. A small rubber mallet is

used to play each bar.99

The barred instruments known commonly as Orff instruments

include glockenspiels, metallophones, and xylophones and are appropriate for either

playing melodies or for accompanying singing. Young children may first explore the

Orff instruments using the instruments’ tone color to “tell the story” of familiar rhymes

and poems such as “Humpty Dumpty.”100

Kindergarten and first grade students may

explore and improvise freely on the Orff instruments using visuals, pictures, or cues

provided by the teacher.101

A typical process for playing melodies on Orff instruments is

to sing the song with its text, sing the song with absolute note names, and play the

instrument while singing the note names.102

By the end of first grade, students should be

able to play and improvise melodies on Orff instruments using so, la, and mi. By the end


98


99

Choksy, Teaching Music, 51-52. 100

Jane Frazee, Playing Together: An Introduction to Teaching Orff-Instrument Skills (Mainz:

Schott Music Corporation, 2008), 5.

101 Scott, “A Possible Sequence for Orff Instrument Skills,” Richardson ISD

102


27

of second grade, the students should be able to add do and re to their instrumental pitch

vocabulary, and in the upper elementary grades, they should be able to improvise and

play melodies first using pentatonic melodies and then diatonic and modal melodies.103

The lower Orff instruments are often used to accompany pentatonic songs with a

simple bordun (drone) that may be played hands together or hands separately.104

The

bordun appears first as a simple chord bordun consisting of the tonic and fifth played

simultaneously. In first grade, students will accompany their songs and melodies with

the chord bordun played as the steady beat. In second grade, the bordun may use a

rhythmic pattern such as an ostinato and also may develop into a broken bordun where

the two tones are played with alternating hands.105

By third and fourth grade, students

can accompany their singing and instrumental melodies with the level bordun (hands

together using the bordun in two octaves) and the arpeggiated bordun (left hand crosses

over to the tonic in the octave above).106

One or both of the two tones may also move a

step away (single moving or double moving drone).107

Songs with implied harmonies of

the dominant and/or subdominant will require more than the simple bordun.108

The Orff instruments lend themselves easily to melodic improvisation.109

At the

primary level, melodic improvisation starts with exploration on the mallet instruments

using the teacher’s body percussion cues. Students replicate the rhythm on an instrument

103

Scott, “A Possible Sequence for Orff Instrument Skills,” Richardson ISD

104

Choksy, Teaching Music, 55. 105

Scott, “ A Possible Sequence for Orff Instrument Skills,” Richardson ISD

106

Scott, “ A Possible Sequence for Orff Instrument Skills,” Richardson ISD

107


108


109


28

using any pitches they choose.110

The teacher may limit the available pitches to only

three or four in order to ensure more student success. At the intermediate level, students

improvise by completing a phrase performed by the teacher or another student (question

and answer improvisation, or phrase building).111

Finally, at the upper elementary level,

improvisations may use functional harmony (I, V, and IV or tonic, dominant, and

subdominant) in either major or minor.112

Elemental forms such as aaab or abac provide

structure for many of these basic improvisations.

The soprano recorder is a simple wind instrument that is relatively inexpensive

and easily accessible for elementary students to play.113

Recorder instruction should

begin in either fourth or fifth grade in order that students may have the small muscle

motor skills and music-reading skills necessary for success.114

Carl Orff’s life-long

associate and colleague, Gunild Keetman, stated in her book Elementaria that recorder

instruction should consist of a combination of playing by memory and by ear equally

with reading music from notation. Keetman continues that one should “begin with

imitation using simple melodies progressing from small note range to phrases with

rhythmic and melodic variety.”115

According to Keetman, improvisation should “begin

with short metric or free conversations between teacher and individual students. Progress

to individual forms and the full scale.”116

Individual teachers should choose a sequence

110 Frazee, Orff Schulwerk Today, 79

111

Frazee, Orff Schulwerk Today, 85-86.


113


114


115


116

Frazee. Orff Schulwerk Today, 97.

29

of notes to introduce on the recorder, beginning with two notes from the C pentatonic

scale. Some possible note sequences include:

G and E, add A, add high C, add low D, then add more pitches

G and A, add B, add low E, add low D, then add more pitches

High C and A, add high D, add G and low E, then add more pitches

Teachers should choose the sequence they prefer and add one note at a time considering

the limitations of small hands and the motor skills of young students.117

Movement and Singing Games

Movement is an important and integral part of every familiar approach to

classroom music education and should be included in every music lesson.118

Many

American music teachers have neglected to see the interconnection between music and

movement and consider singing as a separate activity from moving.119

Children,

however, typically associate singing and moving as the same activity without separation,

and actions or motions that accompany a song make it easier for children to remember

the words.120

Music and dance are joined at the hip – the action of the body on instruments

produces music, the movement of the body in space creates rhythms, meters,

tempos, phrases, dynamics and form.121

117


118 Saliba, Accent on Orff, 16.

119

Margaret I. Olsen, “Bringing the Playground Indoors: Using Playground Singing Games for

Notation Activities in the Music Classroom” (M.A. thesis: University of St. Thomas, 1996), 14.

120


121

Goodkin, Play, Sing, & Dance, 52.

30

Movement in the music classroom encourages creativity, stimulates the imagination, aids

in the development of the body, and offers an emotional outlet. Typically, movement is

utilized in the elementary music classroom in three ways: singing games and dances,

creative movement, or movement for teaching specific skills and concepts.122

In her

book, Orff Schulwerk Today, Jane Frazee states that these three uses of movement are

also essential for any teacher utilizing the Orff Schulwerk approach in their classroom.123

Before any formalized rhythmic activities can begin, students must be aware of and

practice the concept of self space and shared space.124

Singing games for younger children are more like games than those for older

students, which more resemble formalized dances.125

Lois Choksy and David Brummitt

recommend a progression, shown below, for singing games and dances in their book 120

Singing Games and Dances for Elementary Schools.

Moving in place (non-locomotor)

Free movement through space (locomotor)

Circle games and dances that include:

o Acting out games/dances

o Partner choosing games

o Chase games

o Winding games

o Arch forming games

o Double circle games

o Circle games with square dance steps

Singing squares

Line games and dances

o Line games of confrontation

o Line games with contra dance steps


123


124


125 Choksy, Teaching Music, 35

31

o Contra dances with a reel

Passing games

Clapping Games126

Singing games appropriate for five- to seven-year-old children in kindergarten,

first, or second grade often involve activities such as acting out or performing pantomime

to the words, choosing partners, following a leader, chasing another child, using bridges

or arches, or two lines of children opposing each other.127

Movement should progress

from moving in place (non-locomotor) to moving freely through space (locomotor) and

then on to more complex and sophisticated games as indicated in the sequence shown

above.128

Folk dances, most appropriate for grades three through six, represent either North

American heritage or the heritage of another culture. They often occur in circles,

squares, or in opposing lines. Generally, square dances and contradances may be taught

first in a circle before they are moved to their respective formation.129

Folk dance should

not be taught as a stand-alone unit in the music class, but instead should occur on a daily

basis or each time students come to music.130

In the 1980s, Phyllis Weikart published a

folk dance resource book with accompanying recordings that is widely used by music

teachers throughout the United States. Weikart codified a teaching process, vocabulary,

and written dance directions whose aim was to build rhythmic movement and

126 David Brummitt & Lois Choksy, 120 Singing Games and Dances for Elementary Schools

(Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1987), 215-216. 127


128

Brummitt & Choksy, 120 Singing Games,

129


130

Brummitt & Choksy, 120 Singing Games, 2

32

coordination skills through folk dances from various cultures.131

In her book, Teaching

Folk Dance: Successful Steps, Weikart presents more than 200 folk dances into three

categories by skill level: Level I, Level II, and Level III. The Level I dances are

comprised of single, one-beat movements and may first be taught to children late in first

grade or older. Level II dances involve sequenced movement of either one or two beats

and are recommended for children in second grade or older. The Level III dances involve

four-beat sequences of movement and/or uneven timing and are recommended for

students in third grade or older.132

Creative movement comes from students’ prior experiences with singing games

and dances and allows students to use this vocabulary of movements to interpret music

with new and originally created movement.133

Five-, six-, and seven-year-old students

can name and explore locomotor movements to accompany music as well as describe and

employ different directions, various body parts, and non-locomotor actions.134

As

students become older, they may continue similar activities, but they should require less

direction from the teacher. The music used for creative movement may be sung by the

children, performed by the teacher, or played from recordings.135

Movement may also be used to teach any element of music such as rhythm, meter,

melody, form, dynamics, or tempo. To demonstrate beat, rhythm, and meter, early

experiences with younger students should involve actions that act out the concept through

131 Goodkin, Play, Sing, & Dance, 39.

132 Weikart, Teaching Folk Dance: Successful Steps (Ypsilanti, MI: High/Scope Press, 1997), 26.

133

Choksy, Teaching Music, 38

134


135


33

play. Examples of this include rowing a boat, rocking a baby, hammering a shoe, or

marching up a hill.136

Later experiences require students to tap the beat or to tap and

move to the beat simultaneously. Rhythm is demonstrated through tapping the syllables

of each word or tapping “the way the words go.” Galloping versus jogging illustrates

early on the differences between simple and compound meters.137

The body may be used

to show melodic contour, phrase structure (same/different), dynamics, or even to

demonstrate the texture of a canon.138

Many folk dances may also be used to teach the

elements of music as described above.139

Listening and Timbre

Listening is an important activity through which young children learn music.140

Effective listening in the music classroom must direct the students’ attention to the

elements of music which the children perform or music to which they listen in order to

connect the familiar to the unfamiliar. The musical elements: rhythm, meter, form,

texture, dynamics, and tone color (timbre) provide parameters from which to approach

listening activities with children.141

Frazee states that “our end should be to guide the

learner to an understanding of the infinite variety of ways in which the elements of

musical expression are used by the composer in creating a work of art; in short, to



138

Choksy, Teaching Music 42.

139

Goodkin, Play, Sing, & Dance, 40.

140

Steen, Exploring Orff, 42.

141

Jane Frazee, Discovering Orff: A Curriculum for Music Teachers (New York: Schott Music

Corporation, 1987), 25.

34

discover how music works.”142

Frazee continues that “this idea applies to much non-

Western music as well.”143

For example, a listening lesson can help students become

familiar with unfamiliar instruments.144

Listening should take place in every music lesson.145

The logical starting point

for music-listening in kindergarten and first grade is unaccompanied songs performed by

the teacher. Songs that relate directly to experiences familiar to children, such as

lullabies, story songs, and holiday songs are effective in encouraging students to develop

good listening habits.146

This reinforces the assertion to begin with that which is more

concrete than abstract.

Young children should understand that the size and material of an instrument will

affect the quality of its sound, or timbre.147

Kindergarten and first-grade students should

listen for the different timbres of their classmates’ voices and to different unpitched

instrumental sounds such as wood, metal, and skin. Later, the teacher can identify

individual instruments within these three categories.148

Students can explore the various

timbres of the instruments by using them to accompany stories and poems.149

Listening etiquette is also established during kindergarten and first grade.

Students should be taught to understand the difference between “hearing” and “listening.”


143


144


145


146


147



149


35

To accomplish this, the teacher directs the students to listen in order to answer questions

about what will happen in the song.150

The teacher can approach Western art music, or

other listening examples, by singing prominent melodies on a neutral syllable for the

students. Once familiar with the theme, the children may then listen to a recorded

example in which the theme occurs.151

During first grade it is appropriate for students to

listen to recorded examples of binary (AB) form after they have performed songs or

speech pieces that demonstrate this form.152

In second grade, students can understand ternary (ABA) form through listening to

recorded examples after having performed songs or speech pieces demonstrating the

same form. Choksy recommends that in second grade, students may listen to music

through non-directed listening in which the children listen to a short example preceded by

a short narration that offers very general information about the musical elements in the

example. The example is repeated in successive lessons as the narrations review previous

information and offer new insights for listening to the example.153

By third grade students should listen to and differentiate among not only various

vocal timbres but also the individual instruments of the orchestra (introduced one at a

time) either through live performance, by the teacher or a parent, or through recorded

examples. Students can sing and read prominent melodies from listening examples

before listening to them in the context of a recorded example and may also begin


151


152

Frazee, Discovering Orff, 80. 153


36

listening to orchestral arrangements of well-known folk songs.154

Frazee recommends

listening to examples of rondo form in third grade after the children have experienced

singing and playing using rondo form in their own performances.155

Listening of a more direct and sophisticated nature can begin in fourth grade. As

in third grade, students should learn to read and sing prominent melodies before listening

to them in recorded examples. At this point, students should listen to fewer pieces but

with more in-depth analysis and attention rather than “hearing” many pieces.156

Frazee

recommends listening to examples of the chaconne in fourth grade, such as Pachelbel’s

Canon, after having experienced layering various ostinati in classroom ensemble

playing.157

In fifth and sixth grade, listening lessons should be organized in one of four

different ways: by composer, period or style, form, or instrumentation.158

Selections for

listening are first taught through singing, reading, writing, or for improvisation activities

before they are actually presented for listening.159

Frazee asserts that fifth grade students

should be ready to perform, create, and listen to selections that represent Theme &

Variations.160


155

Frazee, Discovering Orff, 147.

156


157


158


159


160 Frazee, Discovering Orff, 209.

37

Expressive Elements

The expressive elements, dynamics and tempo, are used to bring unity and interest

to music.161

Dynamics refers to how relatively loud or soft music should be performed,

and tempo refers to the speed of the steady beat. The youngest students should

understand dynamics and tempo from the concrete starting points that music can be either

louder or softer or either faster or slower.162

Kindergarten and first-grade students easily understand why songs should be

louder or softer based upon how the music makes them feel or because of the purpose of

the music. For example, a march should be louder because soldiers are marching, and a

lullaby should be quieter because it helps a baby go to sleep. Movement is a very

effective medium through which to teach dynamics and changes in dynamics to children

by contrasting tip-toeing with stamping or small movement gestures contrasted with large

ones.163

Terminology for dynamics should be “loud” and “quiet,” rather than “loud” and

“soft” to ensure accuracy of meaning and to avoid confusion.164

Later, the formal terms

for dynamic levels such as piano, forte, crescendo, decrescendo, and mezzo forte, etc.,

and their corresponding symbols, can be taught and used by the children. Students

should always be encouraged to explore and use different levels of dynamics to express

their own improvisations and compositions through the elementary school years.165


162


163


164

Choksy, Teaching Music, 21-22.


38

As is the case with dynamics, young children can easily distinguish between

songs that should have a fast tempo, like marches, and those that should be slower, such

as a lullaby. They can also easily understand that tempo changes within a song or piece

can create the feeling of excitement or sadness. Once students understand simple

contrasts in tempo, formal names for the various tempo markings may be introduced

individually, such as Lento, Adagio, Moderato, Presto, and Vivace. As with dynamics,

students should explore and use tempo and tempo changes in their own improvisations

and compositions.166

Form

Form refers to the overall structure or design of a piece of music. In concrete

terms, it is based upon the principles that musical ideas are either the same, different, or

similar.167

The smallest musical ideas, called motives, combine to form phrases.168

When combined, phrases can make either a simple four-phrase song or a larger unit of

music called a section.169

When sections are combined, they form larger, more

sophisticated forms such as Rondo, Theme and Variations, Minuet and Trio, Fugue, and

Sonata.170

In kindergarten, students learn that phrases are short musical thoughts that provide

an obvious, natural breathing point. Rather than to overexplain the definition of the

phrase, the teacher should simply demonstrate the phrase by using it when echo-teaching

166


167


168


169


170


39

a song to the children.171

Children can demonstrate their concrete knowledge of a phrase

by using their arm to make an arc in the air for each phrase or by moving through class

space while singing a song and changing directions every time a new phrase begins.172

While patting the beat on their body, the students can also change the location of the beat

every time a new phrase begins, such as moving the beat from patting the knees to

tapping the shoulders for the new phrase. They can also use colored ribbons to stretch

out slowly with their hands to their full length by the end of a phrase. They can drop one

end of the ribbon and begin again with the other side when the new phrase begins.173

Once kindergarten students can recognize when phrases begin and end and how many

phrases occur in a song, they are able to compare them and determine whether they sound

the same, different, or similar. They can demonstrate this understanding by using colored

shapes to label each phrase.174

In first grade, this work continues at a more sophisticated level. First grade

students can analyze the rhythms and melodies of phrases both aurally and visually to

determine whether they are the same, different, or similar. This provides a basic structure

for beginning simple improvisation activities.175

Students learn to label these phrases

using small-song forms (elemental forms) like aabb, aaba, or abab.176

In terms of larger

form, the first grade student can listen to and understand a song with two sections (AB)

and demonstrate this by creating different movement or body percussion patterns to


172


173 Steen, Exploring Orff, 78.

174


175

Steen, Exploring Orff, 129-130.

176


40

accompany each of the two sections.177

Listening to musical examples of AB form, such

as selections from the Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach (1725), will support this

understanding.178

By second grade, students can analyze, both aurally and visually, the motives

within phrases and improvise slight changes to them. This is accomplished through

continued experience with the elemental forms. The children can begin to understand the

concept of question and answer phrases through simple songs that contain questions and

answers in their text, and can extend their understanding of large forms to ternary form

(ABA) where two contrasting sections are followed by a repeat of the first section.179

Listening to examples of ABA form, such as a simple Minuet and Trio, will support the

children’s understanding of ternary form.180

In third grade, students can use their knowledge of question and answer phrases to

improvise their own question and answer phrases in familiar meters.181

Students at this

grade level can also understand Rondo form, an extension of ABA form to ABACA, and

can improvise their own contrasting individual or small group sections to perform

alternating with the large group’s A section.182

As is the case in previous grade levels,

177 Steen, Exploring Orff, 130.

178


179 Steen, Exploring Orff, 174-176.

180

Frazee, Discovering Orff, 115-116.

181


182


41

listening to examples that demonstrate Rondo form will help solidify the students’

understanding.183

Fourth, fifth, and sixth grades consist of making children experience more large

forms such as the Chaconne and Theme and Variations, both of which should be

experienced first through improvisation, and then through listening.184

Other large forms

such as these are appropriate for these grade levels as well as depending upon what

enrichment activities or field trips the students experience.

183 Frazee, Discovering Orff, 147.

184

Steen, Exploring Orff, 291, 361.

42

CHAPTER III

METHODOLOGY

Introduction

The previous chapter examined the generally-accepted sequence for introducing

skills and concepts in kindergarten through sixth grade in the elementary music

classroom as correlated with the eight categories of concepts and skills found in the

Richardson ISD elementary music concepts and skills charts. The current chapter will

compare the concepts and skills listed in the Richardson ISD music concepts and skills

charts for kindergarten through sixth grade with the sequence of objectives found in the

Macmillan/McGraw-Hill series Spotlight on Music, the music textbook series available to

Richardson ISD elementary music teachers.

The chapter progresses, according to six 6-week periods for every grade level,

through each of the eight categories by listing the concepts and skills found on the RISD

music concepts and skills charts followed by the sequence of concept or skill objectives

as introduced in Spotlight on Music. Every grade level of the Spotlight on Music series

contains six units of material, each of which contains eight lessons with one primary

objective for each lesson. All of the eight objectives listed in every unit have been

correlated with one or more of the eight categories of the Richardson ISD music concepts

and skills charts. Whenever a 6-week period states “no objective,” it is not to indicate

that no activities of this nature are present in that 6-week period, but only that there was

no primary lesson objective for that particular concept or skill in that particular unit.

43

The six units are correlated, for the purposes of this study, with the six 6-week

grading periods in the RISD school year. The sequence found in the Spotlight on Music

series guides the delineation of concepts and skills from the Richardson ISD elementary

music concepts and skills charts into six 6-week grading periods in Chapter Four. In

cases where there are discrepancies regarding the grade level placement of a concept or

skill, the placement of the skill or concept as listed in the RISD music concepts and skills

charts will take precedent over that of the Spotlight on Music sequence. In cases where a

particular concept or skill found in the RISD music concepts and skills charts does not

have a corresponding objective in the Spotlight on Music sequence, it will be considered

as either an ongoing objective that is woven into various activities throughout the school

year or placed in the curriculum grid based on the author’s best judgment as an

experienced teacher.

Rhythm and Meter

A. Kindergarten

The Richardson ISD music concepts and skills charts list seven rhythm and meter

concepts or skills for kindergarten. They are: steady beat; beat icons; beat vs. no beat;

long/short sounds; rhythm of the words; experience simple and compound meters; and

improvise and create rhythmic patterns.185

In Spotlight on Music, rhythm and meter objectives are presented in the following

order for kindergarten:

185 “Kindergarten Music Concepts and Skills,” Richardson ISD Elementary Music Curriculum

Guide, 2007, Richardson, Texas.

