Music

Suzuki Violin

Every student in Kindergarten is taught to play the violin by Gail Acosta, a skilled violin teacher trained in the Suzuki method age appropriate to these students. Violin class is taught in the classroom and involves the classroom teacher and parent volunteers.

The class is taught for one half hour with students divided into two “master classes” of approximately ten students each. When one master class receives instruction, the other is outside the classroom engaged in a music-related activity with parent volunteers. Inside the classroom, instruction commences with students and teacher greeting each other respectfully in Japanese.

Students are taught the parts of the violin and bow and to respect and value their instrument. Students learn numerous physical positions necessary for playing the violin; these include proper foot stance, rest position with violin under arm, bow hold, violin placement under chin and pizzicato with thumb on fingerboard. Toward the conclusion of the year, students begin to learn to draw the bow across the strings.

Students also begin to read music on a staff and to apply the rhythms they have learned while drawing the bow across the string beginning to make a full sound. Using open strings and simple fingerings, students learn a basic repertoire. At year’s end, all students perform in a violin recital.

Instrumental Music

The Colfax Instrumental Music Program will be taught by an instructor from Burbank Music Academy. Their mission is to expand the number of young people who are exposed to a music education, to develop the talent, ability and character of young artists and to support community efforts to return arts education to our schools.

In this program students in grades 1-2 will be working with rhythm sticks, students in third grade will be learning the recorder, and students in grades 4-5 will be learning the keyboard.

Orchestra

The Colfax Orchestra Program consists of beginning and advanced students who play violin, cello, flute, clarinet, trumpet and trombone. Students in grades 3-5 have the option to sign up for the Colfax Orchestra, which meets for an hour once a week with our Orchestra teacher, Ms Conrad. The students enjoy performing opportunities such as the Holiday Program, the World Fair, the Culminating Concert, as well as other special invitational performing venues.