Music Department Offers Something for Everyone at Tandem

Tandem offers music classes to students of all ages and abilities, taught by Tandem music teachers Mark Goldstein (grades 7-12) and new teacher Cameron Pampus (grades 5-6). With classes from grade-level Middle School bands to Acoustic Music, Rock Band, Jazz Ensemble, Music Theory/Keyboarding and more, there literally are class and performance opportunities for everyone. Even parents, faculty and alums are welcome to perform with the community Quaker Notes a capella group.
 
  • 5th graders take a semester of music in the spring, focusing on rhythm, percussion, basic music theory and some singing. They begin using new instruments, including Orff (xylophone and metallophone) and work on connecting as a group. In the fall, students may learn songs to incorporate into their drama performance as well.
  • 6th graders continue to build on music theory, notation reading and working as an ensemble. The grade is split into two classes, each of which works on performance pieces, and play instruments such as guitar, bass, drums, and Orff. They work vocals into each of their songs.
  • 7th graders take one semester of music (half of the grade each semester) to focus on cohesion - listening to each other as a group with varying musical experience and trying to focus on working well together with percussion, harmonic instruments and vocals. They select their own material and work with their instructor on the arrangements.
  • 8th graders get to choose each spring between classes in visual arts, music or drama (in the fall they choose between Musical Theatre and Visual Arts). The music students form an 8th Grade Rock Band, continuing the process of working as an ensemble, choosing and arranging their music to fit group skill levels.
There are many options for Upper School music electives as well:
 
  • Acoustic Music is centered around learning and playing Bluegrass, folk and roots-type music and mastering the necessary instruments and vocal styles that accompany those genres.
  • Jazz Ensemble students focus on arranging, jazz theory, and group dynamics as they learn jazz pieces of different styles and sometimes create their own.
  • Rock Band students focus on arranging and group dynamics as they learn various rock standards and sometimes create their own.
  • Music Theory & Keyboarding, a spring class, provides students a sense of scales and chord progressions. As students listen to songs and analyze them, the way they listen to music changes.

  • Blips, Bleeps and Beats students work on listening to, analyzing and recording electronic music tracks with a focus on rhythm, harmony and melody (using drum beat, bass lines, and lead vocals). They work to build a portfolio of collaborative and individual works.
Performance opportunities abound, with open mic performances during Speaker Series, a Winter Concert, our Tandemonium arts showcase, the Spring Concert, our Mother’s Day Music Festival and more. It’s a great time to be into music at Tandem Friends.
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Tandem Friends School is a co-ed Quaker day school for grades 5-12 in Charlottesville, Virginia.
 
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