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

  • Developing appropriate tone quality for the individual instrument
  • 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
  • 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