Music Class Descriptions
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ELEMENTARY MUSIC:
Kindergarten -- 5th Grade Description: All students in Kindergarten through 5th grade will be taught general music. Throughout the school year, students will have the opportunity to learn music through the use of keyboards, Orff instruments, tubano drums, ukuleles, boom-whackers, P-Buzz instruments and more! Our concerts will be Kindergarten/1st grade combined, 2nd/3rd combined and 4th/5th combined. You can find out more details about their concerts under the "Student Info" tab or the "Calendar" tab above. 5th grade students will have the opportunity second semester to try band instruments to make an educated decision about which ensemble they would like to participate in before summer begins. MIDDLE SCHOOL OPTIONS: Please check with the main office to learn about deadlines to switch in or out of these classes. To help you decide, please watch this slideshow: Click here to watch the Band Prezi!! Symphonic Band (offered as a yearlong course) This ensemble is made up of advanced 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students who have already been in a formal band setting on their given instrument and have auditioned or been hand-selected to be a part of the group. Students will have several performances and will also be taught music history, theory, appreciation, and real world application. Concert Band (offered as a yearlong course) This ensemble is made up of beginning 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students who are still new to the formal band setting on their given instrument. There is no need to audition to be a part of this group and students who are brand new to being in band will fit in perfectly here! Students will have 1-2 performances, while also being taught music history, theory, appreciation, and real world application. Jazz Band (offered before school on Tuesdays/Thursdays) Jazz Band is an additional performance ensemble made up of 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students that will meet in the morning before school begins. Jazz Band will begin rehearsals in the Spring semester and will repeat every Tuesday and Thursday morning throughout the whole school year. We begin rehearsal at 7:30 am and end at 8:00 am. Jazz students are expected to participate in a weekend jazz camp, the TSD Jazz Retreat, and maintain a practice routine on both jazz and regular ensemble music. The Jazz Band ensemble focuses on expanding both the understanding and ability to play different styles and genres of music, as well as explore written and improvised solos. |
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About Mrs. LemonsShawna Lemons teaches music to all grade levels at High Plains K-8 School; subjects including general music and various band ensembles. In 2013, she graduated from Colorado State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education, and this is her eighth year teaching at High Plains since opening the school in 2016. She aims to show students how to make real-world connections with their schooling experience, and she achieves that through her strong relationships with students.
Shawna is also our school's head volleyball coach for middle school female athletes and she recently earned the "Coach of the Year" award for her district. Music and athletics are extremely similar, and Shawna enjoys teaching students how to be strong and confident people, often through her "Life Lessons with Lemons" sprinkled throughout the day in lessons and practices. In addition to teaching and coaching young minds, Shawna is also a mentor teacher for college-level and new teachers in TSD. Recently, Shawna has also developed and implemented a community-based class called "Music for Littles" for 3-5 year-olds and their parents to experience music together. No matter the age, Shawna believes teaching is the best opportunity to make a true difference in someone else's life. She has two children, Grayson and Samantha, who LOVE visiting the school when they can. Shawna and her husband Chad are both local music educators who enjoy making and listening to music with their friends and family. Please feel comfortable reaching out when needed via email ([email protected]), phone (970-679-9817), or our music Instagram (@_hpsmusic). Let's have a great year! Go Bison! |
A Little About High Plains...
HPS Mission Statement:
High Plains is an early childhood through eighth-grade STEAM school fueled by innovative and authentic learning opportunities where all members feel safe, valued, and empowered. Students are immersed in the inquiry process while taking risks and engaging in issues facing our community in order to have a positive impact on our world today, tomorrow, and in years to come. HPS Motto: Charging through failures, Stampeding through challenges. |
Bison RESPECT:
Responsible Empathetic Safe Persevering Empowered Curious Trustworthy |
Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics
Real world, relevant, and responsive.
Schools that use a STEAM framework to develop instruction are intentionally designing units and lessons to integrate concepts from science, math, history, and the arts. Students learn the skills and knowledge in these content areas to support their reading, writing, and communication skills but then take that knowledge to an application level in an effort to help them understand why they are learning what they are learning. Technology and the engineering design process are taught to and used by students to apply their content learning in real world, relevant, and meaningful ways through a problem based learning approach. Students create and design new products or experiences to solve relevant, real-world problems. Through this problem based approach students develop their critical thinking skills, local and global awareness, and communication and collaborative skills. A STEAM framework and problem based learning approach sparks students’ creativity and helps them develop character traits such as perseverance, responsibility, and citizenship that will serve them well throughout their life.
Real world, relevant, and responsive.
Schools that use a STEAM framework to develop instruction are intentionally designing units and lessons to integrate concepts from science, math, history, and the arts. Students learn the skills and knowledge in these content areas to support their reading, writing, and communication skills but then take that knowledge to an application level in an effort to help them understand why they are learning what they are learning. Technology and the engineering design process are taught to and used by students to apply their content learning in real world, relevant, and meaningful ways through a problem based learning approach. Students create and design new products or experiences to solve relevant, real-world problems. Through this problem based approach students develop their critical thinking skills, local and global awareness, and communication and collaborative skills. A STEAM framework and problem based learning approach sparks students’ creativity and helps them develop character traits such as perseverance, responsibility, and citizenship that will serve them well throughout their life.