• Mr. Gregory Holmes Class Schedule
    Email: mgholmes@henry.k12.va.us
     
     
     
    SIGHTREADINGFACTORY.COM CODE IS:  vn99c6 (see assignment for April 14-17 below for more details)
     
     
    GOOGLE MEET FROM 4:00-5:00 EACH WEDNESDAY 
      This is optional.  You can choose not to attend, attend for the entire hour or just part of the hour.  This is for you, so you can ask question, say hello to your friends, express concerns, etc.  We will turn part of next week's session into a karaoke!  If you want to sing or play an instrument for us, please do!
     
     
    Please sign up for Remind notifications.  Click on the link below to sign up.  It will say "Bengal Singers", but it is for all three of my classes.  
     
     
     
     
    Reaching me for questions:
    I understand that people have various schedules, so parents may call me anytime up until 10:00 pm.  If you cannot reach me, please leave a voicemail.  Students and parents may email me at any time.  
    UPDATE:  I will be available for immediate contact on Mondays between 1:00-2:00 pm and on Fridays from 12:00 noon - 1:00 pm.  Also, on Wednesdays, from 4:00-5:00 pm I will have an open Zoom room. UPDATE: WE WILL USE GOOGLE MEET INSTEAD OF ZOOM. You are not required to "attend", but you can use this time to say hello, ask questions, etc.  Check your emails on Wednesday, just prior to 4:00, for the link.
     
     
     

     

    Assignments for week of May 11-15, 2020.  DUE: WEDNESDAY BY 3:30 PM.

    There is only one assignment this week, but it - and all other work that has not been submitted - must be turned in by this Wednesday, May 13 by 3:30 pm.  That is the final deadline.

     

    Write the definitions of the following musical terms and send them to me:

    A cappella, dissonance, duet, encore, interval, modulation, opera, quintet, relative pitch, dynamics

     

     

     

    Assignments for week of May 4-8, 2020.  DUE: FRIDAY BY 3:30 PM

    1.  Do 3 sightreading exercies at sightreadingfactory.com.  

    2.  Look up the definition to the following words, put them in a Word document (preferable) and email it to me.

         downbeat, upbeat, octave, measure, treble clef, bass clef, staccato, legato, tempo, pitch

     

    OR

    Go to www.districtvi.weebly.com and practice the All-County Choir audition piece for next Fall, record your singing it and send it to me in an email.

     

    Assignments for week of April 27 - May 1, 2020.  DUE: FRIDAY BY 3:30 PM

    1. Do 3 sightreading exercises at sightreadingfactory.com.  If you have not already signed up for a free student account, see assignment #1 for April 14-17 for instructions.

     

    2.  Look up the definition to the following words, put them in a Word document (preferable) and email it to me.

     

         piano,  mezzo piano,  forte, mezzo forte, legato, staccato, adagio, andante, fermata,       crescendo

    OR

         Go to www.districtvi.weebly.com and practice the All-County Choir piece for next Fall, record yourself singing it (audio or video - your choice), attach it to an email and send it to me.

     

    NO VOCALIZING EXERCISES ARE REQUIRED THIS WEEK.  VOCAL CHOIRS AND HANDBELL CHOIRS HAVE THE SAME ASSIGNMENTS.

     

    Assignments for week of April 20 - 24, 2020 DUE: FRIDAY BY 3:30 PM

    1.  Do 3 sightreading exercises.  If you have not already signed up for the free student account at sightreadingfactory.com, see last week's assingment for instructions and code.

    Vocal Choirs:

    2.  Record the same chorus that you sang last week and email it to me.  If you did not do it last week, see instructions in last week's assignment and get that to me right away.  It can be a video or audio.

    OR

         Look up a famous composer and write a 2-3 paragraph summary of his/her life and contribution to music.

    Handbell Choir:

    2.  Look up a famous composer and write a 3-4 paragraph summary of his/her life and contribution to music.

    OR

    .    Look up the history of bell ringing and write a 3-4 paragraph summary.

     

    Assignments for week of April 14 - 17, 2020

    1. Make sure you sign up for the FREE sight-singing factory student account. Go to www.sightreadingfactory.com/student and follow the instructions. The code is vn99c6. Each class will have an assignment for the week.  Follow the instructions for your class. If you are in a vocal choir and handbell choir, you will need to do the activities for both classes.  While your assignment will say that you are to do six exercises each day, you are only required to do six exercises on any two days of your choosing between Tuesday and Friday.  UPDATE: Do not do six exercises per day.  Do one per day for three days.  I will create two duplicate assignments.  Do each one, one day at a time, for three of the four school days this week.

     

    2.  Vocal Choirs: Do this vocal exercise daily and log the dates that you have completed it:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svUyFU2IWc4 .  You will need to send a copy of that log to me on Friday.

