A
Beginning Band CurriculumBy David Millman
Introduction............................................................................................................................................................ 3
Topic for Curriculum Module:..................................................................................................................... 4
Aim and Rational for Beginning Band Curriculum........................................................................ 4
Aim:.............................................................................................................................................................................. 4
Rational:................................................................................................................................................................. 4
Audience........................................................................................................................................................................ 5
Prerequisites............................................................................................................................................................ 6
List of Materials................................................................................................................................................... 7
Instructional Plan.............................................................................................................................................. 7
Activity One: Small Ensemble Instruction (1 or 2 forty-minute
sessions per week) 7
Activity Two: Large Ensemble Instruction (1 or 2 forty-minute
sessions per week) 7
Activity Three: Individual Instruction (1 or 2 five-minute sessions
per week)........... 7
Activity Four: Individual Practice (10-30 minutes per day)...................................................... 7
Suggested Activities:....................................................................................................................................... 8
Assessment and Evaluation........................................................................................................................... 8
Authentic Assessment:.................................................................................................................................. 8
Formal Assessment.......................................................................................................................................... 9
Grading Scale....................................................................................................................................................... 9
Program Assessment....................................................................................................................................... 9
Connections to Widely Shared Objectives...................................................................................... 10
Illinois Learning Standards:................................................................................................................... 10
National Standards for Arts Education...................................................................................... 11
Appendices................................................................................................................................................................ 12
Suggested Band Texts:.................................................................................................................................. 12
Web Resources:................................................................................................................................................... 12
Articles and Books........................................................................................................................................ 12
Examples and Resources:............................................................................................................................ 13
Introduction
The band instructor is in a unique curricular situation compared to the classroom teacher with regard to the textbook materials that they use. Generally, the classroom instructor uses a text that is presents each lesson in a preformatted, organized manner with objectives, procedures, exercises and supplemental material all neatly laid out for the teacher to follow if they choose to. The band text, on the other hand, generally contains only a series of exercises of progressive difficulty. The manner and method in which the instructor teaches the exercises is left entirely up to the teacher. While this leaves the teacher with a great deal of instructional latitude it rarely gives much in the way of guidance in dealing with the problems that can crop up in the course of a year.
In addition, every teacher knows the importance of the beginning curriculum for any subject or discipline. The study of instrumental music is no different. The beginning band student learns the habits and fundamentals that will become the framework on which all of their future learning is based.
This curriculum is designed to address two major problems that confront the instrumental music teacher during the instruction of the beginning band. One is that of the need for one-on-one instruction. At this crucial stage of instruction, it is vital that the beginning student be monitored closely to encourage the development of good technique and prevent the formation of bad habits. Another is the age-old problem of lack of individual practice by the student. Without adequate practice, the student will not progress.
This curriculum is developed to give the inexperienced or veteran band instructor a strategy for teaching the beginning band. By allowing experience with ensembles of various sizes and allowing for short “private lesson” opportunities coupled with monitored individual practice time, it attempts to provide an effective framework for the instruction of the beginning band student.
Topic for Curriculum Module: TOP
As a grade school
instrumental music teacher, I am finding myself
unsatisfied with the curriculum of my Beginning Band class. These are
students just beginning to study a band instrument and are at a crucial
state of development. I am intending to use this area as the subject of my
curriculum module.
Aim
and Rational for Beginning Band Curriculum TOP
Aim:
The purpose of the Beginning Band curriculum is to provide an introduction to the care and functioning of a band instrument as well as to provide a foundational understanding of music notation and to begin to allow students to assimilate and combine that information in order to create a framework for the further study of instrumental music.
Rational:
Through the ages, great societies have been judged on the basis of their arts and culture. Today, we recognize the importance of the artistic contributions made by our many ethnic and social groups, to a world rich with cultural diversity. In fact, in many ways we identify and understand both ourselves and others through the arts.
Although there is much can be said for a passive study of the arts, it cannot be argued that a most important way of understanding and appreciating the fine arts is by having actual “hands on” experience with them. We cannot truly and fully appreciate the creation of great art and the artists who produced it without first having tried to create some of our own.
The study of instrumental music is one way to experience, first hand, the art of music. In addition to an intimate look at the art of music, instrumental music students must also learn to practice self-discipline as well as a spirit of cooperation and teamwork. An appropriate music education can also open avenues of success for students who may have problems in other areas of the curriculum thus increasing self-esteem and effort.
