Elective Course Descriptions

Beginning Band provides beginning instruction in instrumental music for all major instruments.  There is no previous musical experience required to enroll in beginning band.  Three separate classes are offered- Brass, Woodwinds, and Percussion.  Students must provide their own instruments, and there is a rental charge.  The rental company comes to the school to make these arrangements with parents.  This is a full year course.

Intermediate Band is a yearlong course that continues the beginning instruction in instrumental music for all major instruments.  There are separate sections for brass/percussion and woodwind instruments.   6^th Grade Band is a requirement for Intermediate Band.  

Advanced Band is a yearlong course that builds upon skill development from 7^th Grade Band.  Performance and musical skills are highly developed, and students are prepared to audition for high school band.  6^th and 7^th Grade Band courses are prerequisites for 8^th Grade Band.

Performing Chorus is a performance-based, yearlong class for 7^th and 8^th graders.  Students perform at a variety of concerts and events.  Students learn a variety of music and are taught how to care properly for their voices.  Students are required to purchase black pants/skirt and white dress shirt for performances.  Students audition for this course.

Drama is a yearlong course for 8^th graders only that exposes students to theater and dramatic productions.  Students learn the basics of staging a play, delivering dramatic interpretations of characters, and polishing performances for an actual live production.

Physical Education/Health is a required elective for all middle school students.  The course is an introduction to a variety of lifetime sports through skill development.  Safety and care of equipment is also taught along with the beginning skills and warm-up drills.

Art is a basic drawing and painting course.  Students are introduced to the elements of design, including line, shape, color, and texture.  Students learn the fundamentals of shading, using perspective, mixing colors, and using a color wheel.

Home Arts is a hands-on, lab-oriented class that offers studies in the middle school student, foods and nutrition, sewing, grooming, babysitting, and home care.

Introduction to Computers introduces students to the basics of computer literacy and beginning keyboarding techniques.  This course is a prerequisite to Computer Tech I at the high school level and must be taken sometime during the middle school grades.

Introduction to Spanish exposes students to the Spanish culture and provides a basis for basic language acquisition.

Music/Drama introduces students to the basics of reading music, using the voice as an instrument, and a variety of other instruments, including the guitar and keyboards.  Students also explore drama techniques and are exposed to dramatic reading and presentations.

Investigations in Science is a semester course that emphasizes hands-on science lab activities.  Students practice making observations, formulating hypotheses, and making predictions as they perform experiments.