Music Course

    There will be four classes offered in music. The classes will be: Reason 2.5, Piano, Business of Music, and Percussion. The program is set up to provide an all inclusive musical experience using all classes together. Piano Suite classes will provide students with the skills necessary to create a melody in their final projects while following the Piano Suite curriculum. The Reason 2.5 class will work with students within the Reason music software program. Students will learn music writing and production skills.

    The core elements of this class will be on helping students to understand the mechanics of developing song form through the implementation of drums tracks, bass lines, and chord progressions. The culmination of these lessons will end in each student developing a project incorporating all facets mentioned. The melody students composed in the Piano class will serve as the melody for within their final Reason project. The percussion class will introduce traditional drumming rhythms from Cuba, Haiti, and West Africa to students. This will provide creative basis for rhythmic exploration in Reason and on their final projects. Also the final project in the percussion class will be used to be a rhythmic framework for the Upward Bound jingle. The Business of Music class will work toward developing students’ understanding of how music is promoted and marketed. Students will use these skills along with Piano, Percussion, and Reason to create an Upward Bound jingle for use by the program.