Music
The Arts Education Branch of LAUSD provides credentialed educators in various arts disciplines to elementary schools. Music is recognized as a "core" subject. (See Plato!)
Wilshire Crest has enjoyed orchestra classes for many years. More than exposure to music, instrumental music invites and rewards full engagement at home between weekly classes during the school day.
Excited by the possibility of making music on an orchestral instrument (flute, clarinet, cornet, trombone, percussion, violin or ‘cello), students depend on the support of their families and classroom teachers. After the first flush of success, students often discover that to reach the next level may take more effort than they expected. Particularly, students used to easy academic success experience unfamiliar challenges when learning to play an instrument! Thus, our “contract” is for the entire school year…please don’t let your child give up!
Musicianship includes developing physical technique on the chosen instrument, listening (aural) and music reading (literacy) skills. Creative projects often emerge from unique interests of the enrolled students. Playing together develops musical community we call “ensemble.” Simple ensembles might involve first creating convincing unison (one voice) and move to duets.
Instrumental students apply mathematical, geometric and physical concepts. They observe and analyze musical form. Musical literacy includes reading and writing musical symbols and notation, and making connections between musical language and the more familiar poems, sentences, paragraphs, spelling, word origin and syntax.
Yes, daily homework (practice and written work) is expected!
Students bring instruments, assigned books and a pencil to each class. The most important time to practice is the day of the class, perhaps showing a parent what was new or reinforced at school that day. Throughout the year, playing the first pages as “warm-ups” and review, sometimes with new skills applied to those first notes/tones, is highly recommended. Students will be shown how to extract challenging motifs (small patterns), and how to discern satisfaction (or not) with their execution of the motif. Playing melodies in reverse develops nimble reading skills and prepares students to understand the compositional technique of “retrograde.”
Wilshire Crest has enjoyed orchestra classes for many years. More than exposure to music, instrumental music invites and rewards full engagement at home between weekly classes during the school day.
Excited by the possibility of making music on an orchestral instrument (flute, clarinet, cornet, trombone, percussion, violin or ‘cello), students depend on the support of their families and classroom teachers. After the first flush of success, students often discover that to reach the next level may take more effort than they expected. Particularly, students used to easy academic success experience unfamiliar challenges when learning to play an instrument! Thus, our “contract” is for the entire school year…please don’t let your child give up!
Musicianship includes developing physical technique on the chosen instrument, listening (aural) and music reading (literacy) skills. Creative projects often emerge from unique interests of the enrolled students. Playing together develops musical community we call “ensemble.” Simple ensembles might involve first creating convincing unison (one voice) and move to duets.
Instrumental students apply mathematical, geometric and physical concepts. They observe and analyze musical form. Musical literacy includes reading and writing musical symbols and notation, and making connections between musical language and the more familiar poems, sentences, paragraphs, spelling, word origin and syntax.
Yes, daily homework (practice and written work) is expected!
Students bring instruments, assigned books and a pencil to each class. The most important time to practice is the day of the class, perhaps showing a parent what was new or reinforced at school that day. Throughout the year, playing the first pages as “warm-ups” and review, sometimes with new skills applied to those first notes/tones, is highly recommended. Students will be shown how to extract challenging motifs (small patterns), and how to discern satisfaction (or not) with their execution of the motif. Playing melodies in reverse develops nimble reading skills and prepares students to understand the compositional technique of “retrograde.”
FEATURED Orchestra and Chorus sign up. If interested please complete form by September 7, 2020. Click Here 
Ms. Greer is the Orchestra and after-school Choir teacher at Wilshire Crest Elementary School. She graduated from Northern Illinois University with a degree in Music Education, focusing on both vocal and instrumental music. She has been fascinated with music since she was very young, starting out with voice and dance classes. At age five, she began playing the piano, and went on to learn all the other instruments.
Besides music, she loves traveling and has taught abroad in Thailand, Italy, and England. She teaches with creativity and enthusiasm and aims to inspire every child to share her own love of music.