About our music program
"Elemental music is never only music but an integration of movement, dance and language. It is music one creates oneself in which one is involved not as a listener, but as a participant." Carl Orff
St. Joseph offers a full music program to all of its students. Students are taught by a music specialist who has been trained in both elementary music methods and concert band.
From Kindergarten to Grade 4, students are taught the elements of rhythm, melody, harmony, form and expression. These concepts are taught through singing, speaking, moving, reading and writing, playing instruments, and creating. We have a wide variety of instruments that include non-pitched percussion (tambourines, sticks, triangles, etc.), Orff barred instruments (xylophones, metallophones and glockenspiels), recorders, and ukuleles.
The main pedagogical method that is followed in our general music classes is called Orff-Schulwerk. Following is a brief overview of the principles of Orff-Schulwerk:
The Orff approach to Music Education is holistic, experiential and process oriented. It is for all children, not just the most musically or intellectually gifted and encompasses aural, visual and kinesthetic learners.
"Orff's philosophy is based on solid, pedagogical principles. A structured, sequential development of knowledge and skills encourages joyful participation, creativity, and personal musical growth from all participants. The Orff approach taps the very essence of our beings. Children learn through doing, exploring and improvising. They are active participants in an integrated, guided process, one which allows for differing musical abilities. In the Orff approach, no child is neglected.
The Orff philosophy combines the elements of speech, rhythm, movement, dance, and song. And at the heart of all this is improvisation - the instinct children have to create their own melodies, to explore their imaginations."
St. Joseph offers a full music program to all of its students. Students are taught by a music specialist who has been trained in both elementary music methods and concert band.
From Kindergarten to Grade 4, students are taught the elements of rhythm, melody, harmony, form and expression. These concepts are taught through singing, speaking, moving, reading and writing, playing instruments, and creating. We have a wide variety of instruments that include non-pitched percussion (tambourines, sticks, triangles, etc.), Orff barred instruments (xylophones, metallophones and glockenspiels), recorders, and ukuleles.
The main pedagogical method that is followed in our general music classes is called Orff-Schulwerk. Following is a brief overview of the principles of Orff-Schulwerk:
The Orff approach to Music Education is holistic, experiential and process oriented. It is for all children, not just the most musically or intellectually gifted and encompasses aural, visual and kinesthetic learners.
"Orff's philosophy is based on solid, pedagogical principles. A structured, sequential development of knowledge and skills encourages joyful participation, creativity, and personal musical growth from all participants. The Orff approach taps the very essence of our beings. Children learn through doing, exploring and improvising. They are active participants in an integrated, guided process, one which allows for differing musical abilities. In the Orff approach, no child is neglected.
The Orff philosophy combines the elements of speech, rhythm, movement, dance, and song. And at the heart of all this is improvisation - the instinct children have to create their own melodies, to explore their imaginations."