San Diego Symphony: Melodies & Music Mastery

12th, High School Grades Project 5 weeks

San Diego Symphony: Melodies & Music Mastery

Daniel R

Effective Communication

Critical Thinking & Problem Solving

Content Expertise

Collaboration

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Purpose

Dive deeply into music theory and refine your composition skills by composing a melody and applying new knowledge across different instruments, such as the piano. Engage with local community musicians to gain insights and receive mentorship throughout your journey. Collaborate with peers to create an inclusive and dynamic learning environment where you can demonstrate your growth through exhibitions and performances. Emphasize effective communication, critical thinking, collaboration, and developing content expertise by presenting your progress and reflections on your musical journey.

Learning goals

Explore and master essential concepts of music theory by collaborating with experienced musicians and peers. Compose an original melody and apply your theoretical knowledge across various instruments, including learning to play the piano. Develop skills in effective communication by presenting your musical growth and participating in reflective discussions. Engage in critical thinking and problem-solving by addressing complex questions in music composition, focusing on the cultural and community impact of your work.

Competencies

Effective Communication - Students practice listening to understand, communicating with empathy, and share their learning through exhibiting, presenting and reflecting on their work.
Critical Thinking & Problem Solving - Students consider a variety of innovative approaches to address and understand complex questions that are authentic and important to their communities.
Content Expertise - Students develop key competencies, skills, and dispositions with ample opportunities to apply knowledge and engage in work that matters to them.
Collaboration - Students co-design projects with peers, exercise shared-decision making, strengthen relational agency, resolve conflict, and assume leadership roles.

Products

Compose an original melody by applying your expanded music theory knowledge. Document your progress through audio recordings of practice sessions, showcasing growth and adaptation in your music skills. Compile these recordings into a portfolio that demonstrates your ability to play multiple instruments, including any new ones you learn during the project. Conclude the project with a live performance or digital exhibition, presenting your composition to peers, community partners, and mentors, offering insights into your creative process and musical development.

Launch

Invite a local musician or music educator to conduct a live workshop or Q&A session at your school. Explore various aspects of music theory, composition, and instrumentation during the session. Participate in interactive, hands-on activities that utilize instruments like the piano, fostering an energetic start and sparking your curiosity for discovering the depths of music theory.

Exhibition

Organize a live music recital at a local community center or school auditorium where you perform the melody you've composed and showcase your growth on the piano or chosen instrument. Collaborate with community partners and music instructors to provide context and background on your learning journey during the event. Invite peers, mentors, and family to reflect on your performance and offer feedback, fostering a shared appreciation for your musical achievements and development.

Rubric

Competency Progression Rubric Competency-first rubric

Category	Learning Goal	Stage 1	Stage 2	Stage 3	Stage 4
Deeper Learning Competencies	Effective Communication	I can clearly express my musical journey and insights by presenting my composition and engaging the audience during exhibitions I consistently use thoughtful language to convey my understanding, respond to feedback with openness, and connect with peers and community members during performances.	I can communicate my musical learning by describing how I incorporated feedback from peers and mentors into my original melody I effectively share my progress and discoveries during presentations and actively listen to others' reflections on my work.	I can articulate my musical journey during presentations by confidently sharing my composition and growth process, engaging my audience through clear explanations and thoughtful reflections, and responding to feedback with openness and insight.	I can articulate my musical journey by engaging my audience with a compelling presentation of my original composition and insightful reflections, demonstrating empathy and understanding as I listen to feedback from peers, mentors, and the community.
Deeper Learning Competencies	Critical Thinking & Problem Solving	I explore multiple approaches to solve complex music composition challenges, clearly articulate my reasoning, and thoughtfully integrate feedback to enhance my melody, showcasing my growth in understanding how music impacts my community culturally.	I can apply some traditional approaches to analyze and solve music composition challenges I can sometimes connect my composition to cultural or community aspects, and I'm able to discuss a few strategies I used during my creative process.	I can creatively solve challenges when composing my melody by analyzing different approaches to harmonize and arrange my piece I carefully consider feedback from local musicians and peers, making thoughtful revisions that enhance my musical expression and align with the cultural themes I aim to convey.	I can critically evaluate complex aspects of music theory and independently devise innovative solutions to compose and refine my melody When faced with challenges in composition or instrumentation, I explore various strategies, synthesize new ideas, and adapt my approach, demonstrating an in-depth understanding of how my music can impact and reflect my community.
Deeper Learning Competencies	Content Expertise	I can identify basic concepts of music theory, such as recognizing different notes and scales I explore introductory melodies on an instrument, like the piano, showing my ability to follow simple musical patterns with guidance I understand how to document my learning process and create recordings of practice sessions where I focus on the fundamentals, displaying initial progress in playing my chosen instrument.	I can compose a simple melody that incorporates several music theory concepts we've discussed, and I’m able to apply these concepts when trying out different instruments, including the piano While I may need occasional guidance from my peers or mentors, I am building my confidence in expressing my musical ideas and documenting my progress through recordings.	I can apply my music theory knowledge by composing a creative and original melody, demonstrating my ability to integrate concepts across different instruments I can document my progress through audio recordings, showing my growth and adaptability in playing instruments like the piano.	I can expertly apply advanced music theory concepts to compose an original melody, showcasing my ability to integrate new techniques across multiple instruments, such as the piano I confidently demonstrate my musical progression through a portfolio of audio recordings, highlighting my creative process and skill growth During the live recital, I eloquently share insights into my musical journey and respond thoughtfully to questions, illustrating my comprehensive understanding and engagement with the music.
Deeper Learning Competencies	Collaboration		I can actively participate in group discussions and planning sessions to contribute ideas for our music project, while also listening to my peers and integrating at least two of their suggestions into our composition.	I can actively collaborate with my peers and community musicians by sharing ideas and providing feedback, demonstrating openness and respect I effectively contribute to group decisions during our project discussions and help solve challenges by exploring various musical approaches, showing leadership and teamwork skills.

Learning Journey

Empathize

You will interview local musicians and music educators, gathering insights into their experiences with music theory and composition to understand diverse perspectives and identify challenges faced in the music industry.

Days 1 - 3