MUSIC MISSION at AVOCA SCHOOL DISTRICT

The mission of music instruction in the Avoca School District #37, a community partnership committed to excellence, is to ensure that all students will:

1. be exposed to a variety of musical experiences which include listening, performing and creating music

2. develop a basic level of music literacy

3. acquire a general knowledge of music of many cultures and times by exploring music of various composers and performers throughout the ages

4. be able to apply acquired musical knowledge through singing, playing of instruments, and creating music

5. be exposed to experiences which will inspire a lifelong desire to interact with music as a consumer, performer, and/or composer

6. have an awareness of the interrelationship of music with other disciplines

GENERAL MUSIC at MARIE MURPHY SCHOOL

GENERAL MUSIC is the core of the music curriculum. Students participate in music through a variety of experiences which give them opportunities to listen to music, read music, compose, perform, develop oral and cognitive skills and make informed judgments concerning different kinds of music. Through a study of the music of great composers, the students develop and reinforce the basic concepts of the music language: rhythm, melody, form, harmony, dynamics, tempo, and style.

GENERAL MUSIC UNITS

INSTRUMENT AWARENESS

Students develop listening skills through the study of traditional instruments and instruments from around the world. A study of varying genres of music are included in this unit. Students create, listen, and share musical compositions created from a variety of musical styles. There is no musical notation involved, but the student is making some of the same decisions a composer or arranger would in creating a real musical composition. Students create Podcasts of traditional instruments to share their understanding through the use of technology and creativity.

HANDCHIMES AND MUSIC THEORY

Students extend their understanding of the language of music through the use of the Handchimes. They learn to interpret musical symbols, terms, and signs used in musical literature while learning basic music reading of treble and bass clef staves.

Using music technology as a tool to reinforce music theory concepts, specifically the application MUSIC ACE, students practice and build upon their understanding of music fundamentals, learning the skills of a basic level of music reading and the ABC's of the piano keyboard.

THE VOCAL EXPERIENCE

Students develop an understanding of the vocal mechanism and how to use it properly. Through the use of selected choral literature, students reinforce the basic singing concepts of breathing, posture, articulation, and resonance.

MUSIC HISTORY

Students explore and experience music of various composers by comparing and contrasting music styles of the Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and Contemporary music historical periods.

6th Grade Unit: Music Through the Ages
7th Grade Unit: History of the Musical - Study of the musical Wicked
8th Grade Unit: History of Opera - Study of the opera Pagliacci by Leoncavallo

MUSIC COMPOSITION

Students use the latest computer technology to compose both traditional and nontraditional compositions.

THE GUITAR

Students expand music reading skills through the use of the guitar, increasing their enjoyment of learning a musical instrument and the discipline it encourages.