Elementary music at Craftsbury is all about students finding and learning how to use their voice, ears, imagination, and how to move their bodies. Storytelling through songs is one of the students' favorite ways to sing.
We use techniques like conversational solfege from John Feierbend and Orff instruments.
All 5th grade students participate in beginning band. We start with the basics using the Standards of Excellence which teaches students how to set up their instruments, how to play their instruments, proper playing techniques, and learning one or two notes at a time and everyone playing the same rhythms and melodies. The book gradually gets more difficult as they learn new things about their instruments. By the end of the year, we are playing music written for beginning bands to get them ready for middle school band.
Instruments
The choices are flute, clarinet, alto saxophone, trumpet, french horn, trombone, and percussion. The school has instruments available for the students to use but there is also an option for parents to rent or buy and instrument for their students.