Music

The music program at The Wilson School is designed to help children discover, enjoy, and understand music not only as an art, but also as a means of self-expression. The core of the curriculum has been developed from the work of teacher/composer Carl Orff and, to a lesser extent, Zoltan Kodaly.

Activity, creativity, and community are concepts that are found in each music lesson. Lessons are taught in a way that involves all senses, giving each child an equal opportunity to learn. The following skills are equally emphasized in proportion to the child’s development and achievement: singing, rhythmic movement, playing of instruments, reading music, and creating/composing. The specific music elements with which we work are: the voice, which is the child’s first instrument; the body, which is the child’s second instrument; the recorder, which is an extension of the child’s voice; and other instruments, which are extensions of the child’s body.

The music program supports the Wilson mission through many different aspects: the academia of music history and theory; the freedom to create and transform that which is learned into personal expression; the expectation of sharing through performance and peer teaching; the diversity of world folk music; and the value of the human body as a magnificent instrument for artistry.

Every child possesses the potential for artistry in music. Freedom to function as an artist can only be attained through knowledge and understanding. Music literacy skills taught over the course of the child’s Wilson experience provide the knowledge basis necessary to allow the artistry in each child to flourish.