Lower School Curriculum
Music

Children sing every morning. An attempt is made to introduce the students to the finest music available. Music goes straight to the heart, and it is therefore important to help each child discover and develop his natural love of music. Everyone who comes to Philosophy Day School has the opportunity to experience the full emotional impact of great music. To that end every child is involved in the performing of great music, e.g. Mozart, Vivaldi and Purcell. The social skills of listening, taking turns and supporting other children’s efforts are emphasized as children experience the joy of cooperative music making.

All children learn to sing and read music. Lower School classes meet with a music specialist twice a week. Instrumental work incorporates a variety of percussion instruments and the violin is introduced in the third grade. Songs taught vary according to the grade level, but the main points of singing technique taught throughout the school are:

• The importance of listening
• Understanding the body as an
• The use of mouth and soft palate
  
• Purity of vowels
  
• Articulation of words
  
• Meaning of words
  
• Breathing
  
• Posture
  
• The concept of singing as one

Outcomes sought from the music program include the ability to sing in tune, success in reading simple rhythmic and pitch notation, the ability to sing two-part music, practice in listening attentively and critically to music, and appreciation for varied musical styles from different cultures.

Every year we hold two culminating performances which involve all of the children from Nursery grade and up, the Winter Concert in December and the End of Year Concert in June. Recently the entire school performed at Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall with selections from Mozart’s Magic Flute.