When you think of online learning, music probably isn’t the first course that comes to mind. As a parent, you may wonder how your student can really experience the full scope of music through an online course. At Lincoln Learning Solutions, we understand the value of STEAM educational approaches, and we are working hard to bring the arts to life for our students.
This spring, the Lincoln Learning Solutions curriculum staff increased our music offerings for elementary and middle school students. These new elective options include interactive, engaging, and performance-based activities that allow students to listen to and learn about music by experiencing it and creating it. Our music courses allow student to sing, play instruments, compose music, and record performances. These activities help create the experiences students need to fully grasp musical concepts in a digital setting.
The highlights of our new music curriculum listed below provide you with a brief overview of courses in various grade levels.
Music 1 students learn about the fundamentals of music such as singing, reading rhythms and notations, families of instruments, and forms of musical expression. Musical topics are introduced though a variety of movement activities and songs to engage young learners. They study the impact that American music and its composers have had on society. Students explore proper stage and performance etiquette techniques as well.
In a lesson on music tonality, students learn to describe how music can evoke certain emotions in the listener. They explore and listen to music with different types of tonality and classify songs as sad or happy. They also discover how varying music tonality can change a person’s mood and actions. The students are then asked to describe the emotions that they are feeling while listening to music examples based on the tonality of the song.
Music 3 introduces students to the elements of music and how they can change the way listeners respond to music. As an introduction to instrumental music and reading standard music notation, students perform music using hand drums, rhythm sticks, and soprano recorders. Students also explore several new musical genres, such as bluegrass, country, and jazz, and they identify key classical music composers.
Using video demonstrations, Music 3 teaches students the basics of playing the recorder, including hand positions and mouth embouchure formation, allowing students to play three notes. This type of engaging activity allows students to connect with the content by seeing the performer’s hand positions in addition to hearing the notes that the various positions create.
Music 5 students make strong connections between music, culture, and history. They have the opportunity to demonstrate their developing musical abilities by creating original melodies, performing on instruments, and analyzing music. Through interactive learning activities, students practice reading music and performance skills.
Music 5 engages students by offering play-along audio as they practice reading music and performing using the recorder. Students start with the basics of recorder playing, gradually adding notes and techniques to their skills.
In Music 7, students study more aspects of music history and American music. They perform music vocally and with pitched instruments. Students also study several genres of music and discover what makes each genre unique.
To engage students in the art of storytelling through music, they create a musical by describing the plot, creating characters, and developing behind-the-scenes requirements. Next, students create the story of the musical with specific details and examples of dialogue between the characters.
The new Lincoln Empowered music courses offer a great opportunity for students to experience music in a digital setting. They will learn about, create, and even perform music, emerging with a new appreciation for musical culture as they continue their musical studies. To learn more about our music courses, please browse our course catalog.
Mark Yochum has been a music teacher at Lincoln Learning Solutions for a little over a year. He has assisted in the creation of music media, including images and audio examples. Mark spends his free time playing clarinet and saxophone in various musical groups and teaching private music lessons. He also enjoys hiking, movies, and spending time with his wife and pets!