what should they be learning: second grade

Second Grade

What Should They Be Learning?

Melody:

• sol-mi-la
• mi-re-do
• pentatonic
• can sing a song as a class after hearing it 6-8 times (or more). Students can sing with teacher while learning it.
• Music Staff and melodic movement: steps, skips and leaps
• Improvise melodic phrase (pentatonic) using building bricks (2-4)
• Create melody (pentatonic) using b.b.

Harmony:

· singing with accompaniment

· play pentatonic ostinato accompaniment

Rhythm:

• Steady beat vs rhythm, class should be able to play both parts well
• All building bricks: ta ta; ti-ti ta; ta ti-ti; ti-ti ti-ti; ta rest; (reading, playing, and manipulating building brick cards)
• add half note and half note rest
  
• Play a simple ostinato to accompany a song
• Improvise rhythmic phrases using b.b. (8 beat patterns, 4 cards)
• Improvise a rhythmic accompaniment for a song (using b.b.)

Dynamics:

· loud (forte), med (mf and mp), soft (piano)

· Crescendo and Decrescendo

Tempo: Allegro (fast), Adagio (slow)

Meter:

• 2/4
• 4/4

Form:

• AB
• ABA
• Introduction and Coda
• Repeat signs

Timbre:

• Identify specific musical instruments and their families

Movement:

• Show all of the above skills through movement
• All of the previously learned movement skills (see K and 1^st grade)
• 2 levels of body percussion (ex. pats and claps)
  
• Use all space (high, med, low)
• Circle dances, play party dances
• Folk Dance: circle dances and longways sets; circle to the left, circle to the right, two hand turn, forward and back, promenade, do-si-do, right and left hand turn, swing, cast off and arch

Instrumentation:

• Continue to work on good playing technique, including mallet technique
• Can play a simple bordun on barred (pitched instruments), two hands together and two hands alternating while singing.
• Add instruments for special effects with poems and stories

Other:

· Working in groups and team work (how to chose ideas in a group-voting, rock paper scissors, etc…)

· Multicultural pieces, singing games, passing games, etc…

· Dramatize poems and stories and create sound effects to accompany them