The goal of the Brandywine Heights Area School District Music Department is to enable students to become lifelong participants in music, to learn the skills necessary for continued enjoyment in music, and to see the many connections between music and other subjects. Music, an important subject in itself, brings all subjects together in a united whole.
The study of music encourages critical thinking in our students, fosters participation in groups, broadens students’ education by encouraging the artistic proponent of development, and promotes problem solving skills which will carry with students throughout their lives and further education. Music curriculum scaffolds to build skills from Kindergarten through high school, with students constantly building on prior knowledge. More than a “special” subject, the study of music allows students discover what it means to be human by allowing expression of their artistic nature. The study of music should be thorough, rigorous, and comprehensive.
Subject: Jazz Ensemble / Grade: 9-12
Unit Overview/Essential Understanding:
What is improvisation?
Unit Objectives:
Students will…
Improvise simple phrases
Improvise short melodies, unaccompanied by rhythm section and over given rhythmic accompaniments, each in a consistent style, meter and tonality (12 bar blues)
Focus Standards Addressed in this Unit:
National Standards for Music Education: 1,2,5,6,7,8,9
Important Standards Addressed in this Unit:
National Standards for Music Education: 1,2,5,6,7,8,9
Misconceptions:
Students may have an underdeveloped ear in relation to signing on pitch, identifying appropriate intonation, and aurally identifying incorrect notes and rhythms. Students are also working to develop high level listening skills in an ensemble which may take a few years to develop.
Concepts/Content:
Students will understand…
Principals of Improvisation
Blues form(s)
7th chords
Stand chord progressions, (including I/IV/V progression, ii/V/I progression)
Major scales
Minor scales
Pentatonic scales
Blues scales & keys
Tempo
Meter / Competencies/Skills:
Students will be able to…
Improvise…
With appropriate style and phrasing for the genre of music
Using the elements of music to achieve variety and balance
Maintaining a relationship between the melodic variations and the original melody
Maintaining a relationship within the harmonic structure
Maintaining a relationship within the song’s form / Description of Activities:
- Jazz Band Literature
- Jamie Aebersold books
- Band-in-a-box
- Smart Music
Assessments:
Aural evaluation
Informal assessments to aid personal progress in class and lessons
Interdisciplinary Connections:
Reading- Understanding context clues to what they are reading. / Additional Resources:
Read/perform a variety of band literature from an extensive library of music.
Subject: Jazz Ensemble / Grade: 9-12
Unit Overview/Essential Understanding:
What is musical notation and how do you interpret notation?
Unit Objectives:
Students will sight-read, accurately and expressively, music with a level of difficulty of 3, on a scale of 1 to 6
Focus Standards Addressed in this Unit:
National Standards for Music Education: 1,2,5,6,7,8,9
Important Standards Addressed in this Unit:
National Standards for Music Education: 1,2,5,6,7,8,9
Misconceptions:
Students may continue to struggle with physical aspects of playing an instrument due to physical development (unable to reach certain keys/slide positions). As students grow, they will have a better grasp on physical responsibilities that pertain to their instrument. Students are also working on building a larger lung capacity, which may be underdeveloped. Students are rarely asked to critique a performance using aural skills. Students might have trouble linking the concepts we learn in Reading/Comprehension, Aural Skills, and Physical Skills to successfully critique a performance.
Concepts/Content:
Students will understand…
Rhythm
Intonation
Sight reading techniques
Swing, Latin, Rock / Competencies/Skills:
Students will be able to…
Understand and demonstrate rhythmic precision with appropriate style / Description of Activities:
- Jazz Band Literature
- Jamie Aebersold Book
- Band-in-a-Box
- Smart Music
Assessments:
- Teacher observation and evaluation
- Practice assignments and tests
Interdisciplinary Connections:
Students learn the ability to evaluate throughout many other subject areas. Most evaluation in core subjects occurs by sight whereas in music it occurs mostly by listening. / Additional Resources:
Read/perform a variety of band literature from an extensive library of music.
Subject: Jazz Ensemble / Grade: 9-12
Unit Overview/Essential Understanding:
What is musical form and structure?
How to you listen for musical elements?
Unit Objectives:
Students will…
Analyze aural examples of a varied repertoire of music, representing diverse genres and cultures, by describing the uses of elements of musical and expressive devices
Demonstrate extensive knowledge of the technical vocabulary of music
Identify and explain compositional devices and techniques used to provide unity and variety and tension and release in a musical work and give examples of other works that make similar uses of these devices and techniques
Focus Standards Addressed in this Unit:
National Standards for Music Education: 1,2,5,6,7,8,9
Important Standards Addressed in this Unit:
National Standards for Music Education: 1,2,5,6,7,8,9
Misconceptions:
Students may continue to struggle with physical aspects of playing an instrument due to physical development. As students grow, they will have a better grasp on physical responsibilities that pertain to their instrument. Students are also working on building a larger lung capacity, which may be underdeveloped.
