MOS MAIORUM—MUSIC

Liberty Common School regards music as a core discipline. The Music Program is dedicated to educating students to understand, appreciate, and make beautiful music by offering a diverse array of musical opportunities.

Students are primarily taught musical works from the Western canon, and to incline themselves toward truth, beauty, goodness and perfection as experienced through music. Core music classes are taught to students in grades K-8 following the Core Knowledge Curriculum.

By applying the Thinking Framework strategy, Liberty Common students gain the competencies and skills necessary to enable and enhance their ability to craft and appreciate music.

In grades K-6, professional music instructors explore a wide variety of topics ranging from musical elements, notation, significant composers and their works, and the historical and cultural importance of music. Teachers present the parts of music by promoting and teaching active listening. Every class involves actively listening to music, usually as an entrée to a lesson about music history. Students either sing songs from the Core Knowledge Curriculum, or deliberately practice a particular part of music to conclude a typical daily lesson.

Professional junior-high and high-school instructors lead one of the region’s strongest band and orchestra programs. The school promotes excellence in practice and performance techniques in both instrumental and vocal programs, with the apex goal of lifetime musicianship. Full-year courses include Choir, Intermediate Band, Concert Band, String Orchestra, and AP Music Theory, and Musical Theater.