Music Grade 1-4

Mrs. Kathie O’Sullivan

My name is Kathie O’Sullivan and I am the Primary Music teacher. I’d like to share with you some of the elements of the music curriculum I use in first through fourth grades.

First Grade

First grade has Music twice a week for about thirty minutes. The program uses a combination of materials. First there is our music textbook and its accompanying recordings. Then there are other books and recordings accumulated over the years for rhythmic activities, music appreciation, and seasonal music. Report card grades are based on class participation and cooperation.

Musical Concepts:
In first grade, the students review such concepts as heavy beat, steady beat, and the rhythmic patterns of the melody. We begin to learn to listen to a distinct rhythmic pattern and copy it. We learn to listen for the direction of a melody and for music intervals (we call them musical steps or jumps). We follow these “jumps” or “steps” with appropriate movements of our bodies. We learn musical terminology like refrain, verse, and coda. We use our set of rhythm instruments to play along with the recordings. We listen for and identify the different instruments of the orchestra in our recordings. This year, we are participating in the Tucson Symphony Orchestra’s educational program. Members of the Orchestra will come to our school to teach us about their instruments.

Vocal Development:
In first grade we explore our voices i.e., high, low, soft, and loud. We sing a certain song in each of our three vocal registers and discuss the differences. I encourage all to sing out regardless of their ability to match tones. We sing Call and Response Songs. This allows eager volunteers to sing the solo part. We also sing individually when we try echoing each other. We learn to sing rounds and listen to the parts. By the end of the year, we are able to sing rounds in two parts. We sing silly songs, folk songs, songs for holidays, and patriotic songs to develop our listening skills, and just for fun.

Movement:
In first grade we review feeling each of the three kinds of beats, and then put two kinds of beats in different parts of our bodies at the same time. We even try to do that with all three kinds of beats. We review simple movement activities with rhythm sticks and then learn more difficult ones. We walk, run, gallop, skip, jump, and slide to the beat and mood of the music. We dance to recordings moving forward, backward, right, and left upon command. We listen to the music, find its beat, and then move appropriately to it. We do creative movements to the mood of the music.

Church Music:

In first grade the students review all the sung Mass responses, including seasonal ones. We learn refrains of familiar hymns and Marian Songs. We learn refrains of songs for each of the School Masses. All of our church music is learned by rote and memorized. All classes from our school also participate in a Family Mass at SS. Peter & Paul Church. The first grade participates in a 9 A.M. Sunday Mass on February.

Second Grade

Second grade has Music twice a week for a 30-minute period. Second Grade also uses a variety of materials. First there is our music textbook and its accompanying recordings. Then there are other books, and recordings accumulated over the years for rhythmic activities, music appreciation, and seasonal music. Finally, I use the Breaking Bread Hymnal to teach church music. Beginning in second grade, the children have their own copies of the textbook so they can sing along with the songs on the recordings. Report card grades are based on class participation and cooperation.

Musical Concepts:
In second grade the students review such concepts as melody direction, heavy beat, steady beat, and the rhythmic patterns of the melody. We learn to listen to a distinct rhythmic pattern and copy it. We learn about music intervals and song forms such as AB and ABA. We learn musical terminology like refrain, verse and Fine (pronounced fee’ nae). Our textbook provides us with rhythmic patterns to play along with some of the recordings. We use our set of rhythm instruments to embellish these recordings. We discuss composing, try composing our own rhythm patterns, and learn about the lives and works of a few composers such as John Erlich and Louis Moreau Gottschalk. We learn the difference between acoustic and electrical instruments and learn to recognize them by their sound. We learn about folk songs and spirituals. We learn songs that help us know more about the geography and history of the United States. We listen for the different instruments of the orchestra in our recordings and learn to group them into families i.e., String, Woodwind, Brass, and Percussion. This year, we are participating in the Tucson Symphony Orchestra’s educational program. Members of the Orchestra will come to our school to teach us about their instruments.

Vocal Development:
In second grade we explore our voices i.e., high, low, soft, and loud. I encourage all to sing out regardless of their ability to match tones. The more they sing, the more their voice and their ability to listen to what they sing improve. We again sing Call and Response Songs. This allows eager volunteers to sing the solo part. We also sing individually when we try echoing each other. By the end of second grade we are able to sing rounds in three parts. We sing silly songs, folk songs, songs for holidays, and patriotic songs to help develop our listening to each other and teach some of the concepts listed in the paragraph above.
Movement:
In second grade we review feeling each kind of beat, and then put two kinds of beats and later all three kinds of beats in different parts of our bodies at the same time. We review simple movement activities with rhythm sticks and then learn more difficult ones. We gallop, skip, and jump to the beat and mood of the music. We review moving right and left. We do creative movements to music. We do simple circle dances, and line dances.

Church Music:
In second grade the students review all sung Mass responses, including seasonal ones, some refrains of familiar hymns, and Marian songs. We then learn more hymn refrains and some of the verses that accompany the refrains we already know. We learn songs for each of the school Masses, our First Reconciliation Service and our First Communion Mass. In October, we begin to learn how to read the words of a hymn from a song sheet containing the musical staffs. In January, we graduate to finding these same songs in the Breaking Bread Hymnal and begin reading the songs from these books. By the end of the year we are getting comfortable using both the Breaking Bread Hymnal. We know in which book we’ll find the song numbers, and are learning to use a Hymn Board to get the number. This also allows us to participate more fully with our families in Sunday Worship.
All classes from our school also participate in a Family Mass at SS. Peter & Paul Church. The second grade students share the songs they learned for their 1st Reconciliation at a 9:00 A.M. Sunday Mass in March.

