HELEN C. PEIRCE SCHOOL OF INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
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​MUSIC

Kindergarten & 1st Grade
Young children need time to explore music. During the first two years in the music classroom, students sing, play musical games, use basic rhythm instruments and begin to develop musical vocabulary. Our emphasis in music is to develop singing skills, since this is the instrument they will always have with them!

2nd & 3rd Grades
Students are exposed to many genres of music from many cultures. As students become more advanced in their musical skills, additional instruments are incorporated into lessons. Orff instruments such as xylophones, metallophones and glockenspiels, along with the rhythm instruments, allow students to explore improvisation and musical creation.
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Students begin to learn musical notation and can sing rounds and simple two-part arrangements. Thanks to a great past student teacher, all students learn “Body Solfege.” Solfege is a system which gives a syllable to each pitch of the musical scale (do, re, mi, etc.). Historically, hand signs have been used to show a visual of these syllables as they are sung. The hand signs, however, need fine motor skills which younger students often haven’t yet developed. By transferring these signs to large movements with the body, students hear the sound and, as the pitch goes up or down, so do the movements. This is a very effective way to get students to understand pitch relativity: movements go up, pitch goes up and vice versa.

4th Grade
Students learn to play the recorder, a pre-band instrument. Each child purchases a recorder and book so that they can take their instrument home to practice. The Recorder Karate method is used at Peirce. Karate students earn different color “belts” (in our school, it’s beads!) for mastering songs. Additional music is added for the Winter Sing and Spring Concert and they have the opportunity to earn the GOLD bead for preparing the extra music.

5th Grade 
Students continue to develop their music reading skills and move toward beginning composition. Each spring the entire 5th grade is involved in producing a musical which is performed at the end of May. We often correlate the International Studies country for the year. Past productions include:
  • Theseus and the Minotaur (2004). International Studies Country: Greece
  • Caribbean Folk Tales: 4 Plays with Music (2005). International Studies Area: Caribbean
  • Many Tribes, One Voice (2006), International Studies Country: South Africa
  • The Adventures of Hansel and Gretel (2007). International Studies Country: Germany
  • Myths and Music of the Ancient Americas (2008) International Studies Country: Argentina
  • Dig It! A Musical of Ancient Cultures (2009)

6th Grade
Students continue developing their music reading and notating skills through an in-depth study of Jazz music.

7th Grade
Students complete an African Drumming unit during the fall semester and then shift their focus to the Renaissance in the Spring. All 7th grade students perform in the Annual Sharing and Showcasing Shakespeare program in June.

8th Grade
During their final year at Peirce, students focus primarily on choral music in preparation for their Graduation in June. Students sing in 2- and 3-parts for the Winter Sing and the Spring Concert. More advanced music theory is also studied.

​BROOKE TIPPET THOMPSON 

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Music Teacher 
Brooke Tippett Thompson has been teaching kindergarten through 8th grade music at Peirce since 1998. Originally trained as an opera singer, Ms. Thompson worked in arts administration and fundraising prior to teaching, but found her true calling while attending graduate school for Vocal Pedagogy.

Ms. Thompson is a National Board Certified Teacher and mentors other music candidates through the process. She is a much sought-after supervising teacher and has had the privilege of working with over 20 pre-service teachers since 2002. Ms. Thompson has been the recipient of more than $25,000 in grants since beginning at Peirce School. In 2008, Ms. Thompson won a Golden Apple Award for Teaching Excellence.
In addition to her teaching duties, Ms. Thompson is a teacher representative on the Local School Council, member of the Instructional Leadership Team, coordinator of the After-School All-Stars program and assists other teachers with grant writing. She is also responsible for bringing the national Education Through Music program to Chicago and has been its local coordinator since 2003.

Outside of school, Ms. Thompson works with the Golden Apple Scholars program which provides professional development for pre-service teachers throughout their college years.

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 Helen C. Peirce
School of  International Studies
1423 W. Bryn Mawr
Chicago IL, 60660
Phone: (773) 534 2440
Fax: (773) 534 2577

PK Branch
5300 N. Broadway
Chicago, IL 60640
Phone:  (773) 534-2234
​Fax:  (773) 534-2235

Fax: (773) 534-2577 
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Non-Discrimination Statement It is the policy of the Board to prohibit unlawful discrimination, harassment, and retaliation on the basis of any protected category by the Constitution of the United States, the Constitution of the State of Illinois, and applicable federal, state or local laws or ordinances, including but not limited to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VI), Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII), Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA), Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Title IX), the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504), specifically, but not limited to, discrimination, harassment, or retaliation on the basis of sexual orientation, gender or sex (includes gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, and pregnancy-related medical conditions), race or ethnicity, ethnic group identification, ancestry, nationality, national origin, religion, color, mental or physical disability, age, immigration status, marital status, registered domestic partner status, genetic information, political belief or affiliation (not union-related), military status, unfavorable discharge from military service, or on the basis of a person’s association with a person or group with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics in the educational programs or activities the Board operates.

Concerns or inquiries regarding sex discrimination, harassment, or retaliation can be made to the Board’s Title IX Coordinator in the Office of Student Protections and Title IX (OSP) or the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights (OCR).

For information on mental health, go to Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Resources
  • Home
  • About
    • Our History
    • Mission & Vision
    • School Tours
    • Enrollment Information
    • Policies & Forms
    • Staff Directory
    • Local School Council (LSC)
    • Continuous Improvement Work Plan
    • Support Peirce
    • Branding Guidelines
  • Family Information
    • Before & After School Programs
    • Case Management
    • Student Door Entry
    • New to Peirce
    • Family Communication
    • Parent Organizations
    • Principal's Newsletter
    • Volunteer Opportunties
  • Academics
    • International Baccalaureate >
      • IB Primary Years Programme
      • IB Middle Years Programme
      • IB Learner Profile
    • Pre K
    • Art
    • English Learner Program
    • Counseling Department
    • Dance
    • Garden
    • Music
    • Physical Education
    • Restorative Practices
    • Spanish
    • Sports Programs
    • Technology
  • Calendar