44

First Six Weeks186

-- move to the beat of a song; signal to track beat icons; walk,

skip, or gallop to the beat

Second Six Weeks187

-- clap to show the rhythm of one’s own first name; signal

to differentiate between beat and rhythm; pat with the beat, then clap the word

rhythm of a phrase; clap the word rhythms of the days of the week

Third Six Weeks188

-- gallop to show aural recognition of rhythm; signal to

show aural recognition of skipping rhythm ; march to the beat of music in

and meter

Fourth Six Weeks189

-- read icons for one and two sounds to a beat; tap rhythm of

a song having one and two sounds to a beat; clap one and two sounds to a beat;

move to the strong beat

Fifth Six Weeks190

-- gesture to identify beats of silence in a song; pat a rhythm

having one and two sounds to a beat; clap to the beat to identify a repeated

section; pat to the beat, gesturing for the beat of silence, while singing a song

Sixth Six Weeks191

-- gesture to show identification of iconic beat of silence; read

and perform iconic notation for one sound and no sound to a beat; read and clap

icons for one and two sounds to a beat; move to the beat in meter; play a steady

beat drum accompaniment to a poem read with free rhythm

B. First Grade

The Richardson ISD music concepts and skills charts list seven rhythm and meter

concepts or skills for first grade. They are: steady beat; beat vs. rhythm; quarter note

(ta); eighth notes (ti-ti); quarter rest; beats in sets of 2 (2/4 meter) and 4 (4/4 meter); and

improvise and compose 4-beat rhythmic patterns.192

186 Judy Bond et al. Spotlight on Music: Grade K, Teacher’s Edition (New York:

Macmillan/McGraw Hill, 2008), T12C.

187

Judy Bond et al. Spotlight on Music: Grade K, T48C.

188


189


190


191


192

“First Grade Music Concepts and Skills,” Richardson ISD Elementary Music Curriculum


45


order for first grade:

First Six Weeks193

-- perform sounds and movements to show the difference

between steady beat and no steady beat; create and perform 4-beat body

percussion patterns

Second Six Weeks194

-- move to show aural identification of long and short

sounds; match longer shorter movements to longer and shorter sounds in a song;

read graphic notation for longer and shorter sounds

Third Six Weeks195

-- clap word rhythms to show one and two sounds to the beat;

read and clap patterns using simple rhythmic symbols; read and perform rhythms

using quarter and eighth notes; identify short patterns using quarter notes and

eighth notes

Fourth Six Weeks196

-- no rhythm and meter objectives

Fifth Six Weeks197

-- move to show aural and visual recognition of no sound on

the beat; read as no sound to a beat; distinguish between beats in groups of twos

and threes; read created rhythm patterns from notation

Sixth Six Weeks198

-- read and play patterns with known rhythms from notation;

create and play accompaniment patterns using known rhythms

C. Second Grade

The Richardson ISD music concepts and skills charts list nine rhythm and meter

concepts or skills for second grade. They are: bar lines; double bar lines; measure; tie;

193 Judy Bond et al. Spotlight on Music: Grade 1, Teacher’s Edition (New York:

Macmillan/McGraw Hill, 2006), T12C.

194

Judy Bond et al. Spotlight on Music: Grade 1, T48C.

195


196


197


198


46

half note (tooh); half rest; time signature: 2/4 and 4/4; conducting patterns in 2 and 4;

improvise and compose rhythmic patterns and phrases.199


order for second grade:

First Six Weeks200

-- signal to show identification of beat and rhythm; read

quarter notes, eighth notes, and quarter rests; read and play a rhythm with , , and

Second Six Weeks201

-- move to show strong beat in meter; pat with the strong

beat in meter; perform a B section composed with known rhythms and meters

Third Six Weeks202

-- signal to show aural identification of a pattern with ; read

and perform patterns with half notes; clap an ostinato with half notes

Fourth Six Weeks203

-- signal to show identification of dotted half notes; read and

clap a rhythm pattern with dotted half, half, and quarter notes; play accurately

with the beat in meter

Fifth Six Weeks204

-- read and play a pattern in ; distinguish between rhythms in

and meters

Sixth Six Weeks205

-- perform ostinatos in ; aurally recognize rhythm

D. Third Grade

The Richardson ISD music concepts and skills charts list ten rhythm and meter

concepts or skills for third grade. They are: single eighth note, single eighth rest, dotted

half note (tay); 3/4 meter; conducting pattern in 3; eighth note-quarter note-eighth note

199 “Second Grade Music Concepts and Skills,” Richardson ISD Elementary Music Curriculum


200

Judy Bond et al. Spotlight on Music: Grade 2, Teacher’s Edition (New York:

Macmillan/McGraw Hill, 2006), 2C.

201

Judy Bond et al. Spotlight on Music: Grade 2, 42C.

202


203


204


205


47

“syn-co-pah”; whole note (toe); whole rest; improvise and compose rhythmic patterns

and phrases; and question/answer improvisation.206


order for third grade:

First Six Weeks207

-- move to show the difference between beat and rhythm of the

words; read a rhythm pattern consisting of quarter notes, eighth notes, and quarter

rests; read and identify rhythm patterns notated with and ; perform created

eight-beat rhythm patterns containing , , and

Second Six Weeks208

-- signal to identify sounds lasting two beats; read and sing a

melodic pattern including half notes; create and perform rhythms that include , , and

Third Six Weeks209

-- move to show equal and unequal division of the beat; read

and perform rhythm patterns that include equal and unequal beat divisions;

perform original movement for music in meter

Fourth Six Weeks210

-- signal to show aural recognition of four sounds to a beat;

read rhythms containing sixteenth notes; create and perform answers to rhythmic

questions; perform rhythmic phrases as contrasting sections of a rondo

Fifth Six Weeks211

-- show by creating and performing body percussion; signal

to show whether phrases begin with an upbeat or downbeat; perform a song

containing dotted half notes; move to identify sounds lasting four beats in the

notation of a song

Sixth Six Weeks212

-- identify three sounds on one beat in a song; read patterns

containing , , and ; create and perform a rhythm in meter using , , and

206 “Third Grade Music Concepts and Skills,” Richardson ISD Elementary Music Curriculum


207



208


209


210


211


212


48

E. Fourth Grade

The Richardson ISD music concepts and skills charts list six rhythm and meter

concepts or skills for fourth grade. They are: sixteenth notes (tika-tika); eighth note –

two sixteenth notes (ti-tika); two sixteenths – eighth note (tika-ti); anacrusis (“pick up”);

improvise and compose rhythmic patterns and phrases; and question/answer

improvisation.213


order for fourth grade:

First Six Weeks214

-- perform body percussion patterns to show meter; perform

from notation rhythm patterns containing , , , and

Second Six Weeks215

-- perform rhythms containing three and four sounds to a

beat; read and perform a melody containing , ; and ; perform created 8-beat rhythm patterns that include quarter, eighth, and sixteenth

notes

Third Six Weeks216

-- signal to show hearing a phrase with three equal sounds to a

beat; aurally identify , , and in ; move to show meter with beats

in groups of three; perform 8-beat rhythm patterns including , , and

Fourth Six Weeks217

-- clap a phrase that includes the short-long-short pattern;

signal to show aural identification of rhythm patterns that include ; create

and perform 8-beat rhythm patterns that include

Fifth Six Weeks218

-- move to identify beats in groups of three; signal to show

hearing the pattern; perform a handclapping game with beats in groups of

three; perform original compositions that include

213 “Fourth Grade Music Concepts and Skills,” Richardson ISD Elementary Music Curriculum


214



215


216


217


49

Sixth Six Weeks219

-- perform a poem in augmentation

F. Fifth Grade

The Richardson ISD music concepts and skills charts list eight rhythm and meter

concepts or skills for fifth grade. They are: dotted quarter note; dotted quarter – eighth

note (tum-ti); eighth – dotted quarter note (ti-tum); 6/8 meter; 3 barred eighth notes (ti-ti-

ti); conducting in 6/8 meter (2 pattern); improvise and compose rhythmic patterns and

phrases; and perform improvisations based on elemental forms (e.g. aaba).220


order for fifth grade:

First Six Weeks221

-- identify rhythm combinations that use quarter notes, eighth

notes, and quarter rests; read and perform rhythmic patterns using quarter and

eighth notes and quarter rests

Second Six Weeks222

-- perform dotted quarter note/eighth note patterns; read and

clap syncopation with and without ties; perform a rhythm ostinato accompaniment

including eighth/quarter/eighth note and dotted quarter note/eighth note; perform

layered rhythm patterns including dotted quarter note/eighth note, beamed eighth,

quarter note, quarter rest, and ties

Third Six Weeks223

-- perform and in meter; create and perform a

rhythm ostinato while singing a song; move to and write rhythm patterns

Fourth Six Weeks224

-- clap or play on a drum an ostinato with sixteenth notes;

create and perform ostinatos containing eighth and sixteenth notes; create and

perform ostinatos containing eighth and sixteenth notes

218 Judy Bond et al. Spotlight on Music: Grade 4, 162C.

219


220

“Fifth Grade Music Concepts and Skills,” Richardson ISD Elementary Music Curriculum


221



222


223


224


50

Fifth Six Weeks225


Sixth Six Weeks226

-- move to show 5/8 meter; move to show beat groupings of 3

and 2 in 5/8 meter; signal to show change from to meter; move to show the

different beat groupings in 7/8 meter

G. Sixth Grade

The Richardson ISD music concepts and skills charts list five rhythm and meter

concepts or skills for sixth grade. They are: dotted eighth-sixteenth (tim-ka); sixteenth-

dotted eighth (ka-tim); learn new rhythmic durations and meters as they arise in literature;

improvise and create rhythmic patterns and phrases; and perform improvisations based on

elemental forms (e.g. aaba).227


order for sixth grade:

First Six Weeks228

-- read and perform rhythmic patterns on percussion

instruments; accurately perform melodic and/or unpitched rhythm patterns;

perform cymbal and drum rhythm patterns; perform rhythmic patterns on found

instruments

Second Six Weeks229

-- read and sing accurately, with clear enunciation, patterns

including sixteenth notes

Third Six Weeks230

-- perform body percussion with correct rhythms; perform

stick movements with a steady beat; read and perform a syncopated ostinato

pattern

Fourth Six Weeks231



226


227

“Sixth Grade Music Concepts and Skills,” Richardson ISD Elementary Music Curriculum


228



229


230


51

Fifth Six Weeks232

-- sing and compare two lullabies different meters

Sixth Six Weeks233

-- signal to indicate recognition of shifting meter; pat-clap

rhythm patterns in 5/4 and 7/8 meter; sing a Panamanian song and play a rhythm

accompaniment with it; play the rhythm of the words including syncopation

Melody

A. Kindergarten

The Richardson ISD music concepts and skills charts list four melody concepts or

skills for kindergarten. They are: high/low; up/down; sing diatonic songs; and improvise

and create melodic patterns.234

In Spotlight on Music, melody objectives are presented in the following order for

kindergarten:

First Six Weeks235

-- no melody objectives

Second Six Weeks236

-- signal to show aural recognition of a high pitch (octave

interval); signal to show aural recognition of the highest pitch in a song (octave

interval); move body to match pitches heard

Third Six Weeks237

-- signal to show aural identification of lower to higher when

middle C to G is heard; signal to show aural recognition of pitches a fifth apart

Fourth Six Weeks238


Fifth Six Weeks239

-- signal to identify a higher and lower pitch


232


233


234

“Kindergarten Music Concepts and Skills,” Richardson ISD.

235


236


237


238


239


52

Sixth Six Weeks240

-- gesture to show low, high, and higher pitches (preparation

for mi so la in Grade 1); gesture to show aural identification of so la so mi

melodic motive

B. First Grade

The Richardson ISD music concepts and skills charts list four melody concepts or

skills for first grade. They are: sing, sign, aurally recognize, write, and sight-sing: so mi

la; sing diatonic songs; identify melodic contour (up, down, repeated pitches); and

improvise and compose melodic patterns using so, mi, and la.241


first grade:

First Six Weeks242

-- create upward and downward melodic patterns; match a

vocal contour to a visual representation; create sound patterns to match upward

and downward patterns

Second Six Weeks243

-- move to show aural recognition of high and low sounds;

identify higher and lower instrument sounds; create and perform an “Animal

Sound Symphony” with visuals to show higher and lower

Third Six Weeks244


Fourth Six Weeks245

-- show recognition of the so-mi pitch relationship by

performing higher/lower melodic patterns with gestures; sing and use hand signs

to read so-mi from notation; play so and mi on pitched instruments; sing so-mi

patterns on chosen words and rhythms

Fifth Six Weeks246

-- indicate the placement relationship of a new pitch to known

pitches mi and so; read and sing pitches mi, so, and la; create and play melodic

patterns using so, mi, and la; sing and play a four-beat pitch and rhythm pattern

240 Judy Bond et al. Spotlight on Music: Grade K, T192C.

241

“First Grade Music Concepts and Skills,” Richardson ISD.

242


243


244


245


246


53

Sixth Six Weeks247

-- read and play a created melody using known pitches

C. Second Grade

The Richardson ISD music concepts and skills charts list five melody concepts or

skills for second grade. They are: treble clef; sing, sign, aurally recognize, write, and

sight-sing; do, re, mi, so, la; term: pentatonic; ledger line; and improvise and compose

melodic patterns using do, re, mi, so, la.248


second grade:

First Six Weeks249

-- move to show higher and lower pitches; read so and mi; sing

patterns with so and mi; perform original melodies, accompanied by found sound

instruments

Second Six Weeks250

-- sing a mi-so-la song with pitch syllables and hand signs;

identify mi, so, and la in a listening selection

Third Six Weeks251

-- read so-mi-do patterns with pitch syllables and hand signs;

signal to identify do-mi-so patterns; compose a melody using do, mi, and so

Fourth Six Weeks252

-- identify a descending pattern with re; read a song with do,

re, and mi; identify a do-re-mi-so phrase in a listening selection; read and play a

bell part with do, re, mi, and so

Fifth Six Weeks253

-- sing a pentatonic song with pitch syllables and hand signs;

read pitches in a pentatonic accompaniment; read a mi-so-la descant; read and

sing phrases with do, re, and mi using pitch syllables and hand signs

247 Judy Bond et al. Spotlight on Music: Grade 1, T192C.

248

“Second Grade Music Concepts and Skills,” Richardson ISD.

249


250


251


252


253


54

Sixth Six Weeks254

-- read do, re, mi, and so; read and sing pentatonic pitches

with syllables and hand signs; identify steps and leaps; move to show melodic

shape

D. Third Grade

The Richardson ISD music concepts and skills charts list three melody concepts

or skills for third grade. They are: sing, sign, aurally recognize, write, and sight-sing: do,

re, mi, so, la, low so, low la; term: octave; and improvise and compose melodic patterns

using do, re, mi, so, la, low so, low la.255


third grade:

First Six Weeks256

-- show lower and higher pitch patterns by clapping and

snapping; show do, re, and mi through body gestures in response to notation as

they read and sing a melody

Second Six Weeks257

-- sing phrases with la and so using pitch syllables; read and

sing a melodic pattern including half notes

Third Six Weeks258

-- sing phrases including low so and low la using pitch

syllables; perform a melody created by arranging patterns that include low so and

low la

Fourth Six Weeks259

-- signal upon singing high do in a melody containing the

complete pentatonic scale; move to show identification of repeated tones, steps,

skips, and leaps

Fifth Six Weeks260

-- sing a melody from notation using pitch names


255

“Third Grade Music Concepts and Skills,” Richardson ISD.

256


257


258


259


260


55

Sixth Six Weeks261

-- complete a melody by singing the tonal center; perform the

final pitch, or tonal center, of a melody and identify it as do or la

E. Fourth Grade

The Richardson ISD music concepts and skills charts list five melody concepts or

skills for fourth grade. They are: sing, sign, aurally recognize, write, and sight-sing: do,

re, mi, so, la, low so, low la, high do (extended pentatonic scale); la pentatonic; letter

names of pitches on staff; improvise and compose melodies using notes from the do and

la extended pentatonic scales; and question/answer improvisation.262


fourth grade:

First Six Weeks263

-- point to visual representations of melodic contour to match

them to musical examples; read and sing a pentatonic melody using pitch syllable

names do, re, mi, so, la; perform movement to show melodic contour; improvise

pentatonic patterns

Second Six Weeks264

-- identify the tonal center of a melody containing pitches

below do; read and sing low la and low so in a melody with hand signs; signal to

show aural identification of do or la as the tonal center; perform improvised

pentatonic response phrases

Third Six Weeks265

-- move to show where repeated notes, steps, skips, and leaps

occur in a melody; read a phrase with fa using pitch syllables and hand signs

Fourth Six Weeks266

-- signal to show hearing octave leaps; sing a pentatonic

phrase including high do with pitch syllables; create a pentatonic melody to a

given rhythm


262

“Fourth Grade Music Concepts and Skills,” Richardson ISD.

263


264


265


266


56

Fifth Six Weeks267

-- signal to show whether sections of a selection are major or

minor; signal to show aural recognition of ti in melodic phrases; distinguish

between major and minor tonality

Sixth Six Weeks268

-- perform composed melodies in minor

F. Fifth Grade

The Richardson ISD music concepts and skills charts list seven melody concepts

or skills for fifth grade. They are: sing, sign, aurally recognize, write, and sight-sing: fa,

ti, and all pitches of diatonic scales; flat symbol; sharp symbol; major scale vs. minor

scale; intervals (e.g. seconds, thirds, etc.); improvise and compose melodies using notes

from diatonic scales; and perform improvisations based on elemental forms (e.g. aaba).269


fifth grade:

First Six Weeks270

-- sing patterns containing pitches of the pentatonic scale (do

re mi so la do’); read and sing patterns in C and G pentatonic using pitch

syllables and pitch letter names

Second Six Weeks271

-- sing an F-pentatonic melody with pitch syllables and

pitch letter names after transposing it from G-pentatonic

Third Six Weeks272

-- identify and sing pitches of a melody that includes all the

pitches of the major scale; read a C-major scale and sing it in thirds; identify

melodies as pentatonic or diatonic using fa and/or ti

Fourth Six Weeks273

-- aurally distinguish between major and minor scales;

improvise melodies on pitches of major and minor triads


268


269

“Fifth Grade Music Concepts and Skills,” Richardson ISD.

270


271


272


273


57

Fifth Six Weeks274


Sixth Six Weeks275


G. Sixth Grade

The Richardson ISD music concepts and skills charts list seven melody concepts

or skills for sixth grade. They are: sing, sign, aurally recognize, write, and sight-sing

melodies using notes from diatonic scales; bass clef; accidentals as they appear in the

literature; natural sign; read from choral octavos; performance-based singing; and

functional harmony/chord progressions.276


sixth grade:

First Six Weeks277

-- accurately perform melodic and/or unpitched rhythm

patterns; read pitches in treble clef using pitch letter names; improvise in

pentatonic on resonator bells or keyboard

Second Six Weeks278

-- sing, in pitch syllables, a diatonic song

Third Six Weeks279


Fourth Six Weeks280

-- perform a five-pitch pattern on keyboard; perform a five-

pitch pattern in Dorian mode and in compound meter on a keyboard instrument

Fifth Six Weeks281

-- compose a major countermelody based on pitches of the I,

IV, and V chords; identify and play root and fifth pitches from the I, IV, and V7

chords in F major


275


276

“Sixth Grade Music Concepts and Skills,” Richardson ISD.

277


278


279


280


281


58

Sixth Six Weeks282

-- sing and play a D-to-D Dorian scale and a G-to-G

Mixolydian scale

Vocal Development

A. Kindergarten

The Richardson ISD music concepts and skills charts list seven vocal

development concepts or skills for kindergarten. They are: vocal exploration; pitch

exploration; types of voices: speaking, singing, whispering, shouting; care of the voice;

pitch matching; sing individually and in groups with and without accompaniment; and

good singing technique: posture.283

In Spotlight on Music, vocal development objectives are presented in the

following order for kindergarten:

First Six Weeks284

-- signal to show recognition of singing voice

Second Six Weeks285

-- raise hands to show aural recognition of speaking voice

Third Six Weeks286

-- no vocal development objectives

Fourth Six Weeks287


Fifth Six Weeks288


Sixth Six Weeks289



283


284


285


286


287


288


289


59

B. First Grade

The Richardson ISD music concepts and skills charts list four vocal development

concepts or skills for first grade. They are: pitch matching; sing individually and in

groups with and without accompaniment; good singing technique: posture and

enunciation; and care of the voice.290


following order for first grade:

First Six Weeks291


Second Six Weeks292


Third Six Weeks293


Fourth Six Weeks294


Fifth Six Weeks295


Sixth Six Weeks296


C. Second Grade

The Richardson ISD music concepts and skills charts list five vocal development

concepts or skills for second grade. They are: pitch matching; sing individually and in

groups with and without accompaniment; good singing technique: posture, consonants,

290 “First Grade Music Concepts and Skills,” Richardson ISD.

