Every student at Valley Institute Elementary School attends music class once every other week for fourty minutes. The textbook used is The Music Connection by Silver Burdett and Ginn. The textbook is supplemented by recordings, videos, games, manipulatives, and instruments. Singing is a very important part of music class, but children also have opportunities to play rhythm instruments and melody instruments.
Students learn about composers by listening to their music and hearing stories about their lives.
Students in fifth grade participate in an awards program which encourages them to take advantage of the many opportunities we have in this area to broaden their exposure to music. The objectives for all music classes are from the Standards of Learning for Music developed by the Virginia Department of Education. Due to the large number of students served by the itinerant music teacher, teacher observation and questioning are the primary tools for evaluating students in music class.