ASO Composer Project Updates

Below are some items I wanted to reiterate about the ASO Composer Project.

·         During the year students should spend 30-40 minutes weekly on Music work (for projects or for studying)
·         Students should be prepared to show me their progress on their ASO Project Sheet every week until the project is completed. [This is worth 2-5 points of their daily grade.]
·         Fourth and Fifth Graders must choose their due date this week (the week BEFORE Thanksgiving or the week AFTER Thanksgiving on their Music day)
·         Students who wish to work with a partner must bring a note from parents. EACH partner must complete his/her own Project Sheet, and the sheets should NOT contain the same 5 Fascinating Facts or exact wording as their partner. [Each partner should complete Step 1 and Step 2 separately, then complete Step 3 together. I have seen several partnerships whose work in Step 1& 2 is identical. This means there are 5 Facts for 2 students, which is not fair to the students who are working individually. ]
·         Students may NOT choose Beethoven as their composer, because we are studying him in class.
·         Please let me know if your child would like to stay after school to use my resources (Monday 11/10, 11/17; Wednesday 11/5, 11/12, 11/19; Thursday 11/13, 11/20)

I have seen some excellent work from kids in 3^rd-5^th so far, but some kids did not have progress to show last week. Please encourage your child to do their weekly work so they don’t feel stressed when the due dates approach. I have found that many kids are finishing way ahead of schedule because they’re working consistently!

Have a great week!

Brianne Turgeon

Composer List/ suggested (not required) pieces

1.       Gustav Holst    The Planets: Jupiter & Mars
2.     Richard Strauss    Also Sprach Zarathustra
3.    Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Twinkle, Twinkle: Theme and Variation
4.    Sean O’Boyle  Twinkle, Twinkle for strings
5.    Antonio Vivaldi    Winter from Four Seasons
6.    Mason Johnston  Dominus (he goes to Grady High School!! We may be able to ask him about his work in person!)
7.    Dimitri Shostakovich:   Festive Overture & Symphony No. 5 
8.    Vincent Ludwig Persichetti:     Lincoln Address
9.    Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky:   Marche Slav          
10.  Bedrich Smetana  The Moldau   The Bartered Bride  
11.  Bela Bartok Mikrocosmos
12.  Charles Ives  Country Band March
13.  George Frederick Handel  Hornpipe from Water Music
14.  Zoltan Kodaly  Háry János
15.  Gustav Mahler Symphony No. 2 Movement 4
16.  Jean Sibelius  Finlandia
17.  Johann Sebastian Bach Brandenberg Concerto No. 2
18.  Margaret Bonds  Dream Variations
19.  Ruth Crawford Seeger  Rat Riddles
20.  Scott Joplin  Maple Leaf Rag, the Entertainer
21.  *Guido d'Arezzo (developed notation and scales)
22.  *Create a detailed, illustrated history of the Symphony Orchestra (including instrumentation, orchestral sizes throughout history, seating charts, etc.)

Other composers may be chosen BY APPROVAL by November 6th

(student must explain WHY they want to do the composer)
Students who wish to work together

must bring in a signed note or email from each parent/guardians set.

Non-classical composers will NOT be approved (jazz, pop, rock, movie composers, etc)