2024 SEMESTER ONE CURRICULUM
Foundation
Foundation students developed skills in maintaining a steady beat to music through creative movement and by playing percussion instruments. When using the instruments, they focused on taking turns and utilising the correct technique. Students learnt about pitch (high and low sounds), demonstrating the difference through movement, playing instruments and singing.
Year 1
Year 1 students practised reading, writing and performing the rhythms ‘ta’ and ‘ti-ti’ (crotchet and barred quavers). They sang songs featuring the Kodaly pitches ‘so’ and ‘mi’ (a minor third interval) and began to learn how to sight-read four-beat, ‘so-mi’ patterns on the music staff. Students then applied this understanding when playing chime bars and singing.
Year 2
Year 2 students continued to practise the known rhythms ‘ta’, ‘ti-ti’ and ‘sah’ (crotchet, beamed quavers and crotchet rest). They discovered a new, lower ‘pitch’ in some of their repertoire and called this ‘do’. Students developed confidence in reading, writing and performing the Kodaly pitches ‘la-so-mi-do’ on the staff.
Year 3
Year 3 students began learning the recorder. The initial focus was on using the correct technique, particularly keeping the left hand on top of the right hand, and embouchure. Students then applied their knowledge of different rhythm patterns to enhance their articulation and tonguing technique. They played the notes B, A, and G on their recorders and read these notes on the staff.
Year 4
Year 4 students began to learn the basic skills and principles of playing the ukulele. They practised the chords C, Am, and F and worked towards clean transitions between chords and applying different strum patterns. Students focused on revising the pitches B, A, G, E and D as well as the new pitch high C on the recorder. They developed confidence in reading these pitches from the staff and performing on various instruments in class ensembles.
Year 5
Year 5 students continued to learn the ukulele and developed their understanding of the ways ukulele music can be notated, including through chord diagrams, tab notation and staff notation. They began to play simple chords (C, G, F and Am) on the keyboard and looked at ways to ‘arrange’ these to accompany a range of ‘pop’ songs. Students learnt a new rhythm, ‘ti-tika’ (a quaver beamed to two semi-quavers) and practised reading, writing and performing all known rhythms.
Year 6
Year 6 students participated in the ‘Battle of the Bands’ unit. This required them to form a group, select an appropriate song and source or create an arrangement to perform. Students were able to access a variety of classroom instruments, including the guitar, bass, keyboard, ukulele and percussion instruments, or bring an instrument from home. For each lesson they rehearsed with their band, researched their song/artist and completed a range of theory activities.
