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8 th Grade Music Syllabus. Mrs . Welfare 2012/2013 . UNIT 1 West African drumming. We will: * Review rhythms from 6 th and 7 th grade music class/ learn more complex rhythms Play tubanos and other percussion instruments in a drum circle
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8th Grade Music Syllabus Mrs. Welfare 2012/2013
UNIT 1West African drumming We will: * Review rhythms from 6th and 7th grade music class/ learn more complex rhythms • Play tubanos and other percussion instruments in a drum circle • Learn several authentic West African drum ensembles • Practice the techniques of call/echo, question/answer, and call/response (click for definitions) Culminating project: Working with a small group, you will create a 16 measure call/response rhythm piece and perform it for the class
Unit 2The Blues We will: • Listen to and discuss some of the earliest blues ever recorded • Discuss and read about the origin of the blues • Look closely at the lyric structure of the blues • Study the harmonies and melodies that make up a blues song • Compare and contrast, through listening, various artists’ rendition of the blues Culminating project: In small groups you will write 3 verses of lyrics in blues format, learn accompaniment on piano or guitar, add in improv verses, and perform these for the class.
We will: • Listen to various genres of popular music and use discussions, written response, and group activities to further our knowledge of these genres • Read articles that will help us “get to know” popular musicians • Discuss, debate, and write about our own personal likes/ dislikes of popular music: • What makes us like a specific artist and/or genre? • What actually makes popular music “popular”? • Is there any music that is truly “not good”? • How can we begin to decipher between artists that are producing creatively and those that merely copycats? • Culminating project: You will choose an artist to research. The information that you find will be presented to the class using one of several modes of presentation. I will give you the outline of info to find as well as discuss with you each option for presentation. Unit 3Popular music artists: then and now
West African drumming techniques (these are all conversational in nature) Call/Echo: Lead person plays a rhythm, the group responds with the same exact rhythm. Call/ Response: Lead person plays a rhythm. The groups responds with a different, pre-determined rhythm. Each time the leader plays, the group responds with the SAME rhythm they played the first time. Question/ Answer: Lead person plays a rhythm, one individual responds with anything other than the leader’s rhythm. Each person in the circle gets a turn to respond to the leader. The lead drummer’s rhythm remains the SAME. Each answer is different.
Here is an excellent site for research if your singer/ band has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Check it out! Note: don’t let the name fool you- artists from all genres have been inducted! http://www.rockhall.com