2017 Choir – Semester 2
Mr. Lucia - Vocal Music/ B104
Mr. Lucia - Vocal Music/ B104
Welcome to Choir! The music program at Birney Middle School has 3 separate sections of choir.
Even though the classes have different names, most of the time we will be singing the same songs. It’s also important to note that all 5 classes will cover the same Michigan Music Education Standards that I am required to cover. These standards are 1: Students will apply skills and knowledge to perform. 2: Students will apply skills and knowledge to create. 3: Students will analyze, describe and evaluate works of music. 4: Students will understand, analyze, and describe the music in their historical, social, and cultural contexts. 5: Students will recognize, analyze, and describe connections among music, between the music and other disciplines; between the music and everyday life. Hopefully you have chosen or have been placed in the correct class.
It is important to see your counselor in the first week of class if you feel like you were placed in the wrong class. Once the semester gets under way, the counselors rarely change schedules!
Throughout the year, additional performances may be available for you to attend and are worth extra credit. Field trips will also be available but are only available for students who are in good standing with citizenship, grades, and fines. Choir in general gets little to no funding by the school. In order for this program to be successful, it is extremely important that the members of the choir participate in the fundraisers to help buy supplies and offset the costs of field trips we may go on.
Our goal for our rehearsals is to prepare our groups to perform publicly. Some students are great singers, but as a choir, we need to prepare the whole group to sing well for performances. In order to do that, we need to sing on a regular basis. This semester, Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays will be devoted solely to singing. On these days, we will start with about 15 minutes of warm-ups and vocalizations. The second step will include 15 minutes of sight-singing. During this portion of class, we will focus on the Kodaly hand signs and Solfège syllables to read music on sight. The final step is to sing choral literature. We will spent a little time singing pop songs and having fun (only if we have time), but the priority will always be to perfect the standard choral repertoire.
Tuesdays will be days spent listening to and evaluating music of all genres and historical periods. We will typically listen to 4 songs a day. During this time, several assigned students will have the opportunity to present about a song they have learned and give a short presentation about it. Each detailed presentation will include an assignment submitted on Google Classroom with Google Sheets as your presentation which includes playing a song or video and giving a detailed analysis about the song and answering any questions the audience may have.
We will focus on Music Theory twice during the semester. Those dates are February 2-16, and April 17-28. We will be following the theory book “A Young Singer’s Journey” to learn about the basics of reading music. Students will come to this class with varying degrees of experience reading music. Only those students who have previously been in my class and have passed the music theory tests with a 70% or higher may move ahead in the theory packets (and working independently) instead of starting over again. Those individuals are still responsible for all work and tracks of the pages assigned. Only 1 copy will be given to you and if you lose your copy, you can always print more at home using birneychoir.weebly.com site.
Grading: Your active listening presentation document is worth 12 points when turned into google classroom and the presentation itself is worth 8 points. Therefore, you are still required to submit your presentation the day it is due or you will receive a 0 even if you are absent. Your score will be dropped for the presentation, but not for the documentation which can be submitted online. Class participants will be submitting responses either on paper or online that will vary from 4-8 points per week. Each page of your music theory will be worth 1 point, however I will not collect it and grade it until we are done with the packet. Therefore your Theory packet will be worth 20 points. Your study guide is not worth any points but is the only thing you can use for the tests. On singing days, you will be graded on participation. If you choose not to sing (correctly) you will not earn any points for that day. If you sing to the best of your ability, you will earn 5 points each day.
Tests and quizzes help me know that you are learning and paying attention. Quizzes are worth 5 points each and may occur at any time without notice. Written/Online tests are worth between 10 to 20 points and will be announced with at least a weeks’ notice. There are 2 types of singing tests, group and individual. For group singing tests, I will have you sing a rehearsed song on the risers and record you. I will evaluate the group using a common choir rubric and give everyone in the class the same grade. For the individual singing tests, I will have you call the Birney choir voice mail (313-444-2097) and sing the required selection over the phone. You may be asked to sing a song or a sight-reading exercise. Both singing tests are worth 10 points each.
The Concerts: On May 24th, the Choir, Orchestra, and Elementary Music departments are required to host a performance. This is the only required performance for you to attend and is worth 50 points. I will give out a rubric when we get close to any performances, but it’s important to know right now that the only excused absences are sickness (with doctor’s note) and death. Only those who have excused absences prior to the concert have the option of partially making up that missing grade. All other concerts are extra credit. For this year, the required dress attire for all concerts is white/black tops and black bottoms. All shoes, belts, hair accessories, socks, and other accessories should also be black or white.
