Duniway Elementary School

Duniway Music Department

Welcome to the music program at Duniway Elementary School. I am happy to be serving as your music teacher this year. I have rarely taught at a school where the children were as respectful and well behaved as they are here at Duniway. I am looking forward to accomplishing a lot this year. My goal is to help music become and integral part of every student’s life. This year will focus on songs from around the world and the activities and events that go with the music. Many songs will be taught to all grades so that bothers and sisters will be inclined to sing and dance together at home. Each grade will also concentrate on a particular culture region that is relevant to a unit being studied in their regular classrooms. Band students will be encouraged to bring their instruments home and practice. The following is a brief outline of the music classes at Duniway:

Kindergarten
Five-year-olds learn and develop the concepts of steady beat, awareness of high and low pitch, the dynamic contrasts of loud and soft and the joy of singing simple songs. Many songs help develop students’ phonemic awareness; important components for mastering literacy. Students also explore movement and experience musical styles and moods of a diverse range of times and cultures. They will perform songs about different animals in the Spring Concert.

First Grade
First graders reinforce and expand the skills they learned in Kindergarten. They learn more complex songs, some in different languages. The meaning and functions of the music performed in class are discussed with the children.
 They will perform mostly Spanish songs in the Spring Concert.

Second Grade
Again, what was learned before is reinforced, however, some part-singing is introduced through singing canons and rounds. Also Orff instruments are introduced. The songs they will perform in the Spring Concert will mostly be from Africa.

Third Grade
Third graders are studying recorder this year. Students develop note-reading skills, echoing of rhythmic and melodic phrases and the building of fine motor skills. I have found many arrangements for recorders, voice and Orff instruments of Asian music that the third graders will perform in the Spring Concert.

Fourth Grade
Fourth graders will focus on more complex part-singing and sight singing skills. However, much of their concert repertoire will also focus on songs from the Coastal and Plateau Indians of Oregon.

Fifth Grade
Fifth grade students expand their musical skills through exploration of wind and percussion instruments. All fifth graders play and perform on a band instrument. Also, every fifth grader will learn the basics of performing in a marching band in preparation for the community parade. We will attempt the Washington March that was performed at George Washington’s inauguration.

School Choir
Choir is offered to 2nd through 5th grade students. It meets before school and begins concurrently with Cool School. Group singing and solo opportunities will be offered in this class. A wide variety of songs will be performed, including many popular songs that students have brought to my attention.

Important dates to remember:
Spring Concerts – April 28th (grades K, 1, 2, 4), April 29th (grades 3, 5th grade band, school choir); Duniway Parade – June 11th

Very Musically Yours,

Dr. Bob Price
bprice@pps.net