Instruction in the fundamental attributes of
music making...
Daniels Music Schools currently administers vocal and
instrumental music instruction to children in grades K-12.
Classes are offered before school, during school, after school,
Saturdays or during the summer depending on the needs of each
individual
member school or organization. Though the specific DMS curriculum
also varies depending on the needs
of the member
school or organization, typically, a student's course of
study will fall within these program areas:
I. The Primer – All grade levels
This class
provides students with a musical foundation. It is a
prerequisite to all ensembles unless placed into an ensemble
based upon a resulting audition demonstrating the proficiency of
the below items. Students develop ear-training skills, study
note reading, rhythm, melody, and harmony. Classes establish,
reinforce and expand skills of good musicianship. Students are
directed towards vocals or instrumental mediums based upon their
interest and skills. Students with advanced understanding will
be invited to join a vocal or instrumental program. (Students
will be grouped into age appropriate sections.) Curriculum and goals
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Sing in groups, blend vocal timbres and match dynamic levels
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Create, arrange and improvise short songs & instrumental
pieces
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Read whole, half, quarter, and rests in 4/4-meter signature
and the use of syllables, numbers, and/ or letters to read
pitch notation
-
Identify symbols and traditional terms of dynamics, tempo, &
articulation
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Use symbols to notate meter, rhythm, pitch, & dynamics in
simple patterns
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Identify simple music form when presented aurally
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Use appropriate terminology in explaining music, notation,
instruments, voices, & performances
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Identify sounds of a variety of instruments; orchestra,
band, culturally unique, as well as children's, male &
female voices
II. Vocal Programs
This course will provide an in-depth study of music through the
experience of performing in a choir. Students in these ensembles
will have completed the primer class and/or demonstrate a solid
musical background by auditioning. They will hone their
technique and sight-reading skills and learn a variety of
musical styles while making new friends. Participants will
perform with their groups in concerts performed during the year.
A. Young Voices - grades 3-5
-
Students sing accurately,
with breath control throughout their singing ranges in small
or large ensembles
-
Students will sing
independently, on pitch and rhythm, with appropriate
timbre, diction, and posture, and maintain a steady tempo
-
Students will sing in
groups, blending vocal timbres, matching dynamic levels, and
responding to the cues of a conductor
-
Students will sing with
expression and technical accuracy a varied repertoire
-
Students will sight-read
music accurately and expressively with appropriate dynamics,
phrasing, and interpretation
-
Students will perform during
the school year
B. Choral Singers - grades 6-8
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Students will sing with
expression and technical accuracy, a large and varied
repertoire of vocal literature with a degree of difficult
-
Students will sing from
memory, music written in 2, 3 and 4 parts, with and without
accompaniment
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Students are expected to
have at least two performances during the school year
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Students will follow
conductor cues and demonstrate good posture
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Students will demonstrate
vocal techniques: enunciation, phrasing, breath control and
pitch
-
Students will sing a songs
using appropriate style (e.g. jazz, country, pop, classical)
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Students will follow a vocal
score
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Students will develop
confidence during this time of changing voices
-
Students will sing a variety
of choral literature composed primarily for middle school
students
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Students will demonstrate
positive attitudes in the concert setting (focus, posture,
composure)
-
Students will demonstrate
proper care of the voice Students will perform during the
school year
C. Concert Choir – grades 9-12
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Students will receive
instruction in the proper use of the singing voice,
breathing mechanism and vocal hygiene
-
Students will develop ear
training and sight reading skills
-
Students will study
different cultures and the people who created music for this
art form throughout history
-
Students will study
different cultures by singing choral literature in different
languages
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Students will study the
"language" of musical notation
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Students will gain
confidence and become a more independent singer as unison
and multiple parts literature is studied
-
Students will work
cooperatively with other people
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Students will develop an
interdisciplinary awareness of their music and how it
relates to languages, history, art, science, math, physical
education and the humanities
-
Students will be encouraged
to explore their own musical creativity
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Students will become a more
knowledgeable listener
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Students will cultivate a
sensitivity and respect for one another and their music
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Students will discover
through singing, another way to positively express
him/herself and become a happier person
-
Students will perform during
the school year
III. Instrumental Music Program
This course will provide an in-depth study of music through the
experience of performing in an instrumental ensemble (chamber
group, band or orchestra). Students in this ensemble will have
completed the primer class and/or demonstrate a solid musical
background by audition. They will hone their technique and
sight-reading skills and learn a variety of musical styles while
making new friends. Participants will perform with their groups
in concerts performed during the year.
