The Content of the Curriculum

The musical works change from year to year; every year brings new challenges and events. The fourth grade always performs at the Holiday Concert, performing three songs (one Christmas, one Hanukkah, one snow) and a large group number at the end with the audience and band. I do not decide upon the actual songs until I have taught the students for a month. I need to see and hear how well they sing, participate, and perform in class. I have a variety of music I use from traditional, rock, jazz, and modern repertoire.

Classroom Shows

The classroom shows in fourth grade have been in the past: “The Three Pigs” and “Stone Soup.” They are twenty-minute shows, performed in the lunchroom, there is a stage with lights, sound and curtains, which lobbied for and was supported by the PTO. Students choose their part, so every student gets an opportunity to perform and sing a solo if they choose. Again, I do not choose the specific musical until I get to know the students. Some shows work better with “drama” students, others have a lot of music, so they work well with “musical” students. Some years I have a class that does not like to perform, while other have a lot of “drama queens.” My goal is to make the class look “good,” so it is a positive experience for all students.

The fifth grade shows are a bit longer and all students learn lighting and sound, along with acting, singing, and dancing. Understanding the complete show is important so students can “see” and “hear” how the entire show works together as a unit. These musicals tend to me more “curriculum-based,” allowing for cross-curriculum to occur within the fifth grade classroom as well. Past shows have been “Let George Do It, “ “Dear Abby,” and currently “Let’s Sing Novelty Songs.”

All the shows are presented on separate days, with the other classes coming to see their friends from the other classes. There is a small cast party after each show and it is considered the highlight of the school year. 

Talent Show

The yearly “Talent Show” is a tryout to see that whether the act is organized and completed. Every student from fourth through eighth grade is encouraged to participate and usually there are over ninety students in the show (SRS only has 296 students)

All-School Musical

For the all-school Musical, every student is encouraged to participate as a soloist, chorus, or stage crew member. Tryouts are only to place the student in a part, for every student that tryout receives a part. At New Trier High School over 200 students compete for 50 parts each year, so this may be one of the last chances that many of them will have a part in a show.  All-schools shows have been as follows: Wonka (2008/9) Honk (2008) Annie (2007) Oklahoma (2006) Fiddler on the Roof (2005) The Music Man (2004) and The Sound of Music (2003) I am still deciding upon next year’s show, it will either be “Seussical, the Musical” or “Into the Woods.”

Elements and Concepts

Musical Elements, concepts, structure are brought up on a “need to know.” They are NOT separate lessons, but woven into the curriculum on a daily basis. It is important to always use correct music vocabulary terms (level 3 descriptors from the Vermont MIDI Project.) The Sunset Ridge Fight Song tempo unit brings tempo and dynamics as a focus, but other elements are put in place as well. When students are creating Sound Studio/GarageBand compositions, dynamics, timbre, tempo, and mood are always discussed. The Sibelius composition project is taught in all the grades and many musical terms are shown and talked about. Of course, the gifted/talented passionate student is required to expand their general knowledge, which helps out the entire class with the level of musicianship and discussion.