291


292


293


294


295


296


60

vowels, and tone quality; care of the voice; and part work: two-part rounds and melodic

ostinati.297


following order for second grade:

First Six Weeks298


Second Six Weeks299

-- accurately sing a call-and-response song learned aurally

Third Six Weeks300


Fourth Six Weeks301


Fifth Six Weeks302

-- read a mi-so-la descant

Sixth Six Weeks303


D. Third Grade


concepts or skills for third grade. They are: pitch matching; sing individually and in

groups with and without accompaniment; good singing technique: posture, breathing,

consonants, vowels, tone quality; care of the voice; and part work: two- & three-part

rounds, partner songs, and melodic ostinati.304


following order for third grade:

297 “Second Grade Music Concepts and Skills,” Richardson ISD.

298


299


300


301


302


303


304


61

First Six Weeks305

-- signal to indicate speaking or whispering

Second Six Weeks306


Third Six Weeks307


Fourth Six Weeks308


Fifth Six Weeks309

-- perform ostinatos to create introduction and coda to song

Sixth Six Weeks310


E. Fourth Grade


concepts or skills for fourth grade. They are: pitch matching; sing individually and in

groups; good singing technique: posture, breathing, consonants, vowels, and tone quality;

care of the voice; and part work: two-, three-, and four-part rounds, partner songs, and

descant.311


following order for fourth grade:

First Six Weeks312


Second Six Weeks313


Third Six Weeks314



306


307


308


309


310


311


312


313


314


62

Fourth Six Weeks315


Fifth Six Weeks316


Sixth Six Weeks317

-- sing three-part harmony in homophonic texture; signal to

show aural recognition of vocal ornaments

F. Fifth Grade

The Richardson ISD music concepts and skills charts list six vocal development

concepts or skills for fifth grade. They are: pitch matching; sing individually and in

groups with and without accompaniment; good singing technique: posture, breathing,

consonants, vowels, tone quality, and intonation; care of the voice; vocal warm-ups; and

part work: two-, three-, and four-part canons and rounds, descant, melodic ostinato,

partner songs, unison, and two-part octavos.318


following order for fifth grade:

First Six Weeks319


Second Six Weeks320

-- perform and describe music with thinner and thicker

textures

Third Six Weeks321

-- create and perform a rhythm ostinato while singing a

song; read a C-major scale and sing it in thirds

Fourth Six Weeks322

-- aurally identify different vocal textures


316


317


318


319


320


321


322


63

Fifth Six Weeks323

-- sing or play I-IV-V chords to accompany song; sing a song

in two parts; sing expressively, showing the difference between legato and non-

legato

Sixth Six Weeks324

-- evaluate diction, posture, and breathing of singers; aurally

identify kinds of vocal harmony

G. Sixth Grade

The Richardson ISD music concepts and skills charts list eight vocal development

concepts or skills for sixth grade. They are: sing individually and in groups with and

without accompaniment (a capella); sight-sing two-part music; part work: two-, three-,

and four-part rounds, descant, melodic ostinato, partner songs, unison and two-part

octavos; good singing technique: posture, breathing, consonants, vowels, tone quality,

intonation, and vibrato; care of the voice; changing voices; utilize public performance

venues; and perform songs in Latin, Spanish, and other languages.325


following order for sixth grade:

First Six Weeks326


Second Six Weeks327

-- sing in unison and two parts; read and sing accurately,

with clear enunciation, patterns including sixteenth notes; read and sing in thirds;

describe differences in vocal timbre among three chord groups from different

cultures; sing in two parts unaccompanied with good intonation; sing in three

parts unaccompanied; sing a melody with a three-part vocal accompaniment

Third Six Weeks328



324


325


326


327


328


64

Fourth Six Weeks329


Fifth Six Weeks330


Sixth Six Weeks331

-- sing three partner songs together with chord roots

Instrument Skills

A. Kindergarten

The Richardson ISD music concepts and skills charts list three concepts or skills

from the instrument skills category for kindergarten. They are: explore sound effects;

play the beat on unpitched percussion; and play the rhythm of the words on unpitched

percussion.332

In Spotlight on Music, instrument skills objectives are presented in the following

order for kindergarten:

First Six Weeks333

-- no instrument skills objectives

Second Six Weeks334


Third Six Weeks335

-- explain how tone colors were used expressively with a

poem

Fourth Six Weeks336


Fifth Six Weeks337

-- use a “found sound” instrument to play a rhythm pattern with

a poem; play, getting louder and softer


330


331


332


333


334


335


336


337


65

Sixth Six Weeks338

-- play a steady beat drum accompaniment to a poem read

with free rhythm

B. First Grade

The Richardson ISD music concepts and skills charts list six concepts or skills

from the instrument skills category for first grade. They are: play the beat on unpitched

percussion; play the rhythm of the words on unpitched percussion; perform the rhythm of

the words and the beat simultaneously in two groups; explore and improvise freely on

Orff instruments, given stories or visuals; play a chord drone on the steady beat; and read

and play so-mi melodies on Orff instruments.339


order for first grade:

First Six Weeks340


Second Six Weeks341


Third Six Weeks342


Fourth Six Weeks343

-- play so and mi on pitched instruments

Fifth Six Weeks344

-- create and play melodic patterns using so, mi, and la; sing

and play a four-beat pitch and rhythm pattern

Sixth Six Weeks345

-- play instruments to show aural recognition of two-part (AB)

form; read and play patterns with known rhythms from notation; read and play a


339


340


341


342


343


344


345


66

created melody using known pitches; create and play accompaniment patterns

using known rhythms

C. Second Grade

The Richardson ISD music concepts and skills charts list six concepts or skills

from the instrument skills category for second grade. They are: play a chord drone on

the steady beat or with a rhythmic pattern; play a broken drone on the steady beat; play

ostinatos on pitched and unpitched percussion; read and play melodies using so, mi, la,

and do on Orff instruments; perform pieces with a drone, a melody, and one ostinato; and

improvise melodies using do, re, mi, so, la.346


order for second grade:

First Six Weeks347

-- read and play a rhythm with , , and ; perform original

melodies, accompanied by found sound instruments

Second Six Weeks348


Third Six Weeks349


Fourth Six Weeks350

-- play accurately with the beat in meter; read and play a

bell part with do, re, mi, and so

Fifth Six Weeks351

-- read and play a pattern in ; read pitches in a pentatonic

accompaniment; identify Orff instruments by the materials from which they are

made

Sixth Six Weeks352

-- perform ostinatos in


347


348


349


350


351


352


67

D. Third Grade

The Richardson ISD music concepts and skills charts list four concepts or skills

from the instrument skills category for third grade. They are: play chord, broken, and

level drones on the steady beat or with a rhythmic pattern; read and play melodies using

so, mi, la, do, and re on Orff instruments; play pieces with a drone, a melody, and one or

two ostinatos; and improvise melodies using do, re, mi, so, la, low so, low la.353


order for third grade:

First Six Weeks354


Second Six Weeks355


Third Six Weeks356


Fourth Six Weeks357


Fifth Six Weeks358

-- perform ostinatos to create introduction and coda to song;

perform a chordal accompaniment to change the texture of a song; perform

instrumental ostinato accompaniments to a dance song

Sixth Six Weeks359


E. Fourth Grade

The Richardson ISD music concepts and skills charts list five concepts or skills

from the instrument skills category for fourth grade. They are: play chord, broken, level,

353 “Third Grade Music Concepts and Skills,” Richardson ISD.

354


355


356


357


358


359


68

and arpeggiated drones on the steady beat or with a rhythmic pattern; play melodies using

pitches from the pentatonic scale on Orff instruments; play pieces with a drone, a melody,

and one or two ostinatos; play simple melodies and ostinatos on the soprano recorder; and

improvise melodies using do, re, mi, so, la, low so, low la, and high do.360


order for fourth grade:

First Six Weeks361

-- choose and perform sounds to enhance the expression of

music; improvise pentatonic patterns

Second Six Weeks362

-- perform rhythms containing three and four sounds to a

beat; read and perform a melody containing , ; and

Third Six Weeks363

-- signal to show chord changes in a I-V harmony

Fourth Six Weeks364

-- play a I-IV-V accompaniment; create a pentatonic melody

to a given rhythm

Fifth Six Weeks365


Sixth Six Weeks366


F. Fifth Grade


from the instrument skills category for fifth grade. They are: play drones and bass parts

to accompany melodies; play melodies using pitches from the pentatonic and hexatonic

scales on Orff instruments; play pieces with a drone, a melody, and one, two, or three

360 “Fourth Grade Music Concepts and Skills,” Richardson ISD.

361


362


363


364


365


366


69

other parts; play melodies, ostinatos, and descants on the soprano recorder; and improvise

melodies using notes from diatonic scales.367


order for fifth grade:

First Six Weeks368


Second Six Weeks369

-- perform a rhythm ostinato accompaniment including

eighth/quarter/eighth note and dotted quarter note/eighth note; perform layered

rhythm patterns including dotted quarter note/eighth note, beamed eighth, quarter

note, quarter rest, and ties; perform and describe music with thinner and thicker

textures

Third Six Weeks370

-- create and perform a rhythm ostinato while singing a

song

Fourth Six Weeks371

-- clap or play on a drum an ostinato with sixteenth notes;

create and perform ostinatos containing eighth and sixteenth notes; improvise

melodies on pitches of major and minor triads

Fifth Six Weeks372

-- sing or play I-IV-V chords to accompany song; play a 12-

bar blues progression in two keys

Sixth Six Weeks373


G. Sixth Grade


from the instrument skills category for sixth grade. They are: play drones and bass parts

to accompany melodies; play diatonic melodies on Orff instruments; play bass parts using

367 “Fifth Grade Music Concepts and Skills,” Richardson ISD.

368


369


370


371


372


373


70

functional harmony (e.g. I-V, i-VII, I-IV-V) to accompany melodies; play pieces on Orff

instruments with multiple parts; and play melodies, ostinatos, and descants on the

soprano recorder.374


order for sixth grade:

First Six Weeks375

-- read and perform rhythmic patterns on percussion

instruments; accurately perform melodic and/or unpitched rhythm patterns; create

and play ostinatos with Japanese music; perform cymbal and drum rhythm

patterns; improvise in pentatonic on resonator bells or keyboard; perform

rhythmic patterns on found instruments; improvise on unpitched percussion using

correct playing technique

Second Six Weeks376


Third Six Weeks377

-- read and perform a syncopated ostinato pattern

Fourth Six Weeks378

-- perform a five-pitch pattern; perform a five-pitch pattern

in Dorian mode and in compound meter; play a chordal accompaniment on the

guitar; improvise a descant on a soprano recorder; play a bass line for a song from

bass clef; add texture by improvising an accompaniment to a poem

Fifth Six Weeks379

-- identify and play root and fifth pitches from the I, IV, and

V7 chords in F major; improvise on percussion instruments with Brazilian music

Sixth Six Weeks380

-- sing and play a D-to-D Dorian scale and a G-to-G

Mixolydian scale; sing a Panamanian song and play a rhythm accompaniment

with it

374 “Sixth Grade Music Concepts and Skills,” Richardson ISD.

375


376


377


378


379


380


71

Movement and Singing Games

A. Kindergarten

The Richardson ISD music concepts and skills charts list six movement and

singing games concepts or skills for kindergarten. They are: explore personal space and

shared space; non-locomotor and locomotor movement; move to the beat in simple and

compound meters; perform action songs and singing games; dramatic interpretation; and

interpret music through movement.381

In Spotlight on Music, movement and singing games objectives are presented in

the following order for kindergarten:

First Six Weeks382

-- move to show the beat of a song; move to show faster and

slower tempos; move to show recognition of faster and slower; walk, skip, or

gallop to the beat; gallop or walk to show recognition of faster and slower tempos

Second Six Weeks383

-- move body to match pitches heard

Third Six Weeks384

-- gallop to show aural recognition of rhythm; show aural

recognition of same and different sections by dramatization; march to the beat of

music in and meter

Fourth Six Weeks385

-- move to show same and different sections; move to the

strong beat

Fifth Six Weeks386

-- no movement objectives

Sixth Six Weeks387

-- move to the beat in meter

381 “Kindergarten Music Concepts and Skills,” Richardson ISD.

382


383

Judy Bond, et al. Spotlight on Music: Grade K, T48C.

384


385


386


387


72

B. First Grade

The Richardson ISD music concepts and skills charts list eight movement and

singing games concepts or skills for first grade. They are: explore personal space and

shared space; non-locomotor and locomotor movement; move to the beat in simple and

compound meters; perform action songs and singing games; dramatic interpretation;

interpret music through movement; circle and line dances; and perform dances and games

from varied cultures.388


the following order for first grade:

First Six Weeks389

-- perform sounds and movements to show the difference

between steady beat and no steady beat; move with the steady beat at different

tempos to represent different animals; move to show recognition of louder and

softer sounds

Second Six Weeks390

-- move to show aural identification of long and short

sounds; move to show aural recognition of high and low sounds; match longer

shorter movements to longer and shorter sounds in a song

Third Six Weeks391

-- move to show change in tempo; move to show form

Fourth Six Weeks392

-- move to show faster and slower tempos; move to show the

expressive elements of a piece

Fifth Six Weeks393

-- move to show aural and visual recognition of no sound on

the beat

Sixth Six Weeks394

-- move to show aural recognition of ABA form


389


390


391


392


393


394


73

C. Second Grade

The Richardson ISD music concepts and skills charts list six movement and

singing games concepts or skills for second grade. They are: explore personal space and

shared space; hand jives; passing games; perform dances and games from varied cultures;

dramatic interpretation; interpret music through movement.395


the following order for second grade:

First Six Weeks396

-- move to show higher and lower pitches

Second Six Weeks397

-- move to show strong beat in 2/4 meter; move to identify

verse/refrain (AB) form

Third Six Weeks398

-- no movement and singing games objectives

Fourth Six Weeks399


Fifth Six Weeks400


Sixth Six Weeks401

-- move to show ABACA rondo form; move to show melodic

shape

D. Third Grade

The Richardson ISD music concepts and skills charts list two movement and

singing games concepts or skills for third grade. They are: perform dances and games

from varied cultures; and interpret music through movement.402


396


397


398


399


400


401


74


the following order for third grade:

First Six Weeks403

-- move to show the difference between beat and rhythm of the

words

Second Six Weeks404


Third Six Weeks405

-- move to show equal and unequal division of the beat; move

to show phrase length and AB form; compare two singing games from different

cultures; move to show phrase lengths; perform original movement for music in

meter

Fourth Six Weeks406

-- move to show the AABAA form of a listening selection;

move to show identification of repeated tones, steps, skips, and leaps

Fifth Six Weeks407

-- move to identify sounds lasting four beats in the notation of

a song

Sixth Six Weeks408

-- move to show recognition of staccato and legato

articulations; move to show phrases in sections of a song

E. Fourth Grade

The Richardson ISD music concepts and skills charts list four movement and

singing games concepts or skills for fourth grade. They are: perform dances and games

from varied cultures; interpret music through movement; dramatic interpretation; and

create simple choreography to illustrate form.409


403


404


405


406


407


408


409


75


the following order for fourth grade:

First Six Weeks410

-- perform movement to show melodic contour

Second Six Weeks411


Third Six Weeks412

-- move to show where repeated notes, steps, skips, and leaps

occur in a melody; move to show meter with beats in groups of three

Fourth Six Weeks413

-- move to show chord changes in a I-IV-V accompaniment

Fifth Six Weeks414

-- move to identify beats in groups of three

Sixth Six Weeks415

-- move to show contrast in the two sections of music in AB

form

F. Fifth Grade

The Richardson ISD music concepts and skills charts list four movement and

singing games concepts or skills for fifth grade. They are: perform dances and games

from varied cultures; interpret music through movement; dramatic interpretation; create

simple choreography to illustrate form.416


the following order for fifth grade:

First Six Weeks417

-- identify tone colors of fiddle and mandolin in bluegrass

music through movement; show recognition of AABA form through movement


411


412


413


414


415


416


417


76

Second Six Weeks418


Third Six Weeks419

-- move to and write rhythm patterns

Fourth Six Weeks420

-- move to describe a set of music variations

Fifth Six Weeks421

-- describe form through movement

Sixth Six Weeks422

-- move to show 5/8 meter; move to show beat grouping of 3

and 2 in 5/8 meter; move to show the different beat groupings in 7/8 meter

G. Sixth Grade

The Richardson ISD music concepts and skills charts list three movement and

singing games concepts or skills for sixth grade. They are: perform dances and games

from varied cultures; interpret music through movement; and create simple choreography

to illustrate form.423


the following order for sixth grade:

First Six Weeks424


Second Six Weeks425


Third Six Weeks426

-- perform a country line dance; transform pavane dance steps

into a peasant-style dance; improvise two or three variations of circle dances;

perform movements that illustrate the form of a bluegrass song; choreograph steps

to reflect the mood and style of the music


419


420


421


422


423


424


425


426


77

Fourth Six Weeks427


Fifth Six Weeks428


Sixth Six Weeks429

-- create a dance to show form and create a performance piece

using song, dance, and instruments

Listening and Timbre

A. Kindergarten

The Richardson ISD music concepts and skills charts list six listening and timbre

concepts or skills for kindergarten. They are: types of voices: speaking, singing,

whispering, shouting; male, female, and child voices; solo vs. group; unpitched

percussion instruments; select folk and orchestral instruments/music; and listening

etiquette.430

In Spotlight on Music, listening and timbre objectives are presented in the


First Six Weeks431

-- signal to show recognition of singing voice; signal to show

aural recognition of triangle, wood block, and drum

Second Six Weeks432

-- signal to show aural recognition of a high pitch (octave

interval); signal to show aural recognition of the highest pitch in a song (octave

interval); raise hands to show aural recognition of speaking voice

Third Six Weeks433

-- signal to show aural identification of lower to higher when

middle C to G is heard; signal to show aural recognition of pitches a fifth apart;

signal to show aural recognition of skipping rhythm; signal to show aural


428


429


430


431


432


433


78

recognition of two verses sung exactly the same way; explain how tone colors

were used expressively with a poem

Fourth Six Weeks434

-- no listening and timbre objectives

Fifth Six Weeks435

-- use a “found sound” instrument to play a rhythm pattern

with a poem; signal to identify characteristics of an opera

Sixth Six Weeks436

-- gesture to show aural identification of so la so mi melodic

motive

B. First Grade

The Richardson ISD music concepts and skills charts list nine listening and timbre

concepts or skills for first grade. They are: types of voices: speaking, singing,

whispering, shouting; male, female, child voices; solo vs. group; unpitched percussion

instruments; select folk and orchestral instruments/music; listening etiquette; identify

melodic contour (up, down, repeated pitches); inner hearing; and identify by sight and by

sound: piano, violin, flute, trumpet, and snare drum.437



First Six Weeks438


Second Six Weeks439

-- identify higher and lower instrument sounds; speak, sing,

whisper, or call when visually cued to show understanding of four ways to use the

voice; signal to show recognition of solo and group sections of a song

Third Six Weeks440

-- recognize unpitched instruments by families


435


436


437


438


439


440


79

Fourth Six Weeks441

-- signal to show recognition of selected pitched instruments

Fifth Six Weeks442


Sixth Six Weeks443

-- signal to show aural and visual recognition of selected

instruments; signal to show aural recognition of singing, speaking, whispering

voices

C. Second Grade

The Richardson ISD music concepts and skills charts list five listening and timbre

concepts or skills for second grade. They are: examples of good vocal production;

identify Orff instrument families by sight; music that tells a story; select folk/orchestral

instruments and music; and identify by sight and by sound all previously learned

instruments plus: string bass, clarinet, tuba, and bass drum.444



First Six Weeks445


Second Six Weeks446

-- identify mi, so, and la in a listening selection; identify

trumpets aurally in a listening selection

Third Six Weeks447

-- signal to show aural identification of a pattern with ; signal to show hearing a crescendo

