Form D-1: Application for Approval of a Locally Developed Course of Study
This form must be submitted to the Regional Office, Ministry of Education no later than May 1 for approval for semester one and December 1 for approval for semester two. This submission prior to the first year of implementation is a request to pilot the Locally Developed Course of Study. Significant changes in years two through five require resubmission of this form. The Locally Developed Course of Study submission should be in electronic format.
Application is submitted by:
Lloydminster Public School Division 6 School Division Name Region
5017-46 Street Lloydminster T9V 1R4 P.O. Box/Street Address Town/City Postal Code
Garage Band 10L 10 1 Proposed Course Title Grade Level Credit Value
50 August 30, 2012 June 30, 2017 No. of Students Date of Commencement Expiry Date
If you intend to implement this course in more than one school within your division, please identify all of the additional schools by school number and name.
6050904 Lloydminster Comprehensive High School School No. School Name School No. School Name
School No. School Name School No. School Name
School No. School Name School No. School Name
School No. School Name School No. School Name
Approval is requested to offer for credit the Locally Developed Course of Study as described.
Director of Education or Designate Date
Regional Director of Education or Designate Date Form D-1 (con’t): Application for Approval
Is the proposed course adapted or adopted from one in another school division? No
Note: If the course is to be delivered by the external jurisdiction, please refer to the Credit Transfer Guide: Secondary Education (appears in the Registrar’s Handbook) for information on how credits for such courses are awarded and recorded.
Adapted In the course outline described below, indicate clearly the adaptations that will be made to the original course to make it suitable for use by the local school division. Adopted Attach a copy of the cover page of Form D-1 and a copy of Form D-2 from the originating school division to show its approval. The conditions of approval outlined on the original D-2 apply to the adopting school division.
School No. School Name School Division Region
Course Title Grade Level Course Code
Is the proposed course a provincially developed course from another province that meets the needs of the students in your school division?
Yes No X If yes, complete the following
Province Number of hours of instruction
Course title Grade Level
Course Outline – Garage Band 10L Rationale Students are, in ever-increasing numbers, developing musical skills outside of the music classroom. Students have, for years, been participating in ‘garage bands’, taking keyboard and voice lessons, learning how to play guitar from a friend, or wishing they could use their jazz bass in a punk band. These students should be given the opportunity to apply these skills in a school setting, under the supervision of a qualified teacher, with other students of like mind.
Students, in this setting, can develop musicianship in a way that more legitimately mirrors the way humans learn other languages, that is we learn to speak long before we learn to write. An emphasis on improvisation an aural learning will be prevalent here, in stark contrast to the traditional school music setting, where students learn performance and reading skills simultaneously, and are expected to perform from pre-determined parts.
Goals and Foundational Objectives Students will, through practice, lesson, and performance, develop the technical, theoretical and musical skills necessary to perform in a garage band. Students are expected, upon entering the course, to have some proficiency on an instrument suitable to this setting (most commonly guitar, bass, drums, vocals, and keyboards).
Students will be required to put on public performances of several covered songs for a paying audience. Students will also leave the course with the skills necessary to further pursue playing in garage bands. Facilities permitting, students would be given the opportunity to record their original music and to market it on the internet, using sites like amazon.com and iTunes.
Outcomes Domains – Creative/Productive Students will inquire, create, and communicate through popular music.
