The Arts

Education Through Music

Our music program is brought to us by FOWHE and ETN LA. Through quality music instruction connected to the Common Core State Standards, students achieve academically, creatively and socially, supporting their:

• Ability to pay attention and focus.

• Self-confidence and self-esteem.

• Music reinforces learning in other subjects.

Each child will receive general music with differentiated instruction per grade level, building musical skills and concepts in a sequential comprehensive manner.  Each music lesson is centered on aims that integrate both music objectives and common core benchmarks.

TK-1  Vocal, Movement, Orff Instruments

2-3   Vocal, Movement, Recorder Instruments

4-5   Vocal, Orff Xylophones, Music Technology

In addition, we have a self-selecting pull-out vocal program for students who desire to go deeper in building their vocal skills, and ensemble performing.

All students perform a showcase of their musical learning twice a year for their parents and school community.

To measure students’ success and achievement in developing music skills and concepts, our music teacher implements ongoing assessment (homework, quizzes, journaling and reflection, performance, participation, and more).  A year-end assessment is implemented to measure how the students achieve based on ETM-LA benchmarks.

For more information about this program, please check their website http://www.etmla.org/.

Ballroom

At WHE the 5th graders participate in ballroom dancing. It is a tool for getting the children to break down social barriers, learn about honor and respect, treat others carefully, improve self-confidence, as well as communicate and cooperate with each other.

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The Ballroom Program uses a curriculum-based teaching approach to achieve social awareness and build self-esteem. Students are taught the vocabulary of various contemporary and social dances in a classroom setting. Each class in the series introduces new steps, reinforcing what has been previously learned through practice and repetition.

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The students learn the skills, culture and history of five different ballroom dances. The dances they learn are the Merengue, Fox Trot, Tango, Swing and Waltz. This variety of dances also teaches them about different styles, character, rhythms and tempi. 

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The teaching philosophy at WHE is one of inside out versus outside in. The program is not just about teaching dance, it’s about teaching pride, confidence and respect. We take the dance that is inherent in students’ bodies and help them bring it out, not force it in, enabling students to increase their self-esteem as they learn. The program concludes in a Culminating Event where the students get to demonstrate all the dances they learned to their families as well as their maturity and elegance in dancing with a partner.