Furthermore, when it functions as part of an integrated curriculum, the study of instrumental music can serve as an important tool with which to help students gain a better overall understanding of the curriculum as a whole, while acknowledging the role music plays as one of theorist Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences. The study of instrumental music has also been shown to benefit students’ study in the areas of reading, writing, language learning and math.
Beginning band plays a crucial role in the study of instrumental music as it lays the foundation on which further study can be based.
Audience
This curriculum is designed for middle level grade school (4th-6th grade), students. These students should be self-selecting in that they should have chosen to be involved in the program and it therefore assumes that they will be somewhat self motivated. This curriculum could be used for older students, even into high school, with appropriate adjustments to pacing and expectations. It could also be adapted for special education students whose learning disability does not limit participation in a musical ensemble. It is not recommended that students younger than 3rd grade follow this curriculum.
Prerequisites TOP
This curriculum will be designed for students who have had at least some previous musical training. It will be assumed that either 2 years of age appropriate general music classes or 1 year of a pre-band (recorder or tonette) type class has been completed. This prerequisite should ensure that students have some basic knowledge of pitch and rhythm as well as some rudimentary music theory and notation training.
Objectives
Students will demonstrate the understanding of basic care and maintenance for their selected instruments.
1. Students will recognize and perform musical notes within a one-octave diatonic scale in the center of their instrument’s range with a reasonable tone quality.
2. Students will recognize and perform rhythms using any combination of eighth, quarter, half, dotted half, and whole notes patterns on their instrument.
3. Students will demonstrate an understanding of basic musical phrase and articulation notation including breath marks, ties and slurs.
4. Students will demonstrate understanding of the musical dynamic terms of forte and piano and will associate the corresponding symbology to performance on their instrument.
5. Students will recognize and respond to the use of accidentals, both in the key signature and in context.
6. Students will apply the use of their instrument in solo, small ensemble and full band performance.
List
of Materials
1. Band instrument and accessories. (i.e. reeds, mouthpieces, valve or slide oil. etc.)
2. Beginning Band Method Book (Best in Class-Bruce Pearson)
Instructional
Plan TOP
Activity One: Small Ensemble Instruction (1 or 2 forty-minute sessions per week)
Students will participate in small ensembles (5-15 students) where they will learn new concepts and drill on learned concepts. Students will be asked to perform both individually and together in order to acquire and develop skills.
Activity Two: Large Ensemble Instruction (1 or 2 forty-minute sessions per week)
Students will participate in large ensemble rehearsals (30-40 students) where they will use and improve their acquired skills and techniques in cooperation with like and unlike instruments.
Activity Three: Individual Instruction (1 or 2 five-minute sessions per week)
Students will meet with the teacher in short (5 minute) mini-lessons where they will demonstrate proficiency and be have their progress assessed. During these sessions, students will be able to advance at their own pace.
Activity Four: Individual Practice (10-30 minutes per day)
Students will practice skills learned in class sessions. Although much of this practice will occur at home, some practice can take place during the time when other students are receiving their Individual Instruction.
Suggested Activities:
As an incentive, the instructor could post a chart of the exercises that the students are expected to perform along with the names of the students. When the students pass a particular exercise, they could check it off on the chart next to their name.
Also, the instructor could give a reward like a sticker or some similar small token to each student to reward them for completing an exercise.
Finally, a certificate of achievement could be awarded at the successful completion of the program.
Assessment
and Evaluation TOP
Students in this course will be evaluation by using both an authentic and written method. Each method is detailed below.
Authentic Assessment:
· During the small ensemble and full band sessions, students will be generally evaluated on their ability to perform in a group environment. Ability to be attentive within the context of the group, class participation as well ability to respond to the instructor’s requests will be key indicators of acceptable performance. Proper posture and adequate attention to instrument care and maintenance are other areas that should be assessed during these sessions.
