MUSIC PATHWAYS

HCS CONCERT BAND PROGRAM

MUSIC PATHWAYS

Introduction:

Music Pathways is a new approach to your musical education in which ultimately gives you more choice in how you would like to approach the study of music. All of our minds work differently, and some may excel in one area more than another. This will give you the opportunity to pursue a path that you think will be most beneficial and interesting for you. Music Pathways is split into three different categories:

1. Band Karate (performance)
2. Theory Challenges (composition and analysis)
3. Music History Madness (research, reading, and writing)

BAND KARATE:

Band Karate measures your musical performance. Your goal in Band Karate is to go through the belts and have examples checked off by me. You need to perform each example in the belt perfectly in order to pass a belt. More details are in the Band Karate packets in your music folders.

MUSIC THEORY CHALLENGE:

Music Theory Challenge measures your ability to comprehend music notation and theory concepts and is evaluated using Chromebooks. The ultimate goal of this challenge is to write your own composition. Understanding music theory is extremely important to our success in performing and understanding music. Music is an art, and understanding music theory gives us tools to help us be more creative in creating our own music.

MUSIC HISTORY MADNESS:

Music History Madness evaluates your ability to research and present information on different people and periods throughout out music history. Music history is so important to our study of music because we can learn so much from what others have done, and from what goes on in different cultures throughout our world as well as our own culture.

GRADING:

Music Pathways is worth 40% of your overall grade each trimester. As the name suggests, you are able to make choices on what you would like to pursue each trimester.

There is only one rule, you must do at least one Band Karate belt per trimester.

1. 3 challenges or belts – 95%
2. 2 challenges or belts - 90%
3. 1 challenge or belt – 80%
4. More than 3 challenges – 100%

Options:

1. You can do only Band Karate just like last year. 3 belts=95%, 2 belts=90%, 1 belt=80%.
2. You can do one of each Pathway, which would be one Band Karate belt, one Music Theory Challenge, and one Music History Madness.
3. You can mix Music Theory Challenge and Music History Madness as you wish, as long as you have earned at least one Band Karate belt.