Syllabus-6th+Grade

= Viroqua Middle/High School Band Department  = Bradley A Thew 100 Blackhawk Drive Viroqua WI 54665 608.637.1632 bthew@viroqua.k12.wi.us www.viroquabands.wikispaces.com Viroqua 6 th  Grade Band 2012-2013 Syllabus __** CLASSROOM RULES: **__
 * 1) ALL students will display Courtesy & Respect for others and equipment at all times.
 * 2) All students will be in regular attendance at all scheduled classes, with all necessary equipment.
 * 3) Truancies (unexcused absences) will result in the loss of 2% of your semester grade for each unexcused absence.
 * 4) Students must attend all performances. Students who miss a performance should have their absence approved IN ADVANCE by presenting Mr. Thew will a written excuse from the parent/guardian, at least five (5) school days prior to the performance. The ONLY excuses that will be accepted will for “ONCE IN A LIFETIME EVENTS” (weddings, confirmation, funeral, etc.). These “once in a lifetime” determinations will be made by Mr. Thew.

**__ GRADING POLICY: __** Points earned in a grading period are divided by the total number of points possible to determine a percentage grade.**Daily Work:** 5 points per day20%**Smart Music:** 50 points per assignment20%**Lessons:** 25 points per lesson20%**Practice Time Sheets:** 10 points per week10%**Performances:** 100 points per performance30% __** Grading Scale **__ 95-100A, 93-94A-, 91-92B+, 87-90B, 85-86B-, 83-84C+, 79-82C, 77-78C-, 75-76D+, 71-74D, 69-70D-, Below 69F   ALL extra-credit points will raise a student’s grade no more than 1/3 of one letter grade, and will only apply if ALL regular classroom requirements have been meet. __** Calendar of Required Events **__ Late Nov/Early Dec - 6th Grade Band, Choir & Orchestra Concert - 1:30 pm - VMS Band Room  April 18th - 9th Annual Band-O-Rama - 8:00 pm - VHS Gym __** Home Practice: **__ All students in the VMS 6th Grade band are expected to practice 60 minutes each week.Practice time-sheets will be collected each Friday for the entire school year. Student assignments for the week will be available on the Band's web-site (beginning Sept 21st). __** It is the student's responsibility to practice. It is the parent's responsibility to make sure your child takes practice seriously. **__ __** SmartMusic: **__ Middle School Band members receive grades for their work in SmartMusic. SmartMusic is a computer based performance grading program. Students will be given regular assignments to complete in SmartMusic. This will account for 20% of their overall grade. If you are interested in purchasing a SmartMusic subscription for your home computer, please click on the SmartMusic link on our band's web page. __** Lessons: **__ In addition to the SmartMusic testing, students will receive regularly scheduled lessons with Mr. Thew. All students will be assigned a lesson time. This will involve being pulled from other classes. Please do not be alarmed. Studies have proven that students who are pulled from other courses for lessons tend to perform better and receive higher grades than their non-music studying peers. __** Communication: **__ Without clear communication lines Mr. Thew cannot keep everyone informed. The Band's web page is an excellent tool to check if you have a question. The Middle School and High School Band's web site is www.viroquabands.wikispaces.com. If you need to contact Mr. Thew, please remember email is the fastest way to reach me. Second fastest is by phone and least effective in to stop in. If you need to see me in person, email or call and we can set a time to meet. This process will make for faster and more accurate communication. __** Final Thoughts: **__ My goal is to make music making with your child an intense, powerful and fun activity. With your help we can make this happen. If you have any ideas that you feel could make the VMS Bands better, please feel free to communicate these ideas with me.

Please complete and return the portion below to Mr. Thew by Friday, September 21st,2012  +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ I have read, and understand, the course outline, grading policy and expectations.

Parent Signature & Date

Parent Email:

Students Name: