Sage Ridge Music: Overview and Samples

Music at Sage Ridge School begins in grade 3 and students are required to take music through grade 7; in grade 8, students choose two electives and music is one of the courses students may choose.

Lower School

In grades 3-5, students are exposed to a traditional music curriculum that is informed by contemporary research. Students begin by learning the fundamentals of music with the goal of becoming tuneful, beautiful, and artful music makers. Students then begin a rigorous music literacy curriculum that teaches them to become fluent music readers. While this is taking place, students learn to express and feel music and develop an art for music making beyond the notes on the page; this is achieved through a sequence of Eurhythmics. Students are exposed to various genres of music, including art songs, symphonies, rock and roll, and more. Students finish grade 5 prepared to participate in music for the rest of their lives in a well-informed way.

Middle School

In grades 6-8, students undergo a commercial music curriculum consisting of guitar, music production, a modern band, and other elements of contemporary music. In grade 6, students learn fundamental skills on guitar and are able to play most songs that they would hear on the radio. Students in grade 6 also learn the basics of music production, including how to create drum beats, remix songs, and write and produce simple songs. In grade 7, students learn more advanced guitar technique consisting of soloing and improvising, playing simple guitar leads, and learning more advanced chords. Students continue the music production curriculum, and will have written at least 5 songs, enough to complete an EP. Students finish grade 7 with skills that enable them to actively participate in music for the rest of their lives. Music 8 is an elective course in which the commercial music curriculum is fully realized. Students can either choose to further develop their skills on guitar or choose another instrument to form a band; the instrument choices include keyboard, bass guitar, drum set, and vocals. In addition, students learn the basics of studio recording, and each produce a song that is recorded by the band. Students are presented with a survey of the history of rock and roll, and will apply techniques from various artists to their own music making.

Listen to music samples produced by the Grade 5 music class for their final project below!