8th Grade General Music
In Grade 8 General Music, students will develop an understanding of beginning music
theory, and develop critical listening and analysis skills by listening to various musical
works from classical composers of the 20th Century. Students will learn the origins,
musical attributes, and artists of the jazz and the blues styles found in early American
popular music. Activities will consist of notating and performing compositions with
melodic and percussive instrumentation. Students will also compose and perform with
the piano. In addition, the course will explore and perform rhythms from various world
music genres.
Students will be able to:
· Listen to and describe an impressionistic piece
· Review elements of music by describing how they were used by 19th century
composers as compared to Claude Debussy.
· Understand the background and musical contributions of Claude Debussy
· Indentify and perform the notes of the whole tone scale on the glockenspiel
· Identify and perform the notes of the chromatic scale on the piano
· Identify and perform the notes of a diatonic scale
· Improvise melodies using a particular scale
· Learn how tonality characterizes western music
· Learn the differences between tonal and atonal music
· Define and identify tonality and atonality in music
· Create atonal music using techniques used by Schoenberg (tone rows)
· Understand the historical background of Arnold Schoenberg
· Listen to and analyze a piece for musical elements: form, meter, and tonality
· Become aware that some characteristics of Eastern European folk songs inspired
new sounds in Western classical music
· Create lyrics based on an existing rhythm
· Understand the background and musical contributions of Bela Bartok
· Learn the basic outline of Igor Stravinsky, as well as his international impact on
contemporary music.
· Listen to, analyze, and discuss The Rite of Spring
· Improvise and create melodies using an octatonic scale
· Understand the background and musical contributions of Leonard Bernstein
· Listen to, analyze, and describe The Firebird Suite
· Learn and sing the musical themes of the The Firebird Suite
· Learn about New Orleans, its music, and second line drumming
· Sing a well known song from New Orleans
· Understand the history and background of Jazz in America
· Understand the background and musical contributions of Louis Armstrong
· Play three different rhythm patterns to accompany a New Orleans style song on
percussion instruments
· Understand the history and early musical artists of the blues, Robert Johnson,
Bessie Smith.
· Understand the form, chord and verse structure, and lyrical expressions found in
a blues composition.
· Compose lyrics for a blues composition.
· Understand the rhythmic patterns, sing lyrical folks songs, and analyze
influences of various world music genres: salsa, reggae, conga, samba, malinke
(West African) music
· Understand, perform, and identify syncopation in a piece of music
· Play three different rhythm patterns to accompany a salsa song
Scope and Sequence
General Music Grade 8 Term 1
Objectives & Concepts Topics/ Content Assessment
and Delineations
MA Frameworks
Music Literacy: Note Reading -Review grand staff, names of -Written quizzes
(2.7) Identify standard lines and spaces on G and F and worksheets on
notation for pitch clefs including the ledger lines, note names
Review from Theory Time 1A and stem rule for drawing
Theory Time 1B, Lessons 1-4 notes
-Review notes on the
keyboard, half steps, whole
steps, sharps, flats, naturals
-Introduce diatonic, chromatic
and whole tone scale patterns
Music Literacy: Rhythmic -Review reading rhythms and -Written quizzes on
Reading numbering rhythmic notation, rhythmic notation
(2.5) Read whole half, quarter including 16th notes to whole -Playing quizzes on
and eighth notes notes rhythmic notation
Perform on Musical -Review anatomy of the -Playing quizzes on
Instruments: keyboard and playing piano
(3.7) Perform on at least one technique
instrument accurately and -Play chromatic, diatonic and
independently alone and in whole tone scales
small and large ensembles,
with appropriate posture,
playing position, and
technique
21st Century Skills:
Inventive Thinking: Self
Direction
Digital-Age Literacies:
Technological Literacy
Improvisation and -Compose a short melody using -Written and
Composition: a whole tone scale. performance
(4.8) Improvise short melodies assessments on
over given rhythmic composition
accompaniments, each in a
consistent style, meter and
tonality.
21st Century Skills:
Inventive Thinking: Creativity
High Productivity: Ability to
Produce Relevant, High-
Quality Products
Knowledge of Music History: -Overview of classical music -Written
(5.7) Analyze the uses of characteristics before 20th assignments and
elements in aural examples Century quizzes
representing diverse genres -Identify key features and -Project on 20th
and cultures. elements in the music of Century music or a
(10.2) Apply knowledge of Claude Debussy; Impressionism test
other disciplines in learning in
and about the arts.
Composers of the 20th Century
21st Century Skills:
Inventive Thinking: Higher-
Order Thinking and Sound
Reasoning
Digital-Age Literacies:
Multicultural Literacy
General Music Grade 8 Term 2
Objectives & Concepts Topics/ Content Assessment
and Delineations
MA Frameworks
Music Literacy: Note Reading -Identify whole and half steps -Written quizzes and
(2.7) Identify standard on the G and F clefs worksheets on
notation for pitch -Identify C, G, F, D and B flat scales and keys
Theory Time 1B, Lessons 5-7 scales
-Transpose a simple melody
from the Key of C into the Keys
of G, F D and B flat.
Music Literacy: Rhythmic -Continue reading rhythms and -Written quizzes on
Reading numbering rhythmic notation, rhythmic notation
(2.5) Read whole half, quarter including 16th notes to whole -Playing quizzes on
and eighth notes notes rhythmic notation
Perform on Musical -Play scales in the Keys of C, D, -Playing quizzes on
Instruments: F, D and B flat piano
(3.7) Perform on at least one -Play a transposed melody on
instrument accurately and keyboard instrument
independently alone and in
small and large ensembles,
with appropriate posture,
playing position, and
technique
21st Century Skills:
Inventive Thinking: Self
Direction
Digital-Age Literacies:
Technological Literacy
High Productivity: Ability to
Produce Relevant, High-
Quality Products
Improvisation and -Compose a short melody -Written and
Composition: using a diatonic or pentatonic performance
(4.8) Improvise short melodies scale assignment on
over given rhythmic composition
accompaniments, each in a
consistent style, meter and
tonality.
21st Century Skills:
Inventive Thinking: Creativity
High Productivity: Ability to
Produce Relevant, High-
Quality Products
Knowledge of Music History: -Identify key features and -Written
(5.7) Analyze the uses of elements in the music of assignments and
elements in aural examples Arnold Schoenberg; quizzes
representing diverse genres Expressionism -Project on 20th
and cultures. Century music or a
(10.2) Apply knowledge of test
other disciplines in learning in
and about the arts.
Composers of the 20th Century
21st Century Skills:
Inventive Thinking: Higher-
Order Thinking and Sound
Reasoning
Digital-Age Literacies:
Multicultural Literacy
