Welcome to Music Class!
It is great to be back for another year at St. Mary Magdalen School! I am looking forward to another great school year filled with some wonderful musical experiences!
My primary goal for music is to provide your children with various musical experiences: singing, listening, creating, playing instruments, and movement. Music education can help children learn in other subject areas, celebrate, worship prayerfully, and recognize beauty. In addition, it helps them gain an appreciation towards many cultures, and is a creative vehicle for self expression! Through these activities, I hope to inspire your children to realize their many gifts, and how music can be an important part of their lives.
This year the students will build on the music skills they learned last year as we explore the various musical elements of rhythm, melody, tone color, harmony, dynamics and form. This year, we will also focus on music from around the world. We will listen, play, and sing songs from different continents as we learn about some instruments from those countries. Hopefully, by the end of the year, we will have traveled the globe!
The primary students (K-3) will continue to use a variety of rhythm instruments and the xylophones, and the fourth graders will also learn some basic songs and skills on the recorders. The fifth graders will review those instruments as well as an introduction to the keyboard and guitar (if interested). The sixth grade will augment what they are studying in Social Studies, with the study of Ancient Music. The seventh graders will study Ethnic Music, and the eighth graders will study Contemporary Popular Music. The Art Docent program will also provide some visual art experiences for the Jr. High!
We are very blessed to have some additional programs beyond my regular classes. Mr. Fred Chu will continue to offer Beginning String Instruction. He will offer Intermediate and Advanced String Instruction after school on Wednesdays. He will then offer Beginning Band on Thursdays. Mr. Doug Spencer will continue to direct Beginning Band for the Fifth Graders, and Mr. Mark Staley will continue to direct Advanced Band two days a week. Jubulate Children’s Choir directed by Mr. Joel Cummings will also meet after school on Thursdays.
Please call or e-mail, if you have any questions. I am always in need of help during the Christmas Program on December 19 at 7pm and the Spring Musical, is earlier, April 11-13, so please just let me know if you can be involved. I hope your summer was delightful, and I look forward to seeing you all!
Sincerely,
Maureen McMurray