Our Guitar Class is designed to provide students with a solid foundation in all areas of guitar performance technique that they may continue to build on once they have completed the course.
Please be sure to complete the following three items (scholars will be given hard copies of the forms, so you don’t have to print them, but you certainly may!).
1. Parent/Scholar Agreement. This lets me know that you have read the information to follow and that the scholar has the parent’s permission to participate in all planned activities of the course (including all performances) as listed on our calendar.
2. And PLEASE go to www.cuttime.net and sign up. Go to the Student/Parent Sign-up link, and under “subscribing schools/groups” type Largo and you will find us. BOTH member AND parents should sign up (both parents can certainly sign up!). This service provides a host of communications and other benefits to us, and you can easily update your info whenever you need to. We use it to send you information, sign-up for volunteering events, give you a secure way to view account balances if you have any fees, and several other things. It has the huge advantage of being very mobile-friendly, so we can access all the features from any device at any time. If you would like more detailed instructions, you may find them here.
Sections:
A. Course description and outline
B. Communication with the teacher
A. Course Description and Outline
Our course is governed by certain expectations set by the State of Florida and Pinellas County Schools. The class generally has a mix of levels, so each scholar may have a slightly different set of specific outcomes. The main musical concepts are the same for everyone, but the specific tasks and skill may vary from scholar to scholar.
Throughout the year, our classes will focus on learning basic principles of musical performance and applying them in sequentially more and more complex ways to a variety of musical compositions throughout the year. The culminating part of each unit will be the practical application of these principles in public performance, sometimes within the class setting and sometimes in public performance. It is critical that scholars and parents understand that the performances are the final presentation of each unit and as such are a required element of the course.
B. Communication with the Teacher
The teacher of this course is Mr. Christopher Benoit. His last name is pronounced “Ben-wah”; he also answers to “Mr. B.” He holds a Bachelor of Music Education and Certificate in Wind Instrument Performance from the Florida State University. He is currently in his 37th year of teaching; his 35th at Largo High School.
The BEST way to get in touch with Mr. Benoit is by e-mail. This is generally the quickest way to reach him, you will get the benefit of a carefully thought out response, and both you and he will have a written record of what was discussed to avoid possible confusion. His e-mail address is benoitc@pcsb.org. Every effort will be made to respond to you within 24 hours. This is not always possible, but it is the goal and is met most of the time. If you haven’t heard anything back within 24 hours, please try to make contact again…sometimes e-mails don’t go through, messages get garbled, etc.
There is a LOT of information that needs to go out to students and parents in an active music program like ours. Program-wide, we did more than 40 performances last school year; that requires a lot of coordination among a whole lot of people. Our WEBSITE is the first and foremost place to go for up-to-date information. Two critically important sections that parents and students should check FREQUENTLY are the News Section, which is where we have all current announcements, and the CALENDAR, which is kept up-to-date regularly with all of our events. In addition, if you sign up at www.cuttime.net, you will receive regular e-mail updates, news, and notices about our program.
C. Items Students Need
There are several things that students will need during this course:
- We have a class set of guitars available for students to use in class. These may not be taken home. Students may be assigned a specific guitar to use during class. Students are welcome to come in at lunch and most days after school for additional practice if they do not have a guitar at home to use. Students are allowed to bring their own guitar to school to use for the class; this may be left in the room at the student’s own risk – neither the teacher nor the school can take responsibility for students’ personal equipment. Only acoustic six string guitars are appropriate for classwork, although students will have opportunities to bring in electric guitars on a few certain days during the year.
- Students will eventually need a guitar pick on most days. The first one will be provided at no charge. Picks will be available for purchase for $0.25 each throughout the year. We will focus on finger-picking technique first, but once we start using picks we will do so frequently.
- Students should always have a pencil available in class; at no time will they need a pen. Music is always marked in pencil.
- For concerts, a plain black (no writing on it) shirt and dark pants. For the shirt, it doesn’t need to be anything fancy – a black t-shirt is fine. For the pants, black would be ideal, but as long as they are dark, it’s fine. If you are in Chorus, Band, or Orchestra and that group is also performing on the same concert, you may wear that uniform for Guitar.
D. Class Rules
Our rules are very simple. They apply at ALL times, in EVERYTHING we do:
- Be Nice
- Follow Directions
- Do Your Best
- Respect Everyone
When everyone follows these rules, we are able to concentrate on the art of making music together. We should not ever have to waste everyone’s time dealing with infractions of these basic guidelines for efficient rehearsals. We simply have too much to learn and do!
Note: although the use of electronic devices is generally not appropriate during class, there are certain times when this may be entirely appropriate; for instance, a student may have a tuning app on his or her phone. Instances such as this will be permitted when the student has the EXPRESS permission of the instructor.
E. Grading Policies
Grades are based on the standard Pinellas County Schools grading scale:
A = 90 – 100%
B = 80 – 89%
C = 70 – 79%
D = 60 – 69%
F = 0 – 59%
Grades are earned in two main categories:
50% of the grade is based on the learning PROCESS. Scholars receive from 0 to 5 points each day based on being involved, prepared, and participating appropriately. ATTENDANCE is the biggest single factor in a student’s success in school, and is reflected in this grade…you can’t earn points when you are not in class, because you are not learning about our subject. Likewise, you lose points for not having the materials you need in order to participate (instrument, music, etc.) or if you are not participating appropriately in the learning activities of the class. This is the easy half of the grade to get: come to class on time, have your materials, and be an active, engaged participant in the rehearsal process. If you are focussed on making music, you will earn these points…and you will learn a LOT through what we are doing.
