I had an email question from a teacher this week. She needed to give a synopsis of what she teaches in each grade to her principal. She asked if I had a synopsis of what’s taught in Musicplay, and I had never written it in this format. So here’s the synopsis. Of course how much you’re able to teach depends on the time allotted for music, the experiences your students come with, and a myriad of other factors. With Musicplay you treat the teacher’s guide like a menu – choose the song, choose the activities. If you do all the “core” activities, you will complete what’s in the synopsis with your students.

For information on the Musicplay K-5 curriculum: www.musicplay.ca

Musicplay Kindergarten: Sing, Play, Move, Listen, Read/Write, Create

In kindergarten music classes students will learn poems and songs from many different styles and cultures in English, Spanish, French and other languages. They’ll learn seasonal songs, songs to enhance the themes in their classroom, and will learn songs that reinforce basic skills that they learn in kindergarten such as colors, numbers, shapes, and alphabet. They’ll sing and play many action songs and singing games. They’ll practice keeping a steady beat using non-locomotor and locomotor movement with body percussion and with instruments. Students will begin to read rhythms that are one, two or no sounds on a beat. Students will accompany simple songs with borduns on barred instruments, and will use non-pitched rhythm instruments to create accompaniments for poems, songs and stories. Students will create and play new verses, new rhythm compositions and B sections. They will learn about form in music by moving, listening and creating new compositions. Students will listen and move to the beat of the teacher’s drum, and will listen and respond to the music of Bach, Handel and other classical composers. Students will learn to identify high-low, loud-quiet, fast-slow, in sounds around us, through movement and through listening. Students will identify timbre such as speaking voice, singing voice and classroom instruments.

Musicplay 1: Sing, Play, Move, Listen, Read/Write, Create

In Grade 1 music classes students will learn poems and songs from many different styles and cultures in English, Spanish, French and other languages. They’ll learn seasonal songs, songs to enhance the themes in their classroom, and will learn songs that reinforce basic skills that they learn in Grade 1 such as beginning consonents and vowels. They’ll sing and play many action songs and singing games. They will sing simple songs in two parts by adding melodic or rhythmic ostinato. They’ll practice keeping a steady beat using non-locomotor and locomotor movement and using body percussion and instruments. Students will learn to read rhythms that include quarter notes, pairs of eighth notes, quarter rest. They will read simple melodies using the solfa syllables so, mi, la and do. Students will accompany reading songs with simple Orff arrangements, and will use non-pitched rhythm instruments to create accompaniments for poems, songs and stories. Students will create and play new verses, new rhythm compositions and B sections. They will learn about form in music by moving, listening and creating new compositions. Students will listen, move, respond and begin to use critical analysis when listening to the music of Bach, Handel and other classical composers. Students will identify loud-quiet as forte and piano, fast-slow as allegro and largo. Students will identify music that is smooth sounding and music that sounds separated. Students will identify timbres such as speaking voice, singing voice and classroom instruments. Students will use a variety of expression when they sing and speak to show that they understand the meaning of the text.

Musicplay 2: Sing, Play, Move, Listen, Read/Write, Create

In Grade 2 music classes students will learn poems and songs from many different styles and cultures in English, Spanish, French and other languages. They’ll learn seasonal songs and songs to enhance the themes in their classroom. They’ll sing and play many action songs and singing games. Students will learn a few simple rounds. They will sing simple songs in two parts by adding melodic or rhythmic ostinato. They’ll practice keeping a steady beat using non-locomotor and locomotor movement and using body percussion and with instruments. Students will read rhythms that include quarter notes, pairs of eighth notes, quarter rest, half and whole notes and rests. They will learn to read tied quarter notes. They will identify accented beats, and tell how many beats are in each group. (time signature) They will read simple melodies using the solfa syllables do, re, mi, so and la. Students will accompany songs with Orff arrangements, and will use non-pitched rhythm instruments to create accompaniments for poems, songs and stories. Students will create and play new verses, new rhythm compositions and B sections. They will learn about form in music by moving, listening and creating new compositions. They will define rondo form and AB form. Students will listen, move, respond and begin to use critical analysis skills when listening to the music of Bach, Handel and other classical composers. Students will identify a variety of dynamics and tempos using musical terminology. Students will identify articulation in music. Students will identify timbres such as speaking voice, singing voice, families of classroom instruments and families of orchestral instruments. Students will use a variety of expression when they sing and speak to show that they understand the meaning of the text.

