Music

Music class is participatory by design, with students actively creating and sharing their own compositions. Through weekly hands-on activities in composing, performing, and listening, students become familiar with the basic elements of music: rhythm, pitch, form, and timbre.

Early benchmarks include keeping a steady beat, repeating short rhythmic phrases, and matching tones in a singing voice. By the time students complete fifth grade, they will be able to perform multipart pieces in various genres and styles from around the world, using singing as well as pitched and unpitched percussion instruments, and the recorder. Along their musical journey, students engage in games, dancing, and performances with various instruments to broaden and refine their skills. Music notation is introduced in first grade and continues in subsequent years, where students learn conventional notation while also inventing their own.

The music curriculum places a strong emphasis on cross-curricular connections with math, science, social studies, literacy, and social-emotional learning through inquiry-based units. Technology is incorporated through student-led musical recording projects and an electronic music sequence. Students are exposed to a wide range of musical styles and cultures, including songs in Spanish, Mandarin, Hindi, Swahili, Korean, and more.

Overall, music serves as a tool for building community, woven into many school activities such as weekly singing during morning assemblies, winter and spring concerts, and graduation.

Alta Vista Middle School takes a modern approach to music education. Blending jazz traditions with contemporary instrumentation, students are empowered to choose an instrument and focus on improving their skills over time. They learn key musical concepts such as improvisation, reading sheet music, common-practice music theory, ensemble techniques, and effective practice habits. Students have the opportunity to perform at least once each trimester, and by 8th grade, those who have consistently taken music will be prepared to join high school music ensembles and participate in community music opportunities.

Courses currently offered:

6th Music Appreciation: In this semester-long course, students explore and engage with the musical world through their chosen instruments. They learn to read, write, understand, and interpret music while also exploring music from different cultures, playing and singing in an ensemble, and learning new songs and pieces. In this class, students will learn one of five instruments: piano, bass, guitar, drumset, or ukulele.

7th and 8th Grade Instrumental Music: This semester-long course continues to build students’ musical skills, with a focus on jazz methodology. Students delve deeper into reading, writing, and interpreting music while engaging with a wide variety of cultural music traditions. They concentrate on their chosen instrument and further develop their ensemble performance skills.