The Power of Music

Music begins where the possibilities of language end.
~ Jean Sibelius

In our music program, students have the opportunity to experience the power of music.  Kindergarten and Grade 1 students continued to explore the four families of non-pitched instruments and see what possibilities they have to offer.  Kindergarten students created their first non-standardized "musical score" while Grade 1 used these non-pitched instruments to tell a story.  Grade 2 students continued to build on their inquiry on "polarities" (or opposites) in music.  They identified high vs. low, loud vs. soft as different "polarities".  Now they are experiencing sound vs. silence as another type of "polarities."  

Grade 3 students performed a three-voice texture through chant. They experienced the connection between language and the musical language and will soon be transferring these complex rhythmic levels into non-pitched instruments.  Grade 4 students learned about how the composer Franz Schubert, in an absolutely ingenious way, told a musical story, e.g. how the piano was used to mimic the galloping of the horse and how one singer took on four different characters in the song.  Grade 5 students took on the challenge to incorporate a recorder part into their complex multi-voiced texture.  Through instrumental playing, not only do students have a chance to experience what ensemble playing means, they can also feel the power of music, which is capable of evoking a huge range of moods.