There are many ways to get in touch with me. The most important resource for our class is the website birneychoir.weebly.com/. However, you will also need Google Classroom, Google Calendar, and Gmail. You can find just about everything for my class on that website. It has daily objectives, song links, active listening summary links, theory pages, downloads, pictures, and more. It’s also easy to read on your smartphone and tablet. There is a contact me page on my website if you prefer to reach me that way. You can email me the traditional way at [email protected] or call the school at 248-746-8800 and my extension is 6393. You can even text or leave a voicemail on the Birney Choir Voicemail at 313-444-2097. I prefer that you use this number because all voicemails and texts go to my phone instantly and I can get back to you. This year I will also be using the Remind app to send class text messages. I will be making it a grade the first week of class to have you sign up.
I hope that when you walk into my classroom, you will come ready to sing and learn. There are a few class expectations modeled after the Birney “B’s” that will help the class run as smoothly as possible. Please know that I will not tolerate any fooling around. Although I try to make my class fun, the priority is education, and if we accomplish our agenda, I have no problem having fun, but once you misbehave and try taking advantage of me and/or the class I will not hesitate calling home or removing you from the class.
- 6th grade students will be enrolled in the 3rd hour Beginning Choir class. This class is a semester long and requires 1 performance on May 24th here at the school.
- 7th & 8th grade students have several options for their path in choir. The most common option is to be enrolled in the Intermediate classes that are semester long. 4th hour is available for 7th grade students, 5th hour is available for 8th grade students, and 7th hour is available for both 7th & 8th grade students. Intermediate Choir requires 1 performance on May 24th here at the school.
- Finally, 7th & 8th grade students who are more motivated to sing have the option to be in the 1st hour Advanced Choir class. This class meets all year long and requires 3 performances which include the December 21st concert, the May 24th concert, and other performances throughout the school year such as grandparent’s day and graduation.
Even though the classes have different names, most of the time we will be singing the same songs. It’s also important to note that all 5 classes will cover the same Michigan Music Education Standards that I am required to cover. These standards are 1: Students will apply skills and knowledge to perform. 2: Students will apply skills and knowledge to create. 3: Students will analyze, describe and evaluate works of music. 4: Students will understand, analyze, and describe the music in their historical, social, and cultural contexts. 5: Students will recognize, analyze, and describe connections among music, between the music and other disciplines; between the music and everyday life. Hopefully you have chosen or have been placed in the correct class.
It is important to see your counselor in the first week of class if you feel like you were placed in the wrong class. Once the semester gets under way, the counselors rarely change schedules!
Throughout the year, additional performances may be available for you to attend and are worth extra credit. Field trips will also be available but are only available for students who are in good standing with citizenship, grades, and fines. Choir in general gets little to no funding by the school. In order for this program to be successful, it is extremely important that the members of the choir participate in the fundraisers to help buy supplies and offset the costs of field trips we may go on.
Our goal for our rehearsals is to prepare our groups to perform publicly. Some students are great singers, but as a choir, we need to prepare the whole group to sing well for performances. In order to do that, we need to sing on a regular basis. This semester, Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays will be devoted solely to singing. On these days, we will start with about 15 minutes of warm-ups and vocalizations. The second step will include 15 minutes of sight-singing. During this portion of class, we will focus on the Kodaly hand signs and Solfège syllables to read music on sight. The final step is to sing choral literature. We will spent a little time singing pop songs and having fun (only if we have time), but the priority will always be to perfect the standard choral repertoire.
Tuesdays will be days spent listening to and evaluating music of all genres and historical periods. We will typically listen to 4 songs a day. During this time, several assigned students will have the opportunity to present about a song they have learned and give a short presentation about it. Each detailed presentation will include an assignment submitted on Google Classroom with Google Sheets as your presentation which includes playing a song or video and giving a detailed analysis about the song and answering any questions the audience may have.
We will focus on Music Theory twice during the semester. Those dates are February 2-16, and April 17-28. We will be following the theory book “A Young Singer’s Journey” to learn about the basics of reading music. Students will come to this class with varying degrees of experience reading music. Only those students who have previously been in my class and have passed the music theory tests with a 70% or higher may move ahead in the theory packets (and working independently) instead of starting over again. Those individuals are still responsible for all work and tracks of the pages assigned. Only 1 copy will be given to you and if you lose your copy, you can always print more at home using birneychoir.weebly.com site.
Grading: Your active listening presentation document is worth 12 points when turned into google classroom and the presentation itself is worth 8 points. Therefore, you are still required to submit your presentation the day it is due or you will receive a 0 even if you are absent. Your score will be dropped for the presentation, but not for the documentation which can be submitted online. Class participants will be submitting responses either on paper or online that will vary from 4-8 points per week. Each page of your music theory will be worth 1 point, however I will not collect it and grade it until we are done with the packet. Therefore your Theory packet will be worth 20 points. Your study guide is not worth any points but is the only thing you can use for the tests. On singing days, you will be graded on participation. If you choose not to sing (correctly) you will not earn any points for that day. If you sing to the best of your ability, you will earn 5 points each day.
