Art, Music, & PE

Art, Music and PE are critical parts of our curriculum. They are taught by experienced teachers who are specialists in their fields. Lessons in Art, Music and PE reinforce the IB central ideas being learned throughout the rest of the school day. Full-time Early Childhood students have each of these classes once per week. Students in First to Fifth grade enjoy each of these classes two times every six days.

ART

During our Preschool and Kindergarten art program, your child will not only have fun, they will learn a whole lot about fine motor skills, color theory and the difference between 2D and 3D art too. At the ages of three to six, children are encouraged to build up their confidence when it comes to fine motor skills. They are not aware of how much they can accomplish, and so we do a lot of observational drawings, as well as talk about lines and shapes- the basis of all 2D and 3D art.

The 1st through 5th Grade art program uses a spiraling curriculum, where ideas, concepts, skills, media, and processes are introduced and revisited many times throughout a student’s educational journey at ISP. This gives the student the chance to build upon skills and deepen their learning.

MUSIC

Preschool and Kindergarten music classes include songs, rhymes, instrument playing, movement and listening experiences designed to build understanding of music concepts and to build music skills. Our young students learn about music concepts such as tempo (how fast or slow the beat is), melody (high and low pitches, pitches moving up, down or staying the same), tone color (recognizing the instruments or voices by their sound), dynamics (how loud or quiet the music is), rhythm and beat. We also spend time experimenting with different types of voices (talking, whispering, singing) and developing the singing voice. Throughout the year children also learn the proper way to play and care for instruments.

The 1st through 5th Grade music program provides a survey of music from around the world through immersion in ensemble music repertoire, improvisation, composition, and movement skills. From first grade to fifth, every piece of repertoire and musical genre is chosen for a specific musical or movement elemental concept. Classes are designed for every student to attempt and internalize the concepts which make up points along a grade-level spiraling skill set.

By the time your young musician graduates from ISP they will have experienced workshops for Ghanaian drumming and Brazilian Capoeira music and movement; diverse guest performers; Oregon Symphony concerts; folk dances from around the globe; traditional Chinese instruments and dance and elements of Japanese aesthetics and design; Andean tarqueadas and North Argentinian carnavalito songs and dance; creative movement representations of inventions by African American inventors; playing modal Jazz pieces and music in irregular meter; learning how Jazz is like a democracy and how it helped usher in the Civil Rights movement; improvising lyrics, rhythms, and melodies; telling fictional stories by composing and arranging music set to original art and choreographing group dances; singing in a group and independently in canon; practicing active listening skills, giving constructive peer feedback, and acquiring skills for creative musical collaboration; reading and composing in traditional staff notation, and inventing their own system of notation; communicating and interpreting musical ideas through gestures; playing and improvising on Soprano recorder, Alto recorder, Tenor recorder, and Bass recorder; and playing our classroom orchestra of pitched xylophones and unpitched percussion.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

Early Childhood Physical Education at ISP is a place to learn how to play together, to become aware of how our bodies move, and to grow confident taking risks and learning new things. Our class consists of a variety of activities designed to improve gross motor and hand-eye/foot coordination. Gross motor skills include running, hopping, jumping, leaping, galloping and skipping. Skills to develop hand-eye/foot coordination include throwing, catching, dribbling, kicking, and striking. We will also explore creative and rhythmic movement through dancing, animal walks, and Imagination Yoga.

The sequencing of our PE curriculum includes introducing skills in prek, developing these skills in lowk, and mastering them in kindergarten. Other skills are introduced in lowk or k but not mastered until the primary years.

In 1st through 5th Grade (the elementary school years), PE class strives to give children a lifelong love of being active, encouraging them to understand their role in developing their bodies. In PE class children learn to strive for their best, to endure the work they ask of their bodies to grow it strong and true. They accomplish goals while respecting others, setting age appropriate, individual goals that give each child a meaningful sense of accomplishment.