Mr. Gaither, Band Director

                                                                             School Number: (770) 507-5407

E-Mail:kelley.gaither@henry.k12.ga.us

Music is an art form through which feeling is expressed. Music adds quality to life as it promotes mental development and provides an outlet for emotional expression. It has motivating characteristics that inspire all people to appreciate some form or genre of music. Considering the intrinsic value of music, the primary purpose of music education is to contribute to the quality of life for all students by developing their capabilities to participate fully in a musical culture.

Music provides a powerful means of engaging students in learning and improving their achievement. Fundamental in a student's overall social, emotional, and cognitive development, music enhances reasoning, inspires creativity, and encourages critical thinking, self-discipline, problem-solving, decision-making, cooperation, and imagination. Music enables students to learn about themselves, other people, and humanity in general. General music is an 18-week (semester) connections class that introduces students to the basics of music.  The goal of general music is to build a lifelong appreciation of various styles of music in an engaging and interactive classroom setting.

The students will:

1. Experience, recognize, respond to, read, notate, perform, and create rhythms and rhythmic patterns in a variety of meters;

2. Experience, recognize, respond to, read, notate, perform, and create melodic patterns;

3. Experience, respond to, and perform a variety of musical textures and harmonic structures;

4. Experience, recognize, identify, and explain aspects of musical form;

5. Recognize, identify, and respond to expressive elements of music, including dynamics, tempo, and articulation, and will perform music with appropriate expressive qualities;

6. Experience, recognize, and respond to a variety of instrumental and vocal timbres;

7. Experience and respond to music of various styles and genres from a variety of world cultures, including music of the classical Western tradition;

8. Respond to musical experiences and create movement, using developmentally appropriate movement and dramatization;

9. Employ available technology to augment experiences in the other program objectives; and

10. Recognize and apply appropriate music vocabulary as they relate to the other program objectives.

               Georgia Standards                                                              UNITS/TOPICS

A.  Skills and Techniques/Performance                                              1.     I’ve Got Rhythm

B.  Creation                                                                                            2.     Reading Music

C.  Critical Analysis/Investigation                                                      3.     Basics of Piano/Percussion

D.  Cultural and Historical Context                                                     4.     Music Periods & Genres

5.     Composer/Musician Projects -

·         No talking in the Band Room during instructional time.

·         No food or drinks allowed in the Band Room (i.e. gum, candy, sprite, etc…)

·         No horseplay in the band room

·         You should only touch your own instrument or your assigned instrument

·         No throwing in the classroom!!

·         No writing on chairs, music stands, walls, instrument cases etc.

·         Bring all class materials everyday (instrument, mouthpiece, book, pencil, etc…)

·         Use the spaces provided to you in the instrument room to store your instrument.

·         No bags, purses, or any other personal items may be left in the band.

·         Students should never enter the band directors’ office without permission.

·         Class begins as soon as you enter the band room. You will have 2 minutes to get and assemble your instrument. We will begin promptly.

·         Chairs and stands are to be treated with care, and should be returned to their original positions at the end of class.

The student must provide:

·         Pencils

·         1 inch binder

v If student damage any materials provided to him/her for instructional usage, will be required to pay for the damage material.

A student’s grade will mostly be based upon their effort and progress. Although band requires very little writing there are things that will reflect upon a students’ final grade. These items and their percentages are listed below.

·         Assessments – 65% (tests/projects 25%, quizzes 15%, and participation 25%)

·         Practice work – 20% (classwork 10%, homework 5%, notebook 5% )

·         Final Exam – 15%

v Upon the completion of the term, any assignment that is not submitted, as required will then result in the scholar receiving a grade of zero (0%) to remain permanently within the gradebook.

• Warning/ Student Teacher Conference
• Isolation in classroom
• JAG BITE
• Phone call to parent
• Office Referral
• Office Referral

* Any student, whose actions or behavior are malicious and severe enough, will be immediately sent the Principals office. Repeated office referrals will result in dismissal from band.

Please detach and return this portion to the teacher. Your signature below acknowledges you (the parent) and your child (the student) received this course outline which includes the class description, class objectives, class rules, required text and materials, grading policy tardy policy and the restroom policy.

Students Name___________________________                                          

Students Signature­­­­­­­­­­_________________________                                     

Parents Name_____________________________                               

Parents Signature_________________________                                            

Date_____________