A.
Beginners
1. Woodwind, Brass, and
Percussion
-
Students will rehears in small group lessons until a level
of competence is otained(all instruments)
-
Students will demonstrate proper posture, playing position
and embouchure
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Students will demonstrate proper care, maintenance, and
assembly of instruments
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Students will identify and perform various meters and rhythm
patterns (2/4, 3/4, 4/4, 3/8, 6/8, 2/2)
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Students will recognize and perform major scales, e.g.,
concert scales Bb, Eb, Ab, and chromatic scales by eighth
grade
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Students will understand and make needed adjustments to
instrument and embouchure necessary for "in tune" playing
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Students will recognize and perform different dynamic levels
(pp, ff, etc.)
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Students will recognize and perform differences in
articulation, e.g., staccato, legato, slurs, accent,
marcato, etc.
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Students will recognize and perform various tempo markings
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Students will perform quality literature at appropriate
ability level
2. Strings
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Demonstrate proper care and
maintenance of instrument and bow
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Demonstrate proper bow grip,
playing position, instrument position and left hand position
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Play in tune with correct
fingering technique using a taped fingerboard with tapes
being removed as pitch accuracy is gained
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Perform music using 4/4,
3/4, 2/4, 5/4, 7/4, 6/8, 2/2 time signatures
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Perform rhythm patterns
using whole, dotted half, half, dotted quarter, quarter
eighth, dotted eighth and sixteenth, ties, slurs, and
syncopation
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Perform one octave C G D F
major scales, a e b d g minor scales. C & G two octaves.
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Recognize and demonstrate
various dynamic and tempo markings, pp - ff, andante,
allegro, etc.
-
Develop a more advanced
orchestral vocabulary - staccato, legato, portato - marcato,
spiccato, etc.
-
Understand why more and
regular practice is required to achieve the more advanced
skills at this level
-
Acquire basic procedures
necessary for tuning own instrument
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Demonstrate the enhancement
of tone using vibrato
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Demonstrate the ability to
shift finger and hand position so that higher notes can be
performed
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Perform quality literature
at appropriate ability level
B. Experienced Players
At this advanced level students
are challenged to further develop their performance skills in
the pursuit of a higher level of musical and esthetic
experiences. The objectives of all students are:
-
To understand and appreciate
the essential role of esthetics (the feeling fullness of
music) in the human experience
-
To develop musical skills by
participation in musical performance as an individual and a
member of a group
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To enhance student knowledge
regarding history of music, form and design, tone quality,
tone color, texture, and the role of composers in the arts
and in society
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To apply knowledge base and
experience when evaluating styles of music, i.e., classical,
jazz, folk, rock, and popular music
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To develop performance
skills to the students maximum potential
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To develop a sense of
commitment and pride in the band/orchestra as an
organization
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To study and perform a
variety of quality music literature
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To reinforce the
fundamentals of playing and musicianship, such as dynamics,
phrasing, style, intonation, rhythm, harmony, melody, key
signatures, tonality, breathing, and posture
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To develop the ability to
perform a part independently in multiple-scored music
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To further develop the
potential of talented students through small group and solo
performance
Additional learning:
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Student will learn about the
composers and the different styles of the music being
performed
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Students will play all major
and minor scales in two octaves, plus arpeggios and thirds
-
Students will expand their
music reading skills to higher ranges (third and fifth
positions) and more advanced rhythms (sixteenth notes,
syncopations)
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Students
will improve their sight reading skills by regularly
performing new music of varying degrees of difficulty
-
Students will learn more
advanced slurring and bowing styles, including marcato,
spiccato, detache
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Students will continue to
develop use of vibrato
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Students will improve
listening skills by tuning own instrument accurately, and
evaluating performance of self and others
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Students will have the
opportunity to work with local/area professional musicians
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Students will be encouraged
to attend local professional performances and to
listen/watch programs on public radio/TV
VI. Private
Instrumental Lessons:
As an alternative to group
lessons, students may also take private lessons. This will be
one on one with an instructor. Private Lesson fees are based on
$40.00 per hour. Students may enroll for weekly half-hour,
three-quarter hour, or one-hour lessons. The exact day,
location, and time is arranged on an individual basis according
to teacher/student availability. Private lessons are scheduled
for the entire school year. There is also an additional annual
$25 registration fee per student for private lessons.
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