Mr.

Csar Manjarrez, Band/Orchestra Director

Calabasas High School
General Music
Class Expectations:
Behavior: Students will be expected to always treat each other and their peers with respect. Any harassment
or bullying or anything of the sort will not be tolerated. Students are also expected to treat the equipment
with respect as if it were their own equipment. Failure to meet the behavioral expectations will result in
discipline from the teacher and/or the principal or administrator.
Attendance: Students are expected to show up to class each and every day. Valid excuses for absences include:
illness, doctors note, and family emergencies. Tardies will be counted as absences when the student has
missed more than 2 unexcused absences.
Electronic device policy: Students are not allowed to have electronics (any sort of cellular phone, Apple
product, laptop, etc.) in class unless specified by the teacher or if it is necessary for any projects used in class.
Examples of projects include: student-led listening lessons, ostinati projects, or the composition project.
Students may not text, call, Skype, or anything of the sort with their peers or people outside of class during
class time.
Academic integrity: Students are expected to do their own work and not copy, cheat, or plagiarize from
somewhere else. Failure to do so will lead to direct discipline from the principal and/or administrators and
failing the assignment and possibly the class.
Handing in assignments: All assignments will be due at the beginning of each period, including individual and
group assignments/projects.
Guidelines for classroom materials: Each student will be handed a notebook at the beginning of the semester.
This notebook will be used for writing down the students thoughts on listening activities in class. Sheet
music will also be provided if students feel the need to use it. However, students may bring their own if they
so desire.

Any school equipment and materials must be taken care of and treated with respect. Students may be
held liable for damage imposed on class materials and instruments if they were not taken care of.
Consequences: Failure to comply with the guidelines, the academic integrity, behavior policies, etc, will lead
to: discipline from the teacher to the student, discipline from the principal and/or administrators to the
student, failing grades, in-school or out-of-school suspension, or ultimately expulsion.
Philosophy: This class is meant to give students who do not normally have the opportunity to create and
experience music the chance to do so. Students will work together in groups daily to learn the basics of music
theory, learn to play the guitar, experiment with body percussion and everyday objects that can function as
percussion instruments, and then create or arrange a composition at the end of the course. This class is for all
students and each student will have the opportunity to create, experience, and in the process appreciate that
music can be done in many ways, shapes, and forms.
Description of Materials and Resources:
I.
This class will be utilizing YouTube, Spotify, a variety of listening repertoire from many eras and
genres. We will also be creating our own percussion instruments, using classroom instruments,
guitars, and several other percussion instruments. For technology we will also be utilizing speakers,
the SmartBoard, and Internet resources.
II. BUDGET
Bucket drums: 9 X $2.97= 26.73
Sticks (10 pairs of sticks) = 59.40

Journals (keep listening lesson responses in)- Mead 12 pack-Amazon- 17.11

Mead 24 pack-Amazon-31.79
The Big Book of Staff Paper (512 sheets)
Amazon- 11.41
Found sound instrument supplies/miscellaneous expenditures- 53.56
Total________________ 200.00
Overall Course objectives-
-Create music
-Learn basics of music theory and apply them to their music-making
-Learn to play guitar
-Make music as a soloist and an ensemble
-Learn to create rhythmic and melodic ostinati
Grading Scale
Participation: 40%
Listening journal: 15%
In class performances: 15%
Composition project: 20%
Tests/quizzes: 10%
*Extra Credit: student run listening lessons
Methods of helping ELL students and hearing impaired students
Word Wall - ELL students will find a word wall complete with musical terminology and definitions, including
images and examples to further provide comprehension.
Smart Board/ PowerPoint - All presentations will provide pictures and definitions of musical instruments,
notation, and vocabulary.
Extended Discussion - All new concepts will be initially presented through extended discussion, where
students will provide questions and answers to any questions on vocabulary to build background knowledge
on new material, ex. Musical vocabulary for improvisation.
Scaffolding - Students will be guided through all lessons, and become independent thinkers, workers, and
performers of music.
Units: Scenario Two
I.
Introduction to Musical Concepts
II.
Guitar
III.
Percussion
IV.
Composition

I.

