Sossaman Middle School Choir Syllabus

[Pages:5]Sossaman Middle School Choir Syllabus

Mr. Robert Decoste Robert.Decoste@

Course objectives

This is a vocal music course for middle school students who have a desire to learn, sing and perform music. The goal of this course is to teach students the

fundamentals of music, help create independence while learning and singing music and to become confident singers and develop an appreciation for music.

Some objectives for this year include: Learning the fundamentals of music. This includes but is not limited to The Staff, Clefs and Lines, Solfege, Rhythm Names and Syllables, Rest Names, Note Names and Syllables, Accidentals / Chromatic Solfege, Time Signatures, Key Signatures, Dynamics, Articulations Demonstrating proper breath support Demonstrating proper tone production Demonstrating knowledge of music terms Mastering the beginning levels of sight reading Understanding and demonstrating blend and balance within a choir Demonstrating proper concert etiquette.

Grading Policies

Grades will be determined each semester through the following criteria:

Concert Performances and Dress Rehearsals (50%) There will be two performances each semester and each performance will be worth 20% of your grade. Each performance will be accompanied with a dress

rehearsal shortly before the concert start time. Each of these dress rehearsals will be worth 5% of a student's grade. Because of the nature of performances, being tardy to a dress rehearsal will forfeit your 5%. Being tardy to a concert will not

allow you to perform, forfeiting your performance grade. I understand that life events may occur. If there is a situation that will cause any tardies or absences, I must be notified two weeks prior to the concert. This will

not guarantee you being excused but will allow you to work with me to find a solution. In the event of an emergency, each situation will be handled uniquely.

Quizzes and Homework (20%) Weekly quizzes will be administered to focus on that week's music topic. End of week quizzes will be closed book quizzes and will often occur on Friday. I will not assign pop quizzes. We will always review the materials for the quiz the week of the quiz. Quizzes will be worth 20% of your grade.

Class Participation (10%) Attendance to class is mandatory. Being late or absent will result in losing point for the day as you are not capable of participating. Good behavior and positive attitudes can often result in earning back lost points for the week. However, excessive talking, playing on iPads and other distractions will result in your loss of points for the week. Class participation is worth 10% of your grade.

Final Exam (20%) The final exam will be a cumulative exam from the semesters work. There will be an extensive review for the exam, the week leading into the test. The exam will be

a closed book exam and will be worth 20% of your grade.

Grading Scale: 90% - 100% = A 80% - 89% = B 70% - 79% = C 60% - 69% = D 59% or less = F If a student is struggling or a parent is concerned about a grade, please email or call me to discuss the situation. I am more than happy to help resolve and issues and my top priority is to help students learn and achieve great things.

Classroom Materials

Much like other classrooms, certain materials are required. Please bring the following:

Pencil and Eraser (absolutely no pens are allowed) Solid colored folder (often 50 cents at the store)

Water Bottles for rehearsal Notebook of staff paper (often purchased at music stores)

Letter to the Parents

Dear Parents,

I am so excited to begin the 2016-2017 school year at Sossaman Middle School. This will be my first full year in the Higley School District as well as my first full year in the teaching profession. I could not be more excited for this new chapter of my life to begin. Last year, I started working at Higley high school and Sossaman middle school right as the fourth quarter began. I filled in the absence of the previous choir teacher and together with the wonderful students, finished the year strong. I have been very hard at work over the summer to make some improvements to both of the choir programs.

Having a program where you are in direct control of your feeder school is an absolute blessing. This year, I am reprising my role as the choir teacher at both HHS and SMS. I am excited to get the program jumpstarted back onto the right track. However, I cannot do this on my own and need YOUR help! If you might be interested in taking part and being the foundation of what will be an amazing choir program, I would love to hear from you. Because I travel between two schools, email would be the quickest way to get ahold of me. Do not worry, I answer relatively quickly! Also, attached will be a form for you to fill out to let me know if you would be interested in donating some time!

Please know that concert dates, times and locations are still being finalized and that students and parents will be notified with ample time. However, here are some tentative dates for performances: Sep 29, Dec 19, Mar 6 and May 18.

Please review this syllabus with your child so that everyone understands the expectations for this year. I am so excited to get to meet you and your child and work with both of you for this year and many more to come.

Sincerely,

Robert Decoste

Parent Information (please print clearly) Students Name Parent's / Guardian's Name Phone Number Email Address

Are you are interested in participating behind the scenes at concerts, working with uniforms or helping out the program in other ways, please circle: YES NO

By signing below, you acknowledge that you have read the syllabus and understand the policies set forth by it. Please detach this page and return it to Mr. Decoste no later than August 5th, 2016. Signature of Student and Date

Signature of Parent and Date

 ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download