Deer Valley Unified School District No. 97
DEER VALLEY MIDDLE
21100 N 27th Avenue Phoenix AZ 85027 623-445-3300 623-445-3380 (Fax) dvms.dvusd.org
Choir 1 and Choir 2
Deer Valley Middle School Syllabus 2015-2016
Teacher: Beth Hermanson E-mail: [email protected]
Room: 417 Voice Mail: (623) 445-3339
Office Hour: 10:25-11:22am; 3rd period Website: www.dvusd.org/dv-hermanson
Course Description:
Chorus 1 and 2 are both full ensemble classes that strive to help students achieve the highest level of musical growth!
Course Objectives:
Developing basic musicianship skills continues to be a priority at the Intermediate Level. Students will begin to use more phrasing, dynamics, articulation, intonation, balance, and perform music at an intermediate level of difficulty.
Ensemble skills will become more developed as students participate in the chorus setting. Students will describe concepts common to music and other disciplines, and will be involved in discussing various cultures, styles, composers, and historical periods.
Materials/Supplies:
Text Book: Text books and materials will be provided by the DVMS Choir Department.
Online Resources: www.dvusd.org/dv-hermanson. Click on the “Music Resources” tab to discover Music Apps and Music Websites!
*Supplies: Classroom sets of pencils will be provided until they are gone. Personal pencils are strongly recommended. All students will need a pencil (not a pen) everyday! 10-15 sheets of loose-leaf paper kept in a small binder is also strongly recommended.
*Arizona law requires that public schools provide supplies required for academic success. This list represents optional, supplementary items which you may supply, at your discretion. If you have questions, feel free to contact the school*
PowerSchools:
The PowerSchools site allows parents/guardians and students to access the student’s grades, attendance, and other information. Progress reports are available on PowerSchools; please check weekly! Parents/Guardians who do not have a login code for their child can get one at the front office. Photo identification will be required to receive your password.
Web address — http://ps.dvusd.org/public/
Grading Policy:
Deer Valley Middle School aligns to the Arizona College & Career Readiness Standards (AZ-CCRS). In order to provide the best education for your child this year, we have selected a grading policy that operates under the following conditions:
Assessments & Exams — 60%
Projects or Lab Assignments** — 35%
Homework — 5%
Total — 100%
**Minimum 1 per quarter**
Student Expectations:
• PowerSchools must be checked weekly.
• Students are expected to attend ALL concerts. Once a concert calendar is given to the student, students and parents will have 2 weeks to notify Ms. Hermanson of any possible conflicts. If no notification is given, students will be expected to be in attendance for the concert, which acts as our “final” for each quarter.
Ms. Hermanson is willing to work with all sports schedules, if notification is given in advance.
• Behavior expectations can be found under The Colt Way found on the next page.
Make Up Policy:
Make-up work for performances/concerts will consist of two grades
1. Students will be required to perform all of the music for which they were responsible for Ms. Hermanson.
Their grade will be determined by a music performance rubric. This will make-up their performance grade.
2. Students will be required to watch four videos and complete performance critiques for each video as well as complete an essay assigned by Ms. Hermanson. This will make-up their concert etiquette grade.
Make-up work for performances/concerts will only be given for EXCUSED absences.
All tests/quizzes may be retaken as many times as necessary for mastery of that unit. Day to day markings that we put in our music/notes during class will need to be copied from a peer. **Students are not given additional days to make up work if they were in RTI-B (on campus reassignment) or suspended.**
Quarterly performance tasks (finals) will be given and are not able to be retaken.
Additionally, students are expected to complete daily formative or practice assignments to reinforce skills and concepts learned in class, but will not always be factored into a student’s final grade. There will be no opportunities for extra credit.
Teacher Tutoring Times or Extra Opportunity
Ms. Hermanson is available every Tuesday or Thursday for afterschool tutoring from 3:10pm-4:10pm (parent permission required). Wednesday tutoring is by appointment only. Other opportunities for extension of learning can be scheduled by appointment and student need.
Communication:
Please contact Ms. Hermanson for any student concerns. It is crucial that teachers, parents, and students maintain open lines of communication. Contact information is provided at the top of this document. Please refer to my website or handbook for all information needed for this course.
Percentages
A 90-100%
B 80-89%
C 70-79%
D 60-69%
F 50-59%
Incomplete 49%
Missing 49%
Discipline System:
Polite and respectful to others.
Prepared and on time to class, ready to learn with all materials.
Productive students focused on learning.
Participate in class activities with a positive attitude.
Maintain a safe learning environment — drug free, alcohol free & free from fights.
Notable Offenses: See Protecting the COLT Way Sheet on back.
About the Teacher:
Ms. Hermanson is a native of Arizona. Growing up she attended Scottsdale Unified School District where she was involved in both band and choir. Ms. Hermanson is a graduate of Northern Arizona University with a degree in Instrumental Music Education. Her primary instrument is the Euphonium (it looks like a small tuba and is very similar to a baritone), but has played euphonium, trombone, and tuba in various performing ensembles at NAU.
Throughout her education she has been very lucky to have many musical opportunities. She has traveled to Europe on two separate occasions with different performing ensembles; the first time with the Phoenix Children’s Chorus and the second time with the NAU Wind Symphony. She has also had the opportunity to go to China, where she learned about their culture and music. Through her education at NAU, she had the opportunity to teach band and choir in the local school district and has taught marching band at several camps throughout Arizona.
Ms. Hermanson has been in the Deer Valley Unified School District for the past 5 years. Ms. Hermanson has taught band at Mountain Shadows and band, choir, and general music at Bellair Elementary.
Currently, Ms. Hermanson is the Band and Choir teacher at Deer Valley Middle School and is the Assistant Marching Band Director at Barry Goldwater High School. Ms. Hermanson is a member of the Tempe Symphonic Wind Ensemble playing Euphonium. She is also a member of the Phoenix College Community Choir.
Guardian Consent & Confirmation:
Student Name: __________________________________________________
Best Contact Phone #: ____________________________________________
Email: __________________________________________________
Cellphone: __________________________________________________
Guardian Name: _________________________________ Relationship: __________________________
Guardian Name: _________________________________ Relationship: __________________________
Please list any additional information that you would like Ms. Hermanson to know, including additional contact information if applicable:
________________________________________ ________________________________________
Print Student Name Print Parent/Guardian Name
________________________________________ ________________________________________
Student Signature Parent/Guardian Signature
DATE__________________________________ DATE__________________________________
***********Please return this paper by Friday, August 15, 2015.***************
The Deer Valley Unified School District does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, or age in its programs and activities. For any inquiries regarding nondiscrimination policies contact the Superintendent's Department, 20402 N. 15th Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85027. 623.445.5000.