Fourth Six Weeks448

-- identify a do-re-mi-so phrase in a listening selection;

distinguish between folk and operatic styles


442


443


444


445


446


447


448


80

Fifth Six Weeks449

-- identify Orff instruments by the materials from which they

are made; signal to identify characteristics of the trombone

Sixth Six Weeks450

-- aurally recognize rhythm; signal to show aural

identification of each orchestral instrument family; identify steps and leaps

D. Third Grade

The Richardson ISD music concepts and skills charts list five listening and timbre

concepts or skills for third grade. They are: identify individual Orff instruments by

sight; identify the families of instruments of the orchestra; program music/absolute

music; symphony orchestra; identify by sight and by sound all previously learned

instruments plus: cello, saxophone, trombone, and timpani.451



First Six Weeks452

-- signal to indicate speaking or whispering; signal to identify

several groups of unpitched instruments

Second Six Weeks453

-- signal to show aural identification of A and B sections;

show aural identification of crescendo and decrescendo

Third Six Weeks454


Fourth Six Weeks455

-- signal to show aural recognition of four sounds to a beat;

move to show the AABAA form of a listening selection; move to show

identification of repeated tones, steps, skips, and leaps

Fifth Six Weeks456



450


451


452


453


454


455


456


81

Sixth Six Weeks457

-- perform the final pitch, or tonal center, of a melody and

identify it as do or la; signal to show tempo changes in a listening selection

E. Fourth Grade

The Richardson ISD music concepts and skills charts list three listening and

timbre concepts or skills for fourth grade. They are: accompaniment; program

music/absolute music; continued study of orchestral instruments, including all previously

learned instruments.458



First Six Weeks459

-- point to visual representations of melodic contour to match

them to musical examples

Second Six Weeks460

-- identify the tonal center of a melody containing pitches

below do; signal to show aural identification of do or la as the tonal center

Third Six Weeks461

-- signal to show hearing a phrase with three equal sounds to a

beat; move to show where repeated notes, steps, skips, and leaps occur in a

melody; aurally identify , , and in ; signal to show changes in a I-

V harmony

Fourth Six Weeks462

-- signal to show hearing octave leaps; signal to show aural

identification of rhythm patterns that include ; move to show chord

changes in a I-IV-V harmonic pattern

Fifth Six Weeks463

-- signal to show whether sections of a selection are major or

minor; signal to show hearing the pattern; signal to show aural recognition

of ti in melodic phrases; distinguish between major and minor tonality


458


459


460


461


462


463


82

Sixth Six Weeks464

-- signal to show aural recognition of vocal ornaments; signal

to show aural identification of a song in different styles

F. Fifth Grade

The Richardson ISD music concepts and skills charts list six listening and timbre

concepts or skills for fifth grade. They are: identify all instruments of the orchestra

individually by sight and by sound; program music/absolute music; attend a live

performance; aurally identify the tonal center; aurally identify major vs. minor; and large

ensembles: choir/chorus, band, symphony orchestra.465



First Six Weeks466

-- identify tone colors of fiddle and mandolin in bluegrass

music through movement; identify difference in texture between two pieces of

Native American music

Second Six Weeks467

-- identify the names of some musical elements used in

Korean music; describe ways in which a popular Italian song and an operatic aria

are the same and different

Third Six Weeks468

-- describe style characteristics of different arrangements of

the same tune; describe the expressive elements in a piece of music

Fourth Six Weeks469

-- aurally distinguish between major and minor scales;

identify common musical elements in three African American songs about the

Underground Railroad; describe how music from different cultures conveys,

enhances, or suggests a story; aurally identify different vocal textures


465


466


467


468


469


83

Fifth Six Weeks470

-- recognize I-IV-V chord changes aurally; aurally recognize I-

IV-V chords; describe and identify tone colors heard in the lesson

Sixth Six Weeks471

-- describe Native American music; identify chamber

ensembles aurally; aurally identify kinds of vocal harmony

G. Sixth Grade

The Richardson ISD music concepts and skills charts list seven listening and

timbre concepts or skills for sixth grade. They are: chamber groups: classical and

modern (e.g. string quartet to Stomp); adult voice types: soprano, alto, tenor, bass; duet,

trio, quartet, chorus; large ensembles: choir/chorus, band, symphony orchestra;

changed/unchanged voice; opera; and program music/absolute music.472



First Six Weeks473

-- perform rhythmic patterns on found instruments

Second Six Weeks474

-- describe differences in vocal timbre among three chord

groups from different cultures

Third Six Weeks475


Fourth Six Weeks476

-- identify instrument families; compare two different

performances contrasting vocal and instrumental tone color; add texture by

improvising an accompaniment to a poem

Fifth Six Weeks477

-- signal to show aural recognition of chord changes in B-flat

major; identify like elements in two pieces; describe contrasting moods in two

pieces of music with a similar subject


471


472


473


474


475


476


84

Sixth Six Weeks478


Expressive Elements

A. Kindergarten

The Richardson ISD music concepts and skills charts list two expressive elements

concepts or skills for kindergarten. They are: loud/soft; and fast/slow.479

In Spotlight on Music, expressive elements objectives are presented in the


First Six Weeks480

-- move to show faster and slower tempos; move to show

recognition of faster and slower; gallop or walk to show recognition of faster and

slower tempos

Second Six Weeks481

-- no expressive elements objectives

Third Six Weeks482


Fourth Six Weeks483

-- play and sing softer and louder; plan and sing verses

louder or softer; sing softer and louder

Fifth Six Weeks484

-- play, getting louder and softer

Sixth Six Weeks485



478


479

“Kindergarten Grade Music Concepts and Skills,” Richardson ISD.

480


481


482


483


484


485


85

B. First Grade


concepts or skills for first grade. They are: piano (p); and forte (f).486



First Six Weeks487

-- move with the steady beat at different tempos to represent

different animals; recognize dynamic levels based on the content of the poem;

move to show recognition of louder and softer sounds

Second Six Weeks488


Third Six Weeks489

-- move to show change in tempo

Fourth Six Weeks490

-- move to show faster and slower tempos; perform songs

with chosen dynamics and tempos to express musical meaning; move to show the

expressive elements of a piece

Fifth Six Weeks491


Sixth Six Weeks492


C. Second Grade


concepts or skills for second grade. They are: piano / forte; and ff, pp.493




487


488


489


490


491


492


493


86

First Six Weeks494

-- perform a poem following forte and piano indications

Second Six Weeks495


Third Six Weeks496

-- signal to show hearing a crescendo; signal to identify

symbols for crescendo and decrescendo

Fourth Six Weeks497


Fifth Six Weeks498


Sixth Six Weeks499


D. Third Grade


concepts or skills for third grade. They are: f, p, ff, pp, mf, mp; and crescendo /

decrescendo.500



First Six Weeks501


Second Six Weeks502

-- show aural identification of crescendo and decrescendo;

perform tempo changes on cue

Third Six Weeks503


Fourth Six Weeks504



495


496


497


498


499


500


501


502


503


87

Fifth Six Weeks505


Sixth Six Weeks506

-- signal to show tempo changes in a listening selection; move

to show recognition of staccato and legato articulations

E. Fourth Grade

The Richardson ISD music concepts and skills charts list five expressive elements

concepts or skills for fourth grade. They are: use known dynamic markings; use known

tempo markings plus: ritardando / accelerando; articulation: legato / staccato; slur; and

fermata.507



First Six Weeks508

-- choose and perform sounds to enhance the expression of

music

Second Six Weeks509


Third Six Weeks510

-- perform at least three chosen dynamics with a speech piece

Fourth Six Weeks511


Fifth Six Weeks512

-- perform tempo changes in response to cues using tempo

markings

Sixth Six Weeks513

-- match descriptive musical terms to the appropriate musical

example


505


506


507


508


509


510


511


512


513


88

F. Fifth Grade

The Richardson ISD music concepts and skills charts list three expressive

elements concepts or skills for fifth grade. They are: use known dynamic markings;

Allegro / Adagio; and learn new tempo markings as they appear in the literature.514



First Six Weeks515

-- respond accurately to dynamic symbols

Second Six Weeks516


Third Six Weeks517

-- describe style characteristics of different arrangements of

the same tune; describe the expressive elements in a piece of music

Fourth Six Weeks518


Fifth Six Weeks519

-- sing expressively, showing the difference between legato

and non-legato

Sixth Six Weeks520


G. Sixth Grade

The Richardson ISD music concepts and skills charts list three expressive

elements concepts or skills for sixth grade. They are: use known dynamic markings; use

514 “Fifth Grade Music Concepts and Skills,” Richardson ISD.

515


516


517


518


519


520


89

known tempo markings; and learn new dynamic and tempo markings as they occur in the

literature.521



First Six Weeks522


Second Six Weeks523


Third Six Weeks524

-- choreograph steps to reflect the mood and style of the

music

Fourth Six Weeks525


Fifth Six Weeks526

-- identify like elements in two pieces; describe contrasting

moods in two pieces of music with a similar subject

Sixth Six Weeks527

-- sing legato and staccato

Form

A. Kindergarten

The Richardson ISD music concepts and skills charts list three form concepts or

skills for kindergarten. They are: same/different; AB; and introduction.528

In Spotlight on Music, form objectives are presented in the following order for

kindergarten:

521 “Sixth Grade Music Concepts and Skills,” Richardson ISD.

522


523


524


525


526


527


528


90

First Six Weeks529

-- no form objectives

Second Six Weeks530


Third Six Weeks531

-- signal to show aural recognition of two verses sung exactly

the same way; show aural recognition of same and different sections by

dramatization

Fourth Six Weeks532

-- move to show the same and different sections

Fifth Six Weeks533

-- clap to the beat to identify a repeated section

Sixth Six Weeks534


B. First Grade

The Richardson ISD music concepts and skills charts list four form concepts or

skills for first grade. They are: AB; verse/refrain; introduction; and phrase.535


first grade:

First Six Weeks536


Second Six Weeks537


Third Six Weeks538

-- move to show form; signal to show recognition of different

sections

Fourth Six Weeks539



530


531


532


533


534


535


536


537


538


539


91

Fifth Six Weeks540


Sixth Six Weeks541

-- play instruments to show aural recognition of two-part (AB)

form; signal to show recognition of ABA form; move to show aural recognition of

ABA form; move to show aural recognition of ABA form

C. Second Grade

The Richardson ISD music concepts and skills charts list five form concepts or

skills for second grade. They are: repeat sign; coda; ABA; round; and ballet.542


second grade:

First Six Weeks543


Second Six Weeks544

-- move to identify verse/refrain (AB) form; perform a B

section composed with known rhythms and meters

Third Six Weeks545


Fourth Six Weeks546


Fifth Six Weeks547


Sixth Six Weeks548

-- move to show ABACA rondo form


541


542


543


544


545


546


547


548


92

D. Third Grade

The Richardson ISD music concepts and skills charts list four form concepts or

skills for third grade. They are: rondo; 1st and 2

nd endings; interlude; and

question/answer phrases (antecedent/consequent phrases).549


third grade:

First Six Weeks550


Second Six Weeks551

-- signal to show aural identification of A and B sections;

create and perform a piece showing selected form with two contrasting sections

Third Six Weeks552

-- move to show phrase length and AB form; move to show

phrase lengths

Fourth Six Weeks553

-- signal to show identical and similar phrases in melody;

move to show the AABAA form of a listening selection; create and perform

answers to rhythmic questions; perform rhythmic phrases as contrasting sections

of a rondo

Fifth Six Weeks554

-- perform ostinatos to create introduction and coda to song

Sixth Six Weeks555

-- move to show phrases in sections of a song

E. Fourth Grade

The Richardson ISD music concepts and skills charts list three form concepts or

skills for fourth grade. They are: D.C. al fine; elemental phrase forms: aaba, aaab, abba,

abac; and review all previously learned forms.556


550


551


552


553


554


555


93


fourth grade:

First Six Weeks557

-- signal to identify two phrases as alike, similar, or different

Second Six Weeks558

-- indicate contrasting sections while singing; perform

improvised pentatonic response phrases

Third Six Weeks559


Fourth Six Weeks560


Fifth Six Weeks561


Sixth Six Weeks562

-- move to show contrast in the two sections of music in AB

form; perform variations on a given theme

F. Fifth Grade

The Richardson ISD music concepts and skills charts list two form concepts or

skills for fifth grade. They are: review all previously learned forms; and theme and

variations.563


fifth grade:

First Six Weeks564

-- show recognition of AABA form through movement

Second Six Weeks565


556 “Fourth Grade Music Concepts and Skills,” Richardson ISD.

557


558


559


560


561


562


563


564


565


94

Third Six Weeks566


Fourth Six Weeks567

-- move to describe a set of musical variations

Fifth Six Weeks568

-- play a 12-bar blues progression in two keys; describe form

through movement

Sixth Six Weeks569


G. Sixth Grade

The Richardson ISD music concepts and skills charts list two form concepts or

skills for sixth grade. They are: review all previously learned forms; and opera: aria,

recitative, & overture.570


sixth grade:

First Six Weeks571


Second Six Weeks572


Third Six Weeks573


Fourth Six Weeks574


Fifth Six Weeks575

-- identify AABA form and improvise during the B section

Sixth Six Weeks576



567


568


569


570


571


572


573


574


575


576


95

CHAPTER IV

RESULTS

Introduction

The previous chapter outlined a comparison between year-long curricular goals

for grades kindergarten through six in the Richardson ISD music skills and concepts

charts and the sequence of lesson objectives found in the district’s adopted textbook

series, Spotlight on Music. The current chapter further organizes the skills and concepts

listed in the Richardson ISD music skills and concepts charts into the school year’s six 6-

week grading periods according to the sequence of objectives in the textbook series

whenever possible. The chapter progresses from kindergarten through sixth grade.

Kindergarten

A. First Six Weeks

The following skills and concepts make up the curricular goals for the first six

weeks in kindergarten:

Rhythm and Meter: steady beat; beat icons; beat vs. no beat; experience

simple and compound meters

Melody: sing diatonic songs

Vocal Development: types of voices: speaking, singing, whispering, shouting;

pitch matching; sing individually and in groups with and without

accompaniment; good singing technique

Instrument Skills; play the beat on unpitched percussion (read beat icons)

Movement and Singing Games: explore personal space and shared space;

non-locomotor and locomotor movement; move to the beat in simple and

compound meters; perform action songs and singing games (moving in place

and free movement in space); interpret music through movement (fast/slow)

96

Listening and Timbre: solo versus group; unpitched percussion instruments

(triangle, wood block, drum); select folk and orchestral instruments/music

(fast/slow); listening etiquette

Expressive Elements: fast/slow

Form: introduction

B. Second Six Weeks

The following skills and concepts make up the curricular goals for the second six


Rhythm and Meter: long/short sounds; rhythm of the words

Melody: high/low; up/down; sing diatonic songs

Vocal Development: pitch exploration; types of voices: speaking, singing,

whispering, shouting; care of the voice; pitch matching; sing individually and

in groups with and without accompaniment

Instrument Skills: play the rhythm of the words on unpitched percussion

Movement and Singing Games: perform action songs and singing games

(acting out games and partner choosing games); dramatic interpretation;

interpret music through movement (high/low; up/down)

Listening and Timbre: male, female, and child voices; select folk and

orchestral instruments/music (high/low); listening etiquette

Expressive Elements: no objectives

Form: no objectives

C. Third Six Weeks

The following skills and concepts make up the curricular goals for the third six


Rhythm and Meter: experience simple and compound meters

Melody: high/low; sing diatonic songs; improvise and create melodic patterns

Vocal Development: pitch exploration; pitch matching

Instrument Skills: explore sound effects (unpitched percussion to accompany

poetry)

Movement and Singing Games: move to the beat in simple and compound

meters; perform action songs and singing games (chase games and winding

games); dramatic interpretation (interpret poetry); interpret music through

movement (same/different sections)

Listening and Timbre: select folk and orchestral instruments/music (simple

and compound meter; same and different); listening etiquette

97


Form: same/different

D. Fourth Six Weeks

The following skills and concepts make up the curricular goals for the fourth six


Rhythm and Meter: rhythm of the words (one and two sounds per beat);

improvise and create rhythmic patterns


Vocal development: pitch matching; sing individually and in groups with and

without accompaniment; good singing technique; posture

Instrument Skills: play the beat on unpitched percussion (loud/soft); play the

rhythm of the words on unpitched percussion (one and two sounds per beat)


meters (strong beat); interpret music through movement (same and different

sections)

Listening and Timbre: select folk and orchestral instruments/music (loud/soft;

same and different); listening etiquette

Expressive Elements: loud/soft

Form: same/different; AB

E. Fifth Six Weeks

The following skills and concepts make up the curricular goals for the fifth six


Rhythm and Meter: rhythm of the words (beat of silence); improvise and

create rhythm patterns

Melody: high/low; sing diatonic songs

Vocal Development: vocal exploration; pitch exploration; care of the voice;

pitch matching; sing individually and in groups with and without

accompaniment; good singing technique; posture

Instrument Skills: explore sound effects (loud/soft); play the rhythm of the

words on unpitched percussion (loud/soft)

Movement and Singing Games: performing action songs and singing games

(line games of confrontation); dramatic interpretation; interpret music through

movement (loud/soft)

Listening and Timbre: male, female, child voice

Expressive Elements: loud/soft

98

Form: same/different (repeated section)

F. Sixth Six Weeks

The following skills and concepts make up the curricular goals for the sixth six


Rhythm and Meter: steady beat; rhythm of the words (one, two, and no

sounds to a beat); experience simple and compound meters; improvise and

create rhythmic patterns

Melody: high/low; up/down (prepare so, mi, and la); sing diatonic songs;

improvise and create melodic patterns

Vocal Development: pitch matching; sing individually and in groups with and

without accompaniment; good singing technique; posture

Instrument Skills: play the beat on unpitched percussion (hand drum)


meters (compound)

Listening and Timbre: select folk and orchestral instruments/music (listen for

so, mi, and la)


Form: no objectives

First Grade

A. First Six Weeks


weeks in first grade:

Rhythm and Meter: steady beat (beat or no beat); improvise and compose

4-beat rhythmic patterns

Melody: sing diatonic songs; identify melodic contour (up, down, repeated

pitches)


without accompaniment

Instrument Skills: play the beat on unpitched percussion; explore and

improvise freely on Orff instruments, given stories or visuals

Movement and Singing Games: explore personal space and shared space;

non-locomotor and locomotor movement (moving in place and free movement

99

in space); move to the beat in simple and compound meters (fast/slow);

dramatic interpretation; interpret music through movement (loud/soft)

Listening and Timbre: solo vs. group; unpitched percussion instruments;

identify melodic contour (up, down, repeated pitches); loud and soft

Expressive Elements: piano (p); forte (f)

Form: introduction

B. Second Six Weeks



Rhythm and Meter: beat vs. rhythm (long and short sounds through graphic

notation)



without accompaniment

Instrument Skills: play the rhythm of the words on unpitched percussion

Movement and Singing Games: perform action songs and singing games

(acting out games and partner choosing games); interpret music through

movement (long/short and high/low)

Listening and Timbre: types of voices: speaking, singing, whispering,

shouting; male, female, child voices; select folk and orchestral instruments

(higher and lower instruments)


Form: no objectives

C. Third Six Weeks



Rhythm and Meter: prepare and present quarter note (ta) and eighth notes (ti-

ti); beats in sets of 2 (2/4 meter)


Vocal Development: sing individually and in groups with and without

accompaniment

Instrument Skills: perform the rhythm of the words (quarter notes and eighth

notes) and the beat simultaneously in two groups

Movement and Singing Games: interpret music through movement (AB form;

fast/slow); circle and line dances (chase games and winding games)

100

Listening and Timbre: unpitched percussion instruments (by family); inner

hearing


Form: AB form (different sections)

D. Fourth Six Weeks



Rhythm and Meter: beats in sets of 2 (2/4 meter)

Melody: sing, sign, aurally recognize, write, and sight-sing with so and mi


without accompaniment; good singing technique: posture; care of the voice

Instrumental Skills: read and play so-mi melodies on Orff instruments; play a

chord drone on the steady beat

Movement and Singing Games: interpret music through movement: fast/slow;

piano (p) and forte (f)

Listening and Timbre: identify by sight and sound: violin, flute, and trumpet;

listening etiquette

Expressive Elements: piano (p) and forte (f); fast and slow

Form: no objectives

E. Fifth Six Weeks



Rhythm and Meter: quarter rest; beats in sets of 4 (4/4 meter)

Melody: sing, sign, aurally recognize, write and sight-sing: so, mi, and la;

improvise and compose melodic patterns using so, mi, and la


without accompaniment; good singing technique: enunciation; care of the

voice

Instrumental Skills: read and play so-mi-la melodies on Orff instruments;

play a chord drone on the steady beat

Movement and Singing Games: interpret music through movement (sound or

silence; quarter rest)

Listening and Timbre: identify by sight and by sound: piano and snare drum;

listening etiquette


101

Form: phrase

F. Sixth Six Weeks



Rhythm and Meter: beats in sets of 2 (2/4 meter) and 4 (4/4 meter); improvise

and compose 4-beat rhythmic patterns (ostinato on unpitched percussion)

