Chamber Orchestra Learning Plan 20-21

Welcome to Benjamin Franklin High School Chamber Orchestra. This is the advanced level orchestra class for our school. Each student should have prerequisite instruction and show proficiency of skills equivalent to what is taught in Symphonic Strings. This class is primarily made up of students that have completed early High School orchestra instruction.

In Chamber Orchestra the following skills will be taught as new material or as review material. To complete the class learning objectives, students will be able to demonstrate proficiency of these skills at the appropriate level.

The student will use an appropriate sized and well adjusted instrument.

        *Student instrument exhibits  upgraded quality - easy to tune, has mature characteristic sounds of that instrument, has an upgraded case and bow. The instrument can be a rental.

        *Instrument is sized correctly

The student will review appropriate care procedures for the instrument and bow

        *Student will list appropriate bow care procedures

        *Student will list appropriate instrument care procedures

        *Student will explain the importance of appropriate instrument and bow care procedures

        *Student will consistently demonstrate appropriate instrument and bow care procedures

The student will continue to show the appropriate instrument performance position.

        *Student will easily and naturally exhibit advanced level left hand and arm performance positions both abstractly and in performance.

        *Student will easily and naturally exhibit advanced  right hand and arm performance positions both abstractly and in performance.

        *Student will be able to teach correct performance positioning

The student will exhibit expert execution of basic bowing techniques (staccato, detache, legato, slur, spiccato, marcato). The student will demonstrate advanced bowing techniques (lorae, martelle,

        *Student will review and explain basic and advanced bowing techniques

        *Student will demonstrate expert execution of basic and advanced bowing techniques

        *Student will expertly and fluently demonstrate basic and advanced bowing techniques

The student will perform with refined pitch tuning procedures

        *Student will demonstrate independence and expertise in tuning techniques

*Student will demonstrate refined tuning procedures and listening skills

The student will develop virtuosity and fluency of left hand finger placement in all positions

        *Student will perform virtuosity and fluency in 1st -7th position

        *Student will perform virtuosity and fluency in thumb position (cello, bass)

        *Student will exhibit virtuosity and fluency in left hand shifting within all positions

The student will exhibit expert knowledge of music notation.

        *Student will expertly show note reading skills for each string of the their instrument for neck positions

        *Student will expertly demonstrate accurate performance of advanced rhythms

        *Student will be able to correctly define terms of music dynamics, tempo, tonal character, and performance directions found in professional level literature.

The student will use basic music theory about major and minor scale and music key construction as a springboard to understand chordal theory.

        *Student will be able to define triads, seventh chords, intervals, interval colors, chordal colors,

*Student will be able to construct triads, seventh chords, intervals, interval colors, chordal colors,

*Student will explain the relationship between the minor scale and the major scale and chord

*Student will be able to construct the Roman Numeral chord nomenclature

        *Student will be able to explain the function of chords derived from the major scale.         

*Student will define these terms: tonic, dominant, sub-dominant, mediant, super-tonic, sub-mediant, sub-tonic

        *Student will compose a 16 ms composition using melodic and harmonic concepts learned in class.

The student will continue to improve ensemble performance techniques

        *Student will exhibit virtuosic abilities to follow conducting motions

        *Student will exhibit virtuosic listening skills

        *Student will demonstrate increasingly more virtuosic musical interpretation skills

        *Student will demonstrate mature leadership skills of music direction