Lower School: Special Subjects

Lower School students attend additional classes taught by specialists in their fields. Physical education is provided daily. Art, music, and world languages (Spanish or French) are offered twice in a six-day cycle, in addition to a weekly visit to the library. In Kindergarten through Second Grade, students have the option of a Suzuki String Experience on violin, viola, or cello. Beginning in Third Grade, instrumental music lessons are available individually or in small group sessions. Students also have the opportunity to sing in a chorus or to participate in dance. Performances occur at various times throughout the school year.

Art

The Lower School art experience encourages students to become creative thinkers by teaching skills that aid in the development of ideas and creative work. Many of the projects are theme based and often focus on a topic that is being studied in their classrooms. The children also work on collaborative projects that support interdisciplinary learning and community service. They have a chance to broaden their global awareness and develop a sense of their place in the world as they learn about the arts and crafts of different cultures. Past and present artists are introduced, stories are shared, illustrations are shown, and art is displayed to provide visual examples as the children work. Along the way, students become more visually aware of their environment and recognize how art is a part of their daily lives.

Creative Movement and Dance

This class provides an introduction to dance as an art, challenging the entire body and stimulating the mind as well as the muscles. Students develop strength, flexibility, coordination, and confidence while learning fundamental movement skills, spatial and body awareness, dance vocabulary, and the appreciation of dance as a medium of self-expression. Prekindergarten meets twice in the six-day cycle for Music and Movement class, while Kindergarten through Second Grade students participate in a dance unit weekly within their Physical Education class. Students in Third through Fifth Grades may elect to take dance during a Performing Arts period, and perform at the end of each semester.

Instrumental Music

Suzuki String Talent Education

Students in Kindergarten through Second Grade have the opportunity to learn to play the violin, viola, or cello. The Suzuki Method teaches students to learn through listening to music, imitating the teacher, and repeating a musical piece until mastered. MPH is the only school in Central New York to offer this program beginning at the Kindergarten level. Suzuki students receive a weekly small group lesson and a weekly group class by grade, while parents play an integral role as "home teachers."

First Year Instrumentalists

Students in Third through Fifth Grades who are interested in learning a woodwind, brass, string, or percussion instrument may enroll in small group lessons. Piano lessons are available for an extra charge.

Band

Students in Third through Fifth Grades who have played a woodwind, brass, percussion, or keyboard instrument for one year or more may participate in the Lower School Band or Jazz Combo. These ensembles meet twice a week and perform at least two concerts per year. Band students are also enrolled in small weekly group lessons.

String Ensemble

Students in Third through Fifth Grades who have played a string instrument for one year or more may participate in the Lower School String Ensemble. This ensemble meets twice a week and performs at least two concerts per year. String Ensemble students are enrolled in small weekly group lessons as well.

All instrumental music lessons, except for piano, are provided at no extra charge.

Library

Each week students listen to stories read aloud, participate in stimulating projects, and select materials to bring home. Through the read-alouds, students are introduced to a wide range of authors, genres, and perspectives. Library lessons are designed to support classroom units and themes. Students learn research skills through the use of printed and online reference tools like encyclopedias, magazines, almanacs, and atlases, in preparation for future research projects.

Physical Education

At MPH, each Lower School class has physical education every day with physical education instructors, making use of the gymnasium and outdoor facilities of the School. The carefully planned curriculum is designed to spiral so that students consistently develop, strengthen, and reinforce their knowledge and skills with opportunities to apply them in a non-competitive atmosphere. As the students' skills and maturity develop, the program begins to introduce team activities and sports. An important goal of physical education classes is to develop a positive attitude toward fitness, strong self-esteem, and good sportsmanship.

Vocal Music

Vocal Music class is the place to experience, identify, practice, create, evaluate, and reinforce all that music can offer in the students' lives as well as in other cultures of the world. Musical terms are introduced and applied to classroom songs as students create their own accompaniments with rhythm, melody, and Orff instruments. Students use poetry to help them see the similarities of rhythms in speech and music. The class listens to and talks about composers, their lives and music, and how the world at that time influenced their music. Songs are used to celebrate special events of the year as well as holidays. Beginning in Third Grade, students are welcome to join the Lower School Chorus, where they study and perform music at a more advanced level. Students sing songs from other countries, in original languages to enhance appreciation of world music.

World Languages

Children at all grade levels receive instruction in French or Spanish, incorporating a multidisciplinary approach with a focus on communication and culture. Literature, art, music, and history are interwoven throughout the course to achieve an in-depth understanding of a different culture. Students read books, make handicrafts, learn songs and poetry, share current events, sharpen their geography skills with map-making, and present homework projects to their classmates. Small classes enable students to actively participate in oral discussions, fostering communication among students and with the teacher. Pronunciation is gradually refined and grammar rules are introduced, while games and physical movement help facilitate the memorization and internalization of the vocabulary.