Our curriculum for age 3 - grade 6 is Stepping Stones, a music education curriculum for the church. It has the following goals:
* Each child will learn to sing accurately
* Each child will develop her/his singing voice for use in worship within an age-appropriate context
* Each child will learn to read musical notation
* Each child will learn hymns within the ecumenical repertoire
* Each child will experience the general seasons of the Christian year within the context of music
In order to meet these goals, the curriculum is influenced by the music education philosophy of Zoltan Kodaly. This influence can be seen in several ways:
* Use of a general sequencing of melodic and rhythmic concepts throughout the year based on Kodaly’s methodology
* Use of a system of solfege supported by hand signs that reinforce visually and kinesthetically melodic movement
* Use of folk song material, much of which is based on the pentatonic (five-note) scale
* Use of children’s singing games
Ages 1 and 2 will explore the musical concepts of high/low, up/down, fast/slow, and loud/soft through singing, instrument play, manipulatives, moving, sound imitation, and stories.
Music Makers (grades 1-3) and Young Musicians (grades 4-6) will have goals to share music in worship several times during the school year. Our preschool music is not performance oriented as that is what is best for them. We will offer some open house sessions during the year to allow parents/grandparents to experience our preschool music (ages 4-5) activities with us.
