Overview: Music Program

A very special part of the music program in the TAS Lower School is our Music Activity Program (MAP).  All students in Grades 3-5 are required to take an MAP class in addition to their classroom music class, and they can choose which MAP class they want to take each year.  Music Activity classes meet three times every 10 days for 45 minutes. 

Students choose their MAP class each year in Grades 3 -5 and have the option of trying something different each year or continuing with a class or instrument they've already started.  For example, a student could try beginning violin in Grade 3, then if they decided that it wasn't the right fit for them they could take Orff Studio in Grade 4, then try a band instrument or take choir in Grade 5.  Or, a student could begin violin or cello in Grade 3, move on to the intermediate level class in Grade 4, then advanced class in Grade 5.  We recommend that students who think that they may eventually want to be in Band or Choir in middle school take Orff Studio in Grades 3 and 4, as Orff Studio is an excellent preparation for those ensembles which they can begin to take in Grade 5. Our MAP classes give students the chance to try out different instruments (including voice) so that they may find a music ensemble that they are passionate about, that is a "good fit" for them. 

Grade 3 - Orff Studio and Beginning Strings(violin or cello).  We offer Beginning and Intermediate level Violin classes and Beginning level Cello class.

Grade 4 - Orff Studio and Strings (violin or cello).  We offer beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels of violin and cello in Grade 4.  Students will be placed by auditions held during the first class of the year.

Grade 5 - Band, Strings, Choir, and Dance.

Orff-Schulwerk is an integrated approach to teaching music through work with voice, instruments, and movement which was developed from the inspiration of the composer Carl Orff (1895 – 1982).

In Orff Studio, students develop creative works using speech, singing, recorders, Orff instruments (xylophones, metallophones and glockenspiels), drums, unpitched percussion, improvisation, and movement. The Orff Studio experience provides a solid musical foundation in group music-making for students who wish to take Band or Choir in grade 5 and beyond.

Our lower school music teachers have specialized training in the Orff-Schuwerk approach and TAS continues to host workshops taught by master Orff teachers from abroad.  Our music rooms are well-equipped with xylophones, metallophones, glockenspiels, drums, and a wide variety of unpitched-percussion instruments which Orff Ensembles use regularly.  Movement, singing, improvisation, and recorders (in Grade 4) play an equally important role in Orff class as we approach music creation from a multidimensional perspective.

Orff Studio is offered to students Grades 3 and 4. Throughout the year Orff students will rotate through four classes (studios), each taught by a different teacher and lasting around 12 weeks. The four studio classes that all Orff students will have are: Dance/Jazz/ Classical and Folk. At the end of each studio 12-week session parents will be invited into the class for a performance/informance which will showcase what the students have learned in the class.  

As part of our Music Activity Program, students in Grades 3-5 have the opportunity to learn how to play violin or cello in group lessons. A few students even may play viola or bass in Grade 5. We are very proud of this unique feature of TAS which allows students to begin a string instrument in Grade 3 and continue all the way through to Grade 12 if they desire. The string program in the lower school is the breeding ground for our future middle and high school orchestra members.

Students who want to play violin must have their own instrument. We provide information on purchasing an instrument at a beginning string parent information meeting which occurs at the beginning of the school year.

We do not require cello students to have their own instrument until they reach a full size instrument. Most all of our Grades 3-5 cello players use instruments we provide free of charge, and they must be responsible for bringing the instrument to and from school on MAP days in order to practice at home. If your child is planning on taking violin then it is important that you wait to purchase an instrument until your child's MAP teacher has a chance to let you know the right size of violin your child needs. Violins and cellos come in 1/8, 1/4, 1/2, 3/4, and full sizes. If your child sticks with their instrument for many years then they will eventually move up in size and will need a new instrument.

The string program begins in Grade 3 where we offer Beginning level violin and cello. If your child has been playing violin for more than a few months and is no longer a beginner, we may offer a Grade 3 intermediate level violin class if we have enough students beyond the beginning level. In Grade 4 and 5 we offer beginning, intermediate, and advanced level violin and cello classes.  A select few the students in Grade 5 may also play viola or bass.

String students are expected to practice at home and maintain a practice record, keeping track of assignments and practice times.  They are also responsible for bringing their instrument and music to school every day they have class.

All string students will perform in 2 concerts during the year.

Offered only to the students in Grade 5, Choir is for students who love to sing.  Choir students learn the fundamentals of good vocal technique (tone production, breath support, articulation, phrasing, etc) through work with unison and 2-part repertoire in a variety of styles.  Musical literacy skills are developed through work with the repertoire. The Choir performs several times a year.  

In September, students are required to attend our annual half-day Choir Camp, held at school from morning until noon, where students will play games to improve their singing, get to know their fellow singers and learn new repertoire.

We offer dance classes in the Lower School as a Music Activity Program option for the students in Grade 5 and as part of our Orff Studio class for the students in Grade 3 and 4. Dance is a mix of artistry and expression that has the potential to open new worlds to students. Leadership, confidence, collaboration, trust, and creative problem solving are all skills developed by young dancers. We also provide a space to accept and appreciate our individual differences, and learn respect for one another. We can do all of this through the exploration of many different styles of movement while keeping fit and flexible. Many styles of music will be explored through choreography, group work, creative movement activities and projects.

One of the popular Music Activity class options, offered only to the students in Grade 5, is Beginning Band. After having the opportunity within the first few classes of the year to try out the instruments we offer, students will, along with the guidance of their Band teacher, be placed on either flute, clarinet, trumpet, trombone or euphonium. During the first semester all band students must begin on a wind instrument, but in the second semester of the school year students who are interested in drums will have the opportunity to try out for the percussion section which is added only after the first semester. If a student comes into Grade 5 already playing an instrument other than the ones we offer (flute, clarinet, trumpet, trombone or euphonium) we will try to accomodate them and allow them to continue with their instrument, but the band repertoire is at a beginning level and more advanced students may not benefit from being in the class.

Band students will be provided with a school-owned instrument to use, free of charge, for the year. All students will be required, however, to purchase an instrument cleaning kit for their selected instrument at a cost of approximately NT $600. Band students are required to take their instrument home for daily practice and bring it to school on Music Activity class days. Taking responsibility for an instrument, method book, and sheet music is an important part of the experience of being in Band.

In September, after students have had the opportunity to try playing all the instruments and have been assigned an instrument to play, all band students are required to attend our annual half-day Head Start Band Camp. Held at school from morning until noon, Band Camp is when student will first be given their instrument, learn how to clean and maintain it, and begin to establish, with the help of volunteer middle school students, good playing technique. They'll learn how to put together and hold their instrument, how to form the proper embouchure (mouth/lips formation), and begin learning the basics of good breath support necessary for playing a wind instrument. In an exciting moment for everyone involved, at the end of Band Camp parents are invited to hear the first sounds made by the group, the beginning notes of a year's worth of music to come.

Band is taught in like-instrument groups. All the flutes meet together with one teacher, the clarinets with a different teacher, trumpets another teacher, and trombones & euphoniums with another teacher. This approach allows students to get the instrument-specific instruction they need to be successful in the early stages of learning an instrument. As concert time approaches the instruments will come together for combined rehearsals, becoming the mighty TAS Grade 5 Beginning Band!