22-23 Fall Music Newsletter

 

2022-2023 Music Class Policies

Individual Student Grades

(I keep track on the class seating chart.  In general students receive 5 points per lesson unless they obviously were at a lower level.)

Class Points for Music Choice Day

 

In addition to students receiving daily points (which I only input into the online grading system monthly) classes strive to earn class points. Class points are determined by classes holding up fingers for the number of points they think the class deserves.  I often remind the students about behaviors I observed and then we take a consensus and place the points into the chart.

22-23 Plan

 

Performances - I decided that 6 grade level performances per year is too much.  (I have always done one live performance per grade each year.) During the pandemic years I was able to send video clips of classroom performances and activities to parents through Schoology, the school Youtube page and Class Dojo.  While that was a different kind of stress (well learning curve) it was less pressure than a live grade level performances. My principal was a bit taken back when I told him that from here forward this is my plan:

Kindergarten - last day of school songs for parents during the school day

First Grade - annual Wild West Program (because until someone says I can't, I LOVE this one) in April

Second Grade - video performance sent to parents in late March with songs using their homemade instrument projects

Third Grade - World Music Performance in May

Fourth Grade - December Christmas Musical 

Fifth Grade - video class recordings sent to parents throughout the year that demonstrate skill acquisition (singing, recorder, ukulele and song writing) 

Choir - performances in October, December, May and a musical early in the second semester

Schedule - This is my 4th year at Cedar Ridge Elementary School and my schedule has been identical each year. We have 3 rounds of each grade. All classes are more than 24 students, most at 27+. I teach 9, 40 minute lessons per day, with a 40 minute plan first thing in the morning.