Tests and quizzes help me know that you are learning and paying attention. Quizzes are worth 5 points each and may occur at any time without notice. Written/Online tests are worth between 10 to 20 points and will be announced with at least a weeks’ notice. There are 2 types of singing tests, group and individual. For group singing tests, I will have you sing a rehearsed song on the risers and record you. I will evaluate the group using a common choir rubric and give everyone in the class the same grade. For the individual singing tests, I will have you call the Birney choir voice mail (313-444-2097) and sing the required selection over the phone. You may be asked to sing a song or a sight-reading exercise. Both singing tests are worth 10 points each.
The Concerts: On May 24th, the Choir, Orchestra, and Elementary Music departments are required to host a performance. This is the only required performance for you to attend and is worth 50 points. I will give out a rubric when we get close to any performances, but it’s important to know right now that the only excused absences are sickness (with doctor’s note) and death. Only those who have excused absences prior to the concert have the option of partially making up that missing grade. All other concerts are extra credit. For this year, the required dress attire for all concerts is white/black tops and black bottoms. All shoes, belts, hair accessories, socks, and other accessories should also be black or white.
There are many ways to get in touch with me. The most important resource for our class is the website birneychoir.weebly.com/. However, you will also need Google Classroom, Google Calendar, and Gmail. You can find just about everything for my class on that website. It has daily objectives, song links, active listening summary links, theory pages, downloads, pictures, and more. It’s also easy to read on your smartphone and tablet. There is a contact me page on my website if you prefer to reach me that way. You can email me the traditional way at [email protected] or call the school at 248-746-8800 and my extension is 6393. You can even text or leave a voicemail on the Birney Choir Voicemail at 313-444-2097. I prefer that you use this number because all voicemails and texts go to my phone instantly and I can get back to you. This year I will also be using the Remind app to send class text messages. I will be making it a grade the first week of class to have you sign up.
I hope that when you walk into my classroom, you will come ready to sing and learn. There are a few class expectations modeled after the Birney “B’s” that will help the class run as smoothly as possible. Please know that I will not tolerate any fooling around. Although I try to make my class fun, the priority is education, and if we accomplish our agenda, I have no problem having fun, but once you misbehave and try taking advantage of me and/or the class I will not hesitate calling home or removing you from the class.
Be Safe
|
Stay in your personal space
Walk Use materials or equipment appropriately Keep hands and feet to yourself |
Be Responsible
|
Clean up after yourself
Follow directions & classroom routines Do quality work at all times Be a problem solver Help reduce conflict by reporting irresponsible behavior to an adult Turn in all course work on time Arrive to class on time |
Be Respectful
|
Work cooperatively
Listen carefully while others speak Be considerate Respect guest teachers Voice level 0-2 |
Be Peaceful
|
Think before you speak
Use kind language Follow directions & classroom routines |
I can’t wait to begin our semester with you in my class and hope this semester will be the best one ever!
It is recommended that all students download and use Gmail for their school email, Google calendar for class agenda including presentation dates, Google Hangouts for video chats or text messaging, and Remind for class announcements. Presentations will be submitted on Google Slides. If any students need help with the format, please schedule a time with me to learn how to use the program.
Please bookmark Birneychoir.weebly.com Password: Lucia; Birney Choir Phone (313) 444-2097
Email [email protected] for access to Google Classroom or Google Calendar
Remind: Text 81010
It is recommended that all students download and use Gmail for their school email, Google calendar for class agenda including presentation dates, Google Hangouts for video chats or text messaging, and Remind for class announcements. Presentations will be submitted on Google Slides. If any students need help with the format, please schedule a time with me to learn how to use the program.
Please bookmark Birneychoir.weebly.com Password: Lucia; Birney Choir Phone (313) 444-2097
Email [email protected] for access to Google Classroom or Google Calendar
Remind: Text 81010
1st Hour - @Luciaa1
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3rd Hour - @Luciab3
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4th Hour - @Luciai4
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5th Hour - @Luciai5
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7th Hour - @Luciai7
|
I have received a copy of the course information for my child’s Choir class. I have read it with my child and we have discussed all aspects of the course. I am aware of expectations, grading procedures, and concert performances
Please return this portion to Mr. Lucia no later than February 8, 2017
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Student’s Name/Hour ______________________________________________ Student’s School Email _____________________________________________ Student’s Personal Email _____________________________________________ Student’s Signature |
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Parent’s Name (Please Print) ______________________________________________ Parent best Daytime phone contact ______________________________________________ Parent best Evening contact ______________________________________________ Parent Email _______________________________________________ Parent’s Signature |
Is there anything else I should know about your child? _________________________________________________________________________________________
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