SCHEDULED HANDBELLS SYLLABUS

Teacher:  Jay Winston

1. Learn about rhythm
2. Learn about pitch
3. Learn about meter
4. Create your own rhythm phrases
5. Create your own melodic phrases
6. Learn about intervals
7. Combine all of the above and play the music

Learn about rhythm

As many, if not all, of the students in this class have little or no musical background, we must begin with the basics. Students will learn the difference between whole notes, half notes, quarter notes, eighth notes, sixteenth notes, etc., and how they make up a complete musical measure.

Learn about pitch

After learning the basics of rhythm, we will discuss the pitches that make up the musical scale. Students will learn about sharps and flats. They will understand the formula that makes up a major and a minor scale, and be able to create their own scales using this formula.

Learn about meter

Once the basics of rhythm and pitch are learned, before being able to complete a musical phrase, students will learn about meter. There are a certain amount of beats that make up each musical measure. There are measures with four beats and three beats, or multiples of four and three. From this point, students will understand how to fit the correct rhythm into a given measure.

Create your own rhythm phrases

Now understanding meter, each student will practice creating their own phrases, or combination of musical measures, by inserting their own rhythms into each measure. They will practice filling each measure with the correct amount of beats based on their understanding of the amount of beats each rhythm fills up in the measure.

Create your own melodic phrases

Once students have created their own rhythm phrases, they can create their own melodies (or miniature songs) by simply picking a note from the scale and putting it in the place of the rhythm they had previously chosen. After completing the phrase with notes and rhythms, they will have, in a sense, created their own piece of music. The teacher will play each student’s musical creation on the piano.

Learn about intervals

Intervals are the relationships between musical pitches on the musical staff. We will learn these relationships, what they look like, what they sound like, and find examples in familiar music to help us remember what they are.

Combine all of the above and play the music

With the understanding of rhythm, pitch, and meter, we can begin to play the music. Each student will receive the single handbell correlates to the pitch they had highlighted on their music. This will be ‘their’ note for the class. For each song they will have the responsibility of ringing their bell each time this pitch comes up in the music. They will have to count the rhythm, given the meter of the song, and follow along the pitches in the music in order that they know when to play their pitch. As students get more comfortable with this, they will begin to learn to listen to those around them so they create a complete melody with harmonies rather than solely focusing on playing their single note. We will perform various songs at the Festival concert.

GRADING

This class is fundamentally a participation-based class. I believe that music should be graded more on participation than ability. This said, part of participation is showing a continued growth and development throughout the course. You will be graded on the following:

Promptness to class

Attendance

Attention and Focus

Completion of assignments

Participation in class

Handling the bells carefully

Always having gloves in class

Participation at the Festival rehearsals and concert

Your grade might be reduced for the following:

Lateness to class

Missing class

Incomplete assignments

Talking in a way that disrupts the class or makes others lose focus

Mishandling of the bells

Not prepared with gloves

Unexcused absence from mandatory rehearsals and concerts

My hope is for you all to receive an A in this class. As you can see above, you are in control of your grade. At the end of the semester I will ask you to write a short paragraph explaining for me what grade you think you deserve, and I will factor that into my grading.