MUSIC
Our approach to music education is a simple one; our students are always focused on learning a range of skills that support their natural appreciation for music. Whether our babies are shaking maracas or our 8th graders are creating covers of their favorite songs on the guitar, we strive to inspire our students to find joy in music.
And our program goes beyond singing and instruments, although both are highly important to us. Students tune their whole selves to the beats and rhythms of various kinds of music through movement and dance. They study traditional and modern composers, music videos, and sounds from other cultures. Middle schoolers create their own trailer and movie soundtracks in GarageBand. It's all about encouraging our students to build their confidence in their musical abilities and feel proud to share it with others.
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63%
Middle School Students
Participate in the Chorale
6 Weeks
How Old Our Youngest Students are when They Begin Having Music Class with a Specialized Teacher
4
Performances per School Year Featuring
Preschool - 8th Grade Students
CHORALE SINGS NATIONAL ANTHEM
The Congressional Chorale is made up of middle students interested in fine-tuning their singing abilities. And they have! For the past three years, our students have sung the National Anthem at professional sports games around DC.
In addition to performing at our school concerts, our students have also traveled to Hershey Park, Busch Gardens, and Sunrise Senior Living Community to perform.
COMPOSER OF THE MONTH
Our kindergarten through 3rd grade students begin every music class learning about a famous musical artist. The artists rotate on a monthly basis. 3rd graders even choose the artists themselves and their choices vary widely!
SQUILT
Our 4th through 8th graders begin each music class with SQUILT—Super Quick Uninterrupted Listening Time. During this time, they watch a music video and discuss what they saw. What genre was it? What instruments were involved? How do you feel about the artistic decisions?
BECOMING THEIR OWN COMPOSERS
We strive to provide ways for all of our students to connect with music. Our 4th through 8th grade students dive each year into a new Garage Band project. Students learn to compose their own music, whether it be for a radio show, scary story reading, TV show intro or a movie trailer.