Melody: sing, sign, aurally recognize, write, and sight-sing: so-mi and la;

improvise and compose melodic patterns using so, mi, and la

Vocal Development: pitch matching; sing individually and in groups with

and without accompaniment; good singing technique: posture and

enunciation: care of the voice

Instrument Skills: play a chord drone on the steady beat with one unpitched

percussion ostinato; read and play so-mi-la melodies on Orff instruments

Movement and Singing Games: perform dances and games from varied

cultures (line games of confrontation); interpret music through movement (AB

form)

Listening and Timbre: types of voices: speaking, singing, whispering,

shouting; identify by sight and sound: piano, violin, flute, trumpet, and snare

drum


Form: AB form; verse refrain

Second Grade

A. First Six Weeks


weeks in second grade:

Rhythm and Meter: improvise and compose rhythmic patterns and phrases

(quarter notes, eighth notes, and the quarter rest); double bar lines

Melody: sing, sign, aurally recognize, write and sight-sing: so, mi, and la


without accompaniment; good singing technique: posture

Instrument Skills: play a chord drone on the steady beat or with a rhythmic

pattern; play ostinatos on pitched and unpitched percussion; read and play

melodies using so, mi, and la on Orff instruments

102

Movement and Singing Games: explore personal space and shared space (free

movement in space); interpret music through movement (high/low); dramatic

interpretation (acting out games)

Listening and Timbre: no objectives

Expressive Elements: piano (p) and forte (f)

Form: repeat sign

B. Second Six Weeks



Rhythm and Meter: strong beat in 2/4 meter; bar lines; measure; time

signature: 2/4; conducting patterns in 2

Melody: treble clef; improvise and compose melodic patterns using so, mi,

and la


without accompaniment; good singing technique: consonants

Instrument Skills: play a chord or broken drone on the steady beat; improvise

melodies using so, mi, and la


cultures (chase games and partner choosing games); interpret music through

movement (meter in 2 and verse/refrain or AB form)

Listening and Timbre: examples of good vocal production (so, mi, and la);

review trumpet; AB form


Form: AB form

C. Third Six Weeks



Rhythm and Meter: tie; half note (tooh); half rest

Melody: sing, sign, aurally recognize, write, and sight-sing: do, mi, so, and la;

ledger line


without accompaniment; good singing technique: vowels and tone quality

Instrument Skills: perform pieces with a drone (chord or broken), a melody,

and one ostinato; read and play melodies using so, mi, la, and do on Orff

instruments

103

Movement and Singing Games: arch forming games and winding games

Listening and Timbre: music that tells a story; select folk/orchestral

instruments and music; review flute and violin; introduce string bass and

clarinet

Expressive Elements: fortissimo (ff) and pianissimo (p)

Form: ballet

D. Fourth Six Weeks



Rhythm and Meter: time signature: 4/4; conducting patterns in 4

Melody: sing, sign, aurally recognize, write, and sight-sing: do, re, mi, so,

and la


without accompaniment; care of the voice; part work: two-part rounds

Instrument Skills: perform pieces with a drone (chord or broken), a melody,

and one ostinato (do, re, mi, so, and la)

Movement and Singing Games: hand jives (clapping games); interpret music

through movement (getting faster or slower)

Listening and Timbre: select folk/orchestral instruments and music; review

piano and snare drum, introduce tuba and bass drum

Expressive Elements: changes in tempo (getting faster or slower)

Form: round

E. Fifth Six Weeks



Rhythm and Meter: improvise and compose rhythmic patterns and phrases

(2/4 and 4/4)

Melody: term: pentatonic; improvise and compose melodic patterns using do,

re, mi, so, and la


without accompaniment; part work: two-part rounds and melodic ostinati

Instrument Skills: improvise melodies using do, re, mi, so, la


cultures (passing games)

Listening and Timbre: identify Orff instrument families by sight

104


Form: coda

F. Sixth Six Weeks



Rhythm and Meter: no objectives

Melody: improvise and compose melodic patterns using do, re, mi, so, and la


without accompaniment; part work: two-part rounds and melodic ostinati

Instrument Skills: no objectives

Movement and Singing Games: interpret music through movement (ABA

form); line games of confrontation

Listening and Timbre: ABA form


Form: ABA form

Third Grade

A. First Six Weeks


weeks in third grade:

Rhythm and Meter: beat vs. rhythm; read and perform rhythmic patterns with

quarter notes, eighth notes, and the quarter rest; improvise and compose rhythmic

patterns and phrases with quarter notes, eighth notes, and the quarter rest

Melody: sing, sign, aurally recognize, write, and sight-sing do, re, mi, so, and la


without accompaniment; good singing technique: posture

Instrument Skills: play chord or broken drone on the steady beat or with a

rhythmic pattern; read and play melodies using do, re, mi, so, and la on Orff

instruments

Movement and Singing Games: interpret music through movement (beat vs.

rhythm); perform dances and games from varied cultures (free movement in space

and acting out games)

Listening and Timbre: identify individual Orff instruments by sight

Expressive Elements: review forte (f) and piano (p)

Form: no objectives

105

B. Second Six Weeks



Rhythm and Meter: read and perform rhythmic patterns with half notes;

improvise and compose rhythmic patterns and phrases with half notes; review 2/4

meter

Melody: improvise and compose melodic patterns using do, re, mi, so, and la


without accompaniment; good singing technique: breathing; two-part rounds

Instrument Skills: introduce level drones on the steady beat or with a rhythmic

pattern; read and play melodies using do, re, mi, so, and la on Orff instruments

Movement and Singing Games: interpret music through movement (half notes);

perform dances and games from varied cultures (partner choosing games and

chase games)

Listening and Timbre: identify the families of instruments of the orchestra;

symphony orchestra; identify by sight and sound all previously-learned

instruments

Expressive Elements: review fortissimo (ff) and pianissimo (pp)

Form: review AB form

C. Third Six Weeks



Rhythm and Meter: whole note; whole rest; review 4/4 meter

Melody: introduce low la (la,) and low so (so,); term: octave


without accompaniment; good singing technique: consonants and vowels; two-

part rounds

Instrument Skills: play chord, broken, and level drones on the steady beat or with

a rhythmic pattern; read and play melodies using la, so, mi, re, do, low la, and low

so

Movement and Singing Games: interpret music through movement (whole notes,

low la and low so); perform dances and games from varied cultures (arch forming

games and winding games)

Listening and Timbre: introduce the cello

Expressive Elements: introduce mezzo forte (mf) and mezzo piano (mp)

Form: review ABA form

106

D. Fourth Six Weeks



Rhythm and Meter: single eighth note; single eighth rest; eighth note-quarter

note-eighth note (syn-co-pah)

Melody: sing, sign, aurally recognize, write and sight-sing do, re, mi, so, la, low

so, and low la


without accompaniment; good singing technique: tone quality; three-part rounds

Instrument Skills: introduce single moving drone; play pieces with a drone, a

melody, and one ostinato

Movement and Singing Games: perform dances and games from varied cultures

(passing games and clapping games)

Listening and Timbre: program music/absolute music; introduce the trombone

Expressive Elements: crescendo/decrescendo

Form: rondo (ABACA); interlude

E. Fifth Six Weeks



Rhythm and Meter: dotted half note (tay); 3/4 meter; conducting pattern in 3

Melody: improvise and compose melodic patterns using do, re, mi, so, la, low so,

and low la


without accompaniment; care of the voice; partner songs

Instrument Skills: improvise melodies using do, re, mi, so, la, low so, and low la;

play pieces with a drone, a melody, and two ostinatos

Movement and Singing Games: interpret music through movement (3/4 meter);

perform dances and games from varied cultures (line games with contra steps)

Listening and Timbre: introduce the timpani; rondo form

Expressive Elements: review previous dynamic markings

Form: 1st and 2

nd endings

107

F. Sixth Six Weeks



Rhythm and Meter: question/answer improvisation

Melody: question/answer improvisation using do, re, mi, so, la, low so, and low

la


without accompaniment; melodic ostinati

Instrument Skills: play pieces with a drone, a melody, and two ostinatos;

question/answer improvisation using do, re, mi, so, la, low so, and low la


(double circles and basket weave)

Listening and Timbre: introduce the saxophone; question and answer

improvisation

Expressive Elements: changes in tempo

Form: question/answer phrases (antecedent/consequent phrases)

Fourth Grade

A. First Six Weeks


weeks in fourth grade:

Rhythm and Meter: review quarter notes, eighth notes, half notes, and the quarter

rest; review 4/4 meter; improvise and compose rhythmic patterns and phrases

with quarter notes, eighth notes, half notes, and the quarter rest

Melody: review do, re, mi, so, la

Vocal Development: pitch matching; sing individually and in groups; good

singing technique: posture

Instrument Skills: play chord drones on the steady beat or with a rhythmic

pattern; review single moving drone; play melodies using pitches from the

pentatonic scale on Orff instruments (do, re, mi, so, and la); play pieces with a

drone and a melody; improvise melodies using do, re, mi, so, and la


(acting out games and arch forming games); dramatic interpretation; create simple

choreography to illustrate form (aaab)

Listening and Timbre: term: accompaniment; AB and ABA form

108

Expressive Elements: review piano (p), forte (f), pianissimo (pp), and fortissimo

(ff)

Form: review AB and ABA form; D.C. al fine; elemental phrase forms (aaab)

B. Second Six Weeks



Rhythm and Meter: sixteenth notes (tika-tika); improvise and compose rhythmic

patterns and phrases with quarter notes, eighth notes, half notes, sixteenth notes,

and the quarter rest

Melody: review low la and low so; la pentatonic; term: tonal center; letter names

of pitches on staff (C’, A, and D’)

Vocal Development: pitch matching, sing individually and in groups; good

singing technique: breathing; two-part rounds

Instrument Skills: play chord or level drones on the steady beat or with a

rhythmic pattern; play melodies using pitches from the pentatonic scale on Orff

instruments (do, re, mi, so, la, low la and low so); play pieces with a drone, a

melody, and one ostinato; play simple melodies and ostinatos on the soprano

recorder (C’, A, and D’); improvise melodies using do, re, mi, so, la, low so, and

low la


(winding games and double circles); interpret music through movement (la

pentatonic and two-part rounds); create simple choreography to illustrate form

(aaba, abba)

Listening and Timbre: program music/absolute music; string family

Expressive Elements: articulation: legato/staccato; slur

Form: elemental phrase forms (aaba and abba)

C. Third Six Weeks



Rhythm and Meter: eighth note – two sixteenths (ti-tika); two sixteenths – eighth

note (tika-ti)

Melody: do pentatonic; letter names of pitches on staff (add G and E)

Vocal Development: pitch matching; sing individually and in groups; good

singing technique: consonants; three-part rounds

109

Instrument Skills: play broken drones on the steady beat or with a rhythmic

pattern; play melodies using pitches from the pentatonic scale on Orff instruments

(do, re, mi, so, la, low la and low so); play pieces with a drone, a melody, and one

ostinato; play simple melodies and ostinatos on the soprano recorder (C’, A, D’,

G, and E); improvise melodies using do, re, mi, so, la, low so, and low la


(line game with contra steps); interpret music through movement (do pentatonic

and three-part rounds); create simple choreography to illustrate form (abac)

Listening and Timbre: program music/absolute music; woodwind family

Expressive Elements: fermata

Form: elemental phrase forms (abac)

D. Fourth Six Weeks



Rhythm and Meter: review syncopation (syn-co-pah); question/answer

improvisation

Melody: introduce high do; sing, sign, aurally recognize, write, and sight-sing:

do, re, mi, so, la, low so, low la, and high do (extended pentatonic scale); letter

names of pitches on staff (add B)

Vocal Development: sing individually and in groups; good singing technique:

vowels and tone quality; four-part rounds

Instrument Skills: play broken and arpeggiated drones on the steady beat or with

a rhythmic pattern; play melodies using pitches from the pentatonic scale on Orff

instruments (do, re, mi, so, la, low la, low so, and high do); play pieces with a

drone, a melody, and two ostinatos; play simple melodies and ostinatos on the

soprano recorder (C’, A, D’, G, E, and B); improvise melodies using do, re, mi,

so, la, low so, low la, and high do


(clapping games); interpret music through movement (high do and four-part

rounds)

Listening and Timbre: program music/absolute music; brass family


Form: review question/answer

E. Fifth Six Weeks



110

Rhythm and Meter: anacrusis (“pick-up”); question/answer improvisation

Melody: improvise and compose melodies using notes from the do and la

extended pentatonic scales; letter names of pitches on staff; question/answer

improvisation

Vocal Development: sing individually and in groups; care of the voice; partner

songs

Instrument Skills: play melodies using pitches from the pentatonic scale on Orff


drone, a melody, and two ostinatos; introduce double moving drone; play simple

melodies and ostinatos on the soprano recorder (C’, A, D’, G, E, and B);

improvise melodies using do, re, mi, so, la, low so, low la, and high do


(circle/square dances); interpret music through movement (partner songs)

Listening and Timbre: program music/absolute music; percussion family

Expressive Elements: tempo markings (ritardando/accelerando)

Form: review question/answer

F. Sixth Six Weeks



Rhythm and Meter: question/answer improvisation; review 3/4 meter

Melody: improvise and compose melodies using notes from the do and la

extended pentatonic scales; question/answer improvisation

Vocal Development: sing individually and in groups; care of the voice; descant

Instrument Skills: play melodies using pitches from the pentatonic scale on Orff


drone, a melody, and two ostinatos; play simple melodies and ostinatos on the

soprano recorder (C’, A, D’, G, E, and B); improvise melodies using do, re, mi,

so, la, low so, low la, and high do


(passing games); interpret music through movement (3/4 meter)

Listening and Timbre: pieces in 3/4 meter

Expressive Elements: use known dynamic markings to describe music

Form: identify known forms in listening examples

111

Fifth Grade

A. First Six Weeks


weeks in fifth grade:

Rhythm and Meter: review quarter notes, eighth notes, half notes, and the quarter

rest; review 4/4 meter

Melody: sing, sign, aurally recognize, write, and sight-sing: do, re, mi, so, la, and

high do’; introduce fa; term: hexatonic; term: intervals (e.g. seconds, thirds, etc.)


without accompaniment; good singing technique: posture, breathing, consonants,

vowels, tone quality, intonation; part work: partner songs, two-part canons, and

rounds

Instrument Skills: play drones and bass parts to accompany melodies (chord and

level); review single moving drone; play melodies using pitches from the

pentatonic and hexatonic scales on Orff instruments; play pieces with a drone, a

melody, and one other part


(double circle)

Listening and Timbre: identify all instruments of the orchestra individually by

sight and by sound (string family)

Expressive Elements: use known dynamic markings

Form: review AB form

B. Second Six Weeks



Rhythm and Meter: review syncopation (syn-co-pah); introduce the dotted

quarter note (first two notes of syn-co-pah tied); introduce dotted quarter – eighth

note (tum-ti); introduce eighth – dotted quarter note (ti-tum)

Melody: sing, sign, aurally recognize, write, and sight-sing: do, re, mi, fa, so, la,

low la, low so, high do’; introduce flat symbol



vowels, tone quality, intonation; three-part canons and rounds

Instrument Skills: play drones and bass parts to accompany melodies (broken and

arpeggiated); play melodies using pitches from the hexatonic scale on Orff

112

instruments; play pieces with a drone, a melody, and two other parts; play

melodies, ostinatos, and descants on the soprano recorder (C’, A, D’, G)


(circle or square dance)


sight and by sound (woodwind family)

Expressive Elements: allegro

Form: review ABA form

C. Third Six Weeks



Rhythm and Meter: introduce dotted quarter note as the beat; 3 barred eighth

notes (ti-ti-ti); 6/8 meter; conducting in 6/8 meter (2 pattern)

Melody: sing, sign, aurally recognize, write, and sight-sing: do, re, mi, fa, so, la,

and high do; introduce ti; intervals (e.g. seconds, thirds. etc.)



vowels, tone quality, intonation; four-part canons and rounds

Instrument Skills: play drones and bass parts to accompany melodies; review

double moving drone; play melodies using pitches from the diatonic scale on Orff

instruments; play pieces with a drone, a melody, and two other parts; play

melodies, ostinatos, and descants on the soprano recorder (add E, B, D, and C)


(passing games); interpret music through movement (6/8 meter)


sight and by sound (brass family)

Expressive Elements: allegro

Form: review rondo form

D. Fourth Six Weeks



Rhythm and Meter: improvise and compose rhythmic patterns and phrases using

eighth notes and sixteenth notes; perform improvisations based on elemental

forms (aaab, aaba)

113

Melody: sing, sign, aurally recognize, write, and sight-sing all pitches of diatonic

scales (add low ti, low la, and low so); introduce sharp symbol; major scale vs.

minor scale


accompaniment; good singing technique: posture, breathing, consonants, vowels,

tone quality, intonation; care of the voice; melodic ostinato

Instrument Skills: play drones and bass parts to accompany melodies; play

melodies using pitches from the diatonic scale on Orff instruments; play pieces

with a drone, a melody, and two other parts; play melodies, ostinatos, and

descants on the soprano recorder (add F#)


(clapping games); create simple choreography to illustrate form (aaab, aaba form)


sight and by sound (percussion family); aurally identify the tonal center; aurally

identify major vs. minor

Expressive Elements: adagio

Form: elemental phrase forms (aaab and aaba)

E. Fifth Six Weeks




known rhythms; perform improvisations based on elemental forms (aabb, abba)

Melody: improvise and compose melodies using notes from diatonic scales;

perform improvisations based on elemental forms (aabb, abba)



tone quality, intonation; vocal warm-ups; descant



with a drone, a melody, and three other parts; play melodies, ostinatos, and

descants on the soprano recorder (add E’); improvise melodies using notes from

diatonic scales


(basket weave); create simple choreography to illustrate form (aabb, abba form)

Listening and Timbre: large ensembles: choir/chorus; band; symphony orchestra;

attend a live performance

Expressive Elements: learn new tempo markings as they appear in the literature

Form: elemental phrase forms (aabb and abba)

114

F. Sixth Six Weeks




known rhythms; perform improvisations based on elemental forms (abca, abac)

Melody: improvise and compose melodies using notes from diatonic scales;

perform improvisations based on elemental forms (abca, abac)



tone quality, intonation; vocal warm-ups; unison and two-part octavos



with a drone, a melody, and three other parts; play melodies, ostinatos, and

descants on the soprano recorder; improvise melodies using notes from diatonic

scales

Movement and Singing Games: dramatic interpretation (create movement to

accompany metered and unmetered poetry)

Listening and Timbre: program music/absolute music

Expressive Elements: learn new tempo markings as they appear in the literature

Form: elemental phrase forms (abca and abac); theme and variations

Sixth Grade

A. First Six Weeks


weeks in sixth grade:

Rhythm and Meter: review known rhythms such as quarter notes, eighth notes,

quarter rest, and half notes; 2/4 meter and 3/4 meter

Melody: sing, sign, aurally recognize, write, and sight-sing melodies using do, re,

mi, so, la, high do’, low la, and low so (extended pentatonic scale: C, F, or G)


accompaniment; term: a cappella; part work: two-part rounds and canons; good

singing technique: posture, breathing, consonants, vowels; perform songs in

Latin, Spanish, and other languages

115

Instrument Skills: play drones and bass parts to accompany melodies; play pieces

on Orff instruments with multiple parts (drone, melody, color part, unpitched

percussion, or melodic ostinato)


(circle dances); interpret music through movement (two-part canons and 2/4, 3/4

meter)

Listening and Timbre: program music/absolute music; chamber groups: string

quartet; duet, trio, quartet; large ensembles: symphony orchestra

Expressive Elements: use known dynamic markings: forte (f) and piano (p); use

known tempo markings: adagio and allegro

Form: review all previously learned forms (AB and ABA)

B. Second Six Weeks



Rhythm and Meter: review sixteenth notes (tika-tika), eighth – two sixteenths (ti-

tika), and two sixteenths – eighth (tika-ti); 4/4 meter


mi, fa, so, la, ti, and high do’ (hexatonic – C or F, diatonic – Ionian mode – C,

major – C, D, F, or G); functional harmony/chord progressions: I – ii


accompaniment; part work: three- and four-part rounds; good singing technique:

posture, breathing, consonants, vowels, tone quality, and intonation; perform

songs in Latin, Spanish, and other languages

Instrument Skills: play drones and bass parts to accompany melodies; review

double moving drone; add a third to drones to form triads; play hexatonic and

diatonic melodies on Orff instruments (Ionian); play bass parts using functional

harmony (I – ii); play pieces on Orff instruments with multiple parts (drone,

melody, color part, unpitched percussion, or melodic ostinato); play melodies,

ostinatos, and descants on the soprano recorder (C’, A, D’, G)


