- Compton-Drew ILC Middle School
- Syllabus
-
Instrumental Music 6-8
Course Description: Students will begin the process of learning to play a musical instrument. Emphasis of the course will be placed upon proper body positioning, correct methods for sounds production, basic note-reading, listening skills and playing with other musicians.
Methods of instruction: Students will learn in an interactive environment. Practice of instrumental playing will include experimentation, imitation, analysis of music, and self-critiquing.
Course Objectives: We will be working on those musical skills which lay a foundation for success in musical performance. Basic skills that will be reinforced include good sound production, intonation, articulation, and steadiness of rhythm.
Entry Quiz: The first two-three weeks of class, each student learns the basics of music notation and performance. A quiz is given on facts and skills learned in class. A score of 80% or better is required to receive a musical instrument. Each student who receives a score below 80% has as many opportunities as needed to raise the score to the required level. This test will be included in the playing test portion of the total quarter grade.
Grading and assignments:
Class attendance and participation: It is expected that each student will come prepared for class each day with their musical instrument, all music, and a pencil. Students are given 4 minutes at the beginning of class to retrieve, put together, and warm-up their instrument. All students are expected to participate to the best of their ability every day. Participation counts for a large portion of the semester grade. Things that can lower this grade include; being late for class, chewing gum in rehearsal, disrupting the rehearsal and not participating. Each time a student fails to bring their instrument or does not participate lowers the participation portion by half a letter grade.Everyone will progress at different rates. As long as a student keeps trying and contributing in a positive way, they will receive a good grade for participation regardless of ability.
Playing tests: Students will be tested on their ability to play accurately the music studied in class. Tests will be given throughout the quarter, based upon expected instrumental knowledge for each level of learning. These tests are a measure of student growth on the instrument. If a student is unsatisfied with his or her grade on any playing test, they may re-take as many times as they would like in order to increase their points. The final day to re-take will be three days before the grading deadline for each quarter.
Public performance: The second quarter of participation, each student will have a public performance requirement. This performance will be on a pass/fail basis and will be worth 15% of the total semester grade.
1st semester performance-
Tuesday, Dec. 10 , 2024 6:30 pm Compton Drew Gymnasium
2nd semester performance-
Tuesday , May 13, 2025 6:30 pm Compton Drew Gymnasium