General Music
The mission of the general music program is for students to begin a lifelong relationship with music through listening, describing, creating, and performing.
Students in junior kindergarten participate in one thirty-minute general music class per week. Students in senior kindergarten through fifth grade participate in two thirty-minute general music classes per week. Fourth graders may choose to participate in orchestra as well while fifth graders may choose to participate in orchestra or band.
Through music education in Whitefish Bay Schools, students will demonstrate proficiency in the following standards:
- Standard 1: Sing/perform on instruments, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music
- Standard 2: Create melodies, variations, or accompaniments
- Standard 3: Read and understand traditional notation
- Standard 4: Listen to, evaluate, and describe music and music performance
- Standard 5: Demonstrate understanding of music in relation to history and culture
General Music Learning Targets and Report Card Language
First Grade General Music
Creating: Work collaboratively to create appropriate movements/dances to music
Performing: Keep the steady beat on classroom instruments and spoken voice
Responding: Identify different dynamic markings
Connecting: Answer a musical question through body percussion and classroom instruments
Second Grade General Music
Creating: Improvise question and answer phrases on classroom instruments
Performing: Demonstrate understanding of rhythmic and melodic concepts on classroom instruments, spoken and singing voices
Responding: Identify different dynamic and tempo markings
Connecting: Recognize 2 and 3 beat meter patterns
Third Grade General Music
Creating: Create and perform simple rhythmic and melodic patterns through body percussion and on classroom instruments
Performing: Perform understanding of different musical forms kinesthetically, vocally or on instruments
Responding: Read and perform notation on mallet instruments or recorder
Connecting: Describe and demonstrate appropriate performance etiquette in multiple settings
Fourth Grade General Music
Creating: Create music compositions collaboratively on chordal and melodic instruments
Performing: Demonstrate vocal or instrumental musical independence within a multi-part ensemble, within given criteria
Responding: Read and perform notation on mallet instruments or recorder and singing voice
Connecting: Identify criteria and assess for a performance on recorder or mallet instruments and singing voice
Fifth Grade General Music
Creating: Work collaboratively to create and perform a musical piece with rhythmic and melodic components
Performing: Demonstrate vocal and instrumental musical independence within a multi-part ensemble
Responding: Explain and demonstrate qualities like dynamics, tempo, timbre and articulation on classroom instruments and singing voice
Connecting: Identify criteria and assess for a performance on classroom instruments and singing voice
What will I see on my child's report card for music?
When giving reports on the skills listed above, students and families can expect to see one of the following indicators written.
Indicator
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Level
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Description
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MP
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Meets Expected Progress
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Your child is making expected progress and is on track to meet the end of year grade-level Whitefish Bay Standard.
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AP
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Approaching Expected Progress
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Your child is making progress but will need additional practice to meet the end of year grade-level Whitefish Bay Standard.
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BP
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Below Expected Progress
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Your child is making limited progress but will need additional practice as well as school and home support to meet the end of year grade-level Whitefish Bay Standard.
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Blank
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Not Covered At This Time
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This standard has not been addressed at this time. However, the standard will be covered before the end of the school year.
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The following is for each skill to be assessed at the end of the year:
Indicator
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Level
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Description
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M
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Met Standard
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Your child demonstrated consistent grade level achievement or beyond on the end of the year grade level Whitefish Bay Standard.
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A
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Approached Standard
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Your child demonstrated partial understanding of the end of the year grade level Whitefish Bay Standard and will need continued practice to meet the full standard.
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B
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Below Standard
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Your child has not demonstrated understanding of the end of the year grade level Whitefish Bay Standard and will need consistent practice as well as additional support to meet the full standard.
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Positive Behavior Areas Assessed
Respectful and Kind
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Responsible
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Safe
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Responds respectfully to peers and adults
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Engages and contributes to learning activities
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Uses materials safely and appropriately
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Indicator
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Level
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3
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Consistently
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2
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Sometimes
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1
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Rarely
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You may also find comments written by your child's music teacher. If you have any questions, concerns, or would like to speak with your child's music teacher at Richards, please contact them directly via email or phone.
