Parent+Letter+08-09

Parent Letter: August 25, 2008
Welcome to the 2008-2009 school year of music at Ingram Elementary School. I look forward to meeting new students and welcoming back all my student musicians from last year. Music is the universal language of all people. It is food for the soul, heart and mind. It can be lively or soothing, meaningful and fun. Every human has his/her own particular musical tastes. Elementary school music education encourages every child to explore and find his/her own kind of music. Your child will be introduced to many different styles and techniques. Hopefully, during these six years your child will learn and explore enough different styles to find his/her own life-long musical love. As always, we will be singing, playing instruments, moving and improvising during our music classes. For your information, these are the **ten national music standards** embraced by our nation: 1. The student will sing, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music. 2. The student will perform on instruments, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music. 3. The student will improvise melodies, variations, and accompaniments. 4. The student will compose and arrange music within specific guidelines. 5. The student will read and notate music. 6. The student will listen to, analyze, and describe music. 7. The student will evaluate music and music performances. 8. The student will understand relationships between music, the other arts, and disciplines outside the arts. 9. The student will understand music in relation to history and culture. 10. The student will demonstrate the ability to make informed decisions as a consumer of music. The **five Ingram music rules** which students are expected to follow are: 1. Walk to and from music quietly; sit or stand in your assigned place. 2. Raise hand for permission to talk. 3. Keep your hands and feet to yourself. 4. Play/touch instruments only when told to do so. 5. Have good manners and follow directions. You can reinforce your child’s music learning at home. Consider listening to music together and talking about it. Ask your child to share songs learned in music class. Attend local concerts to help foster appropriate audience behavior. These experiences will help make music meaningful at school, home and in the community. For younger children, one of the best ways to reinforce your child’s natural rhythm is to recite nursery rhymes. Everyone can sing and clap along to the beat of popular songs on the radio and television set. The more you move and sing along with your favorite music, the better your child will respond to and understand listening, reading and speaking skills at school. Fourth and Fifth graders are required to have their own personal recorder for every music class. Parents of these students will receive another letter explaining how to get a recorder for your child. It is your child’s responsibility to have the recorder for every music class. Some children buy two recorders; one is kept at home for practicing, and the other is left in the music classroom. If you have any questions about your child’s music education, please contact me by letter or by phone (919 774-3772 after 2:30), and I will be happy to help. Mrs. Downes, Music (Email address: jdownes.ingram@lee.k12.nc.us)