Grade 8 Music

Introduction

Hello. My name is Craig Follett and in addition to being our school's band teacher, I teach classroom music to the following classes:

September -February 8-2  8-4 8-6

February - June         8-1 8-3 8-5 8-7

Grade 8 music classes take place twice a cycle for half of the school year. Students will make extensive use of Google Classroom for activities and assignments. Sufficient class time will be given for students to complete assignments in school so there should not be any homework.

Curriculum Overview:

The Intermediate Music Program provides experiences that are relevant, meaningful and enjoyable to the adolescent learner. This learner-based curriculum builds upon the skills and knowledge acquired in the primary/elementary grades while promoting the development of leadership skills and the preparation of students for future studies and career possibilities. All students will be provided with the opportunity to engage in meaningful learning through performing, listening to and creating music that represents a variety of styles, genres, mediums and practices.

The curriculum for intermediate music education is derived from the following principles of teaching and learning in music:

1. All students need to have equal opportunity and access to a sequential and comprehensive music education in the intermediate grades.

2. A variety of experiences (e.g., singing, playing, reading, writing, creating...) in music teaching and learning is essential in order to achieve the goals and outcomes for music education.

3. All students need to have access to opportunities for musical experiences in a variety of settings (e.g., choral, instrumental, classroom)

4. The continued development of musical literacy, expression and communication remains an integral component of all musical experiences and settings.

5. Students need to be actively engaged in constructing their own forms of knowledge and understandings through critical processes such as dialogue, reflection, questioning, analyzing, problem solving and decision making.

6. Continuous and comprehensive assessment and evaluation of teaching and learning is a vital and necessary component within all settings of intermediate music education.

The curriculum indicators are tied to the following interconnected strands:

-Creating, Making, and Presenting (Creation)

-Understanding and Connecting Contexts of Time, Place and Community

(Contextualization)

-Perceiving, Reflecting and Responding (Reflection)

Curriculum delivery embraces flexible programming. The intermediate music curriculum is designed to be delivered through a variety of classroom settings, e.g., classroom music, choral, or instrumental settings. Instrumental settings include: band, strings, traditional accordion, traditional strings or guitar. Core indicators will be met through one, or a combination of, these settings. A variety of teaching and learning strategies and modes of evaluation and assessment will be used. This flexible approach to curriculum implementation will provide opportunities for varied school configurations to meet the expectations of the prescribed curriculum in adaptive and creative ways.

Assessment and Evaluation Plan: