curricula
Overview
Shedthemusic is centered around empowering students through the authentic creation and performance of pop music.
Engagement is balanced with the rigor of skill acquisition by meeting students where they are with the music they like. Our curricula benefits enrollment of music departments by servicing students who would not normally be involved in traditional music ensembles by giving them a creative voice to build confidence and self-efficacy.
The real world experiences that are offered in these courses are combined with digital literacy and the metacognition of practice to not only train students to be musicians, but to become independent learners and productive members of the classroom community.
Courses at a glance:
Rewire Theory
Rewire Theory creates a unique learning space for both traditional and non-traditional students by combining music theory with practical, real-world skills. Students not only learn but apply theoretical concepts in practice by performing, recording, and writing original and student-selected songs.
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Rhythm Fundamentals
Drum Grooves
Bass lines
Chordal Parts
Melodies
Final Projects
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The curriculum in its original form covers one 18 week semester for high school students that have zero background knowledge. It can be truncated and adapted for different grade levels and shorter course lengths. Rewire theory also can be used as a classroom piano or as the main form of instruction in a keyboard based electronic performing ensemble. The course can also be used as the theory element in a modern band setting.
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Music producer, Arranger, Composer for radio, commercial, film, and video games, Teacher, Content Creator
Production Through Performance
Production Through Performance teaches how to use a MIDI keyboard to write, play, and record drum grooves, bass lines, chordal parts, and melodies. This course differs from other music production courses in that students are creating all of their own music elements by playing them into the DAW.
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Rhythm Fundamentals
Drum Grooves
Bass Lines
Chordal Parts
Melodies
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The curriculum in its original form covers up to two, 18 week semesters for high school students that have zero background knowledge. It can be truncated and adapted for different grade levels and shorter course lengths. Production Through Performance can also be used as an introduction class to Rewire Theory.
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Music producer, recording engineer, composer for radio/commercials/film/video games, teacher, content creator
Rewire Guitar
Rewire Guitar is a course that focuses on the playing, writing, and recording of pop music. The course melds rhythm guitar playing with standard notation reading using music that students are interested in to promote independent musicianship and mastery of all aspects of the instrument while maintaining engagement.
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Rhythm Fundamentals
Open Position Chords
Bass
Power Chords
Blues
Low Note Reading
Middle Note Reading
High Note Reading
Guitar Ensemble Arranging
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This course covers up to two, 18-week semesters for high school students that have zero background knowledge. It can be adapted for different grade levels and shorter course lengths, or it can be expanded to integrate with a rock band ensemble and lengthened to a multi-year guitar program.
Combine with Rewire Theory and Production Through Performance to create an Authentic Music Education Program
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Studio Musician, Recording Engineer, Stage Musician, Composer for radio, commercial, film, or video games, Teacher, Content Creator
Fretboard Fundamentals
FREE CURRICULUM
Fretboard Fundamentals: Jumpstart your beginning guitar program by combining the high engagement value of pop music with a foundational understanding of the fretboard and chord theory. This new method solidifies the learning of core rhythm guitar concepts through lead sheet reading, improvisation, composition, and recording.
Standards Alignment
HOW DOES OUR CURRICULA ALIGN WITH NATIONAL STANDARDS?
A traditional band/choir/orchestra program only addresses a portion of NAfME standards, with the creating, planning, responding, and connecting sections primarily being done by the composers who write the music for concerts and the director. All Shedthemusic lessons follow the REWIRE framework, empowering students to be independent musicians and preparing them for a future in the field. The NAfME standards are easily followed using this framework allowing students to be in control of the entire creative process from planning to presenting and reflecting.
NAfME Standards:
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Imagine: Generate musical ideas for various purposes and contexts.
Plan + Make: Select and develop musical ideas for defined purposes and contexts.
Evaluate + Refine: Evaluate and refine selected musical ideas to create musical work that meets appropriate criteria.
Present: Share creative musical work that conveys intent, demonstrates craftsmanship, and exhibits originality.
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Select: Select varied musical works to present based on interest, knowledge, technical skill, and context.
