Musical Moments at Wood Elementary

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The Music teachers at Wood Elementary are committed to a quality music education for all of our students. Our activities are varied and cover many musical concepts.

Singing
Singing is a vital part of our curriculum.  Every class begins with a patriotic song.  Lessons include singing games, partner songs and two-part harmony.

Playing Instruments
All grades play Orff instruments (xylophones, metallophones, glockenspiels) and rhythm instruments.  Recorder instruction begins in third grade and continues through sixth grade on the soprano recorder.  Sixth graders also learn simple tunes on the alto recorder.  Students in grades four, five and six also use choir chimes.

Listening
Listening activities are included throughout the year.  First grade studies Peter and the Wolf in detail.  Carnival of the Animals by Saint-Saens is the focus of the major listening unit for second graders.  Third graders will study various pieces of classical music.  All primary grades learn about the instruments of the orchestra.  Music students in grades four, five and six study the thirteen compositions on the district Music Memory list.  This includes historical background and information about the different composers.  This year's Music Memory list is:

Students will be responsible for identifying each composition after hearing a 60 second musical excerpt.  Spelling and punctuation must be exact.

Dancing
Movement activities provide a fun method for internalizing the beat and learning to work as a group.  All grades learn various folk dances from around the world, contemporary line dances and traditional American square dances.

Having fun!
We love to play games in Music class!  Playing games reinforces many musical concepts as well as making our Music Memory list lots of fun.