- 3 days ago
- 2 min read
Read on to learn more about our new middle school course.
In this newsletter:
Coming Soon: Intermediate 1: Jazz and the Rise of Recorded Music
We are so excited to announce the upcoming release of our first middle school curriculum, designed for grades 6-8. Intermediate 1: Jazz and the Rise of Recorded Music covers twentieth and twenty-first century American popular music, with an emphasis on the history of jazz and the history of recording technologies. This course also includes an introduction to music theory.

Like all of our music appreciation curriculum offerings, our Intermediate 1 curriculum is literature-based. Weeks 1-33 each feature a history reading, a listening assignment, and a theory lesson.

A Child's Introduction to Jazz and The Science of Song provide the basis for the history lessons, and Help Your Kids with Music is the music theory spine. Bonus internet content and bonus listening tracks give your student opportunities to go deeper. During Weeks 34-36 your student will read the story Clayton Byrd Goes Underground, which integrates themes from the rest of the course, including the blues, hip hop, and instruments such as the electric guitar and the harmonica. As is the case with the history lessons in Weeks 1-33, listening assignments accompany each reading assignment.

Intermediate 1 is designed to be completed independently by the student, with opportunities for parent/teacher engagement as desired. In this course, the Student Workbook contains the instructional text for each lesson. History and listening assignments include questions which can be used for discussion or for written answers, and engaging music theory worksheets help your student put into practice their new music theory knowledge. This course does not require previous musical knowledge, but you will find "Expert Challenges" included on many of the music theory worksheets for students who have some prior experience. The Curriculum Guide for this course contains the scope & sequence, schedule, and answer keys.
Intermediate 1 will be released in June, so stay tuned for the release date!
Other News and Updates
Primary B: Jumpin' Jazz to Hip Hop (Grades K-2) and Elementary B: Ragtime to Rap (Grades 3-5) are in the works! Make sure you are subscribed so you don't miss any new releases!
Our existing curriculum prices are increasing at the end of June. Snag your curriculum before June 30 to make sure you get the best price!
Looking to use Music Comes Alive curricula in a group? We offer group licensing options for co-ops, private schools, and other group settings. See our Groups page.
We are delighted to offer Alfred Music products, especially the Alfred Premier Piano books. If you are looking for great piano resources, including lesson, theory, performance, and technique books, check out our Piano page.
Looking for an easy homeschool music curriculum?
Look no further! Consider our beautiful curriculum offerings. With engaging books, a curated listening list, fully written-out lesson plans, and bonus internet links for more learning, Music Comes Alive makes it easy to add music to your homeschool!
Check out all of our homeschool music curriculum products!
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