Music

Music Education at Ross

Every child is musical. 

At Ross, music is for everyone. Our curriculum seeks to foster a lifelong love of music through the four pillars of the National Standards for Music Education: Creating, Performing, Connecting, and Evaluating. Our new classroom, outfitted with beautiful Orff instruments, drums, and keyboards, provides a rich musical experience as students learn to play, sing, read, write, and appreciate music. 

Opportunities to play band and orchestra instruments are coordinated through partnership with the DC Youth Orchestra. Students also experience playing recorder in Third Grade, bucket drums in Fourth Grade, and ukulele in Fifth Grade. 

Kennedy Center Partnership

Through a partnership with the Kennedy Center, Ross is delighted to host teaching artists for residencies each year in the visual and performing arts. This year, Second and Third Grade will work with opera singer Mary Gresock to create an operatic version of a familiar story. Fourth and Fifth Grade will explore the history of jazz and compose their own blues song in a residency led by jazz/world vocalist Imani Gozales. 

Photos coming soon

PreK-2

In the lower elementary grades, students are introduced to the concepts steady beat and rhythm, high and low, loud and soft, and fast and slow. Students learn melodic patterns through solfege and engage in activities to strengthen pitch-matching skills. 

3-5 Overview

Students in the upper elementary grades continue to build their knowledge of pitch, rhythm, dynamics, tempo, and form. They learn to read more challenging music notation, create original compositions, and develop critical listening skills. 

Contact Information

Amy Hailu

Selam-Amy Tadesse Hailu, a native of Ethiopia, has made a reputation in her country of origin as a knowledgeable music educator and accompanist. Having studied piano in her childhood with a number of instructors from the Philippines, France, Russia and America. After completing her Nursing Diploma, Amy pursued a career in music. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from Addis Ababa University’s Yared School of Music and immediately joined their faculty as a Graduate Assistant and Accompanist. She has devoted herself to the start of several ensembles, including the African Union Commission Choir and the Ethiopian Peace Choir. Amy has worked both the accompanist for the International Community School of Addis Ababa, while simultaneously pursuing dual master’s Degrees in Positive and Transcultural Psychotherapy, as well as African Studies. After her family moved to the USA in 2021,She joined Ross Elementary as the music teacher in 2023. She is a married to Dr. Mikael Amdemariam and together they have two children.

For further information about what is happening in Music, check out Principal Searl’s Weekly Bulletin for monthly updates.