Vive la Musica!

The philosophy of the music class at Village School is a combination of three music education pioneers: Carl Orff, Zoltan Kodaly, and Jaques Dalcroze. 

The Orff-Schulwerk is a method that gives the students an opportunity to express themselves through singing, movement, and instruments.  These instruments include the xylophone, metallophone, glockenspiels, maracas, drums, recorder, and the like.  The uniqueness of these instruments is the minimum training required by the students to produce a satisfying tone.  

Zoltan Kodaly believes in strengthening the most organic instrument, the human voice.  Under the Kodaly method, children learn to sight sing scales and melodies using syllables (Do Re Mi etc.) and hand signs.  This method also encourages children to sing in parts.

Learning music through movement is the basis of the Dalcroze method.  Dance and abstract movements to music strengthen the kinesthetic ability of the student, along with their spatial intelligence.  

Because each of the three methods compliment each other, they can be easily incorporated in one curriculum.  Below are supplemental subjects that differentiate each grade.

 

Transitional Kindergarten Theme songs: animals, trains, food, body awareness, etc.	Third Composers
Kindergarten Pentatonic Scale American Folksong	Fourth Instruments of the Symphony Orchestra
First International Folk Songs Notation	Fifth Composition
Second Recorder	Sixth Drama

An additional part of the music program are the Village School Singers.  This club for students of all ages meets outside the school day and provides additional opportunities for students sing and play instruments.  Please visit the Singers web page for more information.

Please email Clay Stevenson, our music teacher, with questions.