• GENERAL MUSIC •

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General Music is a core part of the curriculum for all students, grades 1-6 & 8 and is an elective in the 7th grade program.  Classroom activities include singing, playing instruments, moving, creating music and making cultural, historical and interdisciplinary connections.

• GRADE 1 •

In their first year of general music, students are introduced to many different styles of music, both American and ethnic genres.  Throughout the year, students will learn to play instruments, dance, sing, perform, and create their own music.  Along with melody and rhythm, other major concepts studied are the difference between high and low, fast and slow, loud and soft, and short and long notes.

 • GRADE 2 •

Second grade students begin to explore how music can evoke certain moods and feelings, and how certain songs are written for the explicit purpose of creating an emotional reaction, whether happy, sad, proud, or excited.  Students will explore the auditory texture of songs, and learn more about the direction in which notes move through singing, moving, and playing instruments.  At the end of the year, after learning these concepts, students will create and perform their own compositions.

 • GRADE 3 •

Third graders will continue to explore the emotions and pictures brought about by music, both with and without words.  The value of performance, both through being an audience member and a performer on stage, is realized through playing instruments, moving, interpreting, and singing.  Throughout the year, students will learn songs that demonstrate how music connects to other academic courses, such as science, math, social studies, reading, writing, and language arts.

• GRADE 4 •

Fourth grade students will further their musicianship skills through singing partner songs, playing accompaniments on Orff instruments, playing melodies on recorders, moving, listening to, reading, notating and creating music.  Units of study include: American Sea Shanties and Folk Songs, African-American Spirituals, Recorders and Instrument Families.

• GRADE 5 •

The fifth grade year is devoted to ethnomusicology – the study of music from other ethnicities.  Through studying Native American, Hispanic, Asian and African music; students will build awareness of the musical traditions, histories, beliefs and languages of other cultures.  Classroom activities include part-singing, playing Orff ensembles, performing dance movements, playing in drum circles and making connections with literature, visual art and social studies.

• GRADE 6 •

Music appreciation and history are a core part of sixth grade music study.  Students learn about jazz, its African roots in Ragtime and the Blues, and its development into Rock and Roll.  Lesson material also includes 20th-century composers, contemporary music production and composition.

• GRADE 7 •

INTRODUCTION TO GUITAR: Students will explore music concepts through the guitar and will be actively involved in the process of music making through learning basic guitar playing technique.  Students will use this knowledge to compose a melody for their guitar.  Students will also explore music history through Internet activities.

• GRADE 8 •

WORLD MUSIC DRUMMING:  Students will explore multicultural percussion instruments, rhythms and techniques and how they were and are used in Africa and the Caribbean.  Students will meet the requirements of the National Music Standards through playing, singing, listening, composing and improvising in the style of various drumming traditions.  Teamwork, communication and respect form the basis of the class.

Faculty Contacts:

Mrs. Michelle Muretisch

muretischm@basd.k12.pa.us

College Square School:  724.774.9126 ext. 4205

Ms. Jess Beblo

bebloj@basd.k12.pa.us

Dutch Ridge School:  724.774.1016  ext. 3705

Mrs. Susan Metelsky

metelskys@basd.k12.pa.us

724.774.0251  ext. 1510