Please note this is a flexible learning class.  This means that the class will not have live meetings each week.  The learner will be learning using a series of custom created guided videos, handouts, activities, and projects.  Each week the student will be given their lesson material and homework.  The homework will be due on a given day each week.  The individual homework for each week is listed in the class description below.  I will be commenting on each homework assignment as they are submitted, so students will get direct feedback on their work. 

Each student does need to have the ability to video record themselves for select homework / projects.  If you have a free Zoom account you can use it to record yourself and it will convert the recording to a video to post to our classroom page. 

Students do have to have a general note reading background.  Must be able to identify quarter, eighth, whole,  and half notes. 

We will use the Outschool Classroom Page for all communications - classroom assignments and homework submissions. 

The class will cover the following:

Lesson 1 - Africa:  
- Learn about the people, culture, geography, history, and traditions
- African music is a way of life, not just for entertainment purposes
- African rhythms and traditions are incredibly complex in nature
- People learn from their communities, not necessarily from music classes / lessons
- Meet and learn African drums / percussion instruments
- End the lesson with a bucket drumming exercise
- Learn to count and clap various rhythms, and then put an entire exercise together
(This video was initially created for a group of people, however, it can be completed by individuals.  If a student would like to work in a partner with another student enrolled in the class, that's perfectly fine.  If you would like to work independently that works as well.) 
Homework:
- Drum Circle Project - Create your own bucket drumming piece of music.  You'll write out the notation, decide on instruments, and record yourself performing your piece.  You can choose to do this independently or work with others enrolled in the class.  You'll be asked to upload your video recordings to the Classroom Page. 

Lesson 2 - Indonesia:
- Meet the people, cultural backgrounds, geography and customs of Indonesia
- Learn the various instruments present in the country and how they were created, played, and used
- Gamelan - Important instrument to the people of Indonesia
- Different tuning methods of instruments for different events, meanings, and cultures
- Music created by cycles 
- Rhythmic differences, played on and off beats, need to be very strong 
- Don't read music, but rather felt, and passed down through different generations
Homework:
-Each student is going to receive a Gamelan Blog Double-Sided Worksheet. On the front side of the sheet each student is going to be responsible for finding and writing a review for a Gamelan performance found on Youtube. The performance can be from any country (as the Gamelan has expanded to other countries and is incorporated to other genres of music.
- Students will need to either upload a PDF of their completed blog or take a picture of their completed blog and post it on the Classroom Page.  

Lesson 3 - Australia:
- Learn about the country, people, location, history, culture, wildlife, and geography
- Different types of music found in Australia - folk, aboriginal, classical
- Meet the didgeridoo - how it is made, how it's played, what it sounds like, what it was / is used for
- Learn "Waltzing Matilda" which is both a folk song and the unofficial National Anthem of Australia
- A "Waltzing Matilda Packet" is included and will be used with the video 
- Learn the Australian vocabulary
-  What the "Waltzing Matilda" story tells people and approach the piece with a newfound understanding now that you have the historical background
Homework:
- You are going to write your own folk song describing the particular country you come from. You can boil it down to the particular state you live in, talk about the entire country, or talk about your family’s heritage.
Your folk song should tell a story, and use language that you would commonly use. Think of something that you would want people to know about your area, a story that has been passed down to you, a personal experience, or a combination of all of the above. 
- Your finished project should be posted to our Classroom Page either as a PDF or a picture of your written work

 Lesson 4 - Final Project:
Participate in a final discussion as our final project for this class.  You will have an opportunity to voice your own opinion, participate in research (if necessary), and use the knowledge you just learned in this class.  The discussion will last throughout the week.  Students will be asked to comment on the questions posted, and each other’s comments (keeping everything school appropriate and speaking to each other nicely.) 

The discussion will cover the idea of music and the effects that it has on people throughout the world.  Music is thought to be a universal language.  You don’t need to be able to speak the same language to understand what the music is telling you.  Music makes people feel a certain way, react, helps brain development, advances societies, provides therapy and relaxes us. 

New questions will be released throughout the week, a schedule will be given so you know when to log on.  You'll need to comment on each post / question, and it is strongly encouraged you engage with other students in the class. 

For a sneak peak of the class, check out https://youtu.be/et17ZO2t-WA