Performing Arts

September 14, 2023

Meet the music teacher- Mme Breanna Heinrichs!

Welcome to Musique!

At SWO, Musique is taught in French and supports students’ growth as French language learners. Our provincial Music curriculum is organized around four learning areas: Making, Creating, Connecting and Responding. Students are understood as music-makers, who use musical language to create music, connected to a wider world of musical contexts and communities, who respond to music with increasing nuance to develop identity and agency as a music maker and learner.

Our Music program is informed by the Orff-Schulwerk approach, and uses movement, speech, instruments and singing to develop musicianship. All students participate in choir, an amazing opportunity to strengthen community and develop students’ singing voices. It’s an honour to lead your learners into musical experiences at École Sir William Osler!

The following provides an overview of the curricular outcomes for learning at each grade level.

1e année

Making

Grade one students will begin to match pitch with some accuracy, singing alone and with others. Students will explore concepts such as same/different, high/low, and patterns through song, movement, and speech. Students will begin to read and write rhythmic and melodic patterns using standard and invented notation.

Creating

Students will experiment with music to communicate ideas based on visuals, experiences, or stories, with an emphasis on French language experiences. Students will collaborate with others, with teacher guidance, to develop and extend musical ideas. Grade one students will make interpretive musical decisions (tempo, dynamics, articulation, tone colour) in their own music making.

Connecting

Grade one students will experience music from a variety of times and places through listening, moving, and playing. They will reflect and share about musical experiences at home, at school, or in the community.

Responding

Each child has a unique relationship to music. Students will share personal responses to musical experiences and give reasons for their own musical preferences. Students will practice evaluating their learning based on learning goals established as a class.

2e année

Making

Grade two students will begin to match pitch with increasing accuracy, singing alone and with others. Students will explore concepts such as musical form, tempo and texture (two levels of sound), through playing instruments, movement, song and speech same/different, high/low, and patterns through song, movement, and speech. They will continue to develop musical literacy as they read, write, and identify rhythmic and melodic patterns using standard and invented notation.

Creating

Students will experiment with music to communicate ideas based on visuals, experiences, or stories, with an emphasis on French language experiences. Students will collaborate with others, with teacher guidance, to develop and extend musical ideas. Grade two students will make interpretive musical decisions (tempo, dynamics, articulation, tone colour) in their own music making.

Connecting

Grade two students will experience music from a variety of times and places through listening, moving, and playing. They will reflect and share about musical experiences at home, at school, or in the community. Students will explore when and why people make music and make personal connections to music making.

Responding

3e année

Making

Grade three students will match pitch with increasing accuracy and will begin singing partner songs and two-part canons. Students will use instruments, movement, song and speech to explore musical concepts. They will continue to develop musical literacy as they read, write, and identify rhythmic and melodic patterns using standard and invented notation. Students will describe, identify, and classify a variety of sounds such as natural sounds, traditional folk instruments, and orchestral instruments.

Creating

Students will use themes, ideas and motifs for musical improvisation and composition based on stories, images, and personal experience. Students will collaborate with others to develop and extend musical ideas. Grade three students will make interpretive musical decisions (tempo, dynamics, articulation, tone colour) in their own music making.

Connecting

Grade three students will perform and listen to music from a variety of times, places, and communities. They will reflect and share about musical experiences at home, at school, or in the community. Students will explore when and why people make music and make personal connections to music making.

Responding

Each child has a unique relationship to music. Students will share personal responses to music such as thoughts, images, and feelings. Students will practice analyzing and describing their own and others’ musical performances. Learning goals (co-established by students) will be used to evaluate student learning.

4e année

Making

Grade four students will match pitch with increasing accuracy and will begin singing partner songs and two-part canons. Students will use instruments, movement, song and speech to explore musical concepts. They will continue to develop musical literacy as they read, write, and identify rhythmic and melodic patterns using standard and invented notation. Students will describe, identify, and classify a variety of sounds such as natural sounds, traditional folk instruments, and orchestral instruments.

Creating

Students will use themes, ideas and motifs for musical improvisation and composition based on stories, images, and personal experience. Students will collaborate with others to develop and extend musical ideas. Grade four students will make interpretive musical decisions (tempo, dynamics, articulation, tone colour) in their own music making. They will rehearse and refine music to perform for others.

Connecting

Understanding Music in Context Grade four students will perform and listen to music from a variety of times, places, and communities. They will reflect and share about musical experiences at home, at school, or in the community. Students will explore when and why people make music in different times and places.

Responding

5e/6e année

Making

Music Language and Performance Skills: Grade five and six students will continue to develop ensemble singing and playing skills on barred instruments, non-pitched percussion and ukuleles. Grade fives and sixes will explore increasingly complex meters including mixed meters. They will demonstrate ways to layer sounds to create texture and harmony through in-class arrangements. They will continue to develop musical literacy as they read, write, and identify rhythmic and melodic patterns using standard notation.

Creating

Students will generate musical themes and motifs based on personally meaningful sources like memories, imagination, and observations. Grade five and six students will make interpretive musical decisions in their own music making as they rehearse and refine music to perform for others. Students will collaborate with others to develop and extend musical ideas.

Connecting

Grade five and six students will identify and describe music from different times, places, and communities. They will explore and characterize a variety of musical styles and genres, perform and listen to music from a variety of times, places, and communities. Students will reflect and share their own reasons for making music.

Responding

Students will share and justify interpretations of their own and other’s music. They will share personal responses to music such as thoughts, images, and feelings. Students will establish criteria for learning and performance and assess their own learning using the criteria. Grade fives and sixes will take more ownership of group music making by setting group goals together.