Ms. Katie knows that children learn most effectively while they are playing which is why you'll see jumping, singing, storytelling, clapping, and laughing during her preschool music class. A child's first instrument is their body so we will use our voices to sing, and our hands and feet to feel the beat. 

We will use props, dance, and actions while we sing. Your child's appreciation for music will grow, and they will benefit from this developmentally appropriate and FUN introduction to music. 

The curriculum is created around six foundational elements: singing, ear training, rhythm, emotions, literacy, and classical music. These concepts will be key to each lesson while honoring the child's need to experience the music through touch, movement, and activities. 

A child’s first instrument is their body! Class will include vocal play with high and low sounds, appealing activities that encourage matching pitch, and lots of singing! Contemporary children’s music will be used and sung, but we will primarily sing traditional folk songs and tunes which provide natural material for becoming a musician. These tunes have stood the test of time and are an ideal tool for teaching music to children.

Maria sings, “When you sing you begin with Do Re Mi,” in the Sound of Music and she is right! Solfege assigns a syllable and hand sign to each tone of the major scale. This educational tool helps to train children’s ears to not only sing, but feel the music with their full body. We will use tone bells in class to hear each pitch of the major and pentatonic scales and playfully imitate simple pitch relationships in fun songs. Exposure to harmony will further cultivate intelligent ears.

Clapping, patting, and moving to the beat is foundational to learning rhythm. Kids’ bodies are meant to move while learning and we will use movement to feel a steady beat at different speeds or tempos. Sub-dividing is another important rhythm skill kids will learn as they are exposed to more complicated rhythm in songs we listen to and sing.

Dynamics give a song interest with variation of loudness and is one element that can determine the feeling or emotion behind a piece of music. Articulations (sharp or smooth), tempo, key and time signature, and instrumentation can also influence feelings that are felt in a song. Rather than learn the complicated reasons for the feelings in a song, we will focus on identifying how we feel as we listen, sing, and experience music with our full bodies in our classroom. Young children benefit from learning how to identify a full range of emotions and music can be a powerful tool to do just that.

Books and storytelling have a place in music class, especially when there is rhythm, rhyme, and singing involved! A preschooler’s brain is particularly primed for language, therefore literature and music is the perfect combination.

In this class, children will be exposed to a wide variety of classical music. This will be done with the use of movement, dancing, props, and storytelling. We will intelligently listen to different works by pointing out themes and form. We will also see and hear different instruments and learn their names.