Music

Benefits of music education include:

• Strengthened memory and mental acuity. Music requires and strengthens math, language, reading, writing, and comprehension skills.
• Music teaches teamwork and social skills. We need one another to make music.
• Music develops emotional well-being.
• Music demands individual responsibility, hard work, and dedication.
• Music prepares students for the future. All of the above are life skills that prepare students to work together and independently for any career.

We are focused on building a community of musicians at Washington Elementary School. Our program is built on the philosophy that educating the whole child means providing equitable access to music education for every student. We believe that quality of life is enriched through music and singing.

All Washington students attend a weekly music class. In TK through third grade our curriculum is based on the Schulwerk method of music education, where students use movement, imagination, and play to learn and discover musical concepts. In the middle of third grade, students are introduced to instrumental music by learning how to play the recorder. Fourth through sixth grade students participate in our instrumental music program, where each student learns how to play a band or string instrument. All fourth grade students participate in our beginning violin class, where we focus on the fundamental skills of instrumental music. In fifth grade, our two-year band, orchestra, and choir program begins. Fifth grade students take beginning band or beginning orchestra. Students continue the instrument they began in fifth grade in our sixth grade advanced band and orchestra classes. The school district provides an instrument for each fourth through sixth grade student. We showcase these skills a couple times a year at our Winter and Spring Performances.