Welcome to Music!
Vocal/General Music
Gretchen Teel
Gretchen_Teel@apsva.us
Every student at Nottingham receives music instruction once a week for
50 minutes. During this time students will have the opportunity to:
Develop singing abilities
Develop written notation and music reading skills
Create, compose, and improvise
Discover music of other cultures and languages
Discover music of various historical periods and genres
Discover the cultural, geographical, and historical context of certain
pieces of music
Integrate technology standards with music learning
Be exposed to beginning music theory and music history
Learn and expand their musical vocabulary
Develop the ability to listen to and describe various types of music
Move and dance
Develop instrumental playing abilities
The Arlington County music curriculum consists of the Silver Burdett
Making Music textbook series and is complemented with the Orff
Schulwerk music education methodology as well as various other
resources. My personal philosophy of teaching is to provide every
student with the skills to understand, describe, and perform music.
Through various singing, playing, and movement activities we want every
student to discover their own individual musical potential!
Grade Level Overview
Each grade is cumulative; each grade builds upon what was learned in previous years.
Kindergarten students will:
 Sing in groups and independently
 Explore different types of voices (sing, whisper, high, low, etc.)
 Sing songs about various topics as well as from different cultures
 Develop a strong sense of steady beat
 High/low, loud/soft, sound/silence, long/short
 Use classroom instruments to perform the steady beat
 Move to beat in various ways (walk, march, gallop, etc.)
 Explore melodic contour (or, the ‘shape’ of melodies)
 Develop a beginning musical, rhythmic, and movement vocabulary
First
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grade students will:
Sing in groups and independently
Sing songs about various topics and from different cultures
Read, understand, and use simple rhythm patterns that include
quarter note, quarter rest, and eighth notes
Create simple rhythm patterns
Continue developing the sense of the steady beat as well as
dividing the beat (‘rhythm of the words’)
Perform accompaniments and rhythmic patterns on both pitched
and un-pitched percussion instruments
Develop a beginning expressive vocabulary (forte, piano, etc.)
Move to music in various ways (patterned movements as well as
improvised ‘free’ movement)
Identify and classify classroom instruments
Understand A B form (same/different)
Second grade students will:
 Sing in tune with clear tone quality, both in groups and
independently, with call/response and verse/refrain forms
 Read and notate melodic patterns using do, re, mi, sol, la on the
treble staff
 Recognize and identify melodic motion (steps, skips, repeats)
 Create and perform various melodies and rhythms
 Sing songs from various cultures
 Perform and understand steady beat and melodic rhythm (‘rhythm
of the words’)
 Move to music in various meters (duple, triple)
 Add half note, dotted half notes, and whole note to rhythmic
vocabulary and expand expressive vocabulary
 Perform various pitched accompaniments
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Identify and recognize various orchestral instruments and vocal
timbres
Third grade students will:
 Sing in tune with clear tone quality within the range of an octave
and in 2 part ensembles (canon); call/response; verse/refrain
 Play melodies on pitched instruments using the pentatonic scale
and the first five pitches of the major scale
 Play melodies on the soprano recorder using notes of the lower
octave (b, a, g, e) and middle octave (d, c)
 Improvise and create short melodies using a pitched instrument
(Orff or recorder)
 Recognize A B A form
 Move to music in various meters and forms
 Add half rest, dotted half rest, whole rest, and sixteenth notes to
rhythmic vocabulary
 Understand musical values such as rehearsals, appropriate
listening/audience habits.
Fourth grade students will:
 Sing a varied repertoire of music
 Play melodies on instruments using all notes of the major and
pentatonic scales
 Play melodies on the soprano recorder containing the notes of the
major scale
 Demonstrate understanding of musical phrasing in singing,
moving, and playing instruments
 Understand and use proper singing technique
 Read and notate melodies on the treble staff
 Identify the major scale using letter names and solfege syllables
 Begin studying various composers and their time in music history
 Add the eighth rest, sixteenth rest and various rhythmic
combinations to rhythmic vocabulary
 Understand meter and time signature
 Identify and understand chord symbols
 Understand broad categories of musical style (classical, jazz, etc.)
 Recognize various musical forms (A B, A B A, rondo, etc.)