(square dances); interpret music through movement (three- and four-part canons

and 4/4 meter)

Listening and Timbre: chamber groups: woodwind quintet; large ensembles:

band

Expressive Elements: use known dynamic markings: fortissimo (ff) and

pianissimo (pp); use known tempo markings: largo and andante

Form: review all previously learned forms (rondo)

116

C. Third Six Weeks



Rhythm and Meter: review syncopation; introduce dotted eighth – sixteenth (tim-

ka) and sixteenth – dotted eighth (ka-tim)


mi, fa, so, la, low la, low ti, and low so (diatonic – Aeolian mode – d, e, a, Dorian

mode – d, minor – d, e, a); natural sign; functional harmony/chord progressions:

i – VII , i – III


accompaniment; part work: partner songs; good singing technique: posture,

breathing, consonants, vowels, tone quality, and intonation; perform songs in

Latin, Spanish, and other languages


diatonic melodies on Orff instruments (Aeolian, Dorian); play bass parts using

functional harmony (i – VII and i – III); play pieces on Orff instruments with

multiple parts (drone/bass part, melody, color part, unpitched percussion, or

melodic ostinato); play melodies, ostinatos, and descants on the soprano recorder

(C’, A, D’, G, E, B)


(contra dances with reel); interpret music through movement (partner songs and

minor modes)

Listening and Timbre: chamber groups: brass quintet; large ensembles: band

Expressive Elements: use known dynamic markings: mezzo forte (mf) and mezzo

piano (mp) and crescendo/decrescendo; use known tempo markings: presto

Form: review all previously learned forms (theme and variations)

D. Fourth Six Weeks



Rhythm and Meter: improvise and create rhythmic patterns and phrases; perform

improvisations based on elemental forms (aaab and aaba)

Melody: sing, sign, aurally recognize, write, and sight-sing melodies using notes

from diatonic scales (diatonic – Lydian – F, Mixolydian – G); functional

harmony/chord progressions: I – ii, I – VII, I – vi

117


accompaniment; part work: melodic ostinato and descant; good singing technique:

posture, breathing, consonants, vowels, tone quality, and intonation


diatonic melodies on Orff instruments (Lydian, Mixolydian); play bass parts using

functional harmony (I – ii and I – VII, I – vi); play pieces on Orff instruments

with multiple parts (drone/bass part, melody, color part, unpitched percussion, or

melodic ostinato); play melodies, ostinatos, and descants on the soprano recorder

(C’, A, D’, G, E, B, D, C)


(clapping games); interpret music through movement (major modes and new

meters); create simple choreography to illustrate form (aaab and aaba as well as

other known large forms)

Listening and Timbre: opera

Expressive Elements: learn new dynamic and tempo markings as they occur in

the literature

Form: elemental phrase forms (aaab and aaba); opera: aria, recitative, and

overture

E. Fifth Six Weeks



Rhythm and Meter: learn new rhythmic durations and meters as they arise in

literature (5/4 meter); improvise and create rhythmic patterns and phrases;

perform improvisations based on elemental forms (abaa and abba)


from diatonic scales; accidentals as they appear in the literature; read from choral

octavos; performance based singing; functional harmony/chord progressions:

I – V, i – v


accompaniment; sight-sing two-part music; part work: unison and two-part

octavos; good singing technique: posture, breathing, consonants, vowels, tone

quality, intonation, and vibrato; care of the voice; perform songs in Latin,

Spanish, and other languages

Instrument Skills: play bass parts to accompany melodies; play diatonic melodies

on Orff instruments (major and minor); play bass parts using functional harmony

(I – V and i – v); play pieces on Orff instruments with multiple parts (bass part,

melody, color part, unpitched percussion, or melodic ostinato); play melodies,

ostinatos, and descants on the soprano recorder (C’, A, D’, G, E, B, D, C, F#, and

E’)

118


(basket weave); interpret music through movement (major and minor and new

meters); create simple choreography to illustrate form (abaa and abba as well as

other known large forms)

Listening and Timbre: chamber groups: percussion ensemble/Stomp


the literature

Form: elemental phrase forms (abaa and abba)

F. Sixth Six Weeks



Rhythm and Meter: learn new rhythmic durations and meters as they arise in

literature (5/8 and 7/8 meter); improvise and create rhythmic patterns and phrases;

perform improvisations based on elemental forms (abca and abac)


from diatonic scales; bass clef; read from choral octavos; performance based

singing; functional harmony/chord progressions: I – IV – V and i – iv – v


accompaniment; sight-sing two-part music; unison and two-part octavos; good

singing technique: posture, breathing, consonants, vowels, tone quality,

intonation, and vibrato; care of the voice; changing voices; utilize public

performance venues; perform songs in Latin, Spanish, and other languages

Instrument Skills: play bass parts to accompany melodies; play diatonic melodies

on Orff instruments (major and minor); play bass parts using functional harmony

(I – IV – V and i – iv – v); play pieces on Orff instruments with multiple parts

(bass part, melody, color part, unpitched percussion, or melodic ostinato); play

melodies, ostinatos, and descants on the soprano recorder (C’, A, D’, G, E, B, D,

C, F#, E’, and Bb)


(triple circle formation); interpret music through movement (create original

movement/dances to music with functional harmonies and various meters); create

simple choreography to illustrate form (abca and abac as well as other known

large forms)

Listening and Timbre: changed/unchanged voice; adult voice types: soprano, alto,

tenor, bass; chamber groups: vocal ensembles; large ensembles: choir/chorus


the literature

Form: elemental phrase forms (abca and abac)

119

The intent of this study was to compare the sequence of lesson objectives found in

the Macmillan/McGraw Hill music textbook series, Spotlight on Music, with the skills

and concepts for each grade level, kindergarten through sixth grade, as listed in the

Richardson ISD music skills and concepts charts. The sequence of lesson objectives in

the textbook series guided the placement of skills and concepts from the Richardson ISD

music concepts and skills charts into RISD’s six 6-week grading periods per grade level.

In cases where concepts and skills introduced in a particular grade level in the textbook

series did not align with the grade level placement in the Richardson ISD music concepts

and skills charts, those concepts or skills were placed into a 6-week grading period

according to the grade level placement of the Richardson ISD music concepts and skills

charts based upon the author’s teaching experience. Discussion of these results and

recommendations for further research will comprise Chapter Five.

120

CHAPTER V

SUMMARY, RESEARCHER OBSERVATIONS, AND

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMPLEMENTATION AND FURTHER RESEARCH

Summary

This study is the result of an inquiry of the Richardson Independent School

District’s elementary music teachers as to whether any of the teachers had delineated the

district’s year-long music concepts and skills charts into the six 6-week grading and

instruction periods that comprise a school year in RISD, making their content easier to

organize and more effectively teach. The Richardson ISD music concepts and skills

charts consist of eight headings, each of which lists particular concepts and skills from

eight categories of musical elements that are to be taught to students during the course of

a school year. The eight headings included are: Rhythm and Meter, Melody, Vocal

Development, Instrument Skills, Movement and Singing Games, Listening and Timbre,

Expressive Elements, and Form. The charts do not, however, indicate in what sequence

the concepts and skills found under each heading are to be introduced within a particular

grade level during the school year.

In order to further delineate the Richardson ISD music concepts and skills charts

into six 6-week periods, Chapter One posed eight research questions:

1. In what sequence within grades K – 6 should one teach rhythm and meter?

2. In what sequence within grades K – 6 should one teach melody?

3. In what sequence within grades K – 6 should one teach vocal development?

121

4. In what sequence within grades K – 6 should one teach instrument skills?

5. In what sequence within grades K – 6 should one teach movement and singing

games?

6. In what sequence within grades K – 6 should one teach listening and timbre?

7. In what sequence within grades K – 6 should one teach expressive elements?

8. In what sequence within grades K – 6 should one teach form?

To assist in answering these questions, Chapter Two presented a review of

literature examining existing research and related pedagogical literature authored by well-

known and respected teachers in the field of elementary music education. A succinct

explanation by Lois Choksy of two mainstream theories regarding how children develop

through stages of growth (Piaget’s “theory of learning”) and how they acquire musical

knowledge and skills (Bruner’s “theory of instruction”) provided the framework for

understanding the subsequent sequences of concepts and skills through grades K-6 for

each of the eight categories of concepts and skills. The sections describing the sequence

of instruction for each of the eight categories of music concepts and skills through grades

K-6 provided support for the assertion that instruction progresses from the concrete to the

abstract and from the general to the specific. Once an appropriate sequence was

determined, it needed to be distributed across the six 6-week grading periods that

comprise a school year in Richardson ISD. The sequence found in the district’s adopted

textbook series, Spotlight on Music published by Macmillan/McGraw Hill, served as a

guide in Chapter Three for further delineation of the concepts and skills.

122

Chapter Three presented a comparison for all eight categories of concepts and

skills through each grade level between the contents of the Richardson ISD music

concepts and skills charts and the sequence of lesson objectives found in the district’s

adopted elementary music textbook series, Spotlight on Music. The textbook series

divided lesson objectives into six units for every grade level, each of which was

correlated for this study to one of the six 6-week grading periods that comprise a school

year in Richardson ISD. Each objective from the textbook was assigned to one or more

of the eight concepts and skills categories. Rhythm and melody concepts appeared more

often and more consistently than did objectives from the other six categories. Often, an

instrumental skill accompanied a particular rhythmic or melodic concept since the

rhythmic or melodic concept could be reinforced through the instrumental skill. Vocal

Development, Movement and Singing Games, Listening and Timbre, Expressive

Elements, and Form objectives occurred less frequently, or sometimes not at all.

In Chapter Four, each concept or skill from the Richardson ISD music concepts

and skills charts was assigned to a particular 6-week grading period based upon both the

findings in Chapter Two and upon the comparison and correlation with the sequence of

the district’s adopted textbook series examined in Chapter Three. In cases where there

was inconsistency in the grade level placement of particular concepts or skills between

the textbook sequence and the Richardson ISD music concepts and skills charts, the

placement in the Richardson ISD music concepts and skills charts took precedence. In

cases where a concept or skill listed in the Richardson ISD music concepts and skills

charts was not found in the textbook sequence, the concept or skill was placed into the

123

RISD curriculum sequence based upon the findings in the review of literature in Chapter

Two and the author’s discretion as an experienced teacher. In grades K-2, the sequence

outlined in the textbook series more directly influenced the sequence of concepts and

skills of the RISD curriculum. Beginning with third grade, but particularly with sixth

grade, the textbook sequence and the contents of the Richardson ISD music concepts and

skills charts became more divergent as there are more diverse views regarding the

particular placement of rhythmic and melodic skills in the upper grades among music

educators who adhere to different approaches to teaching. At this point, placing concepts

or skills into the sequence became more dependent upon the findings from the review of

literature in Chapter Two. In a number of cases through grades K-6, a particular concept

or skill, such as pitch matching or singing alone and individually with and without

accompaniment, was listed in each 6-week grading period because of its overarching

nature as an ongoing concept or skill to be developed during the entire year instead of in

a single lesson. An abbreviated and succinct curriculum chart with the results outlined in

Chapter Four can be found in the appendix of this study.

Researcher Observations

It is the author’s hope that the findings of this study will simplify the task of

teaching the content of the Richardson ISD music concepts and skills charts. With these

findings, the district’s elementary music teachers may more easily design lesson plans

that focus on a targeted objective for each lesson within a 6-week grading period. The

delineated curriculum charts, found in the appendix, provide a specific structure that

124

allows flexibility for teachers to monitor their progress in presenting each concept or skill

during the school year. They also ensure that the beginning of each school year provides

ample opportunity for the review and practice of concepts and skills learned in the

previous school year. Finally, using the curriculum charts will streamline the task of

monitoring the inclusion and assessment of state standards (Texas Essential Knowledge

and Skills, or TEKS) and national standards. Although assessment was not a focus of

this study, the process of assessing student understanding of concepts and performance of

skills should be more manageable and accurate when a lesson is based upon a targeted or

specific objective.

Recommendations for Implementation and Further Research

This study provides a model for teachers in school districts other than Richardson

ISD to create a delineated curriculum from their district’s yearly elementary music goals

using their particular textbook series if different from the Macmillan/McGraw Hill text.

After developing appropriate curriculum charts, individual music teachers can extend this

study by compiling their own collection of songs, speech pieces, singing games, dances,

instrumental pieces, and listening lessons according to the concepts and skills for each 6-

week grading period of every grade level they teach. Copies of the lessons and activities

should be organized in a large 3-ring binder for each grade level with divider tabs for the

six 6-week periods within each grade level binder. With every subsequent year of

teaching, the compilation would grow, affording the teacher a considerable amount of

materials and resources from which to teach. This would also ensure that the teacher

125

could better avoid falling into the trap of teaching the same lesson activity for a particular

concept or skill every year. Such a binder also allows the teacher an organized and

efficient way to manage and use notes from lessons and activities acquired at various

staff development workshops and conferences since each activity can be filed in a

particular binder in its appropriate place in the curriculum. Moreover, compiling such a

binder makes planning grade level performances easier since the teacher is able to more

accurately determine each class’s potential performance abilities at a given part of the

school year.

Further study is recommended to conduct a survey of the Richardson ISD

elementary music teachers who have implemented the curriculum sequence outlined in

this study in their teaching as to their attitudes and opinions regarding the efficiency and

success of its implementation. Such a survey could be conducted following one or more

years of implementation.

126

APPENDIX

The following fourteen pages comprise the curriculum charts, organized by the

author, reflecting this study’s findings for kindergarten through sixth grade. Each grade

level consists of two pages with the first page listing concepts and skills from the Rhythm

and Meter, Melody, Vocal Development, and Instrument Skills categories and the second

page listing concepts and skills from the Movement and Singing Games, Listening and

Timbre, Expressive Elements, and Form categories. Concepts and skills that are

overarching for a particular grade level, meaning that they represent ongoing

development throughout the school year, are omitted. These charts are meant to be more

succinct and serve as a truncated version of the detailed information found in Chapter

Four.

1st

Six

Wee

ks

2n

d

Six

Wee

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3rd

Six

Wee

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4th

Six

Wee

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5th

Six

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6th

Six

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and

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rhyth

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and

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;

exp

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im

pro

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imp

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exp

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and

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long/s

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rhyth

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bea

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no

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eat

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Rh

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pit

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pit

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pit

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go

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tech

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po

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pit

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pit

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pit

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4 t

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loud

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1st

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3rd

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4th

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5th

Six

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6th

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Form

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sam

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tria

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usi

c C

on

cep

ts a

nd

Skil

ls O

rgan

ized

by M

ich

ael

Ch

and

ler

Move

men

t an

d

Sin

gin

g G

am

es

per

sonal

and

shar

ed

spac

e; n

on-l

oco

mo

tor

and

lo

com

oto

r; m

ove

to t

he

bea

t; m

ovem

ent

in p

lace

and

fre

e

mo

vem

ent

in s

pac

e;

fast

/slo

w

acti

ng o

ut

gam

es a

nd

par

tner

cho

osi

ng

gam

es;

dra

mat

ic

inte

rpre

tati

on;

hig

h/l

ow

;

up

/do

wn

mo

ve

to t

he

bea

t in

sim

ple

and

co

mp

ound

met

ers;

chas

e an

d

win

din

g g

ames

;

dra

mat

ic i

nte

rpre

tati

on

(po

etry

);

sam

e/d

iffe

rent

mo

ve

to t

he

bea

t in

sim

ple

and

co

mp

ound

met

ers

(str

ong b

eat)

;

inte

rpre

t m

usi

c th

rough

mo

vem

ent

(sam

e/d

iffe

rent)

line

gam

es o

f

confr

onta

tio

n;

dra

mat

ic

inte

rpre

tati

on;

inte

rpre

t

musi

c th

rough

mo

vem

ent

(lo

ud

/so

ft)

mo

ve

to t

he

bea

t in

com

po

und

met

er

128

1st

Six

Wee

ks

2n

d

Six

Wee

ks

3rd

Six

Wee

ks

4th

Six

Wee

ks

5th

Six

Wee

ks

6th

Six

Wee

ks

pla

y t

he

bea

t o

n

unp

itch

ed p

ercu

ssio

n;

exp

lore

and

fre

ely

imp

rovis

e o

n O

rff

inst

rum

ents

, giv

en

sto

ries

or

vis

ual

s

Inst

rum

ent

Skil

ls

pla

y a

sim

ple

cho

rd

dro

ne

on t

he

stea

dy

bea

t w

ith o

ne

unp

itch

ed p

ercu

ssio

n

ost

inat

o;

read

and

pla

y

so-m

i-la

mel

od

ies

on

Orf

f in

stru

men

ts

read

and

pla

y s

o-m

i-

la m

elo

die

s o

n O

rff

inst

rum

ents

; p

lay a

sim

ple

cho

rd d

rone

on

the

stea

dy b

eat

read

and

pla

y s

o-m

i

mel

od

ies

on O

rff

inst

rum

ents

; p

lay a

sim

ple

cho

rd d

rone

on

the

stea

dy b

eat

per

form

the

rhyth

m o

f

the

wo

rds

(quar

ter

no

tes

and

eig

hth

no

tes)

wit

h t

he

stea

dy b

eat

in

2 g

roup

s

pla

y t

he

rhyth

m o

f th

e

wo

rds

on u

np

itch

ed

per

cuss

ion

iden

tify

mel

od

ic

conto

ur

(up

, d

ow

n,

rep

eate

d p

itch

es)

Mel

ody

pit

ch m

atch

ing

pit

ch m

atch

ing;

go

od

sin

gin

g

tech

niq

ue:

enunci

atio

n

pit

ch m

atch

ing;

go

od

sin

gin

g

tech

niq

ue:

po

sture

;

care

of

the

vo

ice

pit

ch m

atch

ing

pit

ch m

atch

ing

pit

ch m

atch

ing

Voca

l

Dev

elopm

ent

sing,

sign,

aura

lly

reco

gniz

e, w

rite

and

sight-

sing w

ith s

o,

mi,

and

la

sing,

sign,

aura

lly

reco

gniz

e, w

rite

and

sight-

sing w

ith s

o,

mi,

and

la

; im

pro

vis

e an

d

com

po

se p

atte

rns

wit

h

so,

mi,

and

la

sing,

sign,

aura

lly

reco

gniz

e, w

rite

, an

d

sight-

sing w

ith

so a

nd

mi

Ric

har

dso

n I

SD

- F

irst

Gra

de

Musi

c C

on

cep

ts a

nd

Skil

ls O

rgan

ized

by M

ich

ael

Ch

and

ler bea

ts i

n s

ets

of

2

(2/4

met

er);

and

4

(4/4

met

er);

im

pro

vis

e

and

co

mp

ose

4-b

eat

rhyth

mic

pat

tern

s

(ost

inat

o f

or

unp

itch

ed

per

cuss

ion)

quar

ter

rest

;

bea

ts

in s

ets

of

4

(4/4

met

er)

bea

ts i

n s

ets

of

2

(2/4

met

er)

pre

par

e an

d p

rese

nt

quar

ter

no

te

(ta

)

and

2 e

ighth

no

tes

(

ti-t

i);

bea

ts i

n s

ets

of

2

(2/4

met

er)

bea

t vs.

