Music

The music curriculum for first grade through fourth grade encompasses every aspect of early childhood music education: music history, theory, ear training, Orff and Kodaly techniques, composition, instrumental training, movement and dance. Each student is challenged through the curriculum to develop skills on her own level.

Each year a specific music appreciation unit is taught in each grade level. Students are exposed to the classical music of famous composers like Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Haydn and Brahms as well as compositions by some of the great American composers like Foster, Copland and Gershwin. Students learn to identify the instrument families in the orchestra and to describe how tempo, dynamics, and timbre affect the mood of a piece by listening and contrasting the differing styles between pieces of music.

Lower School students build upon the basic elements of music learned in preschool and kindergarten through a more challenging music curriculum. Development of the singing voice and movement continue to be important components of music with children in this developmental range. Songs appropriate for the age of the child, pitch matching and proper use of the voice are the main objective when singing.

Development of motor skills becomes more complex with the introduction of alternating patterns and bilateral movements with the beat of music. Students learn to perform creative movement while exploring space, level, and direction through the development of folk dance skills. Students also enhance their performance skills by exploring the techniques of creative drama which is used to enhance children’s literature by adding instruments and songs. Lower school students act out stories, songs, folk tales, etc. and add simple props or instruments and learn to pantomime or creatively move with music to portray a story. Students share their skills with their friends and family at monthly Flag Ceremonies, annual holiday programs, Civilization Fair, the Fine Arts Festival and by participating in musical class productions, in which every student has a role.

Visual Arts

Art is offered at Southfield from Kindergarten through eighth grade with a certified art specialist. First through fourth grade students have one 50 minute art session per week.

Lower school students continue devloping their use of manipulative skills in creating art. The principles of design and elements of art are introduced and reinforced throughout each grade level in completing projects and in studying works of art. Historical and cultural art assignments are used to integrate and expand the art lesson into the regular classroom curriculum. Student work is submitted in a number of local and regional art contests and student artists are recognized at school assemblies throughout the year.

Art vocabulary is introduced and reinforced throughout each grade level. The students are encouraged to use the proper terminology for art tools and methods in their daily assignments.

Drawing skills are reinforced throughout the grade levels according to the student’s developmental abilities. A variety of media are introduced and utilized in drawing, painting, printmaking, and three-dimensional work. Care and knowledge of materials are developed and reinforced at each grade level.

Art projects are introduced individually to provide opportunities for problem-solving and critical thinking. Books, slides, and historical references are used to provide background information in the development of projects. Contemporary and student-produced examples are often used to provide a basis for understanding artists and their work and as inspiration for students. Contemporary art and historical references are used in projects to encourage students to overcome preconceptions, to extend the lesson beyond the classroom and to approach problem-solving from objective and subjective points of view.

Project themes are selected to correlate with the regular classroom curriculum, seasonal art, and to introduce or reinforce a particular art technique.

All grades are introduced to various media; such as paints (tempera, watercolor, acrylic), clay, sculptural materials, various papers (watercolor, drawing, rice, origami, construction), drawing media (pencil, pen, conte, pastellos, charcoal), and printmaking materials (linoleum, styrofoam, collograph, natural objects), and collage. Students learn the proper terminology for art tools and techniques and use this vocabulary in their daily studio work and are taught proper care and use of art materials.