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Music
Education |
Instrumental Music Program
The instrumental music program affords the opportunity for students in grades 4 and 5 to study a band or orchestral instrument. Group lessons are offered weekly for one half hour, with string students receiving two half hour lessons each week. The goal of the program is to allow students to apply skills previously learned in vocal music, as well as to develop new musical skills specific to an instrument. In addition to weekly lessons, students participate in performing groups. Our school string orchestras and bands rehearse once a week before school, and perform two concerts during the school year. During these rehearsals, students are exposed to literature at various levels, develop group learning skills, and apply individual musical skills within a performing ensemble.
Students who excel in the instrumental music program may be selected to audition for our town-wide Inter-Elementary Music Festival Band and Orchestra. Inter-El is a unique opportunity for students to experience a group comprised of students who have reached the instrumental proficiency to perform at the high level required by these ensembles.
Learning to play a musical instrument is a complex task which requires regular, meaningful practice. Students are required to practice one half hour each day, with a minimum of two and one half hours each week.
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Dave Thomas |
All Duffy students receive instruction in vocal music twice weekly. Students will develop an understanding of musical concepts of pitch, melody, rhythm, tempo, harmony, form, style and timbre through singing, movement, playing of instruments and music literacy. Current research by Howard Gardner and others support the study of the arts as a way for students to demonstrate other areas of intelligence which are often not stimulated in traditional core subject areas.
The West Hartford Kodaly based curriculum incorporates the National Standards in Music: Singing alone and together, listening and analyzing, evaluating, reading and notating, understanding relationships in other core subject areas, history and culture, and improvisation.
Kindergarten students learn to use a singing voice, keep the beat, clap the rhythm of the words and study the songs and instruments of Mexico.
First grade students learn to sing in tune using solfeggio, (sol-mi) and write sol-mi. They also learn to read and write quarter notes and eighth notes using rhythm syllables "ta" and "ti-ti". First graders study a unit on the music and instruments of Africa.
Second grade students sing, read and write so-mi-do and la in different keys. They learn about half notes in rhythm and study a unit on the music and instruments of Japan.
In third grade students learn to read and write using letter names which they apply in the spring while studying a unit on the soprano recorder. They learn sixteenth note rhythms.
Fourth graders are introduced to the concept of scales, continue to read and write notation on the treble staff and learn syncopated rhythms. Fourth graders are encouraged to join Choir where they learn about reading a choral score, and develop performing skills of stage presence, posture and performing in a group. The social studies unit in fourth grade that is integrated into music is music and instruments from India, and the age of exploration, as well as a science unit on sound.
Fifth graders learn about major, minor and pentatonic scales. They read all notes on treble staff. They study compound meter and are expected to be able to sing a three part round in tune in a trio of students. They also write a theme and variation. Their social studies unit is the American Colonial period. Students in fifth grade are strongly encouraged to take advantage of before school Choir once a week. Students in the Duffy Choir are selected by Mrs. Holcomb to audition for Inter-El Choir, a West Hartford select Choir which provides students with outstanding musicianship a performing group of highest quality.
Marilyn Holcomb Full-Time, Vocal Music
David Thomas Part-Time, Instrumental Music
Lauren Gallo-Berloe Part-Time, Vocal Music 
Please feel free to contact us at any time. It will be our pleasure to help with any questions or concern