 Expand expressive vocabulary
 Describe and evaluate various musical performances
Fifth grade students will:
 Sing a varied repertoire of music
 Play melodies on instruments using all notes of the major and
pentatonic scales
 Play melodies on the soprano recorder containing the notes of the
major scale
 Demonstrate understanding of musical phrasing in singing,
moving, and playing instruments
 Understand the differences in various voice types and different
vocal registers (head voice, chest voice, soprano, tenor, etc.)
 Continue studying various composers and their time periods
 Perform various rhythmic values in various meters
 Understand the subdivision of the beat
 Accompany singing with recorders and classroom instruments
while exploring major/minor scales and beginning chordal patterns
 Perform and identify various musical forms
 Expand musical vocabulary (texture, coda, etc.)
 Expand expressive vocabulary
 Move to music using planned and patterned choreography
 Begin studying basic music theory
Fourth and Fifth grade students also have
the opportunity to rehearse and perform in
the Nottingham Chorus!
All students will automatically be enrolled in
Ms. Teel’s Blackboard course titled Ms. Teel’s
Music Notes. Information about individual
grade levels as well as chorus will be posted
on Blackboard throughout the entire year.
Classroom Rules, Regulations, and Expectations
 The Nottingham Student Oath is posted on the wall in the
music classroom. This pledge is also said during
Nottingham’s morning announcements every day. This
oath serves as the rules for our music class room and is
listed in this packet.
 If a class follows the Nottingham Oath for their entire
class period, including entering the room and lining up at
the end of the period, they will have earned a note on
their class staff chart for that day. Each class has their
own musical staff chart posted in the music classroom.
When all the notes on the chart are colored in then a class
has earned a ‘choice’ day. During the following music
class the students will receive a choice as to what they
will do that day. All choices are musical in nature, and
can include things such as Line and Spaces Bingo,
Smartboard music games, extra time playing instruments
and music worksheets.
 Individual students who do not follow the Nottingham
Oath may be issued Behavior Referrals. Behavior
Referrals are filled out and turned into the administration
as well as sent home to parents. They may be issued for
the following reasons: misconduct, unacceptable
language, disrespectful behavior, fighting/physical injury,
bullying, and/or damage to property.
 Positive referrals will also be given to students who go
above and beyond classroom requirements and help our
school become a positive learning environment!
The
Nottingham
Student Oath
I take pride in being a
Nottingham student.
I treat others with respect.
I have a positive attitude.
I behave in a safe manner.
I try my best!!!
How Do Music Grades Work?
All 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students receive two grades for
music during each marking period. One grade is for achievement
and one grade is for effort.
Achievement Grades
Music achievement is assessed using the following scale:
O – Outstanding (A student has exhibited skills and
understanding that progress above and beyond requirements.)
S – Skilled (A student has a capable grasp on the concepts and
skills studied in music class.)
P – Progressing (A student has made noticeable improvement of
their musical skills, and still has room to grow.)
B – Beginning (A student is just starting to exhibit an
understanding of specific musical skills and concepts.)
Musical Effort
A student’s effort and behavior in music class is assessed using
the following scale:
O – Outstanding (A student has exhibited participation and
behavior that excels in many areas.)
S – Satisfactory (A student is actively participating and
contributing to a positive class experience.)
I – Improving (A student’s effort and behavior has shown
improvement through the marking period.)
N – Not Satisfactory (A student is not contributing to class in a
positive manner.)
Each student receives an individual effort grade for every music
class that they attend.
K, 1st, and 2nd Music Grades
Kindergarten
Nottingham kindergarten students receive the piloted
kindergarten report card that is issued after the 2nd and 4th
grading quarters. In music, the following areas are evaluated:
 The student enjoys music and actively participates in
rhythm and singing experiences
 The student demonstrates an understanding of concepts
and can apply skills in singing and/or instrument playing
 The student participates cooperatively
 The student respects and follows classroom rules
The following grading code is used to assess the above areas:
M – Meeting – Child consistently meets behavior or skill
P – Progressing – Child is in the process of developing a behavior
or skill
B – Beginning – Child is beginning to demonstrate a behavior or
skill
N – Not Introduced – Skill has not been introduced
If you have a student in kindergarten and have further questions
regarding the pilot kindergarten report card, please see your
classroom teacher.
1st and 2nd Grade
Music grades in 1st and 2nd grade are completed every grading
quarter and consist of the following:
P – Making expected progress
N – Not making expected progress