Musicplay 3: Sing, Play, Move, Listen, Read/Write, Create

In Grade 3 music classes students will learn poems and songs from many different styles and cultures in English, Spanish, French and other languages. They’ll learn seasonal songs from many cultures. They’ll sing and play many action songs and singing games. Students will sing songs with ostinato, many rounds and begin singing partner songs. They’ll practice keeping a steady beat using non-locomotor and locomotor movement and keeping a beat with body percussion and instruments. Students will read rhythms that include quarter notes, pairs of eighth notes, quarter rest, half, whole notes, groups of four sixteenth and the corresponding rests. They will identify accented beats, and will read music in 2/4, 4/4 and 3/4 time signatures, explaining that the music is in groups of 2, 3, or 4. They will read simple melodies using the solfa syllables do, re, mi, so, la, high do, low la and low so. Students will accompany many songs with Orff arrangements, and will use non-pitched rhythm instruments to create accompaniments for poems, songs and stories. Students will create and play new verses, new rhythm compositions and B sections. They will learn about form in music by moving, listening and creating new compositions. They will identify and define rondo form, ABA form and theme and variations. Students will listen, move, respond to and use critical analysis skills when listening to the music of classical composers from the Baroque, Classical, Romantic and Modern eras. Students will identify dynamics, tempo and articulation (stacatto, legato) using musical terminology. Students will identify the timbres of classroom instruments and orchestral instruments and be able to classify/sort them into families. Students will use a variety of expression when they sing and speak to show that they understand the meaning of the text.

In grade 3 students may learn to read absolute note names (ABCDEFG) and play songs using BAG E on the recorder.

Musicplay 4: Sing, Play, Move, Listen, Read/Write, Create

In Grade 4 music classes students will learn poems and songs from many different styles and cultures in English, Spanish, French and other languages. They’ll learn seasonal songs from many cultures. They’ll sing and play many action songs and singing games. Students will sing songs with ostinato, many rounds, partner songs and two-part songs. They’ll practice keeping a steady beat using non-locomotor and locomotor movement and keeping a beat with body percussion, instruments and cups. Students will read rhythms that include quarter notes, pairs of eighth notes, quarter rest, half, dotted half, whole notes, groups of four sixteenth, eighth-sixteenth note combinations, syncopated notes and the corresponding rests. They will identify accented beats, and will read music in 2/4, 4/4 and 3/4 time signatures, explaining that the music is in groups of 2, 3, or 4. They will read simple melodies using the solfa syllables do, re, mi, fa, so, la, ti, high do, low la and low so. Students will learn to read absolute letter names – ABCDEFG. Students will accompany many songs with Orff arrangements, and will use non-pitched rhythm instruments to create accompaniments for poems, songs and stories. Students will create and play new verses, new rhythm compositions and B sections. They will learn about form in music by moving, listening and creating new compositions. They will identify and define rondo form, AB, ABA form and theme and variations. Students will listen, move, respond to and use critical analysis skills when listening to the music of classical composers from the Baroque, Classical, Romantic and Modern eras. Students will identify dynamics, tempo and articulation (stacatto, legato) using musical terminology. Students will identify the timbres of classroom instruments and orchestral instruments and be able to classify/sort them into families. Students will use a variety of expression when they sing and speak to show that they understand the meaning of the text.

In Grade 4 students will learn to play songs that may use BAG ED C’D’ F on the recorder. They will create their own recorder compositions using BAG E (D). Students may learn to accompany one and two chord songs with the ukulele.

Musicplay 5: Sing, Play, Move, Listen, Read/Write, Create

In Grade 5 music classes students will learn poems and songs from many different styles and cultures in English, Spanish, French and other languages. They’ll learn seasonal songs from many cultures. They’ll sing and play many action songs and singing games. They’ll practice keeping a steady beat using non-locomotor and locomotor movement and keeping a beat with body percussion, instruments and cup games. Students will read rhythms that include quarter notes, pairs of eighth notes, quarter rest, half, dotted half, whole notes, groups of four sixteenth, eighth-sixteenth note combinations, syncopated notes and the corresponding rests. They will identify accented beats, and will read music in 2/4, 3/4, 4/4 and 5/4 time signatures, explaining that the music is in groups of 2, 3, 4 or 5. They will read simple melodies using the solfa syllables do, re, mi, fa, so, la, ti, high do, low so, la, and ti. Students will learn to read absolute letter names – ABCDEFG. Students will accompany many songs with more complex Orff arrangements, and will use non-pitched rhythm instruments to create accompaniments for poems, songs and stories. Students will create and play new verses, new rhythm compositions and B sections. They will learn about form in music by moving, listening and creating new compositions. They will identify and define rondo form, ABA form and theme and variations. Students will listen, move, respond to and use critical analysis skills when listening to the music of classical composers from the Baroque, Classical, Romantic and Modern eras. Students will identify dynamics, tempo and articulation (stacatto, legato) using musical terminology. Students will identify the timbres of classroom instruments and orchestral instruments and be able to classify/sort them into families. Students will use a variety of expression when they sing and speak to show that they understand the meaning of the text.

In Grade 5 students will learn to play songs that may use BAG ED C’D’ F on the recorder. They will create their own recorder compositions using BAG E (D). Students may learn to accompany one, two and three chord songs with the ukulele or the guitar.

For information on the Musicplay K-5 curriculum: www.musicplay.ca

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