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Listen Up!!!

“In every successful business…there is one budget line that never gets cut. It’s called ‘Product Development’ – and it’s the key to any company’s future growth. Music education is critical to the product development of this nation’s most important resource – our children.”
- John Sykes — President, VH1

Welcome to Listen UP! I have some very exciting activities planned this trimester ranging in topics from, "Popular music and its impact on society," to "Words/Music/Images: Interpretation and Meaning in music. Students should bring a folder for handouts along with paper and pencil for class.

Contact Information:
Email: korenstein@jbha.org
Office: Room 315

General Course Information:

  • Course Expectations
    • By trimester end, student will be able to listen to different artists and their music and discuss elements including how an artist or musical form influenced other artists as well as music, the impact music had on the culture of different eras and why different types of music were formed and developed.
  • Grading Policies
    • Students will be graded on participation in class discussions as well as class debates concerning music and the artists. 
  • Classroom Guidelines
    • I employ a three strike rule.  Students who violate the either of the two rules three times in a class will receive detention
      • Rule 1 – You must raise your hand and be called upon during class to speak aloud
      • Rule 2 - Disruptive behavior of any kind will not be tolerated.   
    • Negativity
      • I encourage students to develop opinions regarding the music we are discussing in class.  However, negativity toward other students’ opinions such as “that is stupid,” or “your taste is music is horrendous” will not be acceptable.  I encourage all the students to express their opinions but in a positive light.(i.e. “Our music tastes differ, what is it that you enjoy about this music?” )  Students must also be able to defend their musical opinions.

 

 

Outline of Materials which will be studied

* Music Fundamentals including reading standard notation in treble and bass clef, understanding rhythm in simple meter, scales, keys, modes, intervals and music language. 

* The compositions and lives of both past and present musical greats. Topics studied range from J.S. Bach to Michael Jackson to Henry Cowell.

*How technology has changed contemporary music making including the concept of auto tune, the CD, the mp3 players and youtube.

Upcoming Events
The middle school elective music class "Listen Up" will be attending the Philadelphia Orchestra's Music Can Morph!: Folk Music in the Concert Hall on February 9, 2010. This special student concert will be held at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia.

Music Can Morph!: Folk Music in the Concert Hall, takes listeners on a journey through Spain, Russia, China, and the United States and presents the works of composers who use native music and songs to capture the spirit of a particular nation or culture.

Smith “The Star-Spangled Banner”
Falla “Dance of the Miller’s Wife (Fandango)” from The Three-Cornered Hat
Glinka Kamarinskaya, fantasy for orchestra on two Russian folksongs
Li Spring Festival Overture
Copland Variations on a Shaker Melody from Appalachian Spring
Johnson “Lift Every Voice and Sing”

Date: Tuesday, February 9, 2010 (put in the day in the ABC cycle-)

Departure from JBHA: 11:15am
Arrival at the Kimmel Center: 12:00pm
Return to JBHA: 2:00pm
Periods Missed: 4, 5, lunch, 6 of B Day

Dress: NO JEANS OR T-SHIRTS. Students should dress as if they were attending synagogue.
Lunch: Students are asked to bring a bag lunch which they will eat on the bus.
Ticket Price: Students are asked to bring in a check for $8.00 written to Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy no later than January 26, 2010. They should give the check to Dr. Karin Orenstein.

 

 

 

Additional Information

Students are extremely encouraged to bring in articles and pictures pertaining to music for discussion and display in the classroom.

“A grounding in the arts will help our children to see; to bring a uniquely human perspective to science and technology. In short, it will help them as they grow smarter to also grow wiser.”
- Robert E. Allen – Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, AT&T Corporation