Advancing Music at Bookcliff
The music program at BCS is advancing quickly, and is second to none in the Grand Valley. All K-5 students attend music class twice weekly. Students are taught a variety of new music concepts and skills, while also reinforcing learning from other academic classes. Lessons are designed to inspire imaginative thoughts, improve physical coordination, encourage critical thinking, rouse intellectual curiosity, fine-tune auditory skills, assist with pattern recognition, foster a love of reading, and much more. Through music, students at Bookcliff also learn spatial awareness, discipline, teamwork, self-confidence, and creative thinking, as well as improved language and reasoning skills. Best of all, our music classes are fun and our students love learning through music!
Integrative Learning through Music
Lessons in various subjects such as history, math and science are often reinforced in music class by applying concepts through song and experience. We also reinforce math skills when we count beats, measure duration of notes, and sing in stepwise or skipping patters. Furthermore, the science of sound is discussed with each new instrument introduced.
Music Skills Taught to all K-5 Students:
-Patting a steady beat
-Reading simple rhythms
-Identifying and reading notes on the treble clef music staff
-Performing on instruments alone and with others
-Singing alone and with others
-Singing in unison and in round
-Singing in solfege while using Curwen Hand Signs
-Using dynamics (volume) to express ourselves when singing and playing instruments
-Using music as a way to learn about and share the gospel
-Using music to personally and collectively worship God
-Valuing and learning from mistakes
-Celebrating differences between ourselves and our friends.
We are excited about the growth of the Music program at Bookcliff. Since the advancement in our Music program, our students are not only thriving in music, but many of them have displayed improvements in behavior and academic performance as well. We believe that students who grow through our music program can aquire the same concepts and musical skills, as a child taking private music lessons.