905A Songwriting Intensive 

 Gr12 | 6 Credits | Year-Long | 5x per Cycle

 *PREREQUISITE: Successful completion of 903 Songwriting 1 and/or 904 Songwriting 2, plus an audition and interview. Juniors desiring to enroll in this Senior Intensive must have the permission of the instructor.

This is an Honors level course that will count in the computation of the Grade Point Average. The objective of this course is to provide opportunities for students to write and record songs at a more professional level. In addition to the course requirements for 904, seniors must complete one of the following:  (1) set up recording equipment and microphones to record at least two Fall and/or Spring high school music concerts (2) write and record, an album of eight (8) or more songs and maintain a journal for collecting ideas to be used in writing and for documenting students’ process during composition. (3) create a soundtrack or film score for a TV studio production; OR  a major Senior Project agreed upon and designed with the teacher. Students choosing the Senior Project option must work on the project throughout the school year and continue to attend Music Tech classes during the Senior Project term.  

Essential Skills

• The Wellesley Public Schools Performing Arts Program offers a comprehensive program of experiences for all students. Courses offered through the Performing Arts are grounded in the Massachusetts State Arts Framework Essential Skills and Standards; Creating, Performing, Responding, and Connecting. 

Creating:  Imagine. Generate musical ideas for various purposes and contexts.

• Describe how sounds and short musical ideas can be used to represent personal experiences, moods, visual images, and/or storylines.

• Assemble and organize sounds or short musical ideas to create initial expressions of selected experiences, moods, images, or storylines.

• Identify and describe the development of sounds or short musical ideas in drafts of music within simple forms (such as one-part, cyclical, or binary).

Performing: Present. Share creative musical work that conveys intent, demonstrates craftsmanship, and exhibits originality.

• Share music through the use of notation, performance, or technology, and demonstrate how the elements of music have been employed to realize expressive intent.

Responding: Select. Select varied musical works to present based on interest, knowledge, technical skill, and context.

• Identify and select specific excerpts, passages, or sections in musical works that express a personal experience, mood, visual image, or storyline in simple forms (such as one-part, cyclical, binary).

Connecting: Analyze. Analyze the structure and context of varied musical works and their implications for performance.

• Analyze how the elements of music (including form) of selected works relate to style and mood, and explain the implications for rehearsal or performance.