rhyth

m (

long

and

sho

rt s

ound

s

thro

ugh g

rap

hic

no

tati

on)

stea

dy b

eat;

bea

t o

r no

bea

t; i

mp

rovis

e an

d

com

po

se 4

-bea

t

rhyth

mic

pat

tern

sR

hyt

hm

an

d M

eter

129

1st

Six

Wee

ks

2n

d

Six

Wee

ks

3rd

Six

Wee

ks

4th

Six

Wee

ks

5th

Six

Wee

ks

6th

Six

Wee

ks

AB

fo

rm

ver

se/r

efra

in

Form

intr

od

uct

ion

AB

fo

rm

(dif

fere

nt

sect

ions)

phra

se

revie

w 4

typ

es o

f

vo

ices

; id

enti

fy b

y

sight

and

so

und

the

pia

no

, vio

lin,

flute

,

trum

pet

, an

d s

nar

e

dru

m

Expre

ssiv

e

Ele

men

ts

pia

no

(p

)

fort

e (

f)

pia

no

(p

)

fort

e (

f)

fast

/slo

w

Lis

ten

ing

an

d T

imbre

solo

/gro

up

; unp

itch

ed

per

cuss

ion i

nst

rum

ents

;

mel

od

ic c

onto

ur

(up

/do

wn);

lo

ud

/so

ft

4 t

yp

es o

f vo

ices

;

mal

e, f

emal

e, a

nd

chil

d

vo

ices

; se

lect

fo

lk a

nd

orc

hes

tral

inst

rum

ents

(hig

h/l

ow

)

unp

itch

ed p

ercu

ssio

n

inst

rum

ent

fam

ilie

s;

inner

hea

ring

(aud

iati

on)

iden

tify

by s

ight

and

sound

the

vio

lin,

flute

,

and

tru

mp

et;

list

enin

g

etiq

uet

te

iden

tify

by s

ight

and

sound

the

pia

no

and

snar

e d

rum

; li

sten

ing

etiq

uet

te

Ric

har

dso

n I

SD

- F

irst

Gra

de

Musi

c C

on

cep

ts a

nd

Skil

ls O

rgan

ized

by M

ich

ael

Ch

and

ler

Move

men

t an

d

Sin

gin

g G

am

es

per

sonal

sp

ace/

shar

ed

spac

e; n

on-l

oco

mo

tor

and

lo

com

oto

r; m

ove

to t

he

bea

t in

sim

ple

and

co

mp

ound

met

er;

inte

rpre

t fa

st/s

low

and

loud

/so

ft

acti

on s

ongs/

singin

g

gam

es (

acti

ng o

ut

gam

es a

nd

par

tner

cho

osi

ng g

ames

);

inte

rpre

t lo

ng/s

ho

rt a

nd

hig

h/l

ow

inte

rpre

t m

usi

c th

rough

AB

fo

rm a

nd

fas

t/sl

ow

;

circ

le a

nd

lin

e d

ance

s

(chas

e gam

es a

nd

win

din

g g

ames

)

inte

rpre

t m

usi

c th

rough

fast

/slo

w a

nd

pia

no

(p)

and

fort

e (

f)

inte

rpre

t m

usi

c th

rough

sound

or

sile

nce

(quar

ter

rest

)

dan

ce a

nd

gam

es f

rom

var

ious

cult

ure

s (l

ine

gam

es o

f

confr

onta

tio

n);

inte

rpre

t m

usi

c th

rough

AB

fo

rm

130

1st

Six

Wee

ks

2n

d

Six

Wee

ks

3rd

Six

Wee

ks

4th

Six

Wee

ks

5th

Six

Wee

ks

6th

Six

Wee

ks

pla

y s

imp

le c

ho

rd

dro

ne

as t

he

bea

t o

r as

an o

stin

ato

; o

stin

ato

on

unp

itch

ed p

ercu

ssio

n;

read

and

pla

y m

elo

die

s

wit

h s

o,

mi,

and

la

Inst

rum

ent

Skil

ls

imp

rovis

e m

elo

die

s

usi

ng d

o,

re,

mi,

so

,

and

la

per

form

pie

ces

wit

h a

cho

rd o

r b

roken

dro

ne,

mel

od

y,

and

one

ost

inat

o;

read

and

pla

y

so,

mi,

la

, re

, an

d d

o

on O

rff

inst

rum

ents

per

form

pie

ces

wit

h a

cho

rd o

r b

roken

dro

ne,

mel

od

y,

and

one

ost

inat

o;

read

and

pla

y

so,

mi,

la

, an

d d

o o

n

Orf

f in

stru

men

ts

pla

y a

sim

ple

cho

rd o

r

bro

ken

dro

ne

on t

he

stea

dy b

eat;

im

pro

vis

e

mel

od

ies

usi

ng s

o,

mi,

and

la

sing,

sign,

aura

lly

reco

gniz

e, w

rite

, an

d

sight-

sing w

ith s

o,

mi,

and

la

Mel

ody

pit

ch m

atch

ing;

par

t w

ork

: 2

-par

t

round

s an

d m

elo

dic

ost

inat

i

pit

ch m

atch

ing;

par

t w

ork

: 2

-par

t

round

s an

d m

elo

dic

ost

inat

i

pit

ch m

atch

ing;

care

of

the

vo

ice;

par

t w

ork

: 2

-par

t

round

s

pit

ch m

atch

ing;

go

od

sin

gin

g

tech

niq

ue:

vo

wel

s an

d

tone

qual

ity

pit

ch m

atch

ing;

go

od

sin

gin

g

tech

niq

ue:

co

nso

nan

ts

pit

ch m

atch

ing;

go

od

sin

gin

g

tech

niq

ue:

po

sture

Voca

l

Dev

elopm

ent

imp

rovis

e an

d

com

po

se m

elo

dic

pat

tern

s usi

ng d

o,

re,

mi,

so

, an

d l

a

term

: p

enta

ton

ic;

imp

rovis

e an

d

com

po

se m

elo

dic

pat

tern

s usi

ng d

o,

re,

mi,

so

, an

d l

a

pre

par

e an

d i

ntr

od

uce

re;

sing,

sign,

aura

lly

reco

gniz

e, w

rite

, an

d

sight-

sing w

ith d

o,

re,

mi,

so

, an

d l

a

pre

par

e an

d i

ntr

od

uce

do

; si

ng,

sign,

aura

lly

reco

gniz

e, w

rite

, an

d

sight-

sing w

ith d

o,

mi,

so,

and

la

treb

le c

lef

imp

rovis

e an

d

com

po

se m

elo

dic

pat

tern

s w

ith s

o,

mi,

and

la

Ric

har

dso

n I

SD

- S

eco

nd

Gra

de

Musi

c C

on

cep

ts a

nd

Skil

ls O

rgan

ized

by M

ich

ael

Ch

and

ler

imp

rovis

e an

d

com

po

se r

hyth

mic

pat

tern

s an

d p

hra

ses

in

2/4

and

4/4

tim

e si

gnat

ure

(4

/4);

cond

uct

ing p

atte

rns

in

4

tie;

hal

f no

te (

too

h);

hal

f re

st

stro

ng b

eat

in 2

/4

met

er;

bar

lin

es;

mea

sure

; ti

me

signat

ure

: 2

/4;

cond

uct

ing p

atte

rns

in

2

revie

w q

uar

ter

no

tes,

2

eighth

no

tes,

and

quar

ter

rest

; im

pro

vis

e

and

co

mp

ose

phra

ses;

do

ub

le b

ar l

ines

Rh

yth

m

an

d M

eter

131

1st

Six

Wee

ks

2n

d

Six

Wee

ks

3rd

Six

Wee

ks

4th

Six

Wee

ks

5th

Six

Wee

ks

6th

Six

Wee

ks

AB

A f

orm

Form

rep

eat

sign

AB

fo

rmb

alle

tro

und

cod

a

AB

A f

orm

Expre

ssiv

e

Ele

men

ts

pia

no

(p

)

fort

e (

f)

fort

issi

mo

(ff

)

pia

nis

sim

o (

p)

chan

ges

in t

emp

o

(get

ting f

aste

r o

r

slo

wer

)

Lis

ten

ing

an

d T

imbre

list

en t

o e

xam

ple

s o

f

go

od

vo

cal

pro

duct

ion

(so

, m

i, a

nd

la

);

revie

w t

rum

pet

; A

B

form

musi

c th

at t

ells

a s

tory

;

revie

w f

lute

and

vio

lin;

intr

od

uce

str

ing b

ass

and

cla

rinet

revie

w p

iano

and

snar

e

dru

m;

intr

od

uce

tub

a

and

bas

s d

rum

iden

tify

Orf

f

inst

rum

ent

fam

ilie

s b

y

sight

Ric

har

dso

n I

SD

- S

eco

nd

Gra

de

Musi

c C

on

cep

ts a

nd

Skil

ls O

rgan

ized

by M

ich

ael

Ch

and

ler

Move

men

t an

d

Sin

gin

g G

am

es

revie

w p

erso

nal

sp

ace

and

shar

ed s

pac

e (f

ree

mo

vem

ent

in s

pac

e)

inte

rpre

t m

usi

c th

rough

hig

h/l

ow

; d

ram

atic

inte

rpre

tati

on (

acti

ng

out

gam

es)

singin

g g

ames

: ch

ase

gam

es a

nd

par

tner

cho

osi

ng g

ames

;

inte

rpre

t m

usi

c th

rough

2/4

, ver

se/r

efra

in,

or

AB

fo

rm

singin

g g

ames

: ar

ch

form

ing g

ames

and

win

din

g g

ames

han

d j

ives

(cl

app

ing

gam

es);

inte

rpre

t m

usi

c

thro

ugh c

han

ges

in

tem

po

(get

ting f

aste

r o

r

slo

wer

)

singin

g g

ames

:

pas

sing g

ames

inte

rpre

t m

usi

c th

rough

AB

A f

orm

; si

ngin

g

gam

es (

line

gam

es o

f

confr

onta

tio

n)

132

1st

Six

Wee

ks

2n

d

Six

Wee

ks

3rd

Six

Wee

ks

4th

Six

Wee

ks

5th

Six

Wee

ks

6th

Six

Wee

ks

cho

rd o

r b

roken

dro

ne

on t

he

bea

t o

r as

an

ost

inat

o;

read

and

pla

y

mel

od

ies

usi

ng d

o,

re,

mi,

so

, an

d l

a o

n O

rff

inst

rum

ents

Inst

rum

ent

Skil

ls

pie

ces

wit

h a

dro

ne,

mel

od

y,

and

tw

o

ost

inat

i; q

ues

tio

n a

nd

answ

er i

mp

rovis

atio

n

usi

ng d

o,

re,

mi,

so

,

la,

low

la

, an

d l

ow

so

imp

rovis

e m

elo

die

s

usi

ng d

o,

re,

mi,

so

,

la,

low

la

, an

d l

ow

so

;

pla

y p

iece

s w

ith a

dro

ne,

mel

od

y,

and

two

ost

inat

i

intr

od

uce

sin

gle

-

mo

vin

g d

rone;

pla

y

pie

ces

wit

h a

dro

ne,

mel

od

y,

and

one

ost

inat

o

cho

rd,

bro

ken

, an

d

level

dro

nes

as

the

bea

t

or

as a

n o

stin

ato

; re

ad

and

pla

y m

elo

die

s

usi

ng l

a,

so,

mi,

re

,

do

, lo

w l

a,

and

lo

w s

o

intr

od

uce

the

sim

ple

level

dro

ne

on t

he

bea

t

or

as a

n o

stin

ato

; re

ad

and

pla

y m

elo

die

s

usi

ng d

o,

re,

mi,

so

,

and

la

on O

rff

inst

rum

ents

use

do

, re

, m

i, s

o,

and

la

Mel

ody

pit

ch m

atch

ing;

mel

od

ic o

stin

ati

pit

ch m

atch

ing;

care

of

the

vo

ice;

par

tner

songs

pit

ch m

atch

ing;

go

od

sin

gin

g

tech

niq

ue:

to

ne

qual

ity;

par

t w

ork

: 3

-par

t

round

s

pit

ch

mat

chin

g;

go

od

sin

gin

g

tech

niq

ue:

co

nso

nan

ts

and

vo

wel

s;

2-p

art

round

s

pit

ch m

atch

ing;

go

od

sin

gin

g

tech

niq

ue:

bre

athin

g;

2-

par

t ro

und

s

pit

ch m

atch

ing;

go

od

sin

gin

g

tech

niq

ue:

po

sture

Voca

l

Dev

elopm

ent

ques

tio

n a

nd

answ

er

imp

rovis

atio

n u

sing

do

, re

, m

i, s

o,

la,

low

la,

and

lo

w s

o

imp

rovis

e an

d

com

po

se m

elo

dic

pat

tern

s usi

ng d

o,

re,

mi,

so

, la

, lo

w l

a,

and

low

so

use

do

, re

, m

i, s

o,

la,

low

la

, an

d l

ow

so

pre

par

e an

d p

rese

nt

low

la

and

lo

w s

o;

term

: o

cta

ve

imp

rovis

e an

d

com

po

se m

elo

dic

pat

tern

s usi

ng d

o,

re,

mi,

so

, an

d l

a

Ric

har

dso

n I

SD

- T

hir

d G

rad

e M

usi

c C

on

cep

ts a

nd

Skil

ls O

rgan

ized

by M

ich

ael

Ch

and

ler

ques

tio

n a

nd

answ

er i

mp

rovis

atio

n

do

tted

hal

f no

te

(tay

);

3/4

met

er;

cond

uct

ing p

atte

rn

in 3

single

eig

hth

no

te

single

eig

hth

res

t

"syn

-co

-pa

h"

who

le n

ote

;

who

le r

est;

revie

w 4

/4 m

eter

read

and

per

form

rhyth

mic

pat

tern

s w

ith

;

im

pro

vis

e an

d

com

po

se r

hyth

mic

pat

tern

s an

d p

hra

ses

wit

h h

alf

no

tes;

rev

iew

2/4

met

er

bea

t vs.

rhyth

m;

read

and

per

form

wit

h

; im

pro

vis

e

and

co

mp

ose

rhyth

mic

pat

tern

s an

d p

hra

ses

wit

h

Rh

yth

m

an

d M

eter

133

1st

Six

Wee

ks

2n

d

Six

Wee

ks

3rd

Six

Wee

ks

4th

Six

Wee

ks

5th

Six

Wee

ks

6th

Six

Wee

ks

ques

tio

n a

nd

answ

er

phra

ses

(ante

ced

ent

and

co

nse

quen

t

phra

ses)

Form

revie

w A

B f

orm

revie

w A

BA

fo

rmro

nd

o (

AB

AC

A)

inte

rlud

e

1st

and

2nd

end

ings

intr

od

uce

the

saxo

pho

ne;

ques

tio

n a

nd

answ

er

imp

rovis

atio

n

Expre

ssiv

e

Ele

men

ts

revie

w

fort

e (f

)

pia

no

(p

)

revie

w

fort

issi

mo

(ff

)

pia

nis

sim

o (

pp

)

intr

od

uce

mez

zo f

ort

e (

mf

)

mez

zo p

ian

o (

mp

)

cres

cen

do

dec

resc

end

o

revie

w a

ll p

revio

us

dynam

ic m

arkin

gs

chan

ges

in t

emp

o

Lis

ten

ing

an

d T

imbre

iden

tify

ind

ivid

ual

Orf

f

inst

rum

ents

by s

ight

iden

tify

inst

rum

ent

fam

ilie

s o

f th

e

orc

hes

tra;

sym

pho

ny

orc

hes

tra;

id

enti

fy b

y

sight

and

so

und

all

pre

vio

usl

y l

earn

ed

inst

rum

ents

intr

od

uce

the

cell

op

rogra

m m

usi

c;

abso

lute

musi

c;

intr

od

uce

the

tro

mb

one

intr

od

uce

the

tim

pan

i;

rond

o f

orm

Ric

har

dso

n I

SD

- T

hir

d G

rad

e M

usi

c C

on

cep

ts a

nd

Skil

ls O

rgan

ized

by M

ich

ael

Ch

and

ler

Move

men

t an

d

Sin

gin

g G

am

es

inte

rpre

t m

usi

c th

rough

bea

t vs.

rhyth

m;

singin

g g

ames

: fr

ee

mo

vem

ent

in s

pac

e o

r

acti

ng o

ut

gam

es

inte

rpre

t m

usi

c th

rough

hal

f no

tes;

sin

gin

g

gam

es:

par

tner

cho

osi

ng g

ames

and

chas

e gam

es

inte

rpre

t m

usi

c th

rough

who

le n

ote

s, l

ow

la

,

and

lo

w s

o;

singin

g

gam

es:

arch

fo

rmin

g

gam

es a

nd

win

din

g

gam

es

pas

sing g

ames

and

clap

pin

g g

ames

line

gam

es w

ith c

ontr

a

step

s

do

ub

le c

ircl

es a

nd

bas

ket

wea

ve

134

1st

Six

Wee

ks

2n

d

Six

Wee

ks

3rd

Six

Wee

ks

4th

Six

Wee

ks

5th

Six

Wee

ks

6th

Six

Wee

ks

cho

rd d

rones

on t

he

bea

t o

r as

ost

inat

i;

revie

w s

ingle

-mo

vin

g

dro

ne;

pla

y/i

mp

rovis

e

wit

h p

enta

tonic

pit

ches

; p

lay p

iece

s

wit

h a

dro

ne

and

a

mel

od

y

Inst

rum

ent

Skil

ls

pla

y/i

mp

rovis

e

pen

tato

nic

mel

od

ies

on

Orf

f in

stru

men

ts;

dro

ne/

mel

./2

ost

.;

intr

od

uce

do

ub

le

mo

vin

g d

rone;

rev

iew

C',

A,

D',

G,

E,

and

B

on s

op

rano

rec

ord

er

pen

tato

nic

mel

od

ies

on

Orf

f in

stru

men

ts;

dro

ne/

mel

./2

ost

.;

intr

od

uce

do

ub

le

mo

vin

g d

rone;

rev

iew

C',

A,

D',

G,

E,

and

B

on s

op

rano

rec

ord

er

bro

ken

and

arp

eggia

ted

dro

nes

as

bea

t o

r

ost

inat

o;

pla

y a

nd

imp

rovis

e p

enta

tonic

mel

od

ies;

dro

ne/

mel

./2

ost

.; a

dd

B o

n s

op

rano

reco

rder

bro

ken

dro

nes

as

a b

eat

or

ost

inat

i; p

lay a

nd

imp

rovis

e p

enta

tonic

mel

od

ies;

ad

d G

and

E

on s

op

rano

rec

ord

er;

dro

ne/

mel

od

y/o

ne

ost

inat

o

cho

rd/l

evel

dro

ne

as a

bea

t o

r o

stin

ati;

pla

y/i

mp

rovis

e

mel

od

ies

fro

m

exte

nd

ed p

enta

tonic

;

dro

ne/

mel

od

y/o

ne

ost

inat

o;

reco

rder

C',

A,

and

D'

revie

w d

o,

re,

mi,

so

,

la

Mel

ody

des

cant

care

of

the

vo

ice;

par

tner

so

ngs

go

od

sin

gin

g

tech

niq

ue:

vo

wel

s an

d

tone

qual

ity;

4-p

art

round

s

pit

ch m

atch

ing;

go

od

sin

gin

g

tech

niq

ue:

co

nso

nan

ts;

3-p

art

round

s

pit

ch m

atch

ing;

go

od

sin

gin

g

tech

niq

ue:

bre

athin

g;

2-

par

t ro

und

s

pit

ch m

atch

ing;

go

od

sin

gin

g

tech

niq

ue:

po

sture

Voca

l

Dev

elopm

ent

imp

rovis

e an

d

com

po

se m

elo

die

s

usi

ng n

ote

s fr

om

the

do

and

la

exte

nd

ed

pen

tato

nic

sca

les;

ques

tio

n/a

nsw

er

imp

rovis

atio

n

imp

rovis

e an

d

com

po

se m

elo

die

s

usi

ng d

o a

nd

la

pen

tato

nic

sca

les;

revie

w k

no

wn l

ette

rs o

f

pit

ches

on t

he

staf

f;

ques

tio

n a

nd

answ

er

imp

rovis

atio

n

pre

par

e an

d p

rese

nt

hig

h d

o;

sing,

sign,

aura

lly r

eco

gniz

e,

wri

te,

and

sig

ht-

sing

do

, re

, m

i, s

o,

la,

low

la,

low

so

, hig

h d

o;

lett

er n

ames

on t

he

staf

f (a

dd

B)

do

pen

tato

nic

; le

tter

nam

es o

f p

itch

es o

n t

he

staf

f

(ad

d G

and

E)

revie

w l

ow

la

and

lo

w

so,

la p

enta

tonic

;

term

: to

na

l cen

ter

;

lett

er n

ames

of

pit

ches

on t

he

staf

f (C

', A

, an

d

D')

Ric

har

dso

n I

SD

- F

ou

rth

Gra

de

Musi

c C

on

cep

ts a

nd

Skil

ls O

rgan

ized

by M

ich

ael

Ch

and

ler

ques

tio

n a

nd

answ

er

imp

rovis

atio

n;

revie

w

3/4

met

er

anac

rusi

s (p

ick u

p);

ques

tio

n/a

nsw

er

imp

rovis

atio

n

revie

w s

ynco

pat

ion

("sy

n-c

o-p

ah

")

ques

tio

n/a

nsw

er

imp

rovis

atio

n

intr

od

uce

(

ti-t

ika

) an

d

(

tika

-ti)

sixte

enth

no

tes

(tik

a-

tika

); i

mp

rovis

e an

d

com

po

se r

hyth

mic

pat

tern

s an

d p

hra

ses

wit

h

a

nd

revie

w

imp

rovis

e an

d

com

po

se r

hyth

mic

pat

tern

s an

d p

hra

ses

wit

h ;

revie

w 4

/4 m

eter

Rh

yth

m

an

d M

eter

135

1st

Six

Wee

ks

2n

d

Six

Wee

ks

3rd

Six

Wee

ks

4th

Six

Wee

ks

5th

Six

Wee

ks

6th

Six

Wee

ks

iden

tify

kno

wn f

orm

s

in l

iste

nin

g e

xam

ple

s

Form

revie

w:

