COURSE DESCRIPTION
Mrs. Gillespie's Music and Band Courses
5th Grade General Music
"I love your class Mrs. G, we get to do all this cool stuff! I love learning about Chinese music!"
- A. Payne
5th Grade Music
Fifth Grade Music is a 9 weeks long course designed to strengthen the ideas learned in the musician’s previous elementary years in Music. Students will continue to examine basic aspects of music literacy and music notation, with emphasis on performing with musical artistry and expression as members of a Pbuzz ensemble. During the 5th grade year, students will use critical thinking skills to examine and describe musical pieces. Students will gain further understandings related to the relationships between music, the other arts disciplines, and the other academic disciplines. Students will also be challenged to understand music in relationship to the history and culture of our 21st Century society, preparing them to interact with today’s ever changing global society from a different view than traditional subjects.
6th Sophomore
Band
"I love that we can use art to explain music, dance to explain music, acting to explain music. Its like its all connected!”
-C. Davis
6th Grade Band
Sixth Grade Band is a course designed to support the ideas learned in the student musician’s previous band experience. Students will be separated into a main class or pull out class so that students will enjoy instruction from both teachers. The goals, requirements, and grading criteria will stay the same for all classes, no matter who is teaching the course. Students will examine more complex features of music literacy and music notation, as well as musical vocabulary, with a concentration on performing as members of an ensemble. During the second year, this course will reinforce the fundamentals of tone production and musical literacy learned in Fifth Grade Band, while strengthening the overall understandings of each basic skill. Elements of music that were learned in Beginning Band will be reinforced and strengthened through exercises of increasing difficulty which present challenging and interesting problems for students to master through individual practice and class rehearsal. Students in Sixth Grade Band will perform a minimum of two required concerts with further chances to perform for the community (Parades). Students in Sixth Grade Band may also choose to participate in events such as All-County Band and All-District Band. Students in this grade level also have the chance to go on the Myrtle Beach Trip in the spring.
7th Grade
Beginning Guitar
"I really like learning the guitar. You can play it anywhere and its really fun to show off at church!"
-A. Hunt,
7th Grade Music
Seventh Grade Music is a 9 weeks long course designed to strengthen the ideas learned in the musician’s previous two years in Music. Students will continue to examine progressively more complex aspects of music literacy and music notation, with emphasis on performing with musical artistry and expression as members of a guitar ensemble. During the third year, students will use critical thinking skills to examine and describe musical pieces. Students will also apply the information discussed in class to the ensemble’s musical performances. Students will gain further understandings related to the relationships between music, the other arts disciplines, and the other academic disciplines. Students will also be challenged to understand music in relationship to the history and culture of our 21st Century society, preparing them to interact with today’s ever changing global society from a different view than traditional subjects.
8th Grade Intermediate
Guitar
"I like that we play guitar every week. Sometimes its just nice to make music."
-B. Brower,
8th Grade Music
Eighth Grade Music is a 9 weeks long course designed to strengthen the ideas learned in the musician’s previous four years in Music. Students will continue to examine progressively more complex aspects of music literacy and music notation, with emphasis on performing with musical artistry and expression as members of a guitar ensemble. During the fourth year, students will use critical thinking skills to examine and describe musical pieces. Students will also apply the information discussed in class to the ensemble’s musical performances. Students will gain further understandings related to the relationships between music, the other arts disciplines, and the other academic disciplines. Students will also be challenged to understand music in relationship to the history and culture of our 21st Century society, preparing them to interact with today’s ever changing global society from a different view than traditional subjects.