Music
 

The Elementary Music Program goals adopted by PISD and taught at Meadows are to provide a sequential study of musical concepts and skills taught through the Kodály method, to support those skills and concepts through the use of Orff instruments and to provide experiences in listening to music from a variety of historical periods.  The primary method used in teaching music concepts and skills in PISD is the Kodály Method.  Zoltán Kodály (1882-1967), a Hungarian composer and music educator, developed his method with the help of Hungarian public school music teachers.  The musical literacy improved so drastically within his country that soon educators from all over the world adopted his methods.  Basically, Kodály believed the following:  1) Children should be exposed to only the highest quality of music.  2) One way children learn to cherish their heritage and their roots is through singing songs of their native language and learning the folk songs and rhymes passed from one generation to another.  Because the folk music endured many years, even without a written format, it is believed to be of superior quality and the basis of great compositions.  Therefore folk music forms the bulwark of songs taught at the elementary level. 3) Musical literacy (the ability to read, write and think music) is the right of every human being.  4) Music education should begin at a very young age. 5) Music learning begins with the child’s natural instrument, the voice. The Method for teaching music literacy includes making abstract pitch relationships more accessible through simple visuals, through hand signs, and through a use of rhythm names that match the actual duration of the note.  The Music Specialist at Meadows is Karen Gentry (ext.22480).  She received her Bachelor of Music and a Master of Music from The University of Texas at Austin.  Her Kodály certification was also earned through three summers of study through The University of Texas.  She earned two levels of Orff certification from Memphis State.  Mrs. Gentry was Teacher of the Year at Meadows in 1997-98, and was a finalist for Teacher of the Year for PISD.  Mrs. Gentry, a fifteen-year veteran at Meadows, teaches kindergarten through fifth grade classes at Meadows and is also one of four instructors in a program for area music specialists learning to teach the Kodály method.  Myra Sutton teaches part of each day at Meadows and part of each day at Mendenhall. She has tauaght music for twelve years in Plano. She received her Bachelor of Music from The University of Southwestern Louisiana and her Master of Music from Southern Methodist University. She has experience in teaching Kodaly methods. She works with third, fourth and fifth graders at Meadows.

Karen Gentry, Music Teacher

Myra Sutton, Music Tacher