PSMS 278

Art

All students have weekly art classes.  Grades K-2 study fine arts and basic elements of art.  Grades 3-5 learn about world crafts focusing on mask making, quilting, crocheting and weaving.  Middle School students study calligraphy, graphic design architecture and clay animation.

Music

The Paula Hedbavny School offers a rich music curriculum. Our students learn to play the keyboard beginning in kindergarten. Students follow the Music and the Brain Curriculum which introduces students to music from around the world. Through this interactive program, children develop their reading skills by singing song lyrics, they improve their math skills when they learn musical notation, and they further develop their coordination and motor skills by practicing at the piano. Our music room is equipped with a Music and the Brain Keyboard Lab. Each student plays at his/her own keyboard during the twice-per-week music class. At the end of the school year families are invited to attend a class recital where each student plays a solo on the keyboard.

Students continue to follow the Music and the Brain keyboard curriculum through 2nd grade. Students progress from basic one-handed songs to full-page two-handed pieces over the course of this three-year program.

Our third grade students apply the notation and performance skills learned from their keyboard experience to the recorder. Students participate in Carnegie Hall’s LinkUp! program. Each year the LinkUp! program focuses on a new theme. Children learn to sing and play pieces of music that relate to the yearly theme. The students also study orchestral pieces through the LinkUp! curriculum. At the end of the school year, students take a trip to Carnegie Hall where they join thousands of 3rd -5th grade students from around the city to play the recorder and sing the music they studied throughout the year. The children are accompanied by the Orchestra of St. Luke’s and follow the onstage conductor. The orchestra also performs live renditions of all of the orchestral music studied through the year.

When our students reach 4th grade they have the option of joining the school band, violin ensemble, or chorus. We are lucky to be the recipients of a Department of Education Arts Grant, which provided us with 10 violins. We have the VH1 Save the Music Band Instrument Grant and received a donation of guitars from Little Kids Rock. Our band students play trumpet, trombone, clarinet, flute, keyboard, drums, and guitars. Our band and violin programs include students from 4th-8th grade. Often our middle school students act as mentors to our beginner students.

Dance and Enhanced Music

In addition to our in-house music program, PS/MS 278 has partnered with the 92nd Street Y to bring an additional music residency and Creative Dance teacher to our school for a year-long residency program. Each kindergarten-4th grade class meets with our dance teacher once per week. Our dance instructor and classroom teachers collaborate to create a unique dance program for each class. The themes and movements studied during dance class align with other subject areas. Families are invited to an end of year performance.