+ Music & Performing Arts

(two 45-minute periods per week)

Each Sixth Grade class meets for music twice per week for 45 minutes of General Music. In addition, students may elect to participate in the Middle School Chorus or Silver Jazz Band.

Sixth graders experience the music of Africa, grow as ensemble musicians, and learn to express their own musical ideas primarily through the World Music Drumming curriculum. The year begins with ensemble-drumming activities (Question-Answer-Question-Echo, Call-Response) and an introduction to the concept of layering and complementary parts. The complexity of these drum ensembles grows over the course of the year, building to difficult 3-against-2 polyrhythms. Students also grow in their ability to create their own compositions in this style, using small-group work to experiment with creating complementary parts. Students explore a wide variety of African song literature over the course of the year. While the focus of the year is on learning an oral tradition, students continue developing music literacy through the use of Conversational Solfege. This involves the practice of audiation, repetition of patterns, and use of rhythm and tonal syllables. Students sing on solfege with hand signs using movable do and la-based minor, and use takadimi syllables for rhythms. They also practice reading musical notation as they transfer the ensembles they have learned to xylophones in the spring semester. Rites of Passage is a culmination of student work which includes an original instrumental ensemble created collaboratively by each class. Students exercise their musicianship, creativity and listening skills in the composition and execution of these ensembles; in addition, they develop their ability to work in teams, communicate their ideas, and compromise.