Music
Music Department
The General Music program at Alice E. Grady School combines a variety of music learning activities, including music literacy (rhythm, pitch, harmony, and traditional notation), and music appreciation. Music appreciation can also help link skills learned in other subjects. Lessons are aligned to the New York State Learn Standards for the Arts. These include responding and connecting to music, generating rhythmic and melodic ideas, and performing.
Aside from standards-based learning, General Music lessons are guided by community learning exploration of musical instruments. Our students are guided through activities, with various opportunities for performance in the classroom and occasionally at larger school assemblies. These presentations help students gain a sense of accomplishment, enrichment, and the ability to experience the joy of making music. Research has shown that collaborative, creative musical processes can produce unique learning outcomes. The curriculum periodically incorporates group activities using known or recently learned concepts and applying them to new student creations. Implementation of group work can also encourage new understandings as students can take ownership of their knowledge, become teachers themselves, and find new motivation to apply and gain new skills. Approaches from the Orff Schulwerk drive some group creative processes. Students also have the opportunity to explore some instruments in General Music. Depending on grade, students explore barred instruments (e.g., xylophones, metallophones, glockenspiels), tubano drums, ukuleles, and other auxiliary percussion instruments. The singing voice is utilized as a foundational instrument. The singing voice is essential to coordinating games, dances, ensemble activities, and music literacy lessons. The Kodaly approach drives some of the curriculum involving singing.
Finally, grades 4-6 students are eligible to join the Grady Chorus, a group that has made great progress and contributed significantly to the Elmsford community. The chorus meets Mondays and Fridays before school, beginning at 7:30 a.m. and running until 8:10 a.m. The Grady Chorus has performed at the District Holiday Concert, Board of Education Meetings, Milt Williams District Concert, Village Tree Lighting Ceremony, and several other community events.
