Hello and welcome to Middle School Music at AA. My name is Mr. Porter and this is my second year teaching music and performing arts at American Academy. I am pleased to again be taking a leading role in your music education. I will be at Castle Pines for the third trimester.
Middle School Music: Vision and Course Calendar
Similar to last year, students' time in music is intended to provide respite from the rigor of the AA STEM emphases. Our focus is more on general music and music appreciation with the express intent of fostering musically literate and responsive young people through the vehicle of ukulele. Please see below a brief course calendar for each grade.
| 6th Grade | 7th Grade | 8th Grade | |
| Week 1 | Instrument Classifications | Ukulele Skills Review | Ukulele Skills Review |
| Week 2 | Large Ensembles | Rhythm Comprehension | Rhythm Comprehension |
| Week 3 | Western Music History | Pitch and the Keyboard | Pitch and the Keyboard |
| Week 4 | Pitch & Rhythm | Dynamics, Articulation, and Composition | Dynamics, Articulation, and Composition |
| Week 5 | Dynamics & Articulation | Classical Music in America: Blues & Jazz | Early Rock in America |
| Week 6 | Composition | Modern Music in America: Rock & Rap | Rock Genres: Disambiguation |
Assignments
Engagement 50%
Students will receive a weekly engagement grade that follows the students participation, contributions, and comportment during a week, which I assess during our group discussions, lectures, and independent work time: 20 points.
Projects and Assignments 50%
Students will demonstrate their knowledge on one project/assignment per unit. Assignments point values may vary depending on the difficulty of the assignment: usually between 20 and 40 points