Babies

Birth-18 months old

Toddlers &

God's Children Sing

12 months-3 yrs old

Cycle of Seasons &

God's Children Sing

3-5 yrs old

Music Makers:

At Home

4-7 years old

Music Makers:

Around the World

5-8 years old

Music Makers:

At the Keyboard

5-9 yrs old

Sensory Motor

Sensory Motor

Sensory Motor

Conceptual/
Sequential

Conceptual/
Sequential

Conceptual/
Sequential

Gordon's Skill Sequence

Aural

Aural/Oral

Verbal Association, Partial Synthesis

Verbal Association, Partial Synthesis, Symbolic Association

Partial Synthesis, Symbolic Association, Composite Synthesis

Symbolic Association, Composite Synthesis, Generalization, Composition/
Improvisation, Theoretical Understanding

Singing

Adults singing; no expectation directed to child

Adults sing; no expectation of child; child may join with very familiar material, movement likely

Children begin to sing when songs become familiar, begins being mindful of tonality and resting tones

Singing more tunefully when singing in a limited range

Expanded range and repertoire

Singing to internalize the material to be played at the keyboard

Moving: Duple and Triple

Full body beat, bouncing, rocking, adult generated sensation

Locomotion; walking, running, stop and start, jumping, etc. energy and community

Impulse control, spatial awareness, and balance, expecting more, dances

Exploring elements of movement (Laban); weight, time space, flow, dances

Exploring movements and dances of specific cultures

Movements/
Dances to foster ensemble skills, comprehension of meter, and familiarity of the songs

Listening

"Aural Bath" bathing children is songs, chants, & cultural patterns

Isolated familiar sounds that tie in thematically
i.e. - sounds of a baby for "When I Was a Baby"

Contrasting sounds from nature (blue jay and cardinal) played in isolated fashion

Nature sounds played in the context of it's environment, instrumental sounds in solo and ensemble

Instrumental ensembles and compositions that are specific to a culture or style

Keyboard/
song process to bridge between singing circles and keyboard. Classical piano literature

Instrument Playing

Sensory exploration; beat in close proximity

Adding drums, resonator bars; steady beat bilateral movement to beat

Introducing ostinati; transferring movement ideas to instruments

Ostinati with familiar songs, several parts not at the same time

Two or more ostinati occurring simultaneously, ensemble opportunities

Keyboard activities promote instrumental skills necessary to play songs

Patterns

Hearing many patterns in duple, triple, major and minor

Echoing on a neutral syllable

Echoing using a rhythm language or solfege, isolating familiar patterns

Recognizing familiar patterns in songs, seeing familiar patterns in notation

Visually recognizing familiar patterns in written songs and having the sound pattern in their heads

Building a repertoire of visually and aurally familiar patterns in songs, applying knowledge to improvise