GLEN RIDGE PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Curriculum Guide

 

 

Course Title:                                         General Music

 

Subject:                                                Music

 

Grade Level:                                         6

 

Department/School:                              Ridgewood Avenue School

 

Duration:                                              40 classes per year

 

Number of Credits:                               N/A

 

Prerequisite:                                          None

 

Elective or Required:                             Required

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Author:  Erica Schwerin

Date Submitted:  Summer 2005


Course Description

 

 

            General music includes singing, playing instruments, dance, theater and composing. Students are able to express themselves creatively, while a knowledge of notation and performance traditions enables them to hear new music independently all their lives. Skills in analysis, evaluation, and synthesis enable students to recognize and pursue excellence in their musical experiences and to understand and enrich their environment. Music is an integral part of human history. The ability to listen with understanding is essential if students are to have a broad cultural and historical perspective.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


GLEN RIDGE PUBLIC SCHOOLS

MUSIC MISSION STATEMENT

 

 

 

            An education in the arts is an essential part of the academic curriculum for the achievement of human, social, and economic growth. The arts enable personal, intellectual, and social development for each individual and strive to enhance the students’ sense of confidence and self-esteem. The arts are uniquely qualified to cultivate a variety of multiple intelligences, varied and powerful ways of communicating ideas, thoughts and feelings, and increases the potential for life success as well as an enriched quality of life. The arts are essential for students to have a broad cultural and historical perspective.

 


New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards

 

Music

 

STANDARD 1.1 (AESTHETICS) ALL STUDENTS WILL USE AESTHETIC KNOWLEDGE IN THE CREATION OF AND IN RESPONSE TO DANCE, MUSIC, THEATER, AND VISUAL ART.

 

STANDARD 1.2 (CREATION AND PERFORMANCE) ALL STUDENTS WILL UTILIZE THOSE SKILLS, MEDIA, METHODS, AND TECHNOLOGIES, APPROPRIATE TO EACH ART FORM IN THE CREATION, PERFORMANCE, AND PRESENTATION OF DANCE, MUSIC, THEATER, AND VISUAL ART.

 

STANDARD 1.3 (ELEMENTS AND PRINCIPLES) ALL STUDENTS WILL DEMONSTRATE AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE ELEMENTS AND PRINCIPLES OF DANCE, MUSIC, THEATER, AND VISUAL ARTS.

 

STANDARD 1.4 (CRITIQUE) ALL STUDENTS WILL DEVELOP, APPLY, AND REFLECT UPON KNOWLEDGE OF THE PROCESS OF CRITIQUE.

 

STANDARD 1.5 (HISTORY/CULTURE) ALL STUDENTS WILL UNDERSTAND AND ANALYZE THE ROLE , DEVELOPMENT, AND CONTINUING INFLUENCE, OF THE ARTS IN RELATION TO WORLD CULTURES, HISTORY, AND SOCIETY.

 

 


Curriculum Description

 

UNIT 1 - ACTIVE PARTICIPATION

 

Objective:

The students will participate in various experiences including singing, dancing, playing instruments, melodic and rhythmic improvisations.

 

CCCS: 1.2.1, 1.2.1, 1.2.3, 1.2.4

 

Duration of time: 8 class periods

 

Activities:

 

-         Perform compositions in two and three part harmony.

-         Create body sculpture through the use of metric interpretation of the teacher supplied music.

-         Develop rhythmic and performance skills through the use of percussion instruments and electronic media and rhythmic dictation.

-         Demonstrate melodic and rhythmic improvisation.

-         Assessment

 

 

UNIT 2 - AESTHETICS/PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY

 

Objectives:

Students will be able to:

1.      Understand the study of aesthetics as a philosophical process which deals with questions about the nature and meaning of music.

2.      Develop personal viewpoints by weighing conflicting ideas about works/ performances of music.

3.      Achieve informed judgments as well as personal opinions when responding to musical works.

 

CCCS: 1.1.1, 1.1.3

 

Duration of time: 8 class periods

 

Activities:

 

-         Be aware of differing social/cultural influences on the composer as it affects his/her work.

-         Compare multiple purposes for creating music.

-         Analyze contemporary and historic meanings in specific works of music through cultural and aesthetic inquiry.

-         Identify factors that have an effect on musical perceptions.

-         Describe and compare a variety of works from different genres, cultures, and eras.

-         Assessment

UNIT 3 - ELEMENTS OF MUSIC

 

Objectives:

Students will be able to:

1.      Develop their skills in listening perceptively to music.

2.      Distinguish and discuss such elements as pitch, melody, harmony, rhythm, timbre, structure, media, and dynamics as these relate to the expressive whole.

 

CCCS: 1.4.1, 1.4.2, 1.4.3

 

Duration of time: 8 class periods

 

Activities:

 

-         Discuss the various elements of music as found in the composition.

-         Discuss how the various elements were used to attain a cohesive artistic expression.

-         Assessment

           

 

UNIT 4 - CREATING/PERFORMING

 

Objective:

The students will demonstrate knowledge of the written language of music and be able to express these through musical performance.

 

CCCS: 1.2.1, 1.2.2, 1.2.3, 1.2.4, 1.3.1, 1.3.3, 1.6.1

 

Duration of time: 8 class periods

 

Activities:

 

-         Utilize the written language of music (signs, symbols, terms, and notation).

-         Demonstrate their knowledge of rhythmic, melodic, and expressive notation by playing or singing.

-         Sing or play simple melodies by ear on a melodic instrument.

-         Echo short rhythms and melodic patterns.

-         Improvise using simple rhythmic and melodic phrases.

-         Perform easy rhythmic, melodic, and chordal patterns on instruments, independently and in groups.

-         Perform individual parts effectively when participating in classroom ensembles.

-         Assessment


UNIT 5 - CRITICAL/ANALYTICAL/JUDGMENTAL/EVALUATIVE

 

Objective:

The students will identify and describe various forms of music from different historical and contemporary periods and cultures and recognize the impact of music in our daily lives.

 

CCCS: 1.4.1, 1.4.3, 1.5.1, 1.5.2, 1.5.3, 1.5.5, 1.5.6

 

Duration of time: 8 class periods

 

Activities:

 

-         Evaluate the artistic merit of a live or recorded music performance. Utilize the school, community, and professional groups as resources for evaluation.

-         Distinguish musical form or compositional structure through listening.

-         Identify and describe various musical forms, materials, media, and methods of composition from different historical periods and world cultures.

-         Develop an awareness of music-related careers. Discuss various musical professions such as composer, arranger, performer, producer, sound engineer, and recording engineer.

-         Assessment

 

 

 

Texts, Resources, and/or Literature

 

·          Text:  The Music Connection, Grade 6.  Silver Burdett Ginn

·          “Music Express Magazine”, Hal Leonard (new issues bi-monthly)

·          “Fun with Boomwhackers”, Chris Judah Lauder, Warner Bros. Music

·          “Pot-Pourri”, Konnie Salimba, Warner Bros, Music

·          Various media: Ex: CD, DVD,VHS, websites, computer software and enrichment programs