THIRD GRADE CURRICULUM
Third grade students continue to build on the music skills that they have acquired in previous grades. They have a much more thorough understanding of tonalities, meters, music terminology, and music concepts. The students are improving their skill of music reading and writing, and are becoming better at creating their own musical compositions. Students will begin to use their music reading skills as they make music on instruments!
SOLFEGE
Third grade students continue to explore tonal and rhythm solfege on a much deeper level. We learn additional tonal solfege (La, Ti, Do, Re Mi, etc.) to help us develop a better understanding of Major and Minor tonality, and rhythm solfege (Du de, or Du da di, etc.) to help us understand concepts of Duple meter (groups of 2 microbeats) and Triple meter (Groups of 3 microbeats). Students spend more time in each lesson practicing solfege to become better at making and understanding these concepts of music.The students also practice reading and writing tonal and rhythm solfege using musical notation
MELODY and HARMONY
The students continue to develop understanding of a MELODY, and enjoying improvising melodies of their own! The students learn that every melody has a tonality (a specific set of pitches) and a resting tone (a "Home note"), and that this resting tone can be moved to various lines and spaces of the staff.... G-Do, F-Do, etc. (Major Tonality), or E-La, C-La etc. (Minor Tonality). The students also continue to learn about specific aspects of melody (Question and Answer phrases, notes that move by step, skip, jump, etc.), and how to "sight-sing" various melodies using tonal solfege.
The students continue to develop understanding of a MELODY, and enjoying improvising melodies of their own! The students learn that every melody has a tonality (a specific set of pitches) and a resting tone (a "Home note"), and that this resting tone can be moved to various lines and spaces of the staff.... G-Do, F-Do, etc. (Major Tonality), or E-La, C-La etc. (Minor Tonality). The students also continue to learn about specific aspects of melody (Question and Answer phrases, notes that move by step, skip, jump, etc.), and how to "sight-sing" various melodies using tonal solfege.
Third grade students begin to write LYRICS to their melodies!
Third graders continue to explore concepts of HARMONY. They work with tonic, dominant, and sub-dominant harmonies (the three basic chords of major and minor tonality) and some other harmonies as well. Third grade students begin to label these harmonies by singing the corresponding solfege pitches that make up each harmony (Do-Mi-So, or So-Fa-Re-Ti, etc.) Students "investigate" the harmonies of songs, and try to determine which harmonies are being used. Finally, the students continue to sing melody and harmony as a whole class, and in smaller groups. These lessons in Melody and Harmony will be utilized in even greater detail as the students get older. In Fourth grade the students will be studying UKULELE!
RHYTHM and METER
The Third graders continue to develop their awareness of meter and beat. The students now have a much stronger grasp of the concept of beat and microbeat (subdivision of beat) and continue to label beats and microbeats with solfege to discriminate whether the music is in triple meter (3/4 time, etc.) or duple meter (4/4 time, etc.). Now that the students have had the opportunity to listen to and speak an assortment of rhythm patterns, they are given many opportunities to read music notation, compose basic compositions of their own, and play their compositions on various instruments in the classroom!
MOVEMENT
Third graders continue to explore various forms of movement, including a great deal of FOLK DANCING! Folk dancing allows the students to participate in a more "formal" means of movement, in which they must work with their classmates to complete a dance properly. The students listen to the FORM within a piece of music, then let the music tell them when to begin each new motion of the dance. After moving to the music, it is easy to analyze the FORM of the music into sections (A, B, C, etc.)
The Third graders continue to develop their awareness of meter and beat. The students now have a much stronger grasp of the concept of beat and microbeat (subdivision of beat) and continue to label beats and microbeats with solfege to discriminate whether the music is in triple meter (3/4 time, etc.) or duple meter (4/4 time, etc.). Now that the students have had the opportunity to listen to and speak an assortment of rhythm patterns, they are given many opportunities to read music notation, compose basic compositions of their own, and play their compositions on various instruments in the classroom!
MOVEMENT
Third graders continue to explore various forms of movement, including a great deal of FOLK DANCING! Folk dancing allows the students to participate in a more "formal" means of movement, in which they must work with their classmates to complete a dance properly. The students listen to the FORM within a piece of music, then let the music tell them when to begin each new motion of the dance. After moving to the music, it is easy to analyze the FORM of the music into sections (A, B, C, etc.)
SINGING
We continue to develop our singing voice throughout the year. The students are reminded to use their "head voice" and to use proper breath support and proper breathing technique while singing. The Third grade students begin to learn some more advanced singing and breathing techniques. In third and fourth grade, students are invited to join the Perry ChoirI The Perry choir is an after school group that meets once a week for a little more than an hour. Students are challenged to improve their music reading skills, and to develop their vocal accuracy and flexibility. The choir is just one of the MANY ways that students can practice their music skills here at Perry Elementary!
We continue to develop our singing voice throughout the year. The students are reminded to use their "head voice" and to use proper breath support and proper breathing technique while singing. The Third grade students begin to learn some more advanced singing and breathing techniques. In third and fourth grade, students are invited to join the Perry ChoirI The Perry choir is an after school group that meets once a week for a little more than an hour. Students are challenged to improve their music reading skills, and to develop their vocal accuracy and flexibility. The choir is just one of the MANY ways that students can practice their music skills here at Perry Elementary!
It sounds like a lot of work, right? Don't worry, we also have A LOT OF FUN in while we are in music class! The students actively make music in a classroom environment that is filled with play, movement, and exploration!