Grades 9-12
Two Semesters, 2 Credits
FLEX PE credit
Course may be taken for successive credits

Students in band are provided with a balanced comprehensive study of music. Instruction is designed to enable students to connect, examine, imagine, define, try, extend, refine, and integrate music study into all areas of academic life.

Ensemble and solo activities are designed to develop elements of musicianship including, but not limited to:

• tone production
• technical skills
• Intonation
• music reading skills
• listening skills
• analyzing music
• studying historically significant styles of literature

Experiences include, but are not limited to:

• Improvising
• Conducting
• playing by ear
• sight-reading

Students are given opportunities to develop the ability to understand and convey the composer's intent in order to connect the performer with the audience. Students in concert band have multiple performance opportunities throughout the school year, including the Christmas Concert, Halloween Middle School Tour, Solo and Ensemble contest, and the Mater Dei Stage Show.

The after-school requirements include the Christmas Concert in December and the Stage Show performances and rehearsals in the spring.

Grades 9-12
Two Semesters, 2 Credits
Course may be taken for successive credits

Students in Concert Choir develop musicianship and specific performance skills through ensemble and solo singing. Activities in this class create the development of quality repertoire in the diverse styles of choral literature appropriate in difficulty and range for the students. Instruction is designed so that students are able to connect, examine, imagine, define, try, extend, refine and integrate music study into all areas of academic life.

Chorus provides instruction in creating, performing, conducting, listen to, and analyzing, in addition to focusing on the specific subject matter. Students develop the ability to understand and convey the composer's intent in order to connect the performer with the audience. Students have the opportunity to experience live performances by professionals during and outside of the school day.

A limited amount of time, outside of the school day, may be scheduled for dress rehearsals and performances. Students must participate in performance opportunities outside of the school day that support and extend learning in the classroom.

Grades 9-12
One semester, one credit

Students in dance performance are able to continue working on skills learned outside of the school day. They develop further dance and equipment technique to improve their competitive performance.

Dance Performance is based on the Indiana Academic Standards for Dance. Sequential and systematic learning experiences are provided in the specific genre offered, whether it is Ballet, Modern, Jazz, or Ethnic-Folk. Activities utilize a wide variety of materials and experiences and are designed to develop techniques appropriate within the genre, including individual and group instruction in performance repertoire and skills.

Students develop the ability to express their thoughts, perceptions, feelings, and images through movement. The performance class provides opportunities for students to experience degrees of physical prowess, technique, flexibility, and the study of dance performance as an artistic discipline and as a form of artistic communication. Students describe, analyze, interpret, and judge live and recorded dance performances of professional dancers and companies in the genre. They also become aware of career opportunities in dance.

Students in dance performance must be enrolled in color guard or winter guard that semester.

Grades 10-12
One Semester, 1 Credit

Students taking this course receive instruction designed to explore music and major musical style periods through understanding music in relation to both Western and Non-Western history and culture.

Activities include but are not limited to:

• listening to, analyzing, and describing music
• evaluating music and music performances
• understanding relationships between music and the other arts, as well as disciplines outside of the arts

Time outside of the school day may be scheduled for attending musical performances. Students are required to participate in performance opportunities outside of the school day to support and extend learning in the classroom.

Grades 10-12
One Semester, 1 Credit

Students taking this course receive instruction designed to explore music and major musical style periods through understanding music in relation to both Western and Non-Western history and culture.

Activities include but are not limited to:

• listening to, analyzing, and describing music
• evaluating music and music performances
• understanding relationships between music and the other arts, as well as disciplines outside of the arts

Time outside of the school day may be scheduled for attending musical performances. Students are required to participate in performance opportunities outside of the school day to support and extend learning in the classroom.

Grades 10-12
One Semester, 1 Credit

Music Theory and Composition develops skills in the analysis of music and theoretical concepts. They develop ear training and dictation skills, compose works that illustrate mastered concepts, understand harmonic structures and analysis, understand modes and scales, study a wide variety of musical styles, study traditional and nontraditional music notation and sound sources as tools for musical composition, and receive detailed instruction in other basic elements of music.

Grades 9-12
Two Semesters, 2 Credits
FLEX PE credit
Course may be taken for successive credits

This course is designed to give students the opportunity to participate in a competitive marching band. The Mater Dei Marching Wildcats have a rich history of success in the state of Indiana including several consecutive State Finals appearances. Marching band is a fun, exciting, high profile, and competitive group. We preform at all home football games, the Fall Festival and Evansville Christmas parades, and marching competitions during the fall.

For more information about the Mater Dei Marching Wildcats, please visit our website at www.mdband.org.