CP10.1 Students will possess the fundamental skills to play basic rock songs, demonstrating an understanding of song form, scale performance and application, and rhythmic performance suitable to spontaneously creating an accompaniment or background vocal. Indicators: • Guitar Students
o Perform, in context, all of the open position chords – Em, E, Am, A, D, Dm, C, G, F o Perform, in context, ‘power chords’ o Read tablature o Begin to improvise using major, minor, and blues scales o Begin to understand the different types of guitars, pickups, strings, and amplifiers available to them
o Play with proper technique to avoid injury o Learn plectrum and finger-picking basics • Bass Players
o Play major, minor, and blues scales o Able to identify and use (in context) the notes in major and minor chords o Be able to construct a bass line that uses both chord and non-chord tones (passing tones, neighbour tones, suspensions, and appoggiaturas)
o Read tablature o Improvise using major, minor, and blues scales o Begin to understand the different types of guitars, pickups, strings, and amplifiers available to them
o Play with proper technique to avoid injury o Play with proper finger or plectrum technique • Keyboardists
o Play major, minor, and blues scales o Able to construct chordal accompaniments using various voicings o Create accompaniments from guitar chord sheets o Improvise in major, minor, and blues scales o Begin to understand the different types of keyboards and amplifiers available to them and the advantages and disadvantages of each
o Play with proper technique to avoid injury • Vocalists
o Able to sing major, minor, and blues scales using a neutral syllable (la, tu etc) or scale degree numbers (1, 2, 3 etc)
o Able to aurally identify major, minor, and dominant seventh chords o Memorize lyrics o Will be encouraged to learn an accompanying instrument (guitar or keyboard) to accompany themselves
o Begin to understand microphone use while singing, the different kinds of microphones, and the different kinds of filters available to them (windscreen, pop filter etc)
o Play tambourine, shaker, etc for auxiliary percussion • Drummers
o Play drumset in a variety of contexts (rock, hard rock, metal, pop, disco, etc) o Improvise in contexts as listed above and more o Know song form and structure (verse, bridge, chorus) and know how to delineate that form through variety of playing
o Understand different kinds of drum set ups, and the advantages and disadvantages of each o Able to learn to cover simple drum parts by ear o Will begin to demonstrate some leadership in the band
CP10.2 Students will apply basic knowledge of song form to their performance and re-arrangement of songs in the popular vernacular. Indicators: • Students will recognize and be able to identify the contingent parts (verse, bridge, chorus) of the pieces they cover • Students will analyze songs they hear and make allusions as to how the songs are assembled and why • Students will begin to explore the emotional context of the music and inquire into how an artist creates emotional ‘direction’ within a piece of music • Students will apply their knowledge of form to re-arrange music that they are performing to suit the performance or their own technical ability
CP 10.3 Students will show growth as musicians within the context of their rock bands, developing the necessary understandings to be intrinsically motivated, to want to grow as a musician, to be curious about different styles of music, and to plan performances based on these understandings Indicators: • Students will engage in goal-oriented personal practice, analyzing their strengths and weaknesses to create meaningful practice sessions at home • Students will adopt a musical role model or models whose musical technique and style they will seek to emulate • Students will engage in goal-oriented band practices, recognizing performance requirements and working towards them; the musical selections chosen by students will take into account the following:
o Students’ existing musical ability o Students personal growth goals (students should aspire to learn at least one new skill or develop one new understanding with each song they select to cover)
o Constraints of the venue to be performed in o Constraints of the program to be performed on
CP 10.4 Students will develop a basic knowledge of stage setup, microphone use (miccing), and monitor use for live performance Indicators • Students will be able to, with guidance, effectively and neatly set up and strike their stage for live performance • Students will understand basic miccing issues and be able to solve feedback or echoing issues that are common to stage setups that use monitors • Students will understand and be able to apply their knowledge of different kinds of microphones to stage and recording setup
Critical/Responsive Students will respond to the artistic expressions of their own creation, and of Saskatchewan, Canadian, and International artists using critical thinking, creativity, research, and collaborative inquiry
Outcomes CR 10.1 Listen and respond as a musician when playing in a rock ensemble. Indicators: • Students will work towards a ‘team oriented’ approach to making music, whereby students listen and respond to one another’s dynamics, improvisations, mistakes, tone, and rhythms • Students will understand their role in their ensemble and work towards effectively communicating with other band members while performing (ie, rhythm guitarists listen to the drummer for rhythmic cues, the band follows the lead musicians for form, etc) • Students will respond/react to audiences cheering, body language, etc and adjust their performance accordingly
CR 10.2 Individually develop criteria through which to judge the quality of their own and others’ performances. Indicators • Students are able to analyze their strengths and weaknesses and adjust their personal practice as a musician to compensate • Students can construct meaningful critiques of others’ performances, both live and recorded • Students can effectively describe the attributes of their ideal rock performance, based on personal tastes and experiences both on and off stage • Students can compare and contrast performances against one another or against their ideal • Students will reflect upon their own performances, both individually and in a group setting, and develop strategies to continue to grow as a musician • Students will attend at least one live concert performance in their genre, and be able to apply their knowledge of these ideals to write a meaningful review of the concert