     

    Make a video recording of the CHORUS ONLY of a song of your choosing. (Do not record the entire song. Just record the chorus and sing it only one time.) As always, it must me school appropriate.  You may use karaoke as your accompaniment, if you like.  You may NOT have the original artist singing along, however.  Email that to me and I will critique it and suggest ways that you can improve.  Next week (April 20-24), you will sing it again and send the new recording to me.

     

    3.  Handbell Choir:  You will have a choice between one of the following:

         A.  Create a musical piece of 8 measures, using either 4/4 time or 3/4 time.  It can be strictly rhythms or you can use real or homemade instruments, such as filling glasses with different levels of water to create different pitches.  You may either write it down on paper or simply play it or both.

         B.   Write a 3-5 paragraph "essay" describing various ways music is used in our every day lives.  Music is used so often that we often don't stop to think about it.  We listen to the radio, watch movies with music in the background, find ourselves singing when we are doing something else, etc.

     

     

     

    Assignments for week of March 30 - April 3, 2020 

    As always, keep a log of every activity you complete.  You should go ahead and email the log or a photo/scan of it to me for the first two weeks we were out.

    1. Continue to do ONE of the note identification worksheets per day.  At the end of this week either scan or take photos of all of your work sheets for these first three weeks of the shutdown and email them to me.

    2. Continue to do the vocal warm ups and exercises.  This is really important because you want to keep your voice in good shape.  Do this daily (vocal choirs only).  I have included a new warm up.  Do the old one one day and the new one the next and alternate each day.

       https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnJW-8a26OA&list=RDtnJW-8a26OA&start_radio=1

       https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-gcnRZYxx4

    3. Go to www.sightreadingfactory.com/student and register for a FREE student account (instructions below).  We won't start this until Wednesday, so as to give everyone a chance to register and work out any problems you may have with it.  From Wednesday through Friday you will need to do 10 exercises per day (vocal choirs) and 15 exercises per day (handbell choir). Vocal choir students also have to do the vocal exercises, which handbell choir students do not, thus the difference in number of exercises.  Choral students will need to primarily do sight-singing, although you may do rhythm exercises for one of the three days, if you so choose.  Handbell students need to only do rhythm exercises.

     

    Instructions for setting up a Sight Reading Factory free student account:

    Go to www.sightreadingfactory.com/student

    Enter vn99c6 in the Student Code field

    Select the appropriate age group.

    Complete the registration information.

     

      

    NEW LINKS!  These are not currently required, but may be used for your interest and to sharpen your musical skills.

    https://musiclab.chromeexperiments.com/Rhythm/. This is actually designed for elementary school kids, but is still helpful, especially for handbell ringers.

    https://musiclab.chromeexperiments.com/Song-Maker/.  This is fun.  Create your own music and hear it played!  Experiment with it and have some fun!

     

     

     

     First Semester
     
    1st Block:  Intermediate/Advanced Choir
     
     
     
    HCI.1 The student will read and notate music, including
             1. Identifying components of a musical score;
             2. reading rhythm patterns that include a dotted-half-quarter, dotted-quarter-eighth, dotted eighth-sixteenth, half-note triplets and corresponding rests;
             3. identifying key signatures;
             4. sight-singing eight measure, stepwise melodic patterns from two-part scores while mainaining a steady beat;
             5. singing major and minor scales, using a neutral syllable;
             6. demonstrating basic conducting patterns, inlcuding duple meter
             9. demonstrating understanding of the grand staff; and
            10. using contemporary technology to reinforce choral skills
     
    2nd Block:  Handbells

    Handbell Choir Syllabus

     
     
    VA SOL's:
    HIB.2 The student will echo, read and perform rhythms and rhytmic patterns, including whole notes, quarter notes, eighth notes, dotted half notes, dotted quarter notes, corresponding rests, and syncopations.
     
    HIB.17  The student will demonstrate musicianship and personal engagement by
                3.  participating in school performances
                4.  describing and demonstrating performance etiquitte as a performer.
     
     
    3rd Block:  Beginning Choir
     
     
     
    HCB.1 The student will read and notate music, including
              1. identifying the basic components of a vocal score;
              2. reading rhythmic patterns that include whole notes, dotted half notes, half notes, dotted quarter notes, quarter notes, eighth notes, sixteenth notes, eighth-note and quarter-note           triplets, and correspoinding rests;
              3. identifying the functions fo the sharp, flat, and natural signs;
              4. identifying key signatures;
              5. sight-singing eight-measure, stepwise melodic patterns, using do, re, mi, fa, sol and maintaining a steady beat
     
    4th Block:  Planning
     
     
     
     
     
     Second Semester
     
    1st Block:  Intermediate/Advanced Choir
                    Intermediate/Advanced Choir Syllabus
     
    See First Semester for SOL's.
     
    2nd Block:  Handbells
     
    See First Semester for SOL's.
     
    3rd Block:  Beginning Choir
     
    See First Semester for SOL's.
     
    4th Block:  Planning