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Mr. Hopson, Music, 7/8

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7th and 8th Music Class Q4

Welcome back from break!
 
This quarter, the 7th and 8th grade music class will be performing a concert at the end of the year. The three songs they chose are:
 
- Free Fallin' by Tom Petty
- The Distance by Cake
- Rosemary by The Deftones
 
In the process of learning these songs, students will develop skills needed to perform by practicing the correct technique for their chosen instruments. They will learn the process of setting up and taking down equipment, concert etiquette and professionalism, and playing/rehearsing with a group.
 
The music concepts pracitced and mastered will include:
- Tempo
- Balance
- Rhtyhms (quarter, eighth, sixteenth, and corresponding rests)
- Dynamics (forte, piano, mezzo forte and mp, crescendo/decrescendo)
- Sylistic concepts (staccato, legato)
 
Students will also have the opportunity to practice and perform their own solos and small groups which will be completed mostly outside of class time.
 
The date for the concert is not set yet, but will be around the last week of May.

7th and 8th Music 2-12-24

This week,
Students are continuing rehearsal in full band with Everybody Wants To Rule The World. They are working on the sythnesizer solo section along with the ending.
 
They are also working on Ob La Di this week. They're rehearsing together slowly, finding the instruments which play the same rhythms so they can match up and play at the same tempo.
 
They're working on balancing the volume levels of each instrument so they can all be heard. 
 
We began All The Small Things last week and are putting the parts together from each instrument section.
 
Finally, students are beginning to perform their small groups and solos for their classmates, receiving feedback and making the correct adjustments.

7th and 8th Music 1/22/24

This week, students will continue working on Everybody Wants to Rule the World. They will work on playing together, balancing the volume levels, and transitioning from intro - verse - chorus - bridge.
 
They will start Ob La Di this week. Learning the intro and first verse, they will learn the correct technique for their instrument and how to perform it in the correct time and tempo.
 
Students are welcome to practice their instruments after school during carline from 3:30-4 on all school days except Thursdays.
 

7th and 8th Music 1-17-24

This week, students will begin their songs for the concert.
 
They chose 3 songs to learn - Everybody Wants to Rule the World
                                              - Ob La Di
                                              - All the Small Things
 
They will start Everybody Wants to Rule the World this week. Learning the intro and first verse, they will learn the correct technique for their instrument and how to perform it in the correct time and tempo.
 
 

7th and 8th grade music concert!

7th and 8th Grade Music Concert
 
When: Tuesday, December 12th at 5:30 PM
            Students are to be at the school by 4:00PM
Where: In the High School pod at Westgate
 
Come see and hear the songs the 7/8th graders are learning this quarter. The concert will last about 30-40 minutes and is part of their grade. Please email me directly if there is a schedule conflict.

This week, we will continue "Man Who Sold the World". 
 
Students will work on their instrumental/vocal part and how it fits with the other instruments. The basses will begin work on creating a bass line using only the chord sheets. Guitars will work on reading tabs, using techniques like hammer-ons and pull-offs to match the guitar riff in the song's intro.
 
They will also work on "Help!", focusing on the harmonies for the vocalists, intro and first verse for the guitars, intro for the drums, melody for the marimbas, and chords/timing for pianos.
 
We will use the song to learn elements of music such as rhythm, chords, dynamics, tone, and singing. They will put these things together to create the song which will be performed at their end-of-quarter concert.
 
State Standards:
Expression
Theory
Creation

7th and 8th Grade Music 13-30-23

This week, we will begin "Man Who Sold the World". 
 
Students will choose their instruments for this song and begin work on the intro in their instrument sections.
 
Later in the week, we will work on "Help!", focusing on the harmonies for the vocalists, intro and first verse for the guitars, intro for the drums, melody for the marimbas, and chords/timing for pianos.
 
We will use the song to learn elements of music such as rhythm, chords, dynamics, tone, and singing. They will put these things together to create the song which will be performed at their end-of-quarter concert.
 
State Standards:
Expression
Theory
Creation

7th and 8th Grade Music 10-23-23

This week, students will begin "Help!" by the Beatles.
 
Tuesday and Wednesday, they are listening to and voting on the other two songs they will work on for their concert.
 
They will choose their instrument for Help! on Monday and begin working on their part.
 
We will use the song to learn elements of music such as rhythm, chords, dynamics, tone, and singing. They will put these things together to create the song which will be performed at their end-of-quarter concert.
 
CCSS:
Creation
Theory

7/8 Music 9-18-23

It's that time of the quarter!
 
Concert 
When: Wednesday, September 27th at 5:30PM (students should be here by 4:00)
Where: Westgate School - in the High School pod
What: Concert of songs they've worked hard on
 
Please reach out if this date is not possible for your student so I can know for grading purposes.
 
Songs: We're Not Gonna Take It and Starman

7/8 Music 8-21-23

This week, students will begin their first song!
 
"We're Not Gonna Take It"
- Choose instruments
- "Map out" the form of the song
- Learn the intro and verse
- Learn the chorus
 
Much of the first week will be individual and group learning. Students will work within their sections (instrument or voice), learning and working through the song. By the end of the week, they should be able to play as a full band most of the song.