Introduction to Musical Concepts

Week 1
M-Introduction to class, procedures, policies, student listening, basic rhythms
W-Listening lesson, review rhythms, playing/reading rhythms, meter signatures
*F- Listening with meters, Notes on the staff, solfege, singing
Week 2
M-Listening lesson, notes on the staff cont., accidentals, paper pianos, solfege
W-Listening lesson- key signature, scales, singing from music, solfege
*F-Student listening lesson, musical elements, dynamics, articulations, etc
Week 3
*M-Types of instruments, instrument families, listening lesson, pre-Renaissance

Renaissance history, musical elements continued
W-Listening lesson, Baroque-Classical and listening, music theory-intervals
F-Romantic history, theory review- chord construction, read music

II.

Week 4
M-Listening lesson- 20th century and modern, chord construction
W-Listening lesson- Jazz and American history, chords
*F- Student Listening Lesson- Rock/pop history, chord progression
Week 5
*M-Country, hip-hop, music from other cultures (Asian, Middle East)
W-music from other cultures (South America, Africa, Australia), Test Review
F- Cumulative test

Guitar

III.

Week 6
M-Introduction, Classroom Procedures for Guitar (Checkout/Maintenance) Liability Form, Tuning
W-Review Standard Notation
F- Introduce first three strings, read sheet music in small groups of 4/5
Week 7
M- Introduce last three strings, read sheet music in small groups of
W- Basic Chords (CAGED)
F- Strumming Patterns
Week 8
M- Simple Chord Progressions
W- Song Cover Projects, Exploring popular music through chord review
F- Teach your cover, small groups of 4/5
Week 9
M- Note reading on Strings E, A, D; Ensemble Playing (Danny Boy)
W- Ensemble playing (Danny Boy; Over the Rainbow)
F- Note reading review, ensemble playing (Over the Rainbow)
Week 10
M- Note reading on strings G, B; The Pentatonic Scale
W- Note reading on E, B, G; 7th Chords
F- Jam Sessions
Week 11
M- Introduction to Improvisation
W- Pentatonic Scale Review; Writing a Blues Song
F- Jam Sessions

Percussion

Week 12
*M-YouTube video: body percussion examples; group work, come up with a story, pick body
percussion/found sounds
W- Students come up with sequence of body percussion/found sounds for their story (about 5 min
presentation)
F- Presentations; final thoughts about their presentations
Week 13
M-Listening lesson; Using any percussion instruments in the room, students will be given an
emotion to be portrayed with the instruments
*W- Listening lesson; review Mondays activities; students will be asked to come up with several
ostinati in different parts
F- Finish up ostinati projects, present in class; final thoughts
Week 14
*M- YouTube: STOMP ideas; students will be given every day materials (newspapers, kitchen
utensils, etc) and will come up with a storyline--students asked to choreograph if they so desire
W- Students will finalize their presentations and present
F- Make instruments (students may bring their own materials if they have a specific idea in mind)
Week 15
*M- Listening lesson; introduce activities for bucket drumming with dancing and instrument
making

W- Listening lesson; continue further activities from Monday and clarify if needed
F- Students will trade off in groups from MW and create synchronized moves and rhythms to be
performed at the same time

IV.

Composition

Week 16: Found Sounds

M- Listening, found sound-ostinato composition, notating found sound compositions
W-Listening, found sound-story composition, notating story
*F- Student Listening lesson of the week, found sound-teacher prompt.
Week 17
M-Listening, melodic motif (1 pitched instrument), composition around motif
*W-Listening, melodic motif (1 motif plus 1 harmony), composition around motif
F- Melodic motif, form-composition
Week 18
*M-Listening, Improvisation, finding chords in songs
W-Listening, finding chords/progression, with teacher songs
F-student listen, introduce final project, assign groups, start picking songs
Week 19
M-Listening, finalize group song, plan instrumentation, get to know the song
*W-Listening, outlining your songs/notating, group work
F- YouTube cover song tutorial, group work
Week 20
M-Listening lesson, check in on group work, perform with 1 other group.
W-student listening lesson, finalize all notation
* F- Final performances, debrief