· During the Individual Instruction session, students will perform various preordinate, sequenced musical exercises of escalating difficulty on their instrument. As the students perform each exercise, the instructor will evaluate the student in the areas of tone quality, accuracy of rhythm and pitch, as well as proper phrasing and articulation. Where appropriate, proper recognition of musical notation as they relate to dynamics, accidentals, key signatures, meter, etc. will be demonstrated. Students must achieve success rate of 70% in each of the above areas on any particular exercise in order to move on to the next successive exercise. Although students will be encouraged to try to keep up with the exercises being worked on in the full and small ensemble sessions, they will be allowed to progress beyond that standard at their own rate. Students will be assessed in this activity be averaging their scores on each exercise and subtracting a point for each exercise that they are behind the standard set by the instructor.
Formal Assessment
· Monthly written examinations requiring responses demonstrating understanding of the musical dynamic terms, symbology and notational concepts being covered during that month will be administered. Multiple choice, “fill in the blank” and short answer type questions will be used.
Grading Scale
Students grades will be determined using the following method.
· 50% of grade - Score for individual instruction
· 25% of grade - Ensemble instruction
· 25% of grade – Written examinations
Program Assessment
This program should be assessed on its ability to prepare students for the intermediate band level. If the students can achieve a passing grade according to the above grading scale, they should be able to be successful in the next level of instruction. As an alternative assessment, an authentic final exam (or competency entrance exam for admission into intermediate band) could be prepared using exercises designed to assess achievement in the skills deemed appropriate for success in intermediate band.
Connections
to Widely Shared Objectives TOP
Illinois
STATE GOAL 25: Know the language of the arts.
Part A. Understand the sensory elements,
organizational principles and expressive qualities of the arts
The study of music, and in particular, instrumental
music, allows students to gain experience in understand in the concepts of
tempo, dynamics, pitch differentiation, rhythm, note duration. In addition, students will learn about tone
color, musical forms and other expressive qualities of music as well.
STATE GOAL 26: Through
creating and performing, understand how works of art are produced.
Part A. Understand processes, traditional
tools and modern technologies used in the arts.
This curriculum directly addresses
Illinois State Goal 26 by allowing students to participate, first hand, in the
making of an art form. Through this
experience, students should be able to identify various musical instruments by
sight as well as by sound. They should
gain an understanding of the musical instrument families and how those families
work together to create a larger ensemble.
B. Apply skills and knowledge necessary to create and perform in one or more of the arts.
Students will be able to demonstrate the ability to read and interpret basic music notation by performing on a musical instrument.
National Standards for Arts Education (Consortium of National Arts Education Associations)
With the passage of the Goals 2000: Educate America Act, national goals are written into law, naming the arts as a core, academic subject as important to education as English, mathematics, history, civics and government, geography, science, and foreign language.
These standards ask that students should know and be able to do the following by the time they have completed secondary school:
1. They should be able to communicate at a basic level in the four arts disciplines, dance, music, theatre, and the visual arts.
2. They should be able to communicate proficiently in at
least one art form.
3. They should be able to develop and present basic
analyses of works of art.
4. They should have an informed acquaintance with
exemplary works of art.
5.
They should be
able to relate various types of arts knowledge and skills within and across the
arts disciplines.
At the completion
of a comprehensive instrumental music education program, students should have
accomplished all of these goals as they relate to music. This beginning band curriculum is an initial
step toward meeting these standards.
Appendices TOP
Suggested Band Texts:
Pearson B.,
(1990) Best in Class Comprehensive Band Method, Kjos West Publishing,
Swearingen,
J., Buehlman, B., (1989) Band Plus Band Method, Heritage Music Press
Publishing,
Web Resources:
Music Educators National Conference Web Page
http://www.menc.org/index2.html
Howard Gardner Web Page
http://edweb.cnidr.org/edref.mi.gardner.html
Music is...(and the Value of Music in Education)
http://elwood.pionet.net/~hub7/
Articles and Books
Austin, J. (1990). The relationship of music self-esteem to degree of participation in school and out-of-school music activities among upper elementary students. Contributions to Music Education, 17, 20-31.
Brandt, K. S. (1980). Music, art and phys. ed are basic. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 188 964)
Ford, C. R. (1981). An experimental study of the relationships among self-concept, attitude, and musical learning in elementary school children. Dissertation Abstracts International, 43, 1462A.
Greenburg, M. (1970). Musical achievement and the self- concept. Journal of Research in Music Education, 18, 57- 64.
Payne, B. S. (1990). Justifying
music in the American public school: A survey of selected
United States Department of Education.
(1991). America 2000: An education strategy.