Grade 8 Band

Avon Lake City Schools 

Curriculum Framework

8TH GRADE CONCERT BAND

Course Overview:

8th Grade Band focuses on continuing content instruction for students from the Grade 7 Band level, engaging students in a wide variety of experiences in musical performance, musical literature, and musical concepts. Exercises in a variety of basic rhythmic notation within a grade level appropriate/intermediate level range of tones in order to develop students’ technique and comprehension of musical concepts commonly used at the middle school level.

 

Textbook (Title and Publishing Company): 

  • Method Book: Measures of Success - A Comprehensive Musicianship Band Method, Book 2 by Deborah A. Sheldon, Brian Balmages, Timothy Loest, and Robert Sheldon. Percussion written and edited by David Collier. The FJH Publishing Company, Inc.

  • Scale and Rhythm Chunks - Rhythm and Scale-Based Technical Exercises for the Beginning Band Student by Richard Canter. Focus On Music Publication

  • Various musical compositions from classical standard band literature to current modern musical compositions 

 

Online/Supplemental Materials:

  • Google Classroom

  • Flip (formerly FlipGrid)

  • MusicRacer.com 

  • Sightreading Factory

  • EdPuzzle

 

Assessments: 

  • Quarterly Scale and Rhythm Assessments

  • Weekly Playing Check-Ups

 

Content/Topics/Learning Goals

Subject to Pacing and Schedules

1st Quarter- 

  • Review and continue to refine musical concepts learned and developed during the Grade 7 Band year

  • Reading/performing music in meters of 3/8, 6/8, and cut time

  • Reading/performing in minor tonality

  • Performing with irregular phrasing

  • historical background of musical selections, the composer’s thoughts and intents in creating a musical work

  • Identifying and performing the of the Concert Bb, Eb, and Ab major scales-full scales

2nd Quarter- 

  • Continued review and refining of the first quarter goals

  • Reading/performing music in meters of 5/4, 6/4

  • Triplet note patterns

  • Triple/duple rhythmic patterns

  • Identifying and performing the of the Concert F, C, and G major scales-full scales

3rd Quarter- 

  • Continued review and refining of the first and second quarter goals

  • Reading/performing music in meters of 3/2, 12/8

  • Reading/performing in modal keys

  • Participate in solo or small ensemble music performances to learn the concepts of communication and musical concepts within a smaller context

  • Identifying and performing the of the Concert Db, Gb, and D major scales-full scales

4th Quarter -  

  • Continued review and refining of the first, second, and third quarter goals

  • historical background of musical selections, the composer’s thoughts and intents in creating a musical work

  • Reading/performing music in irregular meters of 5/8, 7/8 

  • Participate in OMEA Middle School Large Group Adjudicated Event

  • Identifying and performing the of the Concert A, E, and B major scales-full scales

 

Last Updated:

September, 2023