Townsend, Kelley
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January 11 newsletters
CHORUS
I'm looking forward to a full week of class with your students!
A note about PPE and shirts:
The last day to order PPE and shirts is February 1st.
Every student needs a short sleeved shirt. (long sleeved and hoodies are optional)
Each student has the opportunity to have their own singing mask, otherwise they use the class set.
These are available in Revtrak, linked in last week's email. You can find it on the Moses Middle School website. Now on to what we are focusing on this week:
We are spending time reviewing rhythm syllables in class. This is good review for those of us who started them in first semester AND a crash course for those who joined us in second semester.
6th grade will be working through the organizer for the song "Spirits"- it is based on Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream
7th and 8th grade are working through the organizer for Bedu Pako Baramasa- a Himalayan song.
If your student is DLD for Covid exposure or absent for any reason:
They can attend class live via a conference in Canvas. If I know they are going to be absent, I will schedule the conference. It will open at the time class would be in session. These conferences are recorded (if I remember) and can be viewed later, if needed.
MUSIC APPRECIATION
This week we start our first unit. It will last two weeks. I sent an announcement via Canvas detailing the week's due dates. I hope this helps your student stay on track.
Assignments will remain open for a few days after the due date to allow students to turn in their work late, if needed. This also allows me to give feedback on completed assignments and students can edit their work for higher grades. Once an assignment is closed it will not be re-opened.
We have a conference both Tuesday and Thursday, and will each week. I was made aware that I need to meet with my class twice a week after I sent last week's newsletter. I apologize for the misinformation!
GUITAR
Guitars have been assigned to those who have returned their syllabus. If your student has not returned the syllabus they are going to be bored in class! I cannot assign a guitar until the syllabus is returned. Please ask them about it and help them remember to return it if they tell you they haven't.
We will be reviewing the parts of the guitar, the left hand fingers, and the parts of a chord chart at the beginning of this week. We will be testing this on Wednesday. This is one of the only written tests we have in this class. Your student already has a study guide.
We will also be reviewing the string names and numbers this week, to be tested no later than Friday. This is the first playing test we have in class. I am assessing their posture, how they hold the instrument, and recognition of the correct string by name and number.
We will begin our first chords this week, as well. I will introduce A minor and E minor, along with the procedure for practicing the transition from one to the other.
Whew! That's a lot! Check in with your Student about their syllabus so they don't get behind this week.