Mastery Learning

Spiral Learning

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Week 1

Introduce and informally assess
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• Enter the room
• Sit in a chair
• Feel the beat
• Musical Alphabet with line pass offs​

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• Counting and Rhythm Rockers
• Staff Attributes
• Breathing chant
• Instrument parts diagram
• Embouchure

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WEEK 2

Always review previous weeks information

• Layer head joint, mouthpiece/barrel, mouthpiece/neck, double reed (“small instrument”)
  • Apply knowledge on instrument parts
  • Always use a mirror
  • Teacher vs. Student Placement
  • No articulation yet
  • Note length games 4, 8, 12, 16
• Continue with rhythms
  • Begin line pass offs​​

Assessment

• Review previous week(s) – informal assessment
• Rhythm Rockers
• Theory
• Breathing Chant quiz
• Staff Attributes quiz
• Embouchure
• Tone (Football Game)

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WEEK 3

• Finger dexterity on a pencil
• Continue with tone production
  • Match pitch (Clarinet F#, Saxophone G#)
  • Instant air starts
• Introduce articulation (Flute and Double Reed)
  • Rhythm Rockers on the small instrument
• Continue with Music Theory
  • Note name sheets
  • Staff Wars
    • Students at the smart board
  • MusicTheory.net
    • Set range
    • Timed activities

• Small parts of the instrument pages (Head joint, mp/barrel, etc)
  • Focus on flute high’s and low’s
• Talk about assembling the instrument

Assessment

• Review previous week(s) – informal
• Rhythm Rockers
• Theory
• Instrument parts
• Theory Quizzes
• Note name sheets
• Musictheory.net
• Playing rhythm rockers
• Small part of instrument playing

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WEEK 4

• Assemble the instrument
  • Test before they take it home
  • Teach their parents
  • Set up practice area (practice guide website link)
    • Chair
    • Stand
    • Pencil
    • Metronome
    • No distractions, etc.

• Open sounds on instrument
  • Do the same exercises as small part of instrument
  • Start instrument Basics
  • Continue playing on the small instrument separately​

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• One hand position at a time on the instrument
  • Flute: Add right hand
    • Watch RH carefully
      • Thumb placement
      • Not same for everyone
  • Flute optional fingers 4,5,6 with & without
  • Double Reed, Clarinet, Saxophone: Add left hand
• Begin adding other hand
  • Show how to teach that hand
  • Add fingerings from Basics

Assessment

• Review previous week(s) – informal
• Rhythm Rockers
• Theory
• Instrument assembly
• Practice room set-up
• Playing tests
  • How to efficiently facilitate
• Hand placement & playing posture
• Fingering tests - written

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WEEK 5

• Playing as much as possible
• Rhythm Rockers and Music Theory is ongoing
  • Constant individual assessment
• How many notes do we know?
  • Flute:
    • Head joint highs and lows
    • Chromatic C#, C, B, Bb, A, Ab, G, F first two octaves
    • Octave slurs
  • Oboe:
    • C, Bb, A, G, Right F in the staff
    • F#, F, E octave slurs
  • Bassoon:
    • F, E, D, C, Bb, A, G, F in the staff
    • F#, F, E octave slurs
  • Clarinet:
    • Mouthpiece and Barrel F#
    • Upper joint G, F, E, D, C, possible chromatics as well
  • Saxophone
    • Mouthpiece and Neck G#
    • B, A, G, F, E in the staff
    • Chromatic G, F#, F octave slurs

• Start using method/song book
  • Play simple songs
  • Make recordings of their practice and put on Google classroom
• Recitals/performance opportunities to feel comfortable playing in front of other people
• Assessment
  • Previous week(s) – informal
  • Rhythm Rockers
  • Theory
  • Fingerings
  • Playing tests

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WEEK 6

• Continue working chromatically regarding learning new notes
• Monitor tone quality
• Playing songs out of the book
• Begin to add specialty exercises (slow to fast)
  • Finger Ninjas (isolate tricky finger patterns, such as flute C to D)
  • Harmonics, Octave Slurs, etc.
  • Tetra chords
  • Finger Wiggles (monitor hand position in developing speed patterns)
  • Articulations
  • Technique (combine finger technique with articulations)
• Assessment
  • Previous week(s)
  • Rhythm Rockers
  • Theory
  • Playing Tests
  • Tetra chords
  • Fingering tests

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~WEEK 8

• Fall concert
  • 5 note full band music
  • Section songs for demonstration

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End of the first semester

• Most woodwind classes will know the fingerings for full range and will have played these notes, but may not be proficient
• Will have played all tetra chords in a one octave range; some may play the tetra-chords in multiple octaves
• One octave scales
• Chromatic scale (partial range)
• Playing music using rhythms learned from Rhythm Rockers
• Instrument specific solos and ensembles
• Rhythmically: dotted quarter notes, sixteenth notes, possibly triplets and compound rhythms
• Winter concert with more challenging music

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Sample Beginner Band Instrument and Supply Lists

Argyle Middle School

Shadow Ridge Middle School