Mr. Baum - Music
Course Description
Grading Policy35% Effort
(Preparation Participation Conduct) 25% In class work 20% Homework/Projects 20% Assessments Music classes will receive a number grade on report cards |
In music class, students will experience music through a multi faceted approach to help address all of the New York State educational standards for music as well as enrich the school’s dedication to addressing the Common Core Learning Standards. It is my goal to make music an effective supplement to the school wide curriculum in order to prepare our students with the skills needed to succeed in the real world. I believe music education provides opportunities to develop creative thinking, teamwork, self-confidence and an understanding of what makes us both unique and alike as members of a global community. Music also fits in well to the Renzulli Schoolwide Enrichment Model which focuses on helping each student to develop his or her own unique set of talents.
For in-classroom instruction, we will be exploring a variety of topics to broaden students understanding of what music is. We will learn that music is not just a subject in and of itself, but can be looked at through the scope of several other disciplines such as science, math, history, social studies, language arts and more. This approach aims to help contribute to the school’s instructional goals of engaging students in high quality discourse to improve their performance in both written and oral responses. In 7th grade, students will also be given an opportunity to experience music making through technology resources provided by the school. We will be using different music making software, primarily Garageband, as a vehicle for composition and understanding music theory as it applies to song writing. Students will have the chance to write their own songs using a variety of different methods. |
Contact email - lbaum@thebellacademy.com
Links
Homework, practice assignments and upcoming performance assessments will be posted on the calendar page the day they are assigned.
Contact via email for any questions or concerns.
Contact via email for any questions or concerns.
WHat's going on in class
UNIT 1 - KNOW YOUR HISTORY
Students listened to several songs in Spotify's Top Songs of the Summer playlist.
They compared similarities in each song.
Each song included drumbeat influences from Jamaican Dancehall music.
Students read excerpts from articles and interviews from Jamaican Dancehall musicians who have claimed they have a problem with these artists using Dancehall in their music.
Article #1 - http://www.complex.com/music/2016/09/sean-paul-says-drake-justin-bieber-dont-understand-dancehall
Mr. Vegas interview on HOT 97
Students listened to several songs in Spotify's Top Songs of the Summer playlist.
They compared similarities in each song.
Each song included drumbeat influences from Jamaican Dancehall music.
Students read excerpts from articles and interviews from Jamaican Dancehall musicians who have claimed they have a problem with these artists using Dancehall in their music.
Article #1 - http://www.complex.com/music/2016/09/sean-paul-says-drake-justin-bieber-dont-understand-dancehall
Mr. Vegas interview on HOT 97
Students concluded that Dancehall artists like Sean Paul and Mr. Vegas are upset because Drake and other popular artists are using Dancehall in their music without giving credit to Dancehall artists. From there, they dug deeper to consider what is wrong with not crediting Dancehall artists.
Student Responses
- Not being respectful to the culture of Dancehall and Jamaican music
- Dancehall artists will miss out on more fans and financial opportunities
- People will forget the origins of the music and start thinking Drake and other artists create Dancehall
Students examined the issues behind the Drake and Dancehall Controversy.
- Not Crediting
- Ownership of Music
- Knowing the History of Music
- Disrespecting Culture
- Plagiarism
- Artist Equality/Fairness
Students formulated essential questions to engage in a discussion around the issues behind this topic.
Asking Essential Questions
- They are not "yes or no" questions
- There are not necessarily going to be "right" or "wrong" answers because everyone will have different opinions
- Good Essential Questions may lead to more questions instead of answers
Words that may appear in essential questions
- Why.......?
- How......?
- Should.......?
- Is it........?
Student Responses
- Not being respectful to the culture of Dancehall and Jamaican music
- Dancehall artists will miss out on more fans and financial opportunities
- People will forget the origins of the music and start thinking Drake and other artists create Dancehall
Students examined the issues behind the Drake and Dancehall Controversy.
- Not Crediting
- Ownership of Music
- Knowing the History of Music
- Disrespecting Culture
- Plagiarism
- Artist Equality/Fairness
Students formulated essential questions to engage in a discussion around the issues behind this topic.
Asking Essential Questions
- They are not "yes or no" questions
- There are not necessarily going to be "right" or "wrong" answers because everyone will have different opinions
- Good Essential Questions may lead to more questions instead of answers
Words that may appear in essential questions
- Why.......?
- How......?
- Should.......?
- Is it........?
Dancehall Socratic Seminar (See Jupitered.com for specific due dates)
Students will engage in a Socratic Seminar to discuss the following questions.
Topic Question:
Do you agree or disagree that Drake and other Popular artists should be giving credit to Dancehall when using it to influence their own music?
Essential Questions:
What responsibility do artists have to credit their influences?
Is it important for artists to know the history of the music they are making?
Seminar Documents
Seminar Questions
| crediting_influences_socratic_prep.docx |
Article # 1 Article # 2
TBD Organizer
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Seminar Reflection (To be completed after the seminar)
| dancehall_seminar_reflection_.docx |
Dancehall Drumbeat challenge
Listen to the following drumbeat and see if you can figure out how to replicate it using Garageband.
Listen to the following drumbeat and see if you can figure out how to replicate it using Garageband.
