Constructivism in Lower School Music

Fourth grade music students have been using what they know about music theory (major, minor, and pentatonic scales; the “home tone” or “do” of the scale; dynamics; and form/patterns in music) and combining that knowledge with active listening and cooperation to practice improvising together on the xylophones. We learned that even if one knows a lot about music theory and is a skilled player, listening to each other and responding to one another is essential in order to create a meaningful musical conversation and some good music!

Our gratitude in advance for being a supportive and enthusiastic audience at the Music Festival – whether you’re able to come in person or if you watch the video with your K-4th grader! Your child needs that performance opportunity to reach their highest potential in music. They might love all things music, or be a somewhat reluctant band member, but as we prepare for the festival, everyone gets to practice the life skills of listening actively and working together as a group to make something bigger than themselves. Fourth graders will be sharing some of their xylophone improvisation at the music festival. Improvisation puts the performer in a particularly vulnerable position, but we decided as a group that we were up to this challenge, and the students want to share this with you all because it’s so exciting to create a song together on the spot. We hope you have as much fun listening as we do improvising.