St. Mary's College High School Chorus Course Overview and Class - Weekly "Music Check" quizzes. Expectations ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS: 3. What is music made of? 5. What does "good" music sound like? BIG IDEAS: B. Musicianship 2. The goal of reading music is to make meaning from the notes. 3. Effective music-readers use specific strategies to help them understand the music they're playing. - Students will know and understand all the material contained in the Saint Mary's College High School Music Handbook. - Students create and model effective rehearsal guidelines CORE TAKS (and corresponding National Standard in Music): - play and/or sing with good, characteristic tone. - develop supreme muscle memory while working toward technical mastery including: (a) Physical Warm - up: 1. Stretching 2. Posture 3. Breathing (b) Vocalizing: 1. Range 2. Placement 3. Breathing 4. Diction 5. Onset - In class solo performances. - Successful sight-reading during class. - Demonstration of a refined choral sound during warm ups BIG IDEAS: B. Musicianship 1. Different styles of music have different structures, therefore understanding a compositions structure helps one understand its meaning. 2. The goal of reading music is to make meaning from the notes. 3. Effective music-readers use specific strategies to help them understand the music they're playing. 1. Use the following skills when sight- reading: - Importance of rhythm - Recognizing patterns - Listening/staying together - Staying in tempo 2. Sing along and with others and sing with: - correct pitch production - vowel modification - Blend/Balance - Correct style, dynamics, 1. Successful sight-reading of pieces of increasing difficulty in class. 1 of 6
C. Skills-based Knowledge 1. Careful physical practice helps one more clearly understand the theory. 2. Mastering an instrument/voice enables one to participate expressively, musically, and artistically. 3. Music grows from fundamental skills that all vocalists and instrumentalists must learn. tempo, etc 3. Behave in a manner consistent with effective and efficient rehearsal techniques and begin to contribute those elements daily. Examples: - Staying on task - Active participation and listening - Coming prepared and warmed-up 1. A capella singing 2. Inner hearing ability/pitch memory 3. Choral sound (blend/balance) 1. In rehearsal students will sing pieces unaccompanied and will be able to: - Hold their own part - Sing correct pitches - Stay in rhythm and tempo Music checks, solo singing, liturgy performances. 2. Use a capella singing to improve inner hearing ability. Also: - Hear and sing back a series of pitches - Sing diatonic intervals and triads 3. Sing a capella and blend sound through correct vowel modification. Balance parts - Prepare several pieces for the Winter Concert focusing on key musical concepts: - Using the pieces to be played at the Winter Concert, students will be able to do the following: - Performances in solo and small group sections. - ensemble skills - musicianship (listening, blend, balance) - Notation (keys, meters, tempo markings, etc) - Play together as a group (ensemble skills) focusing on a unity of sound - Demonstrate a high level of musicianship and use it to improve blend and balance in the ensemble 2 of 6
- Demonstrate a knowledge base of musical terms and markings Performance Preparation Performance Preparation Performance Preparation - Concert/Performance Etiquette: - Stage presence - Entrances and Exits - Accepting applause - Analyzing Performances - Students will learn ways to prepare for a performance and will learn key aspects to performance etiquette - Students will observe various ensembles demonstrating correct and incorrect performance etiquette. - Students demonstrate correct stage presence and performance etiquette including entrances and exits and accepting applause - Students will also critically analyze theirs and other performances at the Winter Concert correct demonstration of correct concert/performance etiquette. correct demonstration of learned skills - Assessment of a student's analysis of another ensemble is based on the completion of a guided evaluation worksheet. 1. Friday Music Checks 1. Friday Music Checks will motivate students to practice their music at home and concentrate during rehearsals. Music Checks teach students to take responsibility for their learning. 2. Festival Preparation 2. Participation in music festivals is an important part of musical growth for all students. Students will demonstrate knowledge in the following areas: - Festival and concert etiquette - Adjudication expectations - Personal preparation (practice, etc) 1. Students will be quizzed ever Friday on the musical material covered in class that week. 2. Adequate festival performance preparation will be demonstrated in 2 "mock" festival adjudications with guest judges, and one live festival appearance in May. 3 of 6
1. Continue Friday Music Checks and Festival Preparation. 1. These three areas of content knowledge will continue to teach students the fundamentals of personal practice and festival/concert preparation. 1. Weekly quizzes on class material. 2. Re-visit ensemble skills especially the development of good tone, ensemble sound, and characteristic tone. 2. As an ensemble, students will begin to develop an effective warm up routine. During warm-ups, students will listen to and critique the sound of the group. They will develop an understanding of the characteristic tone for their instrument and the ensemble. 2. The development of good ensemble sound will be reviewed and assessed during class rehearsals. 1. Continue Friday Music Checks and Festival Preparation. 2. The ability to critique a live performance and interact with a guest artist. 1. These three areas of content knowledge will continue to teach students the fundamentals of personal practice and festival/concert preparation. 2. Students will listen to a taped recording of themselves performing their concert music. Students will also listen to a guest artist perform. Through listening, students will identify: - Areas of musical strength - Areas needing improvement - Artistic value of the performance Students will also interact with the guest artist in sectional/clinic format. 1. Weekly quizzes on class material. 2. Students will complete a brief adjudication sheet on their performance (CMEA Bay Section approved). Students will also ask questions of the guest artist and participate fully in the artist's clinic. 4 of 6
1. Continue Friday Music Checks and Festival Preparation. 2. Final stages of festival preparation including: - Stage presence - Artistic interpretation - "Know your neighbor's part" 1. These three areas of content knowledge will continue to teach students the fundamentals of personal practice and festival/concert preparation. 2. Students will demonstrate the following skills in the following areas: - Stage presence - properly entering and exiting the stage, good posture, appropriate dress attire, etc - Artistic interpretation - students will verbally express their views, moods, and interpretation of their concert music. - Knowing your neighbor's part includes ensemble awareness, contributing to good ensemble sound, intonation, and artistic value 1. Weekly quizzes on class material. 2. Proper festival preparation will be demonstrated in a final "mock" festival with a panel and guest judges from the CMEA Bay Section. Performance Preparation Performance Preparation Performance Preparation - Concert/Performance Etiquette: - Stage presence - Entrances and Exits - Accepting applause - Bows - Analyzing Performances - Students will learn ways to prepare for a performance and will learn key aspects to performance etiquette - Students will observe various ensembles demonstrating correct and incorrect performance etiquette. - Students demonstrate correct stage presence and performance etiquette including entrances and exits and accepting applause/bowing - Critically analyze recorded performances of the Chorus and other performances at the Winter Concert correct demonstration of correct concert/performance etiquette. correct demonstration of learned skills - Assessment of a student's analysis of another ensemble is based on the completion of a guided evaluation worksheet. 5 of 6
- Artistic interpretation - students will verbally express their views, moods, and interpretation of their concert music. 6 of 6