CR 10.3 Explore and begin to implement the skills, knowledge, and techniques necessary for successful group performances Indictors • Students begin to develop methods both individually and in a group to overcome the challenges of performing in a group (tuning, blend, mixing, playing together, etc), working towards their own ideals as musicians • Students will have enough fundamental knowledge of each song they work on to re-arrange it, both spontaneously and concertedly. Students will adapt to form-based mistakes in the ensemble to follow one another, and know to listen for aural cues from band mates to recover from these mistakes. • Students will evaluate their on-stage sound and provide feedback to sound engineers and technical staff • Students will evaluate their own sound (guitar tones, vocal blend, etc) and make changes to equipment or execution to create an ideal rock sound for their audience • Students will respect and adhere to processes related to live performance including:
o Dress Rehearsals o Sound Checks o Setup of equipment o Execution of performance and working with a stage manager o Tear down and care of equipment in transport/storage Basic Skills At the conclusion of this course, students: • Will demonstrate theoretical knowledge pertinent to the performance of contemporary songs on their instrument. Guitar and bass players will be expected to know how to construct major, and minor, chords using various roots, play power chords, and be able to play scales in major, minor, and blues contexts. • Will be able to both read and begin to improvise on their given instrument • Have a general awareness of past and current trends in popular music • Will be able to set up, with guidance, the stage for a live performance, and have an awareness of setup, monitoring, and using microphones • Will learn to sing well enough to sing at least background vocals on any song • Will be able to learn enough songs to fill a 30 minute set by the end of the semester Attitudes • Students will have developed an understanding of performing contemporary music in a variety of genres • Students will be able to work within diverse groups of individuals in a respectful and productive manner • Students will develop a home practice routine that will be conducive to skills development and song memorization • Students will be tolerant of diverse opinions • Students will be able to work with constructive criticism and apply critiques quickly to improve their performances
Does this course have a prerequisite? • NO ACADEMIC PREREQUISITE • Students are encouraged to have participated in feeder schools’ School of Rock programs • Students are required to have basic facility on one of the following instruments (to be determined by audition):
o Piano o Guitar (acoustic or electric) o Bass Guitar o Singing (experience with a teacher is an asset) o Drums
Explanation of the Various Core Curriculum Initiatives COMMUNICATION Students will develop a vocabulary to express emotion through music. Students will also have to be able to express their opinions, preferences, musical ideas, etc. to their band-mates and to the instructor in a cogent and concise manner.
NUMERACY Students will have to calculate the amount of music-making / speaking necessary to fill the assigned set times. This will be completed by estimating the length of each song and transition times between songs, taking the sum total of these times and judging that against the amount of time available.
CRITICAL / CREATIVE THINKING Students will constantly be assessing their own music-making against several established standards and their own opinion. Students will have the opportunity to write music and improvise over musical forms. Students will be given the opportunity to critique themselves, their band-mates, other bands, and established recordings or live shows through guided masterclasses.
TECHNOLOGICAL LITERACY Students will engage in internet use to research music to cover, and will be aware of the use of web pages such as Youtube, Google, Ultimate-guitar.com, sing365.com and similar sites. In doing so, students will develop the abilities to regulate their internet use to stay on task, and will learn to evaluate/critique the quality of the resources available to them.
PERSONAL AND SOCIAL VALUES AND SKILLS Students will be expected to professionally and civilly work with peers in a band setting, working through differences of opinion and musical taste in a grouping that is expected to last several months. Students will be exposed to the power of popular music to effect change, listening to and hearing the messages presented by such artists as Buffalo Springfield and U2, and learning about events such as Live Aid (or Live 8) etc.
INDEPENDENT LEARNING A course such as Garage Band 10L provides students the opportunity to learn about the kinds of music and methods of music-making that interest them the most. Students will be given the chance to explore extended techniques relevant to the kinds of music they are making, will study and learn at their own pace based on their individual needs, and will study music that is relevant and interesting to them; all of these facets of Garage Band 10L provide, inherently and through an intrinsic motivation, the opportunity for students to learn independently.
Incorporating Career Development Competencies PERSONAL MANAGEMENT Developing the confidence necessary to make one’s self vulnerable before an audience requires students to develop a positive self-image. This positive self-image and level of confidence carries students to feel positively about themselves in other areas of education and business as well.
Students are required to work cooperatively with one another through the team-based structure of this course.
Students are required to develop self-discipline as they are often working without direct intervention from the instructor, whether it be during research activities or at-home practice, students will work with the intrinsic motivation to improve.
LEARNING AND WORK EXPLORATION; LIFE/WORK BUILDING Students, in working through Garage Band 10L, are exposed to a wide variety of careers that aren’t apparent in the traditional school band setting such as recording / producing music, managing and promoting talent, working as an instrument tech or technical advisor with a touring group, etc. Students are given the opportunity to explore music careers that are of interest to them and, where possible, the instructor will put students in contact with people in the music industry working in the roles that interest students.
