Carnage Magnet Middle School
2025-2026
Piano Lab Syllabus
Dear Piano Lab Students and Parents/Guardians,
I am ready for an exciting year in Piano Lab at Carnage Magnet Middle School! This syllabus is meant to provide you with general information that should prove helpful in what you can expect in this course. Students will learn about the fundamentals of playing the piano by studying performance technique, music literacy, and music theory. The curriculum in our classroom is based on the NC Essential Standards for Music.
Students should be prepared to work independently as well as with group instruction in Piano Lab. Students will learn at their own pace with guidance from the instructor. Beginning students will work out of the Alfred Adult All-In-One Piano Course book. Students will work to progress through this method book and on into additional levels. Music for Piano II and III students is selected to meet each individual student’s level. Students should expect to perform for their classmates weekly. Beginning students will perform in a Virtual Recital at the end of each Quarter. Please complete the Photo/Video Permission form and return asap.
Piano II and III students will perform in an in-person piano recital at the end of each semester. Piano II/III Recital Dates for 2025-2026 are as follows:
Tuesday, December 9 at 6:30 in the Auditorium
Thursday, May 14 at 6:30 in the Auditorium
Materials
Pencil.
Device. Occasionally students may need their school laptop for assignments.
A 2-pocket folder with notebook paper.
Piano II/III students have the option of bringing in your own 2-inch binder to house your music assignments or you may borrow a binder from the classroom.
***Keyboard, music book, and headphones are provided by Carnage Middle School, however students in the beginning class are welcome to purchase a copy of the lesson book on their own as piano books are used with multiple classes and books cannot be removed from the classroom.
Carnage PRIDE and Classroom Expectations
Personal Responsibility
Arrive to class on time.
Raise your hand if you have a question and wait to be recognized.
Cell phones, earbuds, and headphones should be off and away.
Refrain from chewing gum, eating, or drinking in class except bottled water.
Complete all assignments to the best of your ability.
Respect
Respect yourself, your classmates, your teacher, our instruments, books, etc.
Integrity
Take PRIDE in your work by striving to do your best, working in an honest, respectful manner, owning mistakes when necessary. You create your own reputation as a student.
Determination
Continually work for improvement through practice and preparation. Remember that making mistakes is part of the learning process. Set goals and aspire to reach them!
Excellence in all we do!
Take PRIDE in yourself and what you do. The consistent practice you put in place daily through ordinary activities and your desire to steadily improve allows you to do extraordinary things!
Evaluation
Students are evaluated on the following:
40% - Minor Assessments: Includes specific performance and written assignments related to concepts learned in class. This includes some in-class performance sharing, music theory work, daily engagement in independent practice as well as other class assignments.
60% - Major Assessments: Includes specific performance and written assessments related to concepts learned in class. For Piano I, this includes a mid quarter in-class performance and written assessment as well as an end of quarter Virtual Recital Project and Vocabulary Assessment. For Piano II/III this may include a mid semester in-class performance, any assigned special projects or major written assessments as well as a Recital Reflection of the end-of-semester Piano Recital.
While all written and performance based assignments will generally be completed in person during class, Canvas is a great resource that is primarily meant to be helpful if a student is absent and would like to access any missed written assignments from class. Students and parents can also access general information about our class from our Piano Lab website at sites.google.com/wcpss.net/carnage-piano-lab
Please consider joining the Carnage Arts Boosters and making a donation earmarked for Piano Lab. Some of our unique classroom needs include new headphones for our pianos as well as audio cords and additional classroom lesson books. In addition, classroom donations of Kleenex, hand sanitizer, printer paper, pencils, and 2-pocket folders are welcome. Please make a donation if possible. To learn more, see the Carnage Booster website at https://sites.google.com/site/carnageartsboosters/
I look forward to a great year with our piano students! Please complete, sign, and return the signature portion below indicating your understanding of expectations.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Ramona Jenner
Piano Instructor
Carnage Magnet Middle School
rjenner@wcpss.net
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I have read and understand the policies and expectations for Carnage Piano Lab.
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Student Name Printed (Class Period) Student Signature
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Parent Signature Date