Music

Appreciating and making music deepens our understanding of the world. Our daily lives are filled with rhythm, percussion, melody, harmony, and counterpoint. In the music department we are honored to have the opportunity to help your children hear the symphony in the world around them.

The program of general music studies at Cider Mill school includes three key elements:

• Learning to read, write and communicate musical ideas (music literacy)
• Performance and music-making activities (doing music)
• Critical listening, analysis, and music history activities (about music)

The Kodaly method for teaching music literacy through a sequential exposure to musical elements is a core component of the general music program. Orff-Schulwerk methodology in which singing, creating, and movement are translated to a variety of classroom instruments is also extensively employed. The sequential learning process of both approaches makes the development of musical literacy and performance possible for all students.

Sincerely,

Beth Bakst, Andrew Pearson, Emily Franz (Strings), Ken Hayashi (Strings), and Jonathan Garcia (Band).