In our class students will learn to perform, compose, read and evaluate music.

We will learn to play the piano, drums and guitar.

We will learn to read music notation.

We will learn about the great composers who shaped music history.

WEEK OF MAY 14TH

All classes will begin our final reading/expository essay assignment on JS Bach. As a reminder, works cited format is shown below:

Yudkin, Jeremy. Understanding Music. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1996.

The above entry is for the in class reading.  You will need to cite your second source using the example sheet handed out in class.  These two sources will form your works cited page.

WEEK OF MAY 7TH

7TH GRADE WILL PRESENT COMPOSITIONS

8TH GRADE- WRITTEN MUSIC THEORY TEST.

FOLLOWING WEEK MAY 14TH-ALL CLASSES WILL BEGIN BACH READING/ESSAY

4-30-2012

7th grade classes continue working on original compositions.  We will begin recording our work on the keyboards.  Next week we will present these pieces to the class.

8th grade-Intervals in music.

4-23-2012

 All 7TH GRADE classes will use the tools of music to create original musical pieces.  The composition rubric can be found : here

3-12-2012

All classes are working on our second expository writing assignment.  The subject of this assignment is the composer Ludwig Beethoven.  Classes will read a biographical article about the composer, take notes using a graphic organizer and conclude by writing a 5 paragraph essay.  The rubric for this assignment can be found ...Here. For reference I will show you the works cited format for the article below.  In addition to the article read in class, students will also find an additional source from which to draw info on Beethoven.

Yudkin, Jeremy. Understanding Music. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1996.

MONDAY CLASSES-BEETHOVEN MOVIE FORMAT:

Beethoven The Sound and the Fury. Dir. Stephen R Vann.

A&E Television Networks, 1998. VHS.

3-5-2012

All classes performance presentation. Students will play piano, guitar or drums while class listens and discusses each performance.  The performance rubric is located here Music Performance Rubric

GLES COVERED:

M1(7-8)-1 Students show evidence of music literacy (reading, writing, and understanding of the symbols of sound)

M3 (7-8) –1 Students perform music alone and with others in a variety of settings…

2-27-2012

All classes-written test.  Material includes note names, rhythms, time signatures, repeat signs and

lines/spaces of the staff.

2-6-2012

Mozart essays are completed.  Students did a great job reading and writing about this famous composer.  On our second essay late in the 3rd quarter, we will focus on source finding, creating a good works cited page and perhaps presenting the essays in class. 

Many students are also playing some of Mozart's music in class.

We are back to music theory learning about repeat signs, first and second endings, ledger line notes and note reading.

JANUARY-WELCOME BACK!

1-16-2012

Essay writing is going very well.  Students should hand in their finished work along with the graphic organizer. 

1-9-2012

All students are working on their expository writing assignment.  The rubric for this assignment can be found here...Expository Writing Rubric  In class we read one source and used a graphic organizer to take notes.  Students will find a second source on their own and use both to construct a 5 paragraph essay on Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. 

 1-3-2012

January will be a busy month in music class.  All students will be reading and writing about Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Not only will we learn about Mozart's world and his works, but also we will learn to play some of his music on the piano.  The Mozart unit will culminate with a 5 paragraph essay on the composer....which addresses the following GLE....

M2 (7-8)-1

Students show evidence of cultural and historical understanding of (familiar and unfamiliar) music

In addition to reading and writing about music history, students will continue to enhance their skills in music reading and performing on piano, guitar and drums.

Week of 12-12-2011

All classes-quiz on music theory. Note reading, rhythm id, time signatures, dotted notes.

Week of 11-28-2011

Learning ties and slurs in music, learning dotted rhythms, playing a wide variety of music on piano.

Guitar students learning first string notes and basic chords.

Drum students learning basic beats and intro to drum note reading.

Next week or so we will take a written test on music theory. January we will begin a month long unit on the composers.

NOVEMBER

Week of 11-14-2011.  Next week starting guitar+drums...if student owns a guitar feel free to bring to class. I do not have guitars to provide. Drop off in music room before school, leave in music class after using and pick up at end of day. We will apply note and rhythm reading to these two new instruments..students can also continue to learn the piano. 

Week of 11-7-2011.  Time signatures, top and bottom numbers of time signatures, beats in a measure, 2/4 3/4 and 4/4.  Piano-adding left hand chords to songs.  Expanding into sharps and flats in the music.

OCTOBER

Week of 10-31-2011. Make ups for playing and written tests. 8th grade completed reflections.

7th grade note reading, time signatures, bar lines, note stem direction.

Week of 10-24-2011.  Learning whole, half and quarter rests. Learning how staffs are divided into measures of equal beats.  Classes wrote a reflection on our piano lessons. You can see the prompt here: http://cpsed.net/pview/assets/pvms_reflections.pdf and the rubric here http://cpsed.net/pview/assets/pvms_refl_rubric.pdf

Week of 10-10-2011 (and some 10-17-2011) performance presentations.  This is the rubric

http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php?screen=ShowRubric&rubric_id=2101492&

Focus on correct pitch, rhythm and tempo and you will do just fine.

Week of 10-3-2011-all classes Quiz #1 on lines, spaces, note names, the staff.

Week of 10-10-2011 all classes-first performance presentations.

SEPTEMBER

Student will begin their exploration of music by reviewing and learning the basics of music notation.

7th grade will begin to explore reading notes on the staff, reading quarter, half and whole notes and culminating with learning 3 easy songs on the piano.  Pitch naming middle C through G. Line and space names on the staff.  Letters used in music.  G-clef. Counting lines and spaces on the staff.

8th grade will review music theory terms and symbols and will jump back into applying these concepts on piano. New students learning 3 simple songs on piano, returning students review of older music as well as intro to playing with two hands.

  Staff, lines, spaces, notes, higher/lower, G-clef. Whole, half and quarter notes.

Measures.

GLE(S) COVERED-

M3 (7-8) –1

M1(7-8)-1

Students show evidence of music literacy (reading, writing, and understanding of the symbols of sound)

NATIONAL STANDARDS FOR MUSIC EDUCATION

1. Singing, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music. 
2. Performing on instruments, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music. 
3. Improvising melodies, variations, and accompaniments. 
4. Composing and arranging music within specified guidelines. 
5. Reading and notating music. 
6. Listening to, analyzing, and describing music. 
7. Evaluating music and music performances. 
8. Understanding relationships between music, the other arts, and disciplines outside the arts. 
9. Understanding music in relation to history and culture.

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