Miss Gerling’s Choir and Music Appreciation Class Syllabus

Hello and welcome to my music class! This document has everything you will need to know and what to expect in my class at McKinley Middle.

Daily Classroom Routines:
As students enter the classroom, they should leave their backpacks at the front of the room. The only things they need for class time are their chromebooks, planners, a pencil, and their music binders/class folders. They may keep these things under their chairs in their assigned spot.
(5) Bellwork: this is work to be done right as you are entering class. Most days this work will be a short-answer journal prompt, requiring 2-5 sentences in response. As you are entering class and completing this work, a classical music “song of the day” will be playing. You have until the end of the song to complete the bellwork.
(2) Outcomes and Daily Agenda “Playbill” presentation: After turning in bellwork, we will review our learning goals and activities for the day
(1) Mindful Moment: At the beginning of class, we will take a few moments of silent breathing to prepare our minds to focus on our goals for class today. Any stresses in your life unrelated to music class, this is your chance to leave those at the door!
(3) Announcements: Any important information you need to know, whether it is school-wide or just for our class, will be given to you at this time. (upcoming tests, performances, holidays, deadlines, etc.)
(4) Body Warm-ups: For choir, this is a great way to stretch out and relieve any tension in your body that inhibits healthy singing! For Music Appreciation Class, this is a way to relax and get yourself moving. We all spend too much time sitting!
(4) Vocal Warm-ups (Choir Only): Warming up our voices is very important and is a great way to practice healthy singing technique.
(5) Forbidden Pattern: This is a well-known music game that is great for training your ear and learning to read music all at once. If your class wins the game more times than Miss Gerling does in the 9-weeks, then you get a special prize! However, if you are rude to other students while playing the game, Ms. G automatically wins for the day.
(5) Music Theory/ Sightreading: Daily practice in music theory is the best way to learn it! Some days this will be a worksheet, or a video, an activity website, or just taking notes. Sometimes, choir will use this time to practice reading music instead.
(60) Today’s Activity: This will change from day to day. For choir, most of the time this will be music rehearsal in preparation for performances. For Music Appreciation Class, it will depend on what unit we are working on! As the year begins, our activities will involve a lot of team-building and getting-to-know-you activities.
(3) Reflection/Closure: As class comes to an end, we will reflect on our learning outcomes for the day to see if we achieved them in our daily activities.
(4) Class Clean Up: At this point, all materials should be returned to where they belong, including pencils, workbooks, and music binders. We will sanitize surfaces if necessary.
Music Rules:

Make good choices

Use equipment properly

Speak when the time is right

Involve yourself in all activities

Cooperate with others

These are rules specific to music class, and should be followed every day. In Miss Gerling’s class, unkind words are NOT acceptable. We treat others the way we want to be treated. If we do not have anything nice to say, we do not say anything at all. Leave all conversations like that outside of the 4 walls of our classroom.

In our class, NO GUM OR FOOD ALLOWED! You cannot sing with food in your mouth! And singing with gum is a choking hazard. Food trash can easily fall under the risers and can attract bugs and rodents. Please respect this rule and spit your gum out on the way in the classroom, and save your snacks for lunchtime. If you cannot follow this rule, disciplinary action will be taken and your grade may be affected.

Classroom Jobs:
As we get into the groove of the new school year, helpful students will be assigned leadership positions in our class. The jobs are as follows:
Equipment Manager:
Assists with passing out equipment
Ensures classmates use equipment properly
Assists with equipment cleanup at the end of class

Pencil Police
Passes out pencils to students who need them at the beginning of class, and collects borrowed pencils at the end of class.
Sharpens dull pencils


Playbill Presenter
Reads daily outcomes and agenda clearly and confidently to peers

Body Warm-up Leader
Leads peers through daily body warm-ups
Ensures that warm-ups release tension
Neck and shoulders

Vocal Warm-Up Leader (Choir Only)
Leads peers in healthy and productive vocal sirens

Mindful Moment Coordinator
Turns off the lights when it is time for Mindful Moment
Counts to 45 in their head
Turns on lights upon completion

Miss G. Junior
Fills in for Miss Gerling when she is absent
Helps our guest teacher in any way
Fills in for absent students’ jobs

Door Opener
The only person who should get up when someone knocks on the door.

