General music instruction begins in kindergarten as all elementary children work with certified music specialists. Participation in an honor choir is offered on all campuses to fourth graders as vocal training. Forney ISD is proud to offer a rigorous music program to every elementary student in the district. Students receive weekly musical instruction, over 45 minutes, in grades k-4 in the areas of music reading, audiating, rhythm, tone, singing and musical instruments. Elementary music students routinely perform in school musicals, choir concerts, specialty campus ensembles, community events and PTA meetings. FISD offers a blended curriculum that embraces the philosophy of both Kodaly and Orff. Students learn to read and perform music from a variety of genres. For many elementary students, music class is the highlight of their day because it is a fun environment that fosters individual creativity as well as team work.
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Quick glimpse on our curriculum...
Many children come to us now in kindergarten with little to no experience with music whatsoever. That's different than how it's been in the past so our curriculum is taking them from square one in kinder and first grade and letting them explore their voices, movement, and imagination. Kindergarten and first grade music is now set up to instill the sense of wonder and attach the emotional side of music with the students. We are preparing them to be tuneful, beatful, and artful so they can fully grasp everything when we begin teaching them how to read music, beginning in 2nd grade. Beginning midway through 2nd grade, students should start Conversational Solfege which is their music literacy portion. You should see only about 15 minutes of a music lesson focused on literacy with the other 30 minutes devoted to experiencing music through singing, playing musical games, dancing, or playing instruments. In 4th grade, students should be reviewing all of their music literacy and using that literacy to sing and play classroom instruments. In 4th grade, we want them to be experiencing as much as possible to enjoy their skills and appreciate music that surrounds them. This is an important step to prepare them for their decision to continue on with music in middle school or to not continue studying music but to have a lifelong appreciation for the music around them. |
Tuneful, Beatful, Artful...
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