Kindergarten curriculum guide - Middleton Cross Plains Area School ...

Music
What Exactly Do We Do In Music Class?
The short answer to this
question is that in music class
we sing, play instruments, and
learn about how music works.
But there's more to it than that
- music in the Middleton-Cross
Plains Area School District reflects the national
music education standards, also adopted in the
state of Wisconsin. Our Elementary Music
Curriculum is based on students learning eight
main concepts:
Time: beat, rhythm, meter, rhythmic notation,
playing rhythmic patterns on instruments, time
signatures, improvising rhythms
Pitch: matching pitch, relationship of pitches to
each other,
Melody: types of melodic movement, playing
and singing melodies, improvising/composing
melodies
Harmony: performing accompaniments,
learning to sing and play rounds, melodies with an
ostinato, echo harmony, partner songs, countermelodies,
simple harmonic theory
Form: recognizing sounds that are the same or
different; form (structure of songs/compositions),
solo vs. group, types of form: AB, ABA, rondo,
sonata, suite
Expression: tempo,
texture, dynamics, phrasing,
and articulation
Timbre: effects and mood,
instrument families, world
instruments, ensembles, and orchestra
History and Culture: relationship of music to
society, function of music, multicultural music,
music of famous composers, music of American
composers, musical styles
P a g e | 6
These eight concepts are geared towards students
increasing in skill level in each of the eight areas.
The curriculum model designed to increase skill
level throughout all conceptual areas as students
get older is also known as a spiral
curriculum. Over the course of the elementary
music experience, the use of each concept
becomes more sophisticated. For example, in
regard to time, students learn about and practice
keeping steady beat in kindergarten, but by 5 th
grade are working on eight and sixteenth notes, as
well as triplets and the offbeat.
Technology
As foundational technology skills
penetrate throughout our
society, students will be expected
to apply the basics in authentic,
integrated ways to solve
problems, complete projects, and
creatively extend their abilities. Students at the
elementary level participate in technology
enrichment classes, and students in grades 4 and 5
participate in keyboarding classes. The technology
standards and curriculum help students prepare to
work, live, and contribute to the social and civic
fabric of their communities.
Technology standards
addressed at the elementary
level identify several higherorder
thinking skills and
digital citizenship as critical
for students to learn effectively for a lifetime and
live productively in our emerging global society.
These areas include the ability to:
Demonstrate creativity and innovation
Communicate and collaborate
Conduct research and use information
Think critically, solve problems, and make
decisions
Use technology effectively and productively
MCPASD Kindergarten Curriculum Brochure