MUSIC/CHORUS - 6, 7, 8

Music/Chorus Class at HKMS is based upon the Nine Content Standards:

�        Singing
�        Performing
�        Improvising
�        Composing and Arranging
�        Reading and notating music
�        Listening to, analyzing and describing music
�        Evaluating music and music performances
�        Understanding relationships between music, other arts, and disciplines outside the arts
�        Understanding music in relation to history and culture. 

Each student has the opportunity to experience a wide range of instruction and activities that are grounded in these Content Standards throughout their three years in Music here at Keller.

Each year starts with an introduction or review of the basic language of music, music theory..  After mastering the vocabulary of notes, rests, dynamics, signs, symbols and some basic terminology, students begin using this knowledge to compose and arrange music.   A variety of assessments, including quizzes, are used to measure students’ learning.  Students will develop musical literacy skills through sight-reading, dictation, and short composition projects.  Inner hearing will be honed through a variety of methods and interval recognition exercises.  Students will explore tonalities and arrangement by playing a variety of percussion and tonal instruments.  They will learn about music and cultures from around the world, singing, dancing and playing instruments with music of a particular culture.

Students in Grades 6-8 keep a listening/reflection journal, which is based on in-class listening assignments.  They also present current events occurring in the musical arts.  Students will also have different units on basic keyboard playing, writing lyrics, composing melodies, improvisation, and many more exciting topics.

In addition students will learn repertoire to perform at two concerts throughout the year.  Students are required to perform in these concerts as part of their grade.  Through the music, students will learn how to sing with proper technique, read different types of music, analyze their sound, and make connections with the music we will be performing. 

As students learn how to listen to and experience different kinds and forms of music, they become more knowledgeable about the many types of music.  Students can then begin to make connections to quality music in the world around them.  They are encouraged to further explore music that they find to their liking at home or in a more formal concert setting.

All of the above content is shared and experienced through “doing” music.  Music, the oldest and most subtle of art forms, is a basic form of human expression. Our music program hopes to develop musicianship and artistry in informed listeners and performers who will enjoy the enrichment of quality music throughout the remainder of their lives.