1.

Foster an environment that embraces the integration of varied cultures and ethnicities to prompt social awareness and shared ideas amongst a blend of backgrounds. 2. Immerse students in an array of academia that emphasizes a balance of science, arithmetic, history and literature, as well as the visual and performing arts. 3. Create an environment that encourages innovation in all areas of study, on the individual level as well as collaborative. 4. Accept mistakes as a valuable step in learning rather than an act of failure. 5. Cultivate the leaders of tomorrow. In a nondiscriminatory school environment, curriculum will be highly inclusive during all classroom activities so as to further promote the districts mission of integration. Curriculum will use interdisciplinary projects as often as possible to encompass content in all areas of study as well as fostering the use of multiple skill sets toward success. Classroom activities will strive to spark creativity amongst the students to enhance their commitment to learning and discovering inside the classroom, alongside their peers, as well as individuals outside of class. Educators will foster an environment where students are unafraid to be wrong and are encouraged to learn from their mistakes. Students will not be solely taught by following strict guidelines. Rather, our curriculum will strive to generate personal ownership and collaboration to equip students with the tools of leadership and life skills beyond the realm of the arts. pic

Nikola Tesla Central District Strives to: Mission Statement

Want to know how our curriculum will carry out our Mission Statement?

Overview

Music and movement share a close relationship in that both use time as a way to shape our experiences, focus perception, and structure our consciousness. Music and movement are also bound by culture, time and place. This project explores these relationships through expressive movement, dance and physical response. An exhibition of music/ movement activities within different folk and cultural tradition included in printed/electronic resources serves as a culminating activity. Included are opportunities to learn and teach others songs and dances/movements collected. How does this music make you feel? How would you move to it? Where do you think you would hear this music? How is it different? How is it similar? Curiosity ConNidence Creativity Attentiveness Energy Positivity

Goals

Interpretation of rhythm through movement Ability to recognize and react to different sections of a piece of music To count and move within a variety of meters To distinguish qualities of different styles of music Collaboration amongst peers

Students Dispositions

Grades K-2 "Shake Rattle and Roll"

Phases

Phase 1 The Nirst phase of this project is a listening phase. Students will be introduced to 6 different genres of dance music heard throughout the ages; The Cha-Cha Slide, a country/western line dance, a Strauss waltz, a Latin Salsa piece, Twist and Shout by the Beatles, and the Cupid ShufNle. Each song will be played in its entirety and the students will be encouraged to dance and move around in reaction to what they hear. After each selection is played, students will sit in a group and answer the following questions as a class: How does this music make you feel? How did you move to it? Where do you think you would hear this music? How is it different from the last song you heard? How is it similar to the last song you heard?. This will all be compiled by the teacher for reference purposes. After the discussion, the song will be played again so the students get another chance to move to the music. Last 2 class periods are reserved for discussion about each dance and what makes it unique and review of what each song sounds like to prepare for Phase 2. Listening phase will take 3 weeks of the project period, one class period for each listening selection. Phase 2 This phase is the actual teaching of the speciNic dances. Each dance will be allotted 1 week of class to learn the dance. Weeks with 3 days will be dedicated to the line dance, the waltz, and the salsa piece. Weeks with 2 days will be dedicated to the Cha-Cha Slide, Twist and Shout, and The Cupid ShufNle (since they are easier). A YouTube video of line dancing will be shown to the class the Nirst day to give them an example of what that genre looks like, then the class will collaborate throughout the rest of the week to create their own line dance. The Nirst day of the waltz will be spent watching a video of a waltz and discussing and moving to rhythm in a meter. The rest of that week will work on the students interpretation of the waltz movement. The Nirst day of the Salsa piece will also show a video and work through the simplest form of footwork used in this genre. The rest of the week will be used solidifying the salsa rhythms and footwork. Phase 2 will take 6 weeks of the project period. Phase 3 The Dance-a-thon phase is the performance phase of this project. It includes the last class of rehearsing the dances, and the Ninal class which will be a school-wide performance including students comments about each dance. Students will talk about unique aspects and musical characteristics of each dance and what they like about each one, and then perform the dance. After the performance, there will be a teacher-lead reNlective discussion about what the students learned through dance. This phase will be the Ninal week of the project period. http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=9LDea8s4yZE

Overview

Heritage in a Hat How much do you know about the music of cultures around the world? This project plunges students into the heart and soul of 4 speciNic cultural sounds and styles of music, from research to composition to performance. Teacher learning activities include video research and analyzing music, and a 5-week composition workshop. The culminating activity is an Around The World Informance in which students discuss their Nindings and perform original compositions.

