North Salinas 55 Kip Drive, Salinas, Calif.

93906
nshs.salinasuhsd.org
High School P: (831) 796-7500
F: (831) 796-7505
Est. 1959

Welcome to
Music Appreciation Leadership!
Contact Information
Teacher Name: Mr. Brandon Ellsworth (He/Him/His)
Email: Brandon.Ellsworth@salinasuhsd.org
Room Number: MPR (Multi-Purpose Room)
Phone Number: (831) 796-7500 ext. 2730

Course Descriptions
“The course is developed to broaden the musical knowledge and background of students; to acquaint
students with a large variety of musical styles both in classical, jazz, and rock to broaden their general
enjoyment of music. Students listen and discuss the works of well-known composers. Music history is taught
by lectures and demonstrations.” - SUSHD 20-21 Handbook

In this new course, students will learn about disabilities and their impact on students’ lives. Students will
synthesize knowledge of music and musical skills with their knowledge of disabilities in order to deliver
instructional opportunities in music for all types of learners. In addition, students will work in small groups
and in one-on-one settings with students with disabilities and learn to teach music-centered lessons. This
class is highly participatory and treated as a leadership class, therefore high expectations regarding student
behavior and participation are in place.
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Materials Needed
Textbook ❏ Disability Awareness Activity Packet by Ben Adcock and Michael
L. Remus
❏ Music in Special Education, 2nd Edition by Mary S. Ademeck
❏ Will use digital copies of both books

Tech ❏ Chromebook (district provided)

❏ Charger (district provided)
*If you have a Chromebook/ wifi issue, see the school website for
instructions.

Supplies ❏ None required

Grading Policy & Grades

The NSHS Music Department strives for equity in all ways, particularly in grading practices and strategies.
This class will focus on cross-curricular standards from Music, ELA, and World Language. This course is
performative in nature which means that most assignments and grades will center around the work that is
done in class, rather than homework. Large scale projects are designed to work with the curriculum and will
function in lieu of more traditional assessments or tests.

Assignment Categories:
- In-Class Assignments
- Projects

Gradebook Weights:
- Projects = 25% of the total grade
- Assignments = 75% of the total grade

90 - 100% = A 80 - 89% = B 70 - 79% = C 60 - 69% = D 50 - 59% = F

Citizenship Grade Policy or LINK

An Outstanding (“O”) citizenship grade can be earned if all of the following criteria are met:
1. All assignments turned in, on time
2. No unexcused absences or tardies
3. Evidence of preparation during class activities
4. Evidence of active participation and on-task behavior
5. Excellent Chromebook care
6. Uses materials in virtual class
7. All classroom expectations are met
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A Satisfactory (“S”) grade can be earned if any of the criteria for “Outstanding citizenship” are not
met and if none of the violations listed under “Unsatisfactory citizenship” occur.

A Needs Improvement (“NI”) citizenship grade can be earned if any one of the following occurs:
1. Academic dishonesty (cheating or plagiarizing) will result in a zero and an unsatisfactory citizenship
grade.
2. Tardiness: after five tardies (or unexcused absences in conjunction with tardies), unsatisfactory
citizenship grade is earned.
3. Destruction/abuse of property
4. Excessive neglect of responsibilities
5. Excessive missing or late work
6. Inappropriate use of electronics in the classroom
7. Not adhering to the classroom expectations on a regular basis

*Remember, two or more “NIs” in any quarter will keep you ineligible for sports, clubs, and other opportunities on
campus.

*All discipline procedures will follow the progression outlined in the student handbook.

Academic Integrity Policy

Academic honesty is extremely important. The teachers and administration will follow the policy outlined
below when dealing with those students who are involved in cheating or plagiarism on tests or class
assignments. The offenses accumulate over the entire four years while a student is attending High School.
The following procedures will be followed: (Board Policy 5131.9)

First Offense
1. Teacher will notify parents and counselor.
2. Teacher may fail the student on the assignment.
3. Student may receive an Unsatisfactory Citizenship Grade for the quarter.
4. Possible referral to an Administrator for documentation and counseling.

Second Offense
In addition to the consequences outlined in First Offense, the following may occur:
1. Referral to an Administrator for parent contact and/or possible suspension.
2. Quarter Grade may be lowered.

Third Offense
In addition to the consequences outlined in First Offense and Second Offense, the following may occur:
1. Referral to an Administrator for possible suspension.
2. The student may be ineligible for California Scholarship Federation and National Honor Society.

* Plagiarism is defined as the act of representing the work of another as one’s own regardless of how that
work was obtained and submitting it to fulfill academic requirements. Plagiarism at North Salinas High
School includes, but is not limited to, copying three consecutive words without proper citation.
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Attendance and Field Trips

As this course is designed for general education students to work alongside and socialize with students from
across a spectrum of abilities, attendance is absolutely key to a functioning and happy classroom.
Consistency is a cornerstone of working with our amazing students, therefore, if you know you have
attendance issues, this course may not be a great fit for you.

An additional perk to enrolling in this course is that field trips are a common occurrence. This year, we will
be partnering with P.E. Leadership and attend a wide variety of educational and fun trips. These are
designed to further bond students with their buddies and provide memories that will last a lifetime. More
information about these field trips will come later in the year.

ParentVUE & StudentVUE

(Viewing grades and attendance)
ParentVUE allows you to see your student’s grades, assignments, attendance and discipline, in real-time
using the internet. To access ParentVUE, you will need to go to http://nshs.us/ParentVUE

Once you are in ParentVUE, you will need to enter your username and password. If you need help getting
started with ParentVUE, you can use the resources here. Usernames and passwords are unique to each
parent. If you need to reset your password, please see how on this page: http://nshs.us/2020faq

Participation
This class is participatory in nature, meaning, in lieu of many traditional means of work (essays, tests, etc)
the majority of your work will be dependent on how much you are willing to participate. This class draws a
lot on elementary level general music techniques, as well as general music therapy techniques - therefore,
students in course are expected to be mature enough to embrace the inherent silliness of this class.

Students who do not participate daily in this class will be removed and be placed into a different
class. Our students with disabilities are looking to you to be a role model and to display the kind of
age-appropriate behaviors we expect to see out of them. Failure to comply will result in a schedule change.

Both your grade and your citizenship status are highly impacted by your participation in this class.