Introduction to Piano

Introduction to Piano introduces the study of basic piano skills that will help students to experience music in a meaningful way. In addition, students learn to use the concepts and techniques of music theory and relate those to their piano training. Students will also learn harmonic, melodic, and rhythmic concepts, as well as the fundamentals of the piano. Periodically, students will broaden their musical perspective through the study of music history, listening analysis, and arts in society. This course is designed to meet the needs of a high school student who wants to experience music through self-directed learning and have fun with the instrument.

Course Information

• Sections: 6 & 7 White

• Location: Room 804 (aka Keyboard Lab)

• Instructor: Mr. Menifield

• Credit: 0.5 VPA Credit

Textbook

• Palmer, W., Manus, M., and Lethco, A. Adult All-in-One Course, Level 1. Alfred Music Publishing.

Required Materials

• Laptop

• 3-ring binder (w/lined paper and room for class handouts)

• Pencil

Google Classroom

All class announcements, homework, and electronic copies of course resources will be updated by the end of each class day in Google Classroom. A unique code is required to join our course site, and will be provided to students in class.

Grading

Homework & In-Class Assignments

(Formative Assessments)

• • • Homework in this course will serve one of two primary functions: 1) To set up students for introduction to new topics the next class, and 2) To provide students with practice for mastery of select fundamental music concepts. A variety of in-class check-ins - graded and ungraded - will be used to monitor students' progress within a specific topic.

Playing Quizzes, Written Quizzes, & Projects

(Summative Assessments)

• • • Both playing and written quizzes will be brief and administered during the class period. Ample time for review will be provided before quizzes are given. As much of our work will be sequential in nature, quizzes are intended to be short summative assessments - focused on a major concept or two - used to demonstrate mastery before moving on to subsequent material.

    • Projects will typically provide independent opportunities to explore selected topics in greater depth and augment the material covered in class.

Habits of Work

This course follows the FHS criteria for Habits of Work (HoW):

• • • Preparedness: Timeliness, organization, homework completion

    • Engagement: Participation, collaboration, respect, leadership

      • • Cell phones and personally owned laptops or tablets are not permitted during any class period. Breaking the cell phone policy during class time will result in the phone being held in the teacher's office for the remainder of the day.

    • Work Ethic: Meets criteria above, effort and attention to detail, quality of work, perseverance

Course Reassessment Policy

Students may request to retake a summative assessment (quizzes or tests only) if s/he:

• • • Has not yet reached proficiency (83% or higher)

Extra Help

If, at any point, you feel that you require extra help, please know that you are ALWAYS welcome to reach out to Mr. Menifield (by e-mail is best) to schedule a time to work together. The ultimate aim of this course is your success!