Goals

At the end of the 10-week project period, students will: Have a greater geographical understanding of the world through the learning of its music. Be able to analyze music and distinguish similarities and differences of music from different cultures including rhythm, notation, melodic construction and makeup, harmonic structure, instrumental components, and singing styles. Realize the technology we have access to in 2013 and its ability to connect the worlds cultures and to aid in learning. They will also be familiarized with this technology and become more Nluent in using it. Learn to appreciate the different musics heard in class and to understand the value of music and how it is used in each culture. Gain a respect for cultures other than our own.

Students Dispositions

Responsibility ConNidence Curiosity Persistance Creativity Empathy

Grades 3-5 "Heritage In a Hat"

School Statistics Located in Chicago Illinois Four Buildings within the District 6000 students 400 teachers 1/15 teacher student ratio Limited resources due to an urban environment

Phases

Nikola Tesla Central School

Phase 1 Students will be introduced to the idea of the project with the questions, What music do you like to listen to? Is this American music? What makes this American music? Do you know any music from other cultures? Depending on their answers and knowledge of other cultures music, class will create a KWL chart with which to track their progress through the course of the project. Students will split themselves up into 4 separate groups, and pick a culture out of a hat to study with their group. The 4 types of music include: African drumming, Carnatic music, South American/Latin music, Calypso/Caribbean music. 1 class period. Phase 2 Students will use youtube.com to begin to research their cultures music. They will compile a list of 6 or more videos/songs they like from that speciNic culture and keep this list as a reference. Once they have the list, they will break down the music and discuss in their group what instruments their music uses, how the melodies sound, what the rhythm sounds like, etc. They will compile a list of essential characteristics for their cultures music. Then they further research the culture itself, taking notes of dances that are done along with the music, clothing worn in the videos while the music is being performed, languages spoken in these cultures, etc. The research will happen for 2 class periods. On the third class period, the class will reconvene and share what they have found with the other groups in a Show and Share, travel-the-world style. Research phase will take 4 weeks of the project period. Phase 3 Students will take their lists of YouTube videos and characteristics and create their own song in the cultural style they chose. They will collaborate to create their own notation for their piece so that their group can read it and be able to perform from it. They will have access to drums, keyboards, recorders and ukuleles, and are encouraged to use their voices as well. Each time class falls on a Friday (every 2 weeks) the class will come together for another Show and Share, but this time about their creative process and to show the class their progress. Composition phase will take 5 weeks of the project period. Phase 4 The Ninal week of the project period will consist of writing summaries to be read and practicing their pieces to be performed in the Informance. In their summaries, each group will tell the audience about the music they learned about, such as where in the world their music originated, clothing worn, language(s) spoken, dances done to the music. They will also share 2 of the YouTube videos they found and tell about their list of characteristics. The Informance will be on the last day of the 10 week period, and the entire school will get together to share what they have learned, along with parents.

Overview

World Drumming Project: What role does tradition and culture play in ethnic drumming groups? Each class will become a drumming ensemble in a respective style. Students will learn the cultural background of this style, as well as learn to play and perform in-front of their classmates at a Worlds Fair that will take place at the end of 10 weeks for the sixth to eighth graders. This project will cover Music as an integrative part of society, and Music as Cultural representation. Students will be asked: What types of percussion ensembles are there? What prior knowledge do you need to play the drums? What types of drumming ensembles are out there? What different types of drums are out there? Engage students in different culture drumming groups with an active drumming experience where they will learn African, Latin American, or a Japanese style of drumming. Students will learn to communicate and listen to their fellow classmates play. As well as build their conNi- dence when they do an improvised solo in front of other classmates. They will learn how to lead and how to follow in a drumming circle. Subsequently they will be learning the technique behind playing each drum. After demonstrations of each instrument and the technique, students will listen to different styles of percussion music and then they will be asked to identify the instruments being played. Students will understand and place greater value on the peoples and musical cultures of a speciNic area by researching that cultures musical background and then performing traditional songs from it.

