At Manzano Day School, children study the basic components of music through experiential learning: singing, playing, moving, reading, and creating. Both Orff and Kodály methodologies inform the sequencing of music concepts. Students work with rhythms, melodies, and forms of gradually increasing difficulty, as outlined in the National Standards for Music Education. Through speech, movement, dance, drama, and song, children gain musical knowledge and skills, which they demonstrate through performances for their class, the school, and the larger community. These performances include a Grandparents’ Day performance, performances at senior centers, and a fifth grade musical. Students in pre-kindergarten through first grade build foundational knowledge and skills through a play-based and movement centric program, focusing on developing a steady beat, and rhythmic and melodic concepts.
