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Thursday 16 November 2017

Movements

Hello everyone. This year, the theme for the music showcase is 'This Magic Season'. Many parents have been requesting videos to rehearse with your children. I thank you for the initiative to practice at home with your children.

Have fun!

Hello Hello & Baby Shark



We've Got The Whole World (step by step movements)



We've Got The Whole World 


I'll soon be sharing with you the theme song movements for this year too.


Sunday 10 September 2017

General Music : Living Musicians Wax Museum


Students have to research a famous musician. Along with a written report, students will present/display their findings as a living wax museum. They should try their best to capture the essences of the musician; 

  • What they look like?
  • Important facts about their lives
  • Music they performed or wrote
Students should go all out to make the most of this assignment. They should dress like their musician and embody their personality. There will be an award for the student who embodies their musician the best. 



REPORT & PRESENTATIONS DUE: In class on October 2nd, 2017 



Exhibit Requirements:
  • -  Musicians Name
  • -  Date of Birth & Death (if applicable)
  • -  Birth Place
  • -  A synopsis of the musician's life (see details below)
  • -  Music performed or written by that musician (must be audible)
  • -  Students must come dressed/look like the musician they have chosen
  • -  Students may choose to have a backdrop but, it is not required 
Synopsis of Musicians Life 


Students must research their musicians’ life and present their findings in the form of a synopsis they will display for the Live Wax Museum Presentation. The synopsis must include the following: 
  • Musicians Name (birth and pseudonym) 
  • Musical Occupation (what do they do?) 
  • The instrument(s) played (if any) OR Voice type 
  • Style of music they perform, compose, - produce etc.  
  • Why they are unique/famous? 
  • Musical training/experience, how they were discovered or gained fame 
  • Interesting facts about their life (at least 3) 
Written Report Requirements


Title page must include:
  1. Musician’s name
  2. Photo of musician
  3. Student’s name
  4. Student’s grade
  5. Date 
Report must be:
  • Typed
  • 12 pt. font
  • Time New Roman or Calibri
  • 3 Pages in length
  • Correct grammar, punctuation, and spelling 
Bibliography Page:
  • Must use at least 4 different reputable and credible sources
  • Must use at least one internet source, book, and magazine/journal article
  • Wikipedia, google search, are not formidable sources 
  1. MUSICIANS
  2. Women
  1. Aretha Franklin
  2. Barbara Streisand
  3. Bessie Smith 
  4. Billie Holiday 
  5. Bonnie Raitt 
  6. Carly Simon 
  7. Dolly Parton 
  8. Eartha Kitt 
  9. Etta James 
  10. Janis Joplin 
  11. Lena Horne 
  12. Marian Anderson 
  13. Mahalia Jackson 
  14. Melissa Ethridge 
  15. Paula Abdul 
  16. Roberta Flack 
  17. Shirley Caesar 
  18. Yolanda Adams 
  19. Alicia Keys 
  20. Beyonce 
  21. Bjork 
  22. Cher 
  23. Janet Jackson 
  24. Lady Gaga 
  25. Diana Ross 
  26. Whitney Houston 
  27. Toni Braxton 
  28. Tina Turner 
  29. Queen Latifah 
  30. Madonna 
  31. Mariah Carey  
  32. Missy Elliot 
Men
  1. Barry Gordy 
  2. B.B. King 
  3. Beethoven 
  4. Billy Joel 
  5. Bob Dylan 
  6. Chuck Berry 
  7. David Bowie 
  8. Elton John 
  9. Ice Cube 
  10. James Brown 

  11. John Lennon
  12. Jimi Hendrix
  13. Kirk Franklin
  14. Lead Belly
  15. Little Richard
  16. Louie Armstrong
  17. Mick Jagger
  18. Mozart
  19. Paul McCartney
  20. Prince
  21. Ray Charles
  22. Stevie Wonder
  23. Thomas A. Dorsey
  24. Vanilla Ice
  25. Willie Nelson 
  26. Bob Marley
  27. Dr. Dre 
  28. Elvis 
  29. Michael Jackson 
BRUNO MARS


REBECCA SUGAR


ELVIS


MICHAEL JACKSON


PRINCE


BOB MARLEY



Thursday 7 September 2017

Guitar : Strumming Patterns (Lesson 1)



The Ultimate Strum Pattern uses a combination of quarter and 8th notes, so make sure you have a good understanding of these and are comfortable playing them before attempting the strum pattern. It is an incredibly popular pattern to strum on the guitar. It makes a good substitute for other more complex strumming patterns and is also a good `go to`strum pattern that all you guitarists can call on frequently when in doubt.
Songs that use The Ulitmate Strum Pattern
  • Van Morrison –  Brown Eyed Girl
  • Green Day – Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)
  • The Calling – Wherever You Will Go
  • Foo Fighters – Times Like These
  • The Fray – How to Save A Life
Pop

Chords used:
G Major, D Major, E minor, C Major

Play-along:
Capo 2nd fret
(G, D, Em, C) x 4

Rock

Chords used:
F5, E5, G5, A5, B5, C5

Play-along:
No Capo
(F5, E5, G5, A5, B5, C5 ) X 4

As you can hear the same strum pattern gives you a very different sound depending on what `sound` you are after. The overall feel is same for both the pop and rock versions but the end result is pretty different.


The Indie rock strumming pattern uses a combination of quarter, 8th and 16th notes, so make sure you have a good understanding of these and are comfortable playing them before attempting this strum pattern. The accents on the 2nd and 4th beats are integral to this pattern. Loads of modern rock songs use this pattern to great effect.

Songs that use The Indie Rock Strum Pattern
  • Blur – Country House
  • Eagle Eye Cherry – Save Tonight
  • Red Hot Chili Peppers – Dani California
  • Shawn Colvin – Sunny Came Home
  • Oasis – D’You Know What I Mean?
Pop

Chords used:
A minor, F Major, C Major, G Major

Play-along:
Capo 2th fret
(Am, F, C, G)
Note: All bars in this example are split bars

Rock

Chords used:
F5, Ab5,E5, Bb5, C5

Play-along:
No Capo
F5, Ab5,E5, Bb5, F5, Ab5,E5, C5
Note: All bars in this example are split bars



The Modern Strum Pattern uses a combination of quarter, 8th and 16th notes, so make sure you have a good understanding of these and are comfortable playing them before attempting the strum pattern.

Songs that use The Modern Strum Pattern
  • Oasis – Live Forever
  • Passenger – Let Her Go
  • Bob Dylan – Knockin` on Heavens