Students Dispositions

Goals

Dispositions -Generous -Cooperative -Curious -Creative -Communicating -Self-expression -Cultural awareness -Listening

Grades 6-8 "World Drumming Project"

Phase 1: -Week one: Ask students Why do people Drum? Why is rhythm important? What types of drumming ensembles are there? And what culture do they represent? -Drumming/ percussion and the rhythm section is the basis behind music. -Found in all cultures. -One full lesson will entail the teacher doing short versions of the style the class will be playing in. 6th graders will be doing Caribbean, 7th West African, and 8th Japanese Taiko Drumming. The students will also be listening to traditional songs in the style they will be playing in and asked to identify the instruments being played. -Week two will be when the students are learning about the culture and how the music that is being played represents something within that culture. They will be asked to research the culture in the library and on their free time this research will include listening to audio in the traditional style on youtube.com. They will then be asked to bring in the recording they listened to and write a short review of the song. And present it in front of the class. This will take place during week 8. I will provide original examples of a song in the Taiko style the Caribbean style and the West African Style. Phase 2 -Week three is when the students will learn the proper playing technique of the drums. The Taiko Kids will learn how to play the OmiDaiko or the ShimeDaiko. The Caribbean students will play Djembes and Steal drums. And the West African group will learn to play traditional Djembe. The teacher will be demonstrating and doing call and response rhythms with the students on the drums, as well as giving constructive criticism to a student with bad technique. -Week four through seven will be when the students are rehearsing two or three songs they chose in the style the class is doing. I will be part of the drumming circle but not leading the circle. Everyone gets a chance to lead with a solo, and then they follow with an ostinato rhythm. These three weeks will be to rehearse these songs for a performance at the end of the ten weeks. Phase 3 -Week eight is when the students will bring in their recordings and reviews for the class to listen to. -Week nine and the beginning of week ten will be the days where the students are able to polish up their songs and solos for the performance at the end of week ten. -The Ninal Performance will take place in the auditorium. This performance will be attended by the entire sixth through eighth grade as well as the parents of these students. Each class will get a chance to perform the songs they had been working on. -The class right after the performance will be when the student watch a video recording of their performance and talk with me and their classmates about what went really well and what could have been better. National Standards: -Performing on instruments, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music. -Listening to, analyzing, and describing music. -Evaluating music and music performances. -Understanding relationships between music, the other arts, and disciplines outside the arts. -Understanding Music in Relation to history and culture.

Phases

Overview

The world at one time had one giant continent, Pangea. While the oceans now divide it physically, the interconnected- ness continues in our modern age through media, technology, and communication. Students will be randomly divided into 6 groups: North America, South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia, Africa. In the Nirst two weeks, the students will research their continents and comprise a list of possible country/cultural music to focus on. What styles of music are you familiar with? Would you recognize the music of your own culture? Where in the world is there music that you are unfamiliar with? If you could arrange and perform the music of any culture, what would it be? How would you arrange the performance? To foster a more expansive musical pallet To collaborate in a musical group setting To recognize the similarities and differences between music of many cultures To generate a inquisitive minds on a global spectrum To familiarize students with a vast range of countries and cultures To compose, arrange, and perform with Western instru- ments in a variety of styles

Students Dispositions

Curiosity Inquisitiveness Creativity Active

Goals

Grades 9-12 "Pangea"

Phase 1: The world at one time had one giant continent, Pangea. While the oceans now divide it physically, the interconnectedness continues in our modern age through media, technology, and communication. Students will be randomly divided into 6 groups: North America, South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. In the Nirst two weeks, the students will research their continents and comprise a list of possible country/cultural music to focus on. Phase 2: Once the particular culture has been decided upon, students will begin arranging the music that theyve discovered. Phase 3: Students will give a Ninal performance. National Standards 1) Singing, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music. 2) Performing on instruments, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music. 3) Improvising melodies, variations, and accompani- ments. 4) Composing and arranging music within speciNied guidelines. 5) Reading and notating music. 6) Listening to, analyzing, and describing music. 7) Evaluating music and music performances. 8) Understanding relationships between music, the other arts, and disciplines outside the arts. 9) Understanding music in relation to history and culture.

Phases

Nikola Tesla Central School nalsss.mmap - 4/8/13 - Mindjet