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Music Curriculum
"Music is the shape and form of the invisible." -Michelangelo
Music is an essential part of the Waldorf curriculum and permeates the school day from kindergarten
through eighth grade. Music re-enlivens the spirit. Recent brain research corroborates
Steiner's original indications: music increases a child's capacity for learning and also contributes to
a sense of completeness and connectedness which is so important for a healthy relationship to the
world. Through the study of music, we learn to sensitize our hearing, allowing us to better listen
to the sounds of the world and to each other.
In the earliest years (kindergarten through first grade), the children sing primarily pentatonic
melodies without harmony. This music has a floating, dreamlike quality which is nourishing to the
young child's consciousness and was also the mode of many ancient civilizations. In first grade,
the interval flute and then the pentatonic flute are introduced. In second grade we continue the
flute and add the pentatonic harp.
 Beginning with the third grade, the students start to learn a more mindful approach to music, in
keeping with their developing self-consciousness. In this grade, we move on to the diatonic flute
and sing rounds and write music. Most importantly, each student begins to have individual
instruction on a string instrument. With guidance from the music and class teachers, parents are
responsible for the arrangement for a private teacher and the fees involved, and the procurement
of an instrument. Group string lessons are part of the third grade weekly curriculum, and are
therefore free of charge. Playing violin or cello, whichever the student chooses, trains the ear in a
deep way. Students refine their sense of pitch as each note is created by their fingers. The tangible
vibrations of the string resonate near their heart through the flowing movements of the arm. In
keeping with the Waldorf understanding that children aged seven to fourteen are in the feeling
phase of life, we strongly encourage students to play their string instruments throughout their elementary
and middle school years. However, we recognize that for some children a change to a
wind or brass instrument may be beneficial in fifth grade or above.
 In the middle school, string ensembles, recorder groups, and choirs are formed and offer musical
performances to the community within and beyond our school. Elements of musical theory are
woven into the musical curriculum each middle school year. We also explore the lives of composers
and aspects of music history. The soprano recorder is introduced in fifth grade, the alto
recorder in sixth grade, the tenor often in seventh grade, and the bass in eighth grade.
The Waldorf music teacher takes a primary interest in each child's musical development but other
adults also contribute to and support these efforts. The class teacher plays a vital role either by
singing with the class and/or by playing recorder with them. The relationship each student develops
with his or her private teacher is an important one, while parents help by supporting concentrated
and regular practice times at home. Families are encouraged to attend school assemblies and other
school and community programs to enjoy musical offerings. This in turn inspires the students.
Singing and playing together help us all to develop those invisible yet essential elements of community
life.
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Photos courtesy Arthur Ratliff. |
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