Staff
Program Overview
The
Davis Elementary music program provides students with the opportunity
to learn about all aspects of music by putting themselves in the roles
of professional musicians. Knowledge and skills which are discovered and
practiced through musical activities in the classroom, teach students
to compose, perform, and listen to music. These activities provide a rich
context in which learning has purpose and value.
Compose
To
compose, students must improvise, critically analyze, and structure sound.
Improvisation allows students to express themselves creatively. Analysis
helps students modify their musical ideas to produce the best possible
product. Structure gives the student a way to involve the audience with
the music by creating expectations which are realized or deferred.
Perform
To
perform, students must develop a way of acquiring new music. They learn
to read music just as they read English. To perform vocally, students
must apply knowledge of posture, breathing, tone production, and pitch.
To perform instrumentally, students must read staff notation and utilize
playing technique. In addition, performers must attend to dynamics and
phrasing while responding to the direction of the conductor. Both vocal
and instrumental performing require attention to the individual's sound,
the group sound, and the individual's contribution within the context
of the whole.
Listen
To
listen to music intelligently, students must learn to direct their attention
to a variety of musical components. Rhythmic and melodic motives, large
scale forms, compositional techniques, and variations in instrumental
timbre and texture direct students' attention and provide a framework
for their observations. The ability to sustain focus of attention serves
students in other classes and context as well.
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