Students will also be exposed to the live production of music, exposing them in a valid way to the business of popular music.
Instructional Approaches The majority of instruction, during class, will take the format of mentor-mentee relationships, where the instructor works with the students on assigned tasks; all learning will occur within the context of the music each group performs. Therefore, Garage Band 10L will be a project-based course, with major evaluations being undertaken in the form of public and in-class performances.
As students are expected to have some facility on their instruments, a limited amount of basic instruction will be offered on each instrument; instrument-specific instruction will take the form of review of fundamental technique and broaden as music selections and circumstances dictate.
Students will also be given individual instruction to supplement their coursework. Ideally, this would take the format of a ‘pull-out’ lesson for each student once every two weeks. During these individual lessons, students would work on their music with the instructor, in a setting that is both instrument and individual-specific; that is, that students individual strengths will be addressed in these lessons.
After performances, students would engage in critical thinking sessions / class discussions and goal setting with regards to improving the current state of their performance practice. Students would also engage in group masterclasses, whereby students would be given the opportunity, in conjunction with the instructor, to evaluate each others’ performances. Assessment and Evaluation Techniques Students will be evaluated in a combination of group-performance and individual-performance assessments. As mentioned before, students will be assessed in each of four performance projects:
Acoustic Assignment: students cover 2 songs using only instruments that don’t plug in Canadian Content Assignment: students cover 2 songs, in any instrumentation, written or performed by Canadian artists Mid-term Performance: students will stage a public concert at an appropriate venue, and play a 15 minute set of music Final Performance: students will stage a public concert at an appropriate venue and play a 30 minute set of music
Students will engage in individual research to further their knowledge in areas of their own interest. Each student will engage in a Rockumentary assignment, whereby students are required to deliver a 20-60 minute presentation on the band of their choosing. Students may also engage in research into extended instrumental techniques, specific artists, methods of recording, song and artist promotion, careers in music, etc.
Students will also compose a research-based paper exploring a career in music of their choosing. Students, in doing this assignment, will be encouraged to look into lines of work that aren’t directly related to performing, but rather into careers like: • Sound engineer • Guitar technician • Agent • Music teacher • Stage Manager • Music critic • Composer • etc.
Instructional Materials Students will primarily work with web 2.0 based resources such as: www.ultimate-guitar.com (guitar tablature) www.sing365.com (lyrics to cover songs) www.youtube.com (a plethora of licensed music is available to listen to here) www.jamendo.com (a venue for students to share and promote their music) www.guitarplayer.com (video lessons, guitar news, etc) www.bassplayer.com (video lessons, bass news, etc) www.moderndrummer.com (video lessons, drumming news, etc)
Evaluation of the Locally Developed Course of Study Credit is granted on the basis of 100 hours of instruction in Garage Band 10L. Students will be evaluated using the following assessment plan:
Performances: 60% Student performances will occur in and outside the classroom; equal weighting shall be granted to in class and out of class performances. Performance opportunities will include, but not be restricted to, the following:
• In class assignments will include an acoustic covers project, and a Canadian covers project.
• Outside of class performances will see students performing a combination of original and covered songs within the context of an evening concert. There will be two concerts scheduled: one at midterm where student bands will perform a 15 minute set of music, and another at the end of the semester where student bands will perform a 30 minute set of music. Project Work: 30% Individual student projects will include the following assignments: • Rockumentary Assignment (written and oral presentation) (10%) • Careers project (written assignment) (10%) • Concert Review (written assignment) (10%)
Source/Reference Journals: 10% Students will be assessed monthly on their ability to prepare for and work within the context of a garage band.
Semester Timeline Month 1 • Begin acoustic covers project • Begin Rockumentary assignment (will be delivered by students on Fridays throughout the semester) • Begin preparing covers and originals for midterm concert • Careers research assignment begins Month 2 • Assess acoustic covers project through in-class masterclass format • Assess careers project by submission • Small venue performance as available Month 3 • Begin Canadian content assignment • Midterm concert • Begin preparing covers for final concert Month 4 • Assess Canadian Content Assignment • Continue preparing covers for final concert
Month 5 • Submissions of concert review assignments (timing of concert will depend on the availability of suitable concerts for students to attend) • Rockumentaries have all been presented • Students critically evaluate their own and peers’ performances • Students reflect on their learning through the semester in a journal • Final concert(s)
All outcomes will all be taught and individually assessed within the context of the projects listed above.