Meridian’s fourth graders choose one of four wind instruments — flute, clarinet, trumpet or trombone — to play throughout 4th and 5th grade in a combined grade ensemble called The Meridian Music Makers.
The customized curriculum focuses on learning the mechanics of these instruments by improvising, composing, and learning melodies by ear. Students bring their own creativity into the process from the very beginning, learning to think like artists and collaborate as an ensemble.
Through improvisation and composition, our students learn how to recognize musical patterns, hear scales and intervals, and begin to identify form and harmonic structure. In a group setting, improvisation levels the playing field, focusing on imagination and the creative spirit. Students learn how to think ahead while playing “in the moment”, reinforcing listening skills and abstract thinking. Improvising as an ensemble also enhances a sense of community, since it demands close listening to others, responding to the group, sharing of the sonic space, and nonverbal communication.
Improvisation is a place where perfectionism is de-emphasized, thus helping our students navigate through society’s pressures of perfection towards becoming healthier and more confident citizens of the world.
Singing is at the heart of the music program at Meridian. Alongside the singing, the children explore musical instruments, discover different styles of music, learn about composers, master dances, compose, improvise, perform and learn how to listen to and express themselves through music.
At Meridian, education is engaging and inspiring. The thematic curriculum fires imaginations and weaves academic learning into a joyful experience of exploration and discovery.
