Basic Progression of Music Theory grades 1-7

So, I'm sitting here laying on a borrowed bed, in the home of a wonderful family in Navi Mumbai, India. I've been teaching at a conference for the past week, and tomorrow I give a morning keynote on music in the grades. I thought I'd put notes up here for them all to be able to access often. For everyone, enjoy.First Grade: BEGINNING AT THE BEGINNINGMost songs in pentatonic scaleMood of the fifth helps students listen continually, and not just for an end.seasonal songssongs about fairy tales that accompany storiesEighth-Eighth-quarter, and rests.rhythm-reading via BLUE JELLO sticks, etc. (see "No H in Snake", a wonderful book on music theory)"light and airy".Single-tone Choroi flutesPentatonic Choroi flutessimple percussion (sticks, rattles, etc)We don't want them beating too heavilly on drums, and stamping.  These are motions of incarnation, which will come later.  Right now we want to allow them to "float".Simple drone beats on ORFF media.more in exploration than in production.Singing GamesCall and ResponseAfter students have their alphabet in tact, use ABCDEFG cards to play Snake (also from No H in Snake)Students always love making a GIANT alphabet snake that goes all the way around the classroom.This helps reinforce the cyclical nature of the musical alphabet.Second Grade: BEYOND THE FIRST STEPSSome songs in the Pentatonic Scale, breaking away sometimes is ok.Seasonal songssongs about fables to accompany storiesadd half notes and half restsContinue BLUE JELLO rhythmic notation.pentatonic choroi flutessimple percussion (Same as first grade)Simple ORFF media, matching grade specific rhythm.Mainly explored, some production.Continue playing with alphabet cardsNow, use them as intervals: CEGBDFA, CFBEADG, CGDAEBF, etc.Third Grade: EXTENDING THE MUSICAL VOCABULARYDiatonic Scalesoprano recorderviolinseasonal songssongs about Hebrew Stories, Native Populations, HomebuildingdrummingAdd whole notes and restsSoprano / descant recorderBegin with B, A, and G at the top of the recorder.  Slowly add d', E, D, C.  Once they have this, use a song that doesn not use F.  ("I will go with my father a'ploughing" works great.)Once they have mastered these notes (go slowly), teach the forked fingers of F and B-flatORFF accompaniment to sung and recorder-played pieces.Introduce note-reading slowly.I've seen this done along with the story of Noah's Ark.  The ramp to the ark was representative of the five-rung staff of the treble cleff.  As part of the teacher's chalkboard drawing, animals with beginning letters corresponding to the notes were placed accordingly on the ramp.  C-crocodile, D-Duck, E-Elephant, F-Flamingo, G-Gorilla, A-Anteater, B-Bear (H-Hamster).It's important that students gain a solid connection that as notes go up, they move higher on the staff, etc.  I like to start have the students create a musical alphabet using slate boards, each with a letter on it.  They lay it out toward, and then up against the wall, climbing up to the chalkboard.  This is when I strike chalk line as a "ladder" for their boards to cling to.  We remove the boards, but draw the letter on it's corresponding line and space.One can also use the hand as a representation of the treble staff, the pinky being an E, and the thumb an e'.Fourth Grade: DEVELOPING MUSICAL PROFICIENCYSeasonal SongsSongs of Norse Mythology, Animals in their natural habitats, Rhythmsixteenth notes including eighth-sixteenth divisionsyncopation (eighth-quarter-eigth)read, write, play, sing dotted quarter-note rhythms.Write simple melodies in key of C,F, and GSing 3 and 4 part rounds and cannonsSopranocomplete lower octave, and working on upper octaveFifth Grade: TOWARDS INDEPENDENT MUSICIANSHIPSeasonal songsSongs of Ancient Cultures, read, write, sing and play pieces in 6/8 meterPerform pieces with three independent voice partsSixth Grade: EXPLORING VARIATIONalto recorders / cellosmedieval songs and marchesdrumming complex, polyphonic rhythmsSeventh Grade: PLAYING TOGETHER, APART.Songs of exploration and renaissancefull quartet of recorders (Bass, Tenor, Alto, Soprano)Orchestra (Violin, Viola, Cello, Bass)Polyphonic compositions