In 2012 when Denise Cross at the Goddard School Somersett asked me to design a curriculum for their pre-school I asked myself; “what would I like my private music students to know before they first step through my door;  what basic music skills set the foundation for further music study?”   I designed my Pre-School, Pre-K, and Kindergarten curriculum around the answers to those two questions.   Below is the set of skills we work on:

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• Clap a steady beat while singing irregular rhythms

• Memorize melodies, rhythms, and lyrics

• Name familiar melodies through the Mystery Song game

• Match pitch with our Solfege Vocal Warmup

• Differentiate high and low pitches with the High Low game

• Recognize the difference between major and minor (happy and sad) sounds

• Sing and recognize the difference between staccato and legato sounds 

• Read basic rhythms using “ta, ti-ti, ta-a,” etc (Kindergarten only)

• Music enrichment:  ex. reading “Peter and the Wolf” or “The Nutcracker” and listening to the music played on the flute, listening to Irish Music being played on the recorder for St. Patrick’s Day, etc.

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Although music class may feel like fun and games, the students are walking away with a solid foundation in music education that will prepare them for further music studies whether it be private lessons, choir, band, or orchestra.

 

The fun and engaging songs we sing are coordinated with holidays and the classroom monthly educational themes.  Hence the students are not just learning music, they are learning through music.  Students get to share what they’ve learned in music class with their families at various performances (fairytale musicals, school Halloween Party, caroling through the school at Christmas time, etc.).