Since the beginning of time, children have not liked to study. They would much rather play, and if you have their interests at heart, you will let them learn while they play; they will find that what they have mastered is child's play.
-Carl Orff
-Carl Orff
1st grade is in Year 2 of First Steps in Music by John Feierabend. Each class, the students follow 8 music workout activities. Those activities include:
The goal of First Steps in Music is to prepare children to be tuneful, beatful, and artful.
*Not actually part of First Steps in Music; being used to replace Movement Exploration
- Pitch Exploaration - Explore the wonders of the voice with fun activities
- Fragment Singing - Echo Songs and Call & Response Songs
- Simple Songs - Short song (these songs are used to assess pitch matching)
- Arioso - Child created tunes
- Kodály Training* - Rhythm training using rhythmic syllables
- Movement for Form and Expression - Circle Games, Fingerplays and Action Songs
- Beat Motion - Songs that are used to help with keeping a steady beat
- Songtales - Stories that are told through song (we call it "storytime")
The goal of First Steps in Music is to prepare children to be tuneful, beatful, and artful.
- Tuneful – to have tunes in their heads and learn to coordinate their voices to sing those tunes.
- Beatful – to feel the pulse of music and how that pulse is grouped in either 2s or 3s.
- Artful – to be moved by music in the many ways music can elicit a feelingful response.
*Not actually part of First Steps in Music; being used to replace Movement Exploration