MUSICAL NOTES

ASSUMPTION-ST. BRIDGET 2009-2010 SCHOOL YEAR 

Assumption-St. Bridget School has two music teachers:  Linda Reid, who is beginning her 22nd  year at ASB and John Bahlman, who is beginning his 16th year.  John teaches music to students in kindergarten, second and fourth grades.  He also directs the band program for grades 4-8.  Linda teaches music to all first, third, and fifth graders, as well as the music for grades six, seven, and eight.  There is a school choir for students in grades 4-8, which Linda directs. Stephanie Read works with strings, providing small ensemble experiences as well as group lessons.  The goal of classroom music experiences and extra curricular music opportunities is to provide a solid foundation in music education.

 Briefly stated, these are the main goals for the music program here at ASB:

ENJOYMENT  (through singing, playing instruments, listening, moving, dancing, and creating)

SUPPORT FOR OTHER LEARNING  (integration of music into classroom themes and curriculum)

MUSICAL EXPERICENES THAT SUPPORT  DIFFERENT LEARNING STYLES (auditory, visual, and kinesthetic)

MUSICAL EXPERIENCES THAT BROADEN MUSICAL TASTES (classical to contemporary, multicultural, and American folk music)

CONCEPTUAL UNDERSTANDING OF THE ELEMENTS OF MUSIC (rhythm, melody, harmony, timbre, form, dynamics…)

LITERACY IN BASIC MUSIC NOTATION 

USE OF MUSIC FOR WORSHIP (school Masses and other liturgies)

MUSICAL PERFORMANCE EXPERIENCE

This year children in grades 1,2 and 3 will perform in the annual Christmas Concert  on December 15th and  students in grades 4 and 5 will present a program on April 29th.  The band, strings and choir will also perform at these concerts. The annual Spring Musical offers performance opportunities for upper grade students.

The music curriculum ties back to the School-wide Learning Expectations, which are the foundation for the entire curriculum.   The music program has direct relevance to these “S.L.E.’s” in the following ways:

  • Students live in an ongoing personal relationship with God and with a faith community. ( #7 above )
  • Students communicate effectively. ( all of the above! )
  • Students engage in lifelong learning activities. ( especially #’s 1, 4, 7, and 8 )
  • Students live as people of integrity within their community. ( especially #’s 3, 4, and 8 )
  • Students strive for excellence in their studies. ( all of the above! )
  • Students think critically ( all of the above! )

Advancements in brain research support the fact that music is important to learning in a multitude of different ways, which in turn provides increasing evidence of the value of music education!

 (The school is always looking for donations of band or string instruments that are in good condition.  Parents with instrumental experience are invited to contact John  or Linda to explore the possibility of volunteering with a small group of students.)