The music program at Windrush is designed to foster children's natural love and appreciation of music while building a strong foundation of music skills and ability. It is based in the Orff-Schulwerk approach developed in Europe by composers Carl Orff and Gunild Keetman. We explore and then define the basic elements of music: rhythm, pitch, dynamics, articulation, and expression. Children are presented with musical ideas through a variety of modes including games, songs, chants, rhymes, poems, folk dances, creative movement, and playing instruments. Music literacy follows these direct experiences. Throughout the curriculum, musical vocabulary and the solfege syllables (do, re, mi etc.) are taught along with age-appropriate musical notation.

Our musical selections include music from a wide variety of cultures, with a special emphasis on integrating with the classroom curriculum.

For more detailed course descriptions see Resources tab.