Welcome to From the Top: Rhythm and Melody! This class presents principles of

rhythm and melody, geared towards students in Grade 3 to Grade 5. Covering

everything from beat and tempo to notation and pitch, students will build skills as

budding musicians by learning to read and make music. The purpose of this class is to

develop the students’ ability to apply rhythm in music and to recognize and reproduce

vocal pitches.

One goal of this class is to introduce the major scale through solfa. Solfa is a music

system assigning syllables to the musical scale. By associating each pitch with a

specific syllable, musicians can internalize the sound of each note and its relationship to

other notes in the scale, improving both sight reading and the ability to reproduce

correct pitch.

This course will also include topics such as music theory, conducting techniques, music

history, and instrument overviews. Students will learn musical notation, sing songs with

solfa, understand rhythm with percussion instruments, and practice meter using

conducting techniques.

Rhythmic concepts will include beat, tempo, meter, and note duration. Percussive

instruments (including bells and body percussion) and metronome techniques will be

employed to practice rhythm. Every class will have a planned cup song, during which

students will sing along. Melodic concepts will include pitch, intervals and dynamics,

and during each class there will be dedicated solfa song. Using the Music Comes Alive

curriculum, the class will move through time periods, starting with the Middle Ages and

ending at Broadway. There will be a variety of instrument overviews, some examples

including the violin and the French horn. Simple rewards will be given at the end of

class for participation and for completing homework/practice.

Benefits of From the Top: Rhythm and Melody

1) Increased Musical Skills – Solfa and Rhythm are critical skills for beginning

musicians. This class builds rhythm awareness, understanding of sheet music

and theory, and recognition of pitches.

2) Communication Improvement – Music study requires constant listening and

responding, which will increase all avenues of a student’s ability to connect with

others.

3) Cognitive Development – Studying music boosts memory, multi-tasking, and

focus. These increased capacities translate into other educational endeavors.

4) Personal Enhancement – As students build in their skill their confidence will

increase, enabling them to enjoy the process of making music.

5) Community Mindfulness – Music is best enjoyed in groups. This class will

provide ample opportunities to reinforce team-work and cooperation.

Textbook:

Music Comes Alive Elementary Activity Pack $16

musiccomesalive.com

Materials:

3 Ringed Notebook

Lined Paper

Pencils

Crayons

Homework Expectations: There will be about 50 minutes of homework for the whole

week. Practice everyday is essential. Students will be expected to practice songs 4

separate times a week (about 10 minutes each time, so 40 minutes of practice in total).

In addition, students will complete the listening assignment and basic worksheets from

the Music Comes Alive Curriculum (10 minutes). A Practice Log (signed by a parent)

will be filled weekly and brought to class.