Music Education

Ben Rush Music Teachers

Gordon Robbe (grobbe@lwsd.org) and Robyn Hodges (rhodges@lwsd.org)

Welcome to the Ben Rush Elementary Music web page! Our objective in music is to provide positive and diverse musical learning experiences, providing a fun and engaging atmosphere to explore, play instruments, create, listen and move to music. We want our students at Ben Rush to leave with love and appreciation of music and what it can provide them in life, whether as a performer, or consumer of music.

We design our curriculum around our school district's music standards, the Washington State Arts Learning Standards for Music and National Music Standards and use the district's adopted “Spotlight On Music” K-5 Curriculum. We discover musical content through multiple modalities such as movement, playing instruments, musical games, singing, or technology, and incorporate a multi-arts approach involving dance, drama, and visual arts. Each grade focuses on different concepts, curricular goals and units of study. By the time they exit elementary school, each student will have had the opportunity to sing, play melodic instruments (like xylophones, recorder and ukuleles) and non-pitched instruments (like drums and various percussion), experience creative movement, read and compose music notation, study multi-cultural, Western and other composers and music throughout history, and practice music theory through a variety of activities.

A student’s grade is based on their behavior, effort and participation in music class.

Students also have opportunities outside of music class to further their music knowledge and participate in music. Starting in fourth (or fifth) grade, students can join band or orchestra (meeting at Rose Hill Middle School). Choirs are also offered at Ben Rush (directed by Robyn Hodges) before school on Tuesdays: Ben Rush Intermediate Choir (any 3rd-5th grader can join, Oct-Dec) and Primary (Beginning) Choir (any K-2nd grader can join, end of March-June). More information will be sent home prior to these programs' start dates through the PTA and school e-newsletters.

We know how wonderfully diverse our community is at Ben Rush and would like to extend an invitation to anyone wanting to share a song or instrumental music from your culture/country! Please contact the Music Department (Mrs. Hodges or Mr. Robbe) to schedule a visit/presentation. We look forward to speaking with you!

If you have any questions about the music program, please feel free to contact either one of us!

“Sing-cerely”,

Gordon Robbe and Robyn Hodges