50% of the grade is based on EVALUATION of your learning. This may include both written and performance evaluations. Some evaluations are done in class, some are public performances. There will be a mix of different things each grading period. Grading for performance evaluations is based on individual achievement; we would not judge a first year player’s performance to the same standard as a senior who has played for seven years. EACH scholar needs to be progressing in the art of making music, and assessment grades are judged therefore by criteria appropriate to that individual person’s development.
If a student has an excused absence they are entitled to an opportunity to make up the missing points for full credit. It is the student’s responsibility to ask for and complete make-up work to earn credit. Per school board policy, if an absence is unexcused, make-up work may be done, but whatever points are earned will be reduced the equivalent of one letter grade. If a public performance absence is excused, no make-up work will be assigned; the student will simply receive a grade of “excused” for that event (i.e., it won’t be counted either way in the grade calculation). An unexcused absence from a performance is absolutely unacceptable at any time, and will result in a grade of zero for that assignment. Band is a PERFORMING ARTS class…PERFORMING is the most critical aspect of the course! Without the public performances, you have not participated in the most fundamental experience of the entire course. If there is a conflict with a performance, you need to bring this to the director’s attention as soon as practical; there are several things that fall into the category of being excusable if arranged ahead of time, but never excused after the fact. Be responsible!
School activities always must take precedence over non-school activities. If there is ever a conflict between two different school activities, bring it to the director’s attention right away so the faculty members involved can work it out. Scholars who have jobs need to be responsible for communicating their band and school schedule with their employer in a timely manner. Work is NEVER an acceptable reason for missing a school event.
Finally, if you happen to be absent a few times early in the grading period…DON’T PANIC! The missed rehearsals will have an inordinately large impact on your grade early on, as there aren’t a lot of positive grades to balance them yet. Scholars who are generally responsible & active participants can easily afford to have an occasional missed day due to illness, a field trip, etc. without it actually pulling their grade down so much as to affect the letter, but it can be scary if it happens early on. If you end up in a borderline situation near the end of the grading period, Mr. Benoit will generally give you a gentle suggestion of what you would need to do to make sure you receive the higher grade rather than the lower one.
F. School Policies
Our music program is part of the overall educational program at Largo High School. As such, it is important to remember that all school policies as articulated by Pinellas County Schools and the adminstration of Largo High School are always followed. When we are off-site for a performance or other event, we are still at a SCHOOL event, and all school policies still apply.
G. General Expectations
Our members are expected to come to every class and after school event on time, appropriately dressed and groomed, and prepared to do their best to learn the material presented in rehearsal. For after school events, Band of Gold time is 15 minutes early…you need to be able to set up, warm-up, and make other preparations BEFORE the event starts.
The SCHOLAR is the one responsible for checking and keeping up to date with the calendar, and making sure that all necessary arrangements are made to participate in all band events.
Scholars should consider every action in relation to two questions:
- “How does this help me improve my knowledge and/or skills?”
- “How does this help the ensemble as a whole?”
EVERYONE is responsible for keeping the band room and all other areas we visit neat and clean, and taking proper care of all items.
Rehearsal time is precious…we use every minute we can. If a rehearsal is scheduled from 3:30 to 5:00, then arrive early to get everything set up, warm-up, etc. so the rehearsal proper can start right at 3:30. We’ll finish rehearsing by 5:00, after which we take whatever time is necessary to make sure things are put back away, equipment is properly stowed, and the room is left neat and clean. We ALL share in these responsibilities that ensure that we have a pleasant environment to work in and are able to learn the greatest amount possible.
Whenever we have a performance, whether at Largo High or off site, EVERY member will remain after the end of the performance or our return to school until all equipment is properly stowed and any other necessary tasks are finished.
H. Academic Requirements
Scholars who wish to participate in events outside of the regular class, such as Solo & Ensemble MPA or the All-County Guitar Ensemble are subject to certain academic requirements as detailed here:
Some of the performances that we attend are governed by eligibility guidelines set by the state of Florida and Pinellas County Schools. We MUST ensure that all of our performing members meet the applicable standards for participation; in fairness to all, we never require more than the official policy dictates (although we obviously encourage all students to achieve much better than the minimum!)
The main requirment is that the scholar maintains a cumulative grade point average of 2.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale. This is calculated on actual grades received, with NO weighting for quality point classes. A 4.0 average would be the highest possible, and represent a grade of A in every class ever taken in high school. It is the cumulative GPA, so every class taken by the student over his or her entire high school career is counted. You can calculate your GPA very easily…take every class you have received a final semester grade for, give 4 points for each A, 3 points for each B, 2 points for each C, 1 point for each D, and 0 points for each F or I. Add those up, and divide by the number of semesters taken. A 2.0 (i.e., C average) is the standard requirement for acceptable progress and eventual graduation, so meeting this standard isn’t just important for band, it’s also critical to the student graduating.
A scholar may have a bad semester, but it’s only the cumulative GPA that is considered for eligibility purposes. Because of this, there is one additional option for 9th and 10th graders only. The first time a 9th or 10th grader falls below a 2.0 cumulative GPA, we may complete and submit an FSMA Academic Performance Contract for Music Eligibility. This allows the student to have one additional semester of eligibility to bring his or her grades up; as long as the student makes at least a 2.0 average each semester, he or she will be able to remain eligible up to the start of 11th grade. Once you get to 11th grade, this is not an option; only the cumulative GPA counts. This was designed to give a student who gets off to a really rough start in high school a chance to get things turned around and has really helped some students who otherwise might have needed a year or more of good grades to get back over a 2.0.
Students who do not meet the academic requirements are still entitled to receive an education in music! Although we may not allow them to perform in certain events, they are still welcome to be part of our program and we will work with them not only to develop their musical skills and knowledge but also to help get them back on track with their grades. Our FIRST and FOREMOST educational goal for ALL students in our program is that they GRADUATE from Largo High School.