Musical Notes
Marcy Casilio
March is the month that we celebrate “Music in our Schools.” General music in West Irondequoit provides all children with musical experiences that teach skills for reading, understanding and performing, playing pitched and percussion instruments, improvising, dancing and singing.
Music is a science. A musical score is a chart, which indicates frequencies, volume changes, melody and harmony all at once and with exact control of time. Third graders do a unit on the Science of Sound with experiments using a variety of materials. Children learn to identify ascending and descending pitch and how the size of the xylophone bar can determine whether it sounds higher or lower.
Music is mathematical. It is rhythmically based on divisions and subdivisions of time. Second graders continue to expand their performance aptitude by reading rhythms through instruments, singing and moving. They are also identifying phrases within a musical piece.
Music is physical education. It requires coordination of many muscles which all have to respond instantly to the sound the ear hears and the mind interprets. First graders move in various ways to show the beat in response to music while second and third grades are dancing in structured and non-structured ways. This reinforcement leads to internalization of the beat resulting in better performance.Music is art. Music allows children to taqke all of these techniques and use them to communicate emotion.
The enthusiasm and openness from children that I teach make music a joy. In addition, a classroom designated to our music classes elevates these experiences to a new height.
Please contact me at any time. It is probably easiest to reach me by e-mail.
My e-mail address is:
Marcy Casilio@ westiron.monroe.edu
Webpages created by Bob
Schultz
updated 3/1/10 by K. Vogler