Greenbriar Music
Mr. Jeremy Bartunek
At Greenbriar, we believe that every child can and should be musically literate. Just as we expect that children can read, we expect that children can sing independently of a teacher.
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Through a blend of the Kodály method and the Orff philosophy, students are taught to be rhythmic, melodic, and artistic musicians. Students are expected to sing on their own and with a large group, and to be able to sing melodies and rhythms without hearing it first. Students are expected to be fluent in solfege by the time they finish 5th grade.
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The primary focus is on developing the students musicianship by training their ear, singing voice, musical expression, and individual artistry. Students are expected to learn and perform music through aural, visual, and physical modalities, while being able to describe what they're learning using musical terminology.
Most of the material students learn is taken from existing folk, classical, jazz, and pop resources; almost nothing is contrived. There is also a strong emphasis on music of various cultures, music from outside of the traditional Western canon, and the music of minority and female composers (we don't just learn about old, dead white guys). But above all, everything we learn must be of the highest quality.
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Students in 1st through 4th grade participate in the annual Winter Sing performance in December. This is a primarily "Choral" concert that features Hanukkah and Christmas music, as well as songs about winter, classroom songs, and solfege examples.
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5th grade students participate in a spring musical. Often times this musical will be written specifically for the students by Mr. Bartunek and Mr. Blair. Musical performances are between 45 and 60 minutes long and feature six to nine pieces of music.
"We should read music in the same way that an educated adult will read a book: in silence, but imagining the sound."
- Zoltan Kodály
"To teach a child an instrument without first giving him preparatory training and without developing singing, reading and dictating to the highest level along with the playing is to build upon sand."
- Zoltan Kodály
"Let us take our children seriously! Everything else follows from this...only the best is good enough for a child."
- Zoltan Kodály
When asked at what age children should begin music lessons, Kodály responded, "Nine months before the birth of the mother."
An excellent musician needs four things:
1. A well-trained ear
2. A well-trained mind
3. A well-trained heart
4. A well-trained hand
All four must develop together, in constant equilibrium.
- Zoltan Kodály