Third Grade

Third grade has Music twice a week for a 30-minute period. The program uses a combination of materials. First there is our music textbook and its accompanying recordings. Then there are other books, sheets, and recordings accumulated over the years for rhythmic activities, music appreciation, seasonal music, and music theory activities. Finally I use the Breaking Bread Hymnal to teach church music.
Report card grades are based on class participation and cooperation three quarters of the year. In the 4th quarter, we do a unit on Music Theory. This includes a number of worksheets, a booklet, and a couple of tests. Fifty percent of the 4th quarter grade is based on the work connected with our Music Theory unit and the other fifty percent is based on class participation and cooperation.

Musical Concepts:
In third grade the students review such concepts as melody direction, music intervals, heavy beat, steady beat, the rhythmic patterns of the melody, and the song forms AB and ABA. Our textbook provides us with rhythmic patterns to play along with some of the recordings. We use our set of rhythm instruments to embellish these recordings. We discuss composing, try composing our own rhythm patterns, and learn about the lives and works of a number of composers such as Woody Guthrie, Aaron Copland, and Irving Berlin. The students study the different instrument families of the Orchestra i.e., String, Brass, Woodwind, and Percussion. This year, we are participating in the Tucson Symphony Orchestra’s educational program. Members of the Orchestra will come to our school to teach us about each instrument family.
As noted in the paragraph above, we study basic music theory, learning the names of the treble and bass clefs, and the note names of the treble clef. We learn to recognize quarter notes, half notes, whole notes and their matching rests, and the number of beats per musical measure. We learn musical terminology like measure, time signature, sharp, flat, tempo, refrain, verse, Fine (pronounced fee’ nae), and Da Capo.

Vocal Development:
In third grade we again explore our voices i.e., high, low, soft, and loud. I encourage all to sing out regardless of their ability to match tones. The more they sing, the more their voice and their ability to listen to what they sing improve. We again sing Call and Response Songs. This allows eager volunteers to sing the solo part. By the end of third grade we are able to sing rounds in four parts. We begin to learn the difference between melody and harmony. We sing silly songs, folk songs, songs for holidays, and patriotic songs to help develop our listening to each other and teach some of the concepts listed in the paragraph above.

Movement:
In third grade we review feeling each kind of beat, and then put all three kinds of beats in different parts of our bodies at the same time. We review movement activities with rhythm sticks, and creative movement to music.

Church Music:
In third grade the students review all sung Mass responses, including seasonal ones, refrains of familiar hymns, and Marian songs. We learn the some of the verses that accompany the refrains we already know. We have learned songs for each of the school Masses. By the end of the year we are very comfortable using the Breaking Bread Hymnal. We know where to find the song number and sung responses, and are comfortable using a Hymn Board to get the song number. This also allows us to participate more fully with our families in Sunday Worship. In May, we lead the music at the first Friday Mass, as we begin to learn how to safely stand on risers in the front of the church.

All classes from our school also participate in a Family Mass at SS. Peter & Paul Church. The third grade is privileged take part in the Shepherds and Angels Mass on Christmas Eve. The children dress up as the different characters in the Christmas Gospel reading, Mary, Joseph, Angel Gabriel, the shepherds and angels. Already in November they begin to memorize the two songs they will sing during the presentation of the Gospel reading. In choral reading style, they practice the responses they will say while our Pastor reads the Christmas Gospel. It is quite effective.

Fourth Grade

Fourth grade has Music twice a week for a 40-minute period. The program uses a combination of materials. First there is our music textbook and its accompanying recordings. Then there are other books, sheets, and recordings accumulated over the years for music appreciation, seasonal music, and music theory activities. Finally I use the Breaking Bread Hymnal to teach church music.
Report card grades are based on class participation, cooperation, written assignments and tests. Fifty percent of the grade is based on class participation and cooperation. The other fifty percent is based on written assignments and test.

Musical Concepts:
In fourth grade, the students review such concepts as melody direction, music intervals, heavy beat, steady beat, the rhythmic patterns of the melody, and the song forms AB and ABA. We discuss composing, try composing our own rhythm patterns, and finally compose our own written songs. The students study the different instrument families of the Orchestra i.e., String, Brass, Woodwind, and Percussion. This year, we are participating in the Tucson Symphony Orchestra’s educational program. Members of the Orchestra will come to our school to teach us about each instrument family. As noted in the paragraph above, we study basic music theory, learning the names of the treble and bass clefs, and the note names of the treble clef. We learn to recognize quarter notes, half notes, whole notes and their matching rests, and the number of beats per musical measure. We learn musical terminology like measure, time signature, sharp, flat, tempo, musical sequence, rhythmic pattern, refrain, verse, Fine (pronounced fee’ nae), and Da Capo. We learn to easily copy written music.

Vocal Development:
In fourth grade we again explore our voices i.e., high, low, soft, and loud. We again sing Call and Response Songs, rounds in four parts and partner songs. We learn the difference between melody and harmony and sing some songs in two-part harmony. We also sing silly songs, folk songs, songs for holidays, and patriotic songs to help develop our listening to each other and teach some of the concepts listed in the paragraph above.

Church Music:
In fourth grade the students review all sung Mass responses, including seasonal ones, refrains of familiar hymns, and Marian songs. We review verses that accompany the refrains we already know. We learn songs for each of the school Masses. We are very comfortable using both the Breaking Bread Hymnal. We know where to find the song number and sung responses, and are comfortable using a Hymn Board to get the song number.
All classes from our school also participate in a Family Mass at SS. Peter & Paul Church. The fourth grade is the youngest class to lead the music at an entire Sunday Mass. They learn how to stand safely on risers, while singing all the songs and responses. They are also responsible for leading the music at two of the School Masses during the year.