Kindergarten
A child's musical experiences in Junior and Senior Kindergarten mark the beginning of a life long journey in the study of, the enjoyment of, and the making of music. The general music teachers in the School District of Whitefish Bay are very serious about filling each music period with fun and active experiences that will leave each child anxiously anticipating another chance to come to music class. Students are lead through a careful plan of singing, saying, dancing, and playing that builds the firm foundation upon which the skills of later music classes will be built.
Junior Kindergarten students begin by singing together with dancing and movement. They are introduced to pitched and unpitched percussion instruments. Senior Kindergartners build upon these skills becoming more secure, independent singers. They grow in their ability to play more complex instrument patterns independently. They are encouraged to make their movements more purposeful as they are guided to discover repetition, variation, and contrast in musical form.
Evaluation of student skills is different in kindergarten, as the children do not receive a formal General Music grade on their report cards. The General Music Teachers are in communication with the classroom teachers in the event of any cognitive or behavioral issues that they may notice that may interfere with a child's progress in music class.
Kindergarten students at Richards School present two concerts per year: the Festival of Lights in December and the Spring Sing in May.
First Grade
Students entering First Grade General Music see the music specialist twice weekly. During their music classes, music literature is selected to introduce and reinforce benchmarks in rhythm, melody, harmony, and style. Students are expected to listen to music and begin to describe it using standard musical terminology. First Grade students embark upon the study of music literacy and are also guided through more improvisation throughout the year.
Students in First Grade, unlike those in Kindergarten, receive a separate report card grade for General Music twice per year.
As in Kindergarten, students in First Grade are responsible for two performances per year: the Festival of Lights in December and the Spring Sing in May.
Second Grade
Second Grade General Music proceeds in the same manner as First Grade General Music. Literature is selected to introduce and reinforce benchmarks in rhythm, melody, harmony, and style. Students are expected to listen to music and describe it using an increasingly sophisticated vocabulary. Second Grade students arrange and create music within specific guidelines provided by the teacher. These students work with barred and unpitched instruments. As in Kindergarten and First Grade, students in Second Grade perform in the December concert (The Festival of Lights) and the May concert (The Spring Sing).
Third Grade
Third Grade General Music proceeds in the same manner as Second Grade General Music. Literature is selected to introduce and reinforce benchmarks in rhythm, melody, harmony, and style. A new element is introduced at this grade level to strengthen skills in music literacy and improvisation. All third grade students are offered the opportunity to learn the recorder.
Each student purchases his or her own personal instrument through school. Every Third Grade student is given the opportunity to learn traditional Western notation and how to apply music reading to playing recorder.
As in the earlier grades, students in Third Grade are responsible for performing in the two all-school concerts in the year: the December "Festival of Lights" and the May "Spring Sing".
Fourth Grade
Fourth Grade general music proceeds in the same manner as Third Grade general music. Literature is selected to introduce and reinforce benchmarks in rhythm, melody, harmony, and style. Students at the Fourth Grade level are ready for activities that assimilate the elements of melody, harmony and rhythm. They are expected to talk and write about music in a more sophisticated manner than in earlier grades. Their daily lessons build upon those of earlier grades, but are expanded in length of time per project and breadth of focus. Also apparent in the lesson plans are increased elements of choice and opportunities for students to verbalize their developing opinions concerning style and performance.
Fourth grade begins singing two and three part music in the form of rounds, partner songs, countermelodies and chordal harmonies.
In addition to the two all-school performances of the "Festival of Lights" and the "Spring Sing" the Fourth Grade Choir prepares and performs one additional concert (usually in March) during the regular school day.
Fifth Grade
Fifth Grade General Music is designed to launch each student forward to Middle School where they will continue to choose from a wide variety of options offered by the district. All students are involved in general music classes twice weekly, but they are also able to participate in band and/or orchestra.
The Fifth Grade performs at the annual "Festival of Lights" and the "Spring Sing". The entire grade also participates in an evening concert in February. Orchestra and Band have additional performance opportunities throughout the school year.
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