March 26, 2012

Grade 7: This is week 8 in term 2. Students are expected to practise twice this week outside of class.

Our goals for this week are to demonstrate our ability to perform measures 21 to the end of Star Wars and to be able to play measures 1-17 in "Guantanamera".

Most classes will only have one music class this week because of trips to Mono Cliffs. Students will be marked on their performance of measures 21-the end of "Star Wars". They will also work on measures 1-17 of Guantanamera.

Homework: Practise "Star Wars" for the performance test and learn measures 1-17 of Guantanamera.

Grade 8: This is week 8 in term 2. Students are expected to practise twice this week outside of class.

During our classes this week, we will continue working in the computer lab to create a Powerpoint or Movie-maker presentation on a controversial topic. The presentation should communicate a clear point of view using images, text and music. The final presentation (due next week) should include the video and a completed artist's statement which explains how music was selected based upon the elements of music and the intended message of the video.

If time permits, we will begin to learn the theme from "Titanic".

Homework: Students should be selecting/creating music, text or images to contribute to their video presentation and completing their artist's statement.

Grade 7: This is week 7 in term 2. Students should be practising twice this week outside of class.

Our goals for this week are to complete performances of our William Tell compositions, review "Star Wars" with dynamics, and begin "Guantanamera".

During the first class of the week, students will complete remaining William Tell performances. We will listen to recordings of our new band piece, "Guantanamera", learn about it. In instrument groups, students will do a decoding activity to better understand the notes for each part. Students will select 8 measures to learn for next class.

During the second class of the week, we will review "Star Wars' in preparation for a quiz next week. We will discuss the decoding activity to complete our understanding of the score, and play the 8 measures studied. We will try to put measures 1-8 more together as a class.

Homework: Practise Star Wars for a test next week, and 8 measures of Guantanamera.

Grade 8: This is week 7 in term 2. Students should be practising twice this week outside of class.

During our first class this week, students will hand in their "Earth" assignments.

In the lab, students will view

Extinct: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcnE0GbfiW8&feature=related and

Animals that will be extinct in the 21^st century: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWFBbTkkn2E&feature=related

They will review copies of the "Incidental Music" assignment, and form groups to begin this culminating task. (In this task, students will combine images, text and music to create a Powerpoint or Moviemaker "Movie", which shares important information about a topic, contains a clear message/feeling, and shares a clear point of view about the subject.

During the second class of the week, students should bring in material to contribute to their group presentation. They will have the period to work on their project.

Homework: Select a topic for which you and your group share a point of view such as the plight of an endangered animal. Research and compile images, sound and text/information for your movie project. You will have 3 lab periods to complete this project.

March 5, 2012

Grade 7: This is week 6 in term 2. Students should be practising twice outside of class.

Goal: Use the elements of dynamics, tempo, tonality and melody to communicate a mood.

During the first class of the week, students will review all measures of Star Wars and work on adding expressive elements. Students will complete final revisions to their "William Tell" A and B sections, and will review playing both sections in the order of their choice. They will perform the B section for a partner and receive feedback on how effectively they created a sad or scary mood. They will also receive teacher feedback on their written work. All students should be prepared to perform their composition for performance assessment.

During the second class of the week, students will perform their compositions and receive feedback on the effectiveness of their compositions in creating a desired mood.

Homework: Practise "Star Wars" in preparation for a performance assessment after March break. Practise "William Tell" compositions to perform for an assessment this week.

Grade 8: This is week 6 in term 2. Students should be practising twice outside of class.

During the first class of the week, students will discuss their answers for the worksheet "Analyzing a Theme" which was assigned last week. Student responses will be collected, marked and returned. Then we will review all measures of "Mission Impossible" in preparation for a playing assessment after March break.

During the second class of the week, we will listen to a variety of musical themes for videos such as "Bike Jump" and " Giraffe". We will discuss how the different themes affect the viewer and communicate a point of view or message. Finally, students will be asked select the best choice for a film titled "Earth" and support their choice based upon the how the elements of music communicate with the listener.

Homework: Complete "Earth" assignment and practise "Mission Impossible" and "Titanic Theme. There will be a performance test on "Mission Impossible" the week after March Break.