Jenni Null - Sousa

Description: Students will learn about the life and music of John Philip Sousa. They will discover that he was a prolific composer of marches that brought American music to the attention of a world audience. In addition, students will learn Sousa’s style of composing: using 4 distinct themes that are repeated multiple times. The importance of the juxtaposed Sousaphone and piccolo will be explored, as will his connection with Marine Band. Students will have the opportunity to listen to a number of Sousa marches, learning to identify the form of his pieces, usually AABBCDCDC. Finally, students will demonstrate their knowledge of Sousa’s march form, by composing an original piece in Garage Band.

Jenni Null - Water Environment

Description: Students will discover that artists and musicians are influenced by environmental factors within their communities. They will understand that cultures and artistic traditions are often a product of these environmental factors. The environment in which artists & musicians create, ultimately impacts their work. 

Students will have an opportunity to discover this firsthand through one-on-one interviews with a musician of their choice. The students will also discover how their water-centered environment compares to those of select regions elsewhere in the country, by listening to and performing a variety of music created and or 

associated with these regions.

Jake Sturtevant - Guitar Chord Progressions

Description: This unit happens in guitar class, and the focus is on understanding chord progressions in the context of how our ear is accustom to hearing them, how they typically happen in songs, and how to begin hearing them and learning them by ear in the context of a project. The unit also has a brief introduction to the songwriting process, and allows for students to take the option of writing a song for the final project.

Jake Sturtevant - Fantasia

Description: In this unit students will work through 1 concert band piece at a level 3 performance level. Students will continue to work on performance skills and interpretation of music notation through rehearsals and performances of the repertoire. Students will learn about the correlations of Music & Story through videos, discussions, active listening exercises, and short group projects.