The Academy of Tucson High School

Music Appreciation Syllabus

Instructor: Mr. Caleb Nihira Contact: cnihira@aoths.net Course Description: This class focuses on the history and development of music of the
Western world. After an introduction to the fundamentals and building blocks of music, we will take a journey through the history of music beginning with the earliest known forms of written music. Several genres, including classical, jazz, blues, rock, popular, and world music will be studied and discussed. Opportunities for students to demonstrate understanding of material through composition and/or performance will also be provided. Materials: Pencils, Three-ring binder/notebook Evaluation: Class participation* Current Events (weekly, not weakly) Projects Quizzes Tests Written Assignments*

*Class Participation: Students receive 2 points each school day (1 for being present, 1 for being actively engaged in discussion/lecture.) If it is obvious that the student is not attentive and participating, they can expect to lose their participation points for that day. Participation also includes respect of peers, respect of teacher, and willingness to respond to instruction.

*Written assignments:

Students are expected to attend a local music concert at least once per semester and write a 1-2 page response to the event. Refer to the Concert Report Guidelines handout

for specific information on what to include. These papers are worth 50 points and will be graded as if they were an assignment for an English class (grammar, punctuation, etc.) Academy plagiarism policy applies. Two reports will be submitted. One must be classical in nature and the other can be either popular or classical in nature. Examples are listed below: Acceptable performances for one or both assignments: -Local high school band/choir/orchestra concerts -Any performance by the Tucson Symphony Orchestra/Chorus or other professional/semi-professional performing ensemble in Tucson. -Any nationally touring college band/choir/orchestra -Performances by the All-Regional/All-State band/choir/orchestra -Any performance that would be considered classical in nature: symphonies, operas, musical theatre, jazz, etc. Acceptable performances for only ONE assignment: -Rock, Pop, Hip-Hop, Blues, etc.