Mr. Joe MacKenzie
Music Teacher
Music Teacher
Music
I am excited to be teaching music for my tenth year at St. Ignatius, and my seventeenth year in Catholic Schools. I’ve enjoyed many years accompanying children's choirs, teaching guitar and bass lessons, directing musicals, and accompanying Masses. When not teaching, I write, record, and perform rock and pop music. I strive to empower our students to be comfortable with their singing voices in private and public, read and write the language of music, and build a lifetime relationship with music.
Pre-School (Classes meet twice a week for twenty minutes)
Students explore the many ways to use their voices in music. Every class session involves at least one dance/movement. Rhythm instruments are introduced and played where appropriate.
Kindergarten, First, Second, and Third Grades
Classes meet three times per week for thirty minutes.
Students sing and move to songs that illustrate basic musical concepts. Rhythm instruments are added as accompaniment to outline the steady beat and simple rhythms. Students will dramatize many songs and learn to be good audience members. We will learn liturgical songs to sing at Mass and celebratory songs for special occasions and holidays.
Fourth and Fifth Grades
Classes meet two times per week for forty minutes.
In our General Music class, students will listen to and perform songs that illustrate more advanced musical concepts. Reading and writing music are practiced with real-life musical examples. Students will explore harmony singing and vocal technique with attention to blending registers.
One fourth grade session per week serves as Recorder Class. Students rehearse progressively more difficult songs to earn belts in the Recorder Karate program. Students ready to learn an additional instrument may sign up with MUSE and met on Thursdays after school.
Fifth graders begin reading notes and chords on the ukulele. We will explore melody and harmony and accompaniment for our own singing.
Fourth and Fifth grade students may also join the Choir. We meet Tuesdays after school in the Junior High Music Room.
Junior High
Classes meet once a week for forty five minute.
Class time is split between vocal performance, ukulele, drumming, and music technology.
For vocal performance, students practice breath control, posture, and tone production. As always, we will learn and perform a class song and a combined Jr. High song at the Christmas Program. Student suggestions are welcome and encouraged as usual.
In ukulele, we apply our note and rhythm reading to chords and melodies. Students work in small groups to prepare repertoire.
Music technology days employ GarageBand on iPads. Various recording projects showcase accompaniment and arrangement skills.
For drumming, we will continue to explore percussion ensemble pieces; from Discipline, Respect, and Unity through Music and Body Percussion Rondos. As we grow comfortable reading and playing in our ensemble, we will each compose new rhythms for the class to play. Classes that advance quickly in the Percussion Ensemble will have the opportunity to study how to read, write, and play music on a drum set.
Other focuses for the year will be Reading and Writing Rhythms, Warm-ups and Breathing Exercises, Vocal Tone and Blend, Mass Music, the Christmas Program, Drum Ensemble Performance and Composition, and Arranging.
Another fun unit we will work on this year is Popular Song Study. Throughout the year, students may bring in a popular song to consider for an in depth study. We will analyze the songs to determine their time signatures, tonality, melodic contour, instrumentation, rhyme scheme, and theme. This helps us understand the different tastes our classmates have, and lets us discover some new favorite songs.
To follow up on Popular Song Study, we’ll listen to more podcasts from the Pandora Musicology Show to get a closer look behind the scenes of how songs are created.
Choir
Rehearses once per week for thirty minutes.
Volunteers from 3rd-8th grade will meet on Tuesday afternoons to work on songs for all the school Masses. They will also have a chance to perform a song at the Christmas Program and other special events throughout the year.
The group is open not only to singers, but to instrumentalists as well. Students playing instruments don’t have to play every song at Masses, but can begin with one and branch out as they become comfortable playing more.
We will build on the familiar songs with new harmonies and arrangements as well as explore new music based on the themes of our Masses throughout the year. Choir members will also have the opportunity to suggest songs for the Masses to ensure that we have a balance of familiar songs as well as new songs that have not been used for school Masses in the past. This choir is a wonderful chance for students to share their talent and creativity in a role of leadership and service.
Pre-School (Classes meet twice a week for twenty minutes)
Students explore the many ways to use their voices in music. Every class session involves at least one dance/movement. Rhythm instruments are introduced and played where appropriate.
Kindergarten, First, Second, and Third Grades
Classes meet three times per week for thirty minutes.
Students sing and move to songs that illustrate basic musical concepts. Rhythm instruments are added as accompaniment to outline the steady beat and simple rhythms. Students will dramatize many songs and learn to be good audience members. We will learn liturgical songs to sing at Mass and celebratory songs for special occasions and holidays.
Fourth and Fifth Grades
Classes meet two times per week for forty minutes.
In our General Music class, students will listen to and perform songs that illustrate more advanced musical concepts. Reading and writing music are practiced with real-life musical examples. Students will explore harmony singing and vocal technique with attention to blending registers.
One fourth grade session per week serves as Recorder Class. Students rehearse progressively more difficult songs to earn belts in the Recorder Karate program. Students ready to learn an additional instrument may sign up with MUSE and met on Thursdays after school.
Fifth graders begin reading notes and chords on the ukulele. We will explore melody and harmony and accompaniment for our own singing.
Fourth and Fifth grade students may also join the Choir. We meet Tuesdays after school in the Junior High Music Room.
Junior High
Classes meet once a week for forty five minute.
Class time is split between vocal performance, ukulele, drumming, and music technology.
For vocal performance, students practice breath control, posture, and tone production. As always, we will learn and perform a class song and a combined Jr. High song at the Christmas Program. Student suggestions are welcome and encouraged as usual.
In ukulele, we apply our note and rhythm reading to chords and melodies. Students work in small groups to prepare repertoire.
Music technology days employ GarageBand on iPads. Various recording projects showcase accompaniment and arrangement skills.
For drumming, we will continue to explore percussion ensemble pieces; from Discipline, Respect, and Unity through Music and Body Percussion Rondos. As we grow comfortable reading and playing in our ensemble, we will each compose new rhythms for the class to play. Classes that advance quickly in the Percussion Ensemble will have the opportunity to study how to read, write, and play music on a drum set.
Other focuses for the year will be Reading and Writing Rhythms, Warm-ups and Breathing Exercises, Vocal Tone and Blend, Mass Music, the Christmas Program, Drum Ensemble Performance and Composition, and Arranging.
Another fun unit we will work on this year is Popular Song Study. Throughout the year, students may bring in a popular song to consider for an in depth study. We will analyze the songs to determine their time signatures, tonality, melodic contour, instrumentation, rhyme scheme, and theme. This helps us understand the different tastes our classmates have, and lets us discover some new favorite songs.
To follow up on Popular Song Study, we’ll listen to more podcasts from the Pandora Musicology Show to get a closer look behind the scenes of how songs are created.
Choir
Rehearses once per week for thirty minutes.
Volunteers from 3rd-8th grade will meet on Tuesday afternoons to work on songs for all the school Masses. They will also have a chance to perform a song at the Christmas Program and other special events throughout the year.
The group is open not only to singers, but to instrumentalists as well. Students playing instruments don’t have to play every song at Masses, but can begin with one and branch out as they become comfortable playing more.
We will build on the familiar songs with new harmonies and arrangements as well as explore new music based on the themes of our Masses throughout the year. Choir members will also have the opportunity to suggest songs for the Masses to ensure that we have a balance of familiar songs as well as new songs that have not been used for school Masses in the past. This choir is a wonderful chance for students to share their talent and creativity in a role of leadership and service.