Analyze: Analyze the structure and context of varied musical works and their implications for performance
Interpret: Develop personal interpretations that consider creators’ intent
Rehearse, Evaluate + Refine: Evaluate and refine personal and ensemble performances, individually or in collaboration with others
Present: Perform expressively, with appropriate interpretation and technical accuracy, and in a manner appropriate to the audience and context
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Select: Choose music appropriate for a specific purpose or context.
Analyze: Analyze how the structure and context of varied musical works inform the response
Interpret: Support interpretations of musical works that reflect creators’/performers’ expressive intent
Evaluate: Support evaluations of musical works and performances based on analysis, interpretation, and established criteria
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Connect #10 Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make music.
Connect #11 Relate musical ideas and works to varied contexts and daily life to deepen understanding
WHAT IS THE REWIRE FRAMEWORK?
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Read: music is represented using lead sheets, piano roll, graphic organizers, and standard notation to be used in performance and composition.
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Ear Train: activities to link what students hear to what they want to perform or record.
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Write: composition and songwriting prompts to allow students to apply the skills and knowledge from lessons in creative ways.
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Improvise: extemporaneous creation that results from a mastery of skill and the ability to listen/respond to other musicians.
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Record: using a DAW (digital audio workstation) to record is an essential skill for the 21st century musician.
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Evaluate & Analyze: Listening to source material from different time periods and genres to make theoretical and aesthetic connections to areas of study.
See REWIRE at work in This Lesson →
Learning Platform
Interactive Lessons: Each lesson has animations, text, video explanations, Spotify playlists, fillable PDFs, Soundtrap templates, and/or Interactive Noteflight scores for teachers to use in direct, hybrid, or flipped instruction. (samples of these materials can be found at the bottom of this page)
LMS Integration: The URLs of each page can be shared through any LMS making it easy to integrate with Google Classroom, Schoology, Canvas, etc
Applications: The online DAW Soundtrap and notation program Noteflight are used in all courses. The resource section of the teacher portal includes videos on how to use The Shed’s templates with both the free and paid versions of these platforms. The cost of these platforms are not included in the cost of the curricula.
Student Data Privacy: Shedthemusic does not require any personally identifiable information (PII) for student login and curriculum access. A generic student login and password is given to each school.
Teacher Resources:
- Teacher resource guides for LMS integration, third party app use, classroom setup, gear, and more
- Living lesson plans with comment sections so teachers can share their experience with each other
- Unit sequencing guides with recommended durations for each project and suggested modifications to the curriculum based on grade level, course length, and student demographic.
- Free summer PD
Frequently Asked Questions
What prior knowledge do students need?
No prior knowledge is needed for any of the courses. Each lesson is designed to differentiate difficulty to keep all students at their zone of proximal development.
Will offering these courses detract from the current band/choir/orchestra enrollment?
No, it has been observed to have the opposite effect- encouraging students that have been outside of the music department to join other performing ensembles.
Students that are in traditional music ensembles benefit from taking these courses by giving them theoretical and practical knowledge that they can take back to their groups.
What gear is necessary to run each course?
A teacher station with a projector and a sound system is recommended for direct instruction for all courses.
1:1 student devices such as a Chromebook are recommended for flipped and hybrid instruction.
A MIDI keyboard is recommended for PTP and Rewire Theory, but drumming and basic MIDI input can be achieved using the built in typing keyboard of a 1:1 device.
Acoustic, classical, and/or electric guitars and bass are recommended for Rewire Guitar
Does the instructor need previous experience teaching or working with the writing, recording, and performing of pop music?
The materials presented in the courses are designed to be used by instructors with little to no experience in pop music. Some of the terms and concepts are the same as traditional music instruction and new concepts are explained using strong analogues to Western Classical Music pedagogy.
SAMPLE COURSE MATERIALS
Click on the images to view samples
Testimonials
For general information and inquiries: Bob@shedthemusic.com
CONTACT US
For general information and inquiries:
Bob@shedthemusic.com
For quotes, invoices, and PO requests:
Kris@shedthemusic.com
“The Production Through Performance PD session and Curriculum are SUPERIOR: 1) thorough, well-paced, and developmentally appropriate, 2) easy to use and helpful worksheets, walk-through videos are of the highest quality and will be accessible for all learning levels and types!”
- Clara Knotts (Lincoln High and Swift Creek Middle in Tallahassee, FL)