Chorus 6, 7, or 8

Chorus 6, 7, or 8

Course Title: Chorus 6, 7, or 8

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Course Description

Choir is a performing ensemble and part of a continuum that begins in elementary school, continues to build skills through middle school, and continues in high school. The choirs rehearse every other day and generally perform three concerts per school year.

As choir students advance through each grade level (6, 7, 8) the repertoire gets progressively more challenging and more leadership opportunities are presented. Students gain a deeper understanding of their voices as musical instruments, expand their knowledge of music literacy, and make further connections to the world and themselves by collaboratively creating music.

Power Standards

  1. Student is able to apply developing knowledge of singing techniques and musical concepts to produce accurate, expressive singing with a healthy, well-supported vocal tone.
  2. Student is able to interpret musical notation and use proper terminology to discuss singing techniques and musical concepts.
  3. Student shows understanding of how music connects to themselves and the world by creating high-quality, effective musical performances beyond the classroom.

Course Outline

Apply developing knowledge of singing techniques and musical concepts to produce accurate, expressive singing with a healthy, well-supported vocal tone.

Guiding Questions Learning Objectives 
  • How do musicians align their posture and manipulate the breath to create a good singing tone?
  • How do musicians match the sounds around them to create unison singing?
  • How do musicians listen to relationships between sounds in order to create harmony?
  • How do musicians create expressive singing?
  • Illustrate proper singing posture
  • Use breath and manage breath flow
  • Produce a good tone that reflects understanding of the physical manipulation of the voice.
  • Match a pitch played or sung in the appropriate range for a student’s individual voice and match the sound around them while singing in a group
  • Independently recall a melody or collection of sounds and sing it back accurately with proper pitch
Assessments: Daily observations, Small group work, concert performances

Interpret musical notation and use proper terminology to discuss singing techniques and musical concepts.

Guiding Questions Learning Objectives 
  • How can musicians use music language and vocabulary to demonstrate learning/understanding?
  • How do musicians interpret a choral score?
  • How do musicians improve their ability to read music?
  • How do musicians use the solfege scale as a literacy tool?
  • Use proper terminology to discuss singing technique, related anatomy, and musical concepts
  • Use choral score to follow along and navigate through a piece of music
  • Use solfege/read notation sufficiently to interpret simple melodies or rhythms and perform them accurately after practice
Assessments: Use of choral scores, daily solfege exercises, Curwen hand signs, Vocal exercises, Sight-reading

Use music to connect to yourself and the world around you by creating high-quality, effective musical performances beyond the classroom.

Guiding Questions Learning Objectives 
  • How do individual musicians work together to create an ensemble performance?
  • How do musicians communicate meaning through singing?
  • How do musicians make emotional connections to works of others as well as works they create themselves?
  • How do musicians integrate their knowledge and skills into a cohesive performance?
  • Collaborate as an ensemble on each concert performance
  • Demonstrates an understanding of the affective and contextual meaning of music and applies that knowledge in rehearsal and performance settings
  • Create music that makes a personal connection.
  • Synthesizes knowledge of skills/techniques/concepts and applies them when performing music
Assessments: Concert performances, Rehearsal activities, In-class discussions, Listening activities

Career and Life Skills
Social and Cross Cultural

The student respects and contributes to the diverse learning community by:

  • Honoring the ideas and opinions of others and
  • Interacting effectively and appropriately with others
Productivity and Accountability

The student takes ownership of work and actions by:

  • Completing assignments on time
  • Arriving prepared and on time
  • Managing time
Initiative and Self Direction

The student demonstrates independence by:

  • Self-advocating for assistance or resources
  • Persevering through rigorous/challenging tasks
  • Utilizing feedback