AB

and

AB

A;

D.C

. a

l fi

ne

elem

enta

l p

hra

se f

orm

s

(aaa

b)

elem

enta

l p

hra

se f

orm

s

(aab

a an

d a

bb

a)

elem

enta

l p

hra

se f

orm

s

(ab

ac)

revie

w:

ques

tio

n/a

nsw

er

revie

w:

ques

tio

n/a

nsw

er

pie

ces

in 3

/4 m

eter

Expre

ssiv

e

Ele

men

ts

revie

w

pia

no

(p

)

fort

e (

f)

pia

nis

sim

o (

pp

)

fort

issi

mo

(ff

)

arti

cula

tio

n:

leg

ato

/sta

cca

to

slur

ferm

ata

tem

po

mar

kin

gs

rita

rda

nd

o

acc

eler

an

do

revie

w f

amil

iar

dynam

ic m

arkin

gs

Lis

ten

ing

an

d T

imbre

term

:

acc

om

pa

nim

ent

AB

and

AB

A f

orm

pro

gra

m m

usi

c

abso

lute

musi

c

stri

ng f

amil

y

pro

gra

m m

usi

c

abso

lute

musi

c

wo

od

win

d f

amil

y

pro

gra

m m

usi

c

abso

lute

musi

c

bra

ss f

amil

y

pro

gra

m m

usi

c

abso

lute

musi

c

per

cuss

ion f

amil

y

Ric

har

dso

n I

SD

- F

ou

rth

Gra

de

Musi

c C

on

cep

ts a

nd

Skil

ls O

rgan

ized

by M

ich

ael

Ch

and

ler

Move

men

t an

d

Sin

gin

g G

am

es

acti

ng o

ut

and

arc

h

form

ing g

ames

;

dra

mat

ic

inte

rpre

tati

on.;

cre

ate

sim

ple

cho

reo

gra

phy

for

aaab

win

din

g a

nd

do

ub

le

circ

le;

inte

rpre

t m

usi

c

wit

h l

a p

enta

tonic

and

2-p

art

round

s; i

llust

rate

aab

a/ab

ba

line

gam

es w

/ co

ntr

a

step

s; i

nte

rpre

t m

usi

c

thro

ugh d

o p

enta

tonic

and

3-

par

t ro

und

s; i

llust

rate

abac

clap

pin

g g

ames

;

inte

rpre

t m

usi

c th

rough

hig

h d

o a

nd

4-p

art

round

s

circ

le/s

quar

e d

ance

s;

inte

rpre

t m

usi

c th

rough

par

tner

so

ngs

pas

sing g

ames

;

inte

rpre

t m

usi

c th

rough

3/4

met

er

136

1st

Six

Wee

ks

2n

d

Six

Wee

ks

3rd

Six

Wee

ks

4th

Six

Wee

ks

5th

Six

Wee

ks

6th

Six

Wee

ks

dro

nes

and

bas

s p

arts

(cho

rd a

nd

lev

el);

revie

w s

ingle

mo

vin

g

dro

ne;

pla

y p

enta

tonic

and

hex

ato

nic

mel

od

ies;

dro

ne/

mel

./1

oth

er p

art

Inst

rum

ent

Skil

l

dro

nes

and

bas

s p

arts

;

pla

y a

nd

im

pro

vis

e

dia

tonic

mel

od

ies;

dro

ne/

mel

./3

oth

er

par

ts;

sop

rano

reco

rder

: re

vie

w a

ll

kno

wn n

ote

s

dro

nes

and

bas

s p

arts

;

pla

y a

nd

im

pro

vis

e

dia

tonic

mel

od

ies;

dro

ne/

mel

./3

oth

er

par

ts;

sop

rano

rec

ord

er

add

hig

h E

'

dro

nes

and

bas

s p

arts

;

revie

w d

oub

le m

ovin

g

dro

ne;

pla

y d

iato

nic

mel

od

ies;

dro

ne/

mel

./2

oth

er p

arts

; so

pra

no

reco

rder

: ad

d F

#

dro

nes

and

bas

s p

arts

;

revie

w d

oub

le m

ovin

g

dro

ne;

pla

y d

iato

nic

mel

od

ies;

dro

ne/

mel

./2

oth

er p

arts

; so

pra

no

reco

rder

: re

vie

w E

, B

;

add

D,

and

C

dro

nes

and

bas

s p

arts

(bro

ken

and

arp

eggia

ted

); p

lay

hex

ato

nic

mel

od

ies;

dro

ne/

mel

./2

oth

er

par

ts;

sop

rano

reco

rder

: re

vie

w C

', A

,

D,

and

G

use

do

, re

, m

i, s

o,

la,

and

hig

h d

o';

pre

par

e

and

pre

sent

fa;

term

: h

exa

ton

ic;

term

:

inte

rva

ls (

2nd

s, 3

rds,

etc.

)

Mel

ody

vo

cal

war

m u

ps;

unis

on a

nd

tw

o p

art

oct

avo

s

vo

cal

war

m u

ps;

des

cant

care

of

the

vo

ice;

mel

od

ic o

stin

ato

4-p

art

round

s an

d

cano

ns

3-p

art

round

s an

d

cano

ns

pit

ch m

atch

ing;

go

od

sin

gin

g

tech

niq

ue;

par

tner

songs,

2-p

art

cano

ns

and

ro

und

sV

oca

l

Dev

elopm

ent

imp

rovis

e an

d

com

po

se u

sing p

itch

es

fro

m d

iato

nic

sca

les;

per

form

im

pro

vis

atio

ns

bas

ed o

n e

lem

enta

l

form

s (a

bca

and

ab

ac)

use

dia

tonic

sca

les;

per

form

im

pro

vis

atio

ns

bas

ed o

n e

lem

enta

l

form

s (a

abb

and

aab

a)

use

all

dia

tonic

pit

ches

(ad

d l

ow

ti,

lo

w l

a,

and

lo

w s

o);

maj

or

vs.

min

or;

in

tro

duce

shar

p

sym

bo

l

#

use

do

, re

, m

i, f

a,

so,

la,

and

hig

h d

o';

pre

par

e an

d p

rese

nt

ti;

inte

rval

s

(2nd

s, 3

rds,

etc

.)

use

do

, re

, m

i, f

a,

so,

la,

low

la,

lo

w s

o,

and

hig

h d

o';

intr

od

uce

flat

sym

bo

l:

Ric

har

dso

n I

SD

- F

ifth

Gra

de

Musi

c C

on

cep

ts a

nd

Skil

ls O

rgan

ized

by M

ich

ael

Ch

and

ler im

pro

vis

e an

d

com

po

se u

sing k

no

wn

rhyth

ms;

per

form

imp

rovis

atio

ns

bas

ed

on e

lem

enta

l fo

rms

(ab

ca a

nd

ab

ac)

imp

rovis

e an

d

com

po

se u

sing k

no

wn

rhyth

ms;

per

form

imp

rovis

atio

ns

bas

ed

on e

lem

enta

l fo

rms

(aab

b a

nd

aab

a)

imp

rovis

e an

d

com

po

se u

sing

a

nd

per

form

im

pro

vis

atio

ns

bas

ed o

n e

lem

enta

l

form

s (a

aab

and

aab

a)

intr

od

uce

as t

he

bea

t; 3

bar

red

eighth

no

tes

(ti-

ti-t

i);

6/8

met

er;

cond

uct

ing i

n 6

/8 (

2

pat

tern

)

revie

w "

syn

-co

-pa

h"

intr

od

uce

(tu

m-t

i)

intr

od

uce

.

(tum

-ti)

revie

w

revie

w 4

/4 m

eter

Rh

yth

m

an

d M

eter

137

1st

Six

Wee

ks

2n

d

Six

Wee

ks

3rd

Six

Wee

ks

4th

Six

Wee

ks

5th

Six

Wee

ks

6th

Six

Wee

ks

elem

enta

l p

hra

se

form

s:

abca

and

ab

ac;

them

e &

var

iati

ons

Form

revie

w:

AB

fo

rm

revie

w:

AB

A f

orm

revie

w:

rond

o f

orm

elem

enta

l p

hra

se

form

s:

aaab

and

aab

a

elem

enta

l p

hra

se

form

s:

aab

b a

nd

ab

ba

pro

gra

m m

usi

c

abso

lute

musi

c

Expre

ssiv

e

Ele

men

ts

revie

w f

amil

iar

dynam

ic m

arkin

gs

all

egro

all

egro

adagio

lear

n n

ew t

emp

o

mar

kin

gs

as t

hey

app

ear

in r

eper

toir

e

lear

n n

ew t

emp

o

mar

kin

gs

as t

hey

app

ear

in r

eper

toir

e

Lis

ten

ing

an

d T

imbre

stri

ng f

amil

yw

oo

dw

ind

fam

ily

bra

ss f

amil

yp

ercu

ssio

n f

amil

y;

aura

lly i

den

tify

to

nal

cente

r an

d m

ajo

r vs.

min

or

larg

e en

sem

ble

s:

cho

ir/c

ho

rus;

ban

d;

sym

pho

ny o

rches

tra;

atte

nd

a l

ive

per

form

ance

Ric

har

dso

n I

SD

- F

ifth

Gra

de

Musi

c C

on

cep

ts a

nd

Skil

ls O

rgan

ized

by M

ich

ael

Ch

and

ler

Move

men

t an

d

Sin

gin

g G

am

es

do

ub

le c

ircl

e d

ance

sci

rcle

or

squar

e d

ance

sp

assi

ng g

ames

;

inte

rpre

t m

usi

c th

rough

6/8

met

er

clap

pin

g g

ames

; cr

eate

sim

ple

cho

reo

gra

phy t

o

illu

stra

te f

orm

s: a

aab

and

aab

a

bas

ket

wea

ve;

cre

ate

sim

ple

cho

reo

gra

phy t

o

illu

stra

te f

orm

s: a

abb

and

ab

ba

dra

mat

ic i

nte

rpre

tati

on:

crea

te m

ovem

ent

to

acco

mp

any m

eter

ed

and

unm

eter

ed p

oet

ry

138

1st

Six

Wee

ks

2n

d

Six

Wee

ks

3rd

Six

Wee

ks

4th

Six

Wee

ks

5th

Six

Wee

ks

6th

Six

Wee

ks

dro

nes

and

bas

s p

arts

;

pie

ces

wit

h m

ult

iple

par

ts (

dro

ne,

mel

od

y,

colo

r p

art,

unp

itch

ed

per

cuss

ion,

and

mel

od

ic o

stin

ato

)

Inst

rum

ent

Skil

ls

bas

s p

arts

; var

ious

dia

tonic

mel

od

ies;

I -

IV -

V a

nd

i -

iv -

v

funct

ional

har

mo

ny;

sop

rano

rec

ord

er:

add

Bb

bas

s p

arts

; m

ajo

r an

d

min

or

mel

od

ies;

I -

V,

and

i -

v h

arm

onie

s;

sop

rano

rec

ord

er:

add

F#

, hig

h E

dro

nes

and

bas

s p

arts

;

Lyd

ian a

nd

Mix

oly

dia

n

mel

od

ies;

I -

ii,

I -

VII

,

I -

vi

har

mo

nie

s;

sop

rano

rec

ord

er:

add

D,

C

dro

nes

and

bas

s p

arts

;

Aeo

lian

and

Do

rian

mel

od

ies;

i -

VII

, i

- II

I

har

mo

nie

s; s

op

rano

reco

rder

:

add

low

E,

B

dro

nes

and

bas

s p

arts

;

do

ub

le m

ovin

g d

rone;

tria

ds;

hex

ato

nic

and

Ionia

n m

elo

die

s; I

- i

i

har

mo

nie

s; s

op

rano

reco

rder

: re

vie

w C

', A

,

D',

and

G

exte

nd

ed p

enta

tonic

scal

e in

C,

F,

or

G)

Mel

ody

sight-

sing 2

-par

t m

usi

c;

unis

on a

nd

2-

par

t

oct

avo

s; c

han

gin

g

vo

ices

; p

erfo

rm

pub

licl

y;

sing i

n

var

ious

languag

es

sight-

sing 2

-par

t m

usi

c;

unis

on a

nd

2-p

art

oct

avo

s;

sing i

n v

ario

us

languag

es

mel

od

ic o

stin

ato

des

cant

sing i

n S

pan

ish o

r

Lat

in;

par

tner

so

ngs

sing i

n S

pan

ish o

r

Lat

in;

3-

and

4-p

art

round

s

and

can

ons

term

: a

ca

pel

la;

sing i

n S

pan

ish o

r

Lat

in;

2-p

art

round

s an

d

cano

ns

Voca

l

Dev

elopm

ent

use

var

ious

dia

tonic

scal

es;

intr

od

uce

bas

s

clef

read

fro

m c

ho

ral

oct

avo

s; f

unct

ional

har

mo

ny:

I -

IV -

V

use

var

ious

dia

tonic

scal

es;

acci

den

tals

as

they

occ

ur;

rea

d c

ho

ral

oct

avo

s; p

erfo

rman

ce-

bas

ed s

ingin

g,

cho

rd

pro

gre

ssio

ns:

I -

V,

i -

v

F L

yd

ian,

G M

ixo

lyd

ian

cho

rd p

rogre

ssio

ns:

I -

ii,

I -

VII

, I

- vi

d,

e, a

Aeo

lian

,

d D

ori

an,

d,

e, a

min

or;

cho

rd p

rogre

ssio

ns:

i -

VII

, i

- II

I;

nat

ura

l si

gn

$

C o

r F

hex

ato

nic

,

C I

onia

n,

C,

D,

F,

or

G M

ajo

r);

cho

rd p

rogre

ssio

ns:

I -

ii

Ric

har

dso

n I

SD

- S

ixth

Gra

de

Musi

c C

on

cep

ts a

nd

Skil

ls O

rgan

ized

by M

ich

ael

Ch

and

ler

5/8

and

7/8

met

ers;

imp

rovis

e an

d c

reat

e

rhyth

mic

pat

tern

s;

imp

rovis

e usi

ng a

bca

and

ab

ac

lear

n n

ew r

hyth

mic

dura

tio

ns

and

met

ers

as

they

occ

ur;

im

pro

vis

e

rhyth

ms,

im

pro

vis

e

usi

ng a

baa

and

ab

ba

imp

rovis

e an

d c

reat

e

rhyth

mic

pat

tern

s;

per

form

im

pro

vis

atio

ns

bas

ed o

n e

lem

enta

l

form

s (a

aab

and

aab

a)

revie

w s

ynco

pat

ion

("sy

n-c

o-p

ah

")

intr

od

uce

(tim

-ka

)

.

(ka

-tim

)

revie

w

(

ti-t

ika

)an

d

(

tika

-ti)

4/4

met

er

revie

w

revie

w 4

/4 m

eter

and

3/4

met

erR

hyt

hm

an

d M

eter

139

1st

Six

Wee

ks

2n

d

Six

Wee

ks

3rd

Six

Wee

ks

4th

Six

Wee

ks

5th

Six

Wee

ks

6th

Six

Wee

ks

elem

enta

l p

hra

se

form

s:

abca

and

ab

ac

Form

revie

w:

(AB

and

AB

A)

revie

w:

(ro

nd

o)

revie

w:

them

e &

var

iati

ons

op

era:

ari

a, r

ecit

ativ

e,

and

over

ture

elem

enta

l p

hra

se

form

s:

aab

a an

d a

bb

a

chan

ged

and

unch

anged

vo

ices

;

adult

vo

ice

typ

es;

vo

cal

ense

mb

les:

Kin

gs

Sin

ger

s/ B

ob

by

McF

erri

n,

etc.

cho

rus

and

cho

ir

Expre

ssiv

e

Ele

men

ts

fort

e (

f)

and

pia

no

(p

)

ad

ag

io

all

egro

fort

issi

mo

(ff

)

pia

nis

sim

o (

pp

)

larg

o

an

da

nte

mez

zo f

ort

e (

mf

)

mez

zo p

ian

o (

mp

)

cres

cen

do

dec

resc

end

o

lear

n n

ew d

ynam

ic a

nd

tem

po

mar

kin

gs

as

they

occ

ur

in r

eper

toir

e

lear

n n

ew d

ynam

ic a

nd

tem

po

mar

kin

gs

as

they

occ

ur

in r

eper

toir

e

lear

n n

ew d

ynam

ic a

nd

tem

po

mar

kin

gs

as

they

occ

ur

in r

eper

toir

e

Lis

ten

ing

an

d T

imbre

pro

gra

m m

usi

c

abso

lute

musi

c

cham

ber

gro

up

s: s

trin

g

quar

tet;

duet

, tr

io,

and

quar

tet;

larg

e en

sem

ble

s:

sym

pho

ny o

rches

tra

cham

ber

gro

up

s:

wo

od

win

d q

uin

tet;

larg

e en

sem

ble

s:

ban

d

cham

ber

gro

up

s:

bra

ss q

uin

tet;

larg

e en

sem

ble

s:

ban

d

op

era:

ari

a, r

ecit

ativ

e,

and

over

ture

per

cuss

ion e

nse

mb

le

(Sto

mp

)

Ric

har

dso

n I

SD

- S

ixth

Gra

de

Musi

c C

on

cep

ts a

nd

Skil

ls O

rgan

ized

by M

ich

ael

Ch

and

ler

Move

men

t an

d

Sin

gin

g G

am

es

circ

le d

ance

s; i

nte

rpre

t

musi

c th

rough 2

-par

t

cano

ns

and

2/4

and

3/4

met

er

squar

e d

ance

s;

inte

rpre

t m

usi

c th

rough

3-

and

4-p

art

cano

ns

and

4/4

met

er

contr

a d

ance

s w

ith

reel

; in

terp

ret

musi

c

thro

ugh p

artn

er s

ongs

and

min

or

mo

des

clap

pin

g g

ames

;

inte

rpre

t m

usi

c th

rough

maj

or

mo

des

and

new

met

ers;

cre

ate

sim

ple

cho

reo

gra

phy f

or

aaab

and

aab

a al

ong w

ith

larg

er f

orm

s

bas

ket

wea

ve;

inte

rpre

t

musi

c th

rough m

ajo

r

and

min

or

as w

ell

as

new

met

ers;

cho

reo

gra

ph f

or

aab

a

and

ab

ba

alo

ng w

ith

larg

er f

orm

s

trip

le c

ircl

e fo

rmat

ion;

crea

te o

rigin

al

mo

vem

ent

and

dan

ces

to m

usi

c w

ith

funct

ional

har

mo

nie

s

and

var

ious

met

ers;

cho

reo

gra

ph f

or

abca

and

ab

ac

140

141

REFERENCES

Aalfs, Molly K. “An Approach to Developing an Age Appropriate Rhythm Sequence for

the Fifth and Sixth Grades.” M.A. thesis, University of St. Thomas, 1997.

Ball, Rosalyn Harris. “An Ungraded Guide to the Organization of the Elementary

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Washington University, 1973.

Bond, Judy, et al. Spotlight on Music: Grade K, Teacher’s Edition. New York:

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Brumitt, David and Lois Choksy. 120 Singing Games and Dances for Elementary

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Carder, Polly. The Eclectic Curriculum in American Music Education, Revised Edition.

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Choksy, Lois. The Kodály Method I: Comprehensive Music Education, Third Ed. Upper

Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1999.

Choksy, Lois. Teaching Music Effectively in the Elementary School. Englewood Cliffs,

NJ: Prentice Hall, 1991.

142

Frazee, Jane. Discovering Orff: A Curriculum for Music Teachers. New York: Schott

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Goodkin, Doug. Play, Sing, & Dance: An Introduction to Orff Schulwerk. Mainz: Schott

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Keetman, Gunild. Elementaria: First acquaintance with Orff-Schulwerk. Translated by

Margaret Murray. London: Schott and Co. Ltd., 1974.

Lange, Diane. “An Introduction to Organizing and Assessing Concepts and Skills in

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Olsen, Margaret I. “Bringing the Playground Indoors: Using Playground Singing Games

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Richardson ISD Fine Arts Department. Kindergarten Music Concepts and Skills.

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Richardson ISD Fine Arts Department. First Grade Music Concepts and Skills.


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143

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Steen, Arvida. Exploring Orff: A Teacher’s Guide. New York: Schott Music

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Taylor, Donald. “Beating Time: Refining Learned Repertoire for Percussion Instruments

in an Orff Ensemble Setting.” Ph.D. diss., The University of Texas at Austin,

2004.

Webster’s New World Dictionary. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1979.

Weikart, Phyllis. Teaching Folk Dance: Successful Steps. Ypsilanti, MI: High/Scope

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