Concepts/Content:
Students will understand…
Genres
Cultures
Elements of music
Expressive devices
Technical Vocabulary including…
Musical Elements
Key
Meter
Mode
Phrasing
Articulations
Dynamics
Blend/Balance
Intervals
Tonic
Chord progressions
Compositional devices
Instrument families
Style
Theme / Competencies/Skills:
Students will be able to…
Describe musical events in the music they hear or perform
Define elements of music (pitch, dynamics, timbre, rhythm, harmony, texture, form, style)
Identify various instruments and voice and their families given aural or visual examples
Identify styles, theme or melody in a composition / Description of Activities:
- Abersold books
- Smart Music by ear
- Perform music
- Practice ‘advanced’ musical technique
- Band-in-a-Box
Assessments:
- Teacher evaluation
- Formal assessments
Interdisciplinary Connections:
Science- breaking down equations, understanding their importance just like breaking down a piece of music, understanding their importance to the piece. / Additional Resources:
Read/perform a variety of band literature from an extensive library of music.
Subject: Jazz Ensemble / Grade: 9-12
Unit Overview/Essential Understanding:
How and why do people creatively express themselves?
What is performance preparation?
Unit Objectives:
Students will….
- perform with expression and technical accuracy, a large and varied repertoire of Jazz/Blues/Rock/Funk literature.
- perform an appropriate part in an ensemble, demonstrating well-developed ensemble skills
-perform in a small ensemble with one student on a part
Focus Standards Addressed in this Unit:
National Standards for Music Education: 1,2,5,6,7,8,9
Important Standards Addressed in this Unit:
National Standards for Music Education: 1,2,5,6,7,8,9
Misconceptions:
As students continue to grow as musicians in an ensemble setting, they may begin to have trouble with playing learned rhythms while others play something different. Students will continue to learn how to keep the beat in ensemble literature as well as blend and balance within the ensemble through the guidance of the conductor.
Concepts/Content:
Students will understand…
Posture
Embouchure
Breathing and air flow
Technique
Intonation
Dynamics
Articulation
Tempo
Beat
Notation
Swing
Listening (to the rhythm section)
Jazz (Blues, Rock, Funk, Latin, etc.)
Who to listen to in the band
Who to follow in the band (when and why)
Blend
Matching
Playing in groove
Jazz styles
Stylistic leading and following
Articulations
Phrasing
Styles
Importance of playing with confidence / Competencies/Skills:
Perform with…
Accurate and consistent pitch
Appropriate tone
Technical fluency
Advanced ensemble skills
Expression
Attention to musical details (including dynamics, articulation, and swing)
Demonstrate with…
Good listening skills
Playing with groove
Playing in various jazz styles
Playing with confidence
Perform expressively while observing…
Dynamics
Phrasing
Articulations
Style / Description of Activities:
- Jazz Band Literature
- Jamie Aebersold books
- Band-in-a-box
- Smart Music
Assessments:
- Observation
- Performance tests
- Concerts
Interdisciplinary Connections:
Students apply many of the same tools and techniques to music reading as they would in reading a language. / Additional Resources:
- Standard jazz literature
- Recordings of literature
- Tuner
- Metronome
Subject:Jazz Ensemble / Grade: 9-12
Unit Overview/Essential Understanding:
What is evaluation?
Unit Objectives:
Students will…
Evolve specific criteria for making informed, critical evaluations of the quality and effectiveness of performances, compositions, arrangements and improvisations and apply the criteria in their personal participation in music
Evaluate a performance, composition, arrangement, or improvisation by comparing it to similar or exemplary models
Focus Standards Addressed in this Unit:
National Standards for Music Education: 1,2,5,6,7,8,9
Important Standards Addressed in this Unit:
National Standards for Music Education: 1,2,5,6,7,8,9
Misconceptions:
Students may struggle with how to effectively listen to music. Active listening in music refers to the idea that listeners can be given some degree of control on the music they listen to, by means of technological applications mainly based on artificial intelligenceand information theorytechniques, by opposition to traditional listening, in which the musical media is played passively by some neutral device.
Concepts/Content:
Students will understand…
Blend
Balance
Tone
Expression
Listening (how to listen) / Competencies/Skills:
Students will be able to…
Design criteria to evaluate a performance’s or composition’s quality (technical and expressive) and effectiveness (expressive impact)
Use supporting evidence when evaluating his/her performance and composition and the performances and compositions of others
Identify the strengths and weaknesses of a performance or composition / Description of Activities:
- Standard jazz literature
- Active listening (CD’s/MP3’s)
- Internet and other media devices
- Smart Music
- Band-in-a-Box
Assessments:
- Critical listening worksheets
- Self-evaluation
- Open discussions
Interdisciplinary Connections:
Science- breaking down equations, understanding their importance just like breaking down a piece of music, understanding their importance to the piece. / Additional Resources:
Read/perform a variety of band literature from an extensive library of music.