Marshall Middle School Instrumental Music

DEADLINE EXTENSIONS: Extensions are built into every assignment for every student regardless of absences. In each syllabus for all of my classes, students are allowed a seven (7) calendar day window in which students may submit late or retake assignments for full credit. This window starts as soon as the deadline for an assignment passes. Specific dates and times for deadlines are listed for each assignment in Google Classroom.

ASSIGNMENT INFO/DETAILS: Anything and everything that is assigned to students in my classes is posted in Google Classroom. Step-by-step instructions, point totals, deadlines, and more can all be found in each assignment posting. There are no surprise assignments, pop quizzes, or any other graded work that will be left off of Google Classroom.

MAKE-UP PRACTICE/REHEARSAL TIME: Students do not need to make up practice/rehearsal time missed due to 6th grade camp, illness, family vacation, religious holiday, or any other absence from school. Even without a flu outbreak at 6th grade camp, there are too many students, too many absences, and not nearly enough time for me to catch kids up on missed classes outside of class time.

HAVING DIFFICULTY PLAYING YOUR INSTRUMENT?: If coughing, respiratory issues, fatigue, or other illness-related complications are preventing a student from playing their instrument, students can request permission from me to record and submit their assignments in percussive mode on SmartMusic while they are sick. This can also apply when an instrument needs to spend some time in the repair shop.  In percussive mode, students can simply clap their hands, knock on their desk, or otherwise percussively perform the rhythms of the assignment to complete it.  Students can select percussive mode in SmartMusic the first time they click the “record” button for an assignment.  The preferred method for asking for permission to record and submit in percussive mode is to send me a private Google Classroom comment on the assignment(s) in question. If you request percussive mode permission via email, please be sure to specify the exact assignment title(s) in which I should expect to hear clapping/knocking/etc. instead of your normal instrument.

 

If you find yourself bored and needing a good article or two to pass the time, here are a few from my good friend, Dr. Noa Kageyama, a.k.a. “The Bulletproof Musician.”

What to Ask Yourself After a Failure or Setback

8 Things Top Practicers Do Differently

“Perfect” Practice May Be Preventing You from Learning that Tricky Passage

Why Listening to Reference Recordings is an Important Part of Practicing

The Importance of Writing Notes in Your Music (one of my favorites!)

For more delightfully thought-provoking articles about music and becoming a better musician, feel free to browse Dr. Kageyama’s blog, and feel free to email me with any articles you don’t see above that you found to be applicable to middle school musicians.