Music

Montessori Theory Foundation

Maria Montessori considered music to be another language and treated it as such. She developed a complete program that is comparable to both the Kodaly and Orff programs. The program addresses pitch, rhythm, duration, intensity, tambour, tone, form, style, and historical period. Children are involved in singing, listening, theory, Eurythmics, playing instruments, history and literature.

The study of music in the Montessori classroom begins with listening to examples of classical music and hearing the story of music. The children explore the sounds of different instruments. Montessori music is intended to be part of the ongoing life of the classroom. The tone bars and bells are out and available to the children throughout their day.

The materials are attractive and organized to isolate difficulty. They have a built in control of error. They are also freely available to children. They are not teaching materials, but tools for the child’s self-construction.

The study of music provides children with the fundamentals of music theory. The child learns to name the notes on the scale and to change from one scale to another.

THE MONTESSORI SYLLABUS FOR MUSIC

Singing

Introduction

Selecting Songs

Teaching a song

Related activities

Rhythm

Introduction

Clapping

Clapping 4-beat measure Sensorial

Introduction to note patterns

Clapping names

Sensorial

Notation

Clapping items in the room

Moving to a rhythmic notation

Reading note patterns

Making note patterns with loose cards

Dictation

Finding rhythmic patterns in music

Making chants to fit a rhythmic pattern

Dictation using words

Listening

Introduction

Listening to music

Listening games

Bells

Matching

Establishing up and down

Grading

Whole Step/Half Step/ Tetrachord

Name Lessons with the Bells

The Story of the Grand Staff

The Bells: Music Theory, Notation

Introduction to the Musical Staff

Note names on the staff – marked green staff

Note names on the staff – unmarked green staff

Learning note names on the Staff

Description Cards

Naming Sharps and Flats: Bells and Discs

Sharps and Flats Notation

Naming Scales

Composing Music by Ear

Composing Music using Movable Alphabet of Music

Card Material for Facility in Reading Music

Word Games

The Broken Scale

The White Boards for Bells and Singing

Simple Songs

Sensorial Transposition of Simple Songs

Bass Clef and its Notation

Pitch Dictation – Singing

Pitch Dictation – Notation

Music History

Types of Music within Western Music Tradition

Composers

Eras in Music History

Scientific Investigation of Sound

Introduction

Striking Water in Glasses

Striking using a tuning fork

Striking a spoon on a string

Sliding a crystal glass ring

Blowing: Soda Bottles

Blowing: Soda Straw “pipes of pan”

Plucking: Playing a rubber Band

Movement

Exercises for body control

Walking on the Line

Silence

Accents

Dynamics

Tempo

Free Movement

Productions

Class Trips to Performances

Planning and Producing Productions

Performance

Playing Instruments

Introduction

Body Percussion

Percussion Instruments

Percussion Instruments – Conducting and Notation

Playing Other Instruments

Instruments of the Orchestra

Making Instruments

Tone Bars

Sensorial Introduction

Naming the tone Bars and Notating them

Bass Clef and Its Notation

Naming the Degrees of the Scale

Intervals

The Sequence of the Major Scales – Sharps

Sharps

Flats

The Chain

The Star (Circle of 5ths)

Key Signature

Transposition of simple songs

Introduction to the Minor Scales