"Interestingly enough, faith is at the center of my musical philosophy. I believe that music is a language of the spirit. It is a unique and profound gift from God to help us not only understand one another, but to communicate ourselves on a grandly spiritual level. To understand music and to utilize it in our daily lives is to enhance and strengthen our personal relationships with each other and with our Father in Heaven."

Overall
Grades K-2
Grades 3-5
Grades 6-8

• Sing (learn songs and solfege), play various instruments, move to music, establish beat in multiple ways, and create music
• Learn to read and notate music (which includes note values and rhythm patterns)
• Listen to, analyze and evaluate various genres of music
• Participate in ethnomusicology, which is the study of music in various cultures
• Participate in the art of performance
• Learn basic theater skills that help in the development of the whole child
• Be able to integrate music with other subjects and see how it shapes the world around them

• Learn how to study simple songs and sing with others in a varied repertoire of music
• Establish the steady beat in several ways
• Perform on various instruments
• Listen to, describe, and analyze different types of music, which includes simple forms
• Prepare and perform in Christmas musical and spring program

• Continue learning previous skills but on a more complex level
• Improvise on simple melodies, including rhythm and notation
• Compose and arrange music within specified guidelines
• Understand music in relation to history and various cultures
• Fourth grade students learn basic music theory skills through learning of recorder in the spring
• Prepare and perform in Christmas musical and spring program

• Listen and analyze music on a more complex level (analyzation project in fall)
• Read and notate music
• Compose music on a more complex level
• Learn basic stage terms
• Learn pantomime and improvisation skills through several large and small group activities
• Prepare and perform in Christmas musical
• Students prepare and perform in spring musical