Forbidden Pattern Scorekeeper
Keeps score on the board for who has won points in Forbidden Pattern
Does not get to play forbidden pattern with the class while keeping score


Class Materials:
All Choir Classes:
A 3-ring, 1-inch binder. Smaller binders are acceptable, but binders should not be more than 1 inch tall! Binders can be any color/pattern. These binders will be kept in the choir room as a safe place for our sheet music. Make sure your name is on it!
Pencils (Music should NOT be written on in pen!)
Boxes of tissues/ bandaids/paper towels/pencils would also be appreciated for class use.
Class fee- $10. This is to cover the cost of any materials required for graded assignments in class. In choir, we have at least 1 mandatory and graded performance per semester. For this we will need to purchase sheet music (usually about $3 per copy, and we sing between 2-5 different songs per semester), and pay for an accompanist to play piano for our performances. This is what the class fee will help to pay for.
Students should have their chromebooks in class with them every day


Music Appreciation
A 2 pocket folder to keep classwork and handouts. Any color is fine. Folders will be kept in the classroom unless students need to take them home to study.
Pencils
Boxes of tissues/ bandaids/paper towels/pencils would also be appreciated for class use.
Students should have their chromebooks in class with them every day.


Grades:
A 10- point participation grade will be taken every day in class. Students will earn their daily points by following all of the MUSIC rules. If students are not participating or involved in all activities throughout class, that will be points deducted. If a student is talking out of turn, that will be points deducted. If a student is being disrespectful or uncooperative with the teacher or other students, that will be points deducted. At the beginning of the school year, the teacher and students will work together to create a fair, student created rubric for daily grades.

Other smaller grades will be taken through daily bellworks or classwork. Bellworks will be posted online in google classroom for all classes. Students are expected to keep up with these assignments, even if they are absent. Random bellwork assignments will be graded periodically throughout the semester so make sure all bellworks are completed and turned in online! Music theory classwork is usually a worksheet completed in class. If a student is absent, they are responsible for asking for the make-up work..

The LARGEST grades for all students would include tests or exams. Music Appreciation will have projects to complete throughout the year that will be a part of their largest grades. Choir’s largest grades would include our semester concerts. Concerts are worth 100 points and are required for all choir students. Should an emergency arise where students are not able to attend the concert, they will be responsible for a make-up assignment. Otherwise that grade will be a zero.

Assigned Seating
Every student will be given an assigned seat. For choir, this will be determined by voicing. Students are expected to go directly to their seats at the beginning of class, and are not allowed to get up for any reason without permission.

Borrowed Technology Procedure:
If you are going to borrow any of Ms. Gerling’s technology/materials (ie. Chromebooks, chargers, headphones,) you must fill out the Technology Check-out Form by Ms. G’s desk. You will put your name, the date, the equipment borrowed, and the time it was checked out and checked back in. The technology is NOT ALLOWED to leave the classroom. If you have checked out a piece of equipment but not returned it by the end of class, you will be held responsible for the missing equipment and face consequences for taking it out without permission. Note: Headphones may only be checked out if they are relevant for the assignment being completed in class. They may not be checked out without permission.

Bathroom Policy
Students are given 3 passes to leave the room for any reason per 9 weeks in Ms. Gerling’s class. Students should use the bathroom in between classes and at lunch time. In the case of an emergency, students will hold up their planner (already filled out with the destination and time) for Miss Gerling to sign. Students are not allowed out of class without a signed planner. As you leave, write your name on the dry-erase board on the door, so Miss G. can keep track of who is out. Then, mark a tally by your name in order to keep track of how many hall passes you have left. You have 5 minutes to return to class, or else you will be marked for class cutting. Only one student may go at a time.

Cell Phone Policy:
Cell phones are NOT allowed in class at McKinley Middle School. This is now a Louisiana state LAW. If a phone is seen, heard, or detected, it will be confiscated. The first offense, it will be kept for 24 hours. The second offense, it will be kept for 48 hours. On the third offense, it will be kept until the LAST DAY OF SCHOOL. There are no exceptions to this rule. Do not let this happen to you, keep your phone turned off and in your locker when at school. It is not worth the risk. Smart watches and airpods are also prohibited.

Attendance and Tardy Policy
Students must be present in class before the first 5 minutes of class or they will be marked tardy. If you are present for the day and tardy to class, you will be considered “cutting class” and be disciplined by administration accordingly.

Extra Curricular Activity Policy:
Students with a D or F in any class will not be allowed to participate in any activity that requires a class absence. This includes any choir field trips!


Important Dates for Choir!!
Class Materials Deadline: Aug 30th, 2024.
District Honor Choir Auditions: Sept 14th, 2024 Catholic High
District Honor Choir Audition Forms and Fees due: Aug 27, 2024
District Honor Choir 2nd Round Auditions (for those interested in Middle School All State ONLY): Nov 9th, 2024 Central High
District Honor Choir Clinic: Jan 28th & 30th, 2025 at First Baptist BR.
LMEA All State Clinic and Conference: Jan 16th-19th, 2025 in New Orleans
Parish Honor Choir: Nov 4th, 6th, & 7th. Location TBD.

Important dates will be added to the Google Calendar as they arise. The calendar can be found on Miss Gerling’s website: https://cgerling.wixsite.com/musicclass