Student Guide Analysis

The purpose of the student guide is to have all of the information in front of students so that they are able to see what they need to know. The teacher’s job with this method is to aide students in the discovery of answers. This can be introduced as homework done in class. Students should be allowed and encouraged to share answers with others as peers explaining concepts learn much better than those who are taught. Questions in bold are designed to be done outside of class. These questions will take extra time and effort on the student’s part but will enrich the performance and learning of the piece. Each bullet will take ten to fifteen minutes to teach and can be done either in the time frame suggested or stretched out over a longer period of time.

Student Activities Guide

Composer Information:

Composer information is addressed in the first rehearsal.

Melody:

Melody is addressed in the first two weeks section. Students will be asked to identify melody and countermelody, understand their relationships, and identify when they have either the melody or the countermelody.

Rhythm:

Rhythm is addressed primarily in weeks 3-4. Students are asked to come up with practice ideas for rhythm. They are also asked to notate and write counts in for several rhythms.

Harmony:

Harmony is addressed within the 3-4 week span. Students are asked to look into various roles that they play in building harmonies as well as how various volume and balance issues affect the sound of the ensemble. The teacher should then take the opportunity to point out various instances where the principles discussed in the packet can be applied to other areas.

Form:

Form is discussed within the first two weeks both with regard to canon in the piece and the text. The discussion on form continues into weeks 3 and 4 with the teacher explaining various aspects of the text and how it relates to form. The teacher should at this time point out relationships between the words and how the music sounds.

Glossary:

The students are presumed to be of high school age. They have a solid knowledge of basic terms, but here is a chance for the teacher to teach the concept of canon. Augmentation, diminution, and interval are asked to be directly defined and canon is defined through example.

Practicing:

Practicing is discussed at length in weeks 3 and 4, as is the practice composition, which serves as a chance for students to elaborate on what they feel is important to practice and how they go about the task

Assessment

· Assessment should be based on the completion of the student packet (which should be graded as a worksheet with points given for correct answers and valid or well-supported opinions.

· Suggested Rubrics for the Web Quest and Practice Composition are attached.

· The weight of any assignment is open to instructor interpretation, but I would weight the packet as:

o 15 pts. for the first rehearsal

o 20 pts for the first two weeks

o 20 pts. for the 3^rd and 4^th week

o 30 pts. for the Web Quest

o 15 pts for the Practice Composition

o 100 total points

· In the grading process I feel it is important to grade more on completion than on accuracy. Thoughts should be valid and supported, but the emphasis should be on completing the project, as this will be for many a drastic shift in policy.