Music - Vocal

At Charter Oak Academy the vocal music program is a developmental approach to music based on the Kodaly philosophy and the National Standards of Music Education. Each class, pre-kindergarten through fifth grade, attends two half-hour music classes each week. Children are involved in music making through movement, writing, reading, listening, and creating. Lessons are planned with the intention to build music literacy skills and a love and long lasting enjoyment for music in every student.

Students at Charter Oak experience music through learning a rich repertoire of diverse, authentic folk music and composed songs from which students build rhythmic, melodic, partwork, reading, writing, and music listening skills.

The Kodaly philosophy includes giving children tools to develop their musical skills. These tools include:

• Solfa-melodic system to represent pitches
• Rhythmic syllables-a system used to express the length of notes
• Hand Signs-physical representations of the solfa
• Absolute letter names-A,B,C,D,E,F,G

Over time, students use these tools to progressively build their music skills and become independent learners.

Charter Oak Academy offers chorus to grades three, four, and five. Fourth and fifth graders will meet in the music room every Thursday beginning at 8:00 am. Grade three will begin chorus rehearsals in January to prepare for the spring concert. Chorus is a wonderful opportunity for students to participate in a school community activity and to develop their voices and love for music.

Parents can support musical skills at home doing a variety of activities. Encourage your children to share new songs, dances, composers, and language learned in class. When students bring home packets or folders with their work, ask them to share their growth with you. Show them that you support the arts and share a love for music too.