Choir Overview John Adams Academy

Why Take Choir? 1.Because you have to. California law, College A-G requirement, JAA requirement. 2.Because it’s good for you. Studies have shown that Classical music training increases IQ, test scores in math and reading, and makes you more calm and healthy. 3.Because it is a part of a Classical education. Like novels, we learn a lot from classic songs. Learning music also trains our thinking like math, science, and literature. Socrates said it was crucial. 4.Because it will make you smarter. Music is everywhere in history and today. The more you understand it, the more you will understand different times and cultures, and yourself.

Because It’s Fun!

Socrates ( BC) “Musical training is a more potent educational tool than any other, because rhythm and harmony find their way into the inward places of the soul, on which they mightily fasten, imparting grace, and making the soul of him who is rightly educated graceful.…” Plato, Republic III:401d

Shinichi Suzuki ( ) “The purpose of [music] education is to train children, not to be professional musicians but to be fine musicians and to show high ability in any other field they enter.” Nurtured by Love

What Will I Learn in Choir? 1.Musical Perception How to “hear” and “speak” the “language(s)” of music. 2.Creative Expression How to express yourself through music: composition, performance, writing. 3.Historical and Cultural Context How to understand cultures and time periods from their music. 4.Aesthetic Valuing How to analyze and evaluate music and musical performances. 5.Cross-Subject Connections and Applications What does music have to do with other subjects? How can I use what I learn in choir in the real world?

JAA Founders “Art is the thing that will soften the edges and be the glue to a classical leadership education.” Dean Forman “The arts provide a means for understanding the world around us. Classics are not just read. Classics are also...performed [and] composed.” Linda Forman

What do I Need to Do? It is not hard to get an A in choir, even if you aren’t very good at music or singing. It has more to do with doing the right things than being really tallented. Final Grade Breakdown: 50%Daily Participation/Demonstration of Skills (follow class expectations and procedures) 20%Individual and Group Assignments (journal writing, quizzes, projects, etc.) 30%Performance Participation and Analysis (attending concerts, following expectations, concert evaluations)

Class Expectations 1.Be Professional and Appropriate 2.Be Respectful 3.Be Involved 4.Do Your Best Match the Core Value with the Class Expectations Public and Private Virtue Scholar-Empowered Learning High Standards of Acadmic Achievement Abundance Mentality Self-Governance, Personal Responsibility, and Accountability

Class Procedures Attention Signal (“Scholars attention!”) Class Instruction (Lecture, Voice Building, Singing) Class Discussion (Q&A, Paideia) Group Work (Projects, sectionals) Individual Work (Journal writes, quizzes, etc.) Performance (Run-throughs, concerts) Class Visitors

Choir Room Policies Bathroom Policy: Use the bathroom between classes and during lunch. If something happens, you can use the bathroom only two times per semester. If you need to use it after that, you will loose participation points each time. Lunchtime Use of the Music Room: Scholars are not allowed in the music room during lunch unless they have made an appointment with the teacher. Appointments will only be given for legitimate singing/instrument practice, club meetings, group projects, or meeting with the teacher.

Make-Up Assigments/Late Work If you are absent from choir (or miss a concert) for any reason, it is your responsibility to ask the teacher for your make-up assignment(s). All make-up assignments must be turned in by two weeks after the day you return to class (by 3:20). If not turned in by then, you will get a zero for the days/assignments/concert that you missed.

Enjoy the Experience!