“If you can walk you can dance, and if you can talk you can sing.”
-Zimbabwean Proverb
Music Department
At VOICE, music is the beating heart of everything we do. It's not just a subject; it's our passion, our inspiration, and our guiding light. We go above and beyond typical schools, offering an abundance of arts education opportunities because we know that music isn't just about playing notes—it's about shaping minds, hearts, and futures.
From day one, we've believed that music holds the key to unlocking language proficiency for English Language Learners. The rhythm of speech is intertwined with the melody of song, and through the magic of music literacy, our students don't just learn to read notes—they learn to master the very essence of language itself.
But it's not just about language; it's about instilling a love for learning that lasts a lifetime. We're not here to create performers; we're here to ignite passions, to fuel dreams, and to empower our students to reach for the stars.
The Kodály Method
At VOICE, we believe in a holistic approach to music education that combines various methodologies to create a rich and immersive learning experience. Our music instruction integrates the Kodály method, emphasizing exposure to global folk music, and aligns with literacy instruction through the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project workshop model.
We supplement our curriculum with activities from the Orff approach, fostering improvisation and composition, the Dalcroze method, promoting kinesthetic connections to music, and the Gordon method, enhancing students' ability to internalize musical concepts.
Rooted in early 20th-century Hungary, the Kodály method focuses on developing musical ear through folk songs. Our curriculum includes songs from diverse cultures, allowing students to sing in languages such as Spanish, Tibetan, French, Swahili, and Hungarian.
To learn more about the Kodály method, please visit the Kodály Institute's website for more information.
Comprehensive Musicianship through Performance
In addition to leveraging the Kodály pedagogy, the VOICE music department has designed their choral curriculum using structures inspired by a program called Comprehensive Musicianship through Performance (CMP). A CMP approach to choral education allows ensembles to engage deeply with their repertoire even when members might be new to VOICE and less experienced with music performance. Conductors select three outcomes for each piece of music:
A performance outcome that emphasizes a vocal technique such as singing melismas, singing with correct French diction, or balancing three-part polyphony.
A knowledge outcome that leverages repertoire in order to learn more about a music theory concept or a period of music history.
An affective outcome in which students make a cross-curricular connection between a piece of music and other content, their community, or the world.
By the end of each performance cycle, students will have had the opportunity to engage with their pieces in a variety of ways so that they can develop all facets of their musicianship.
Enroll your child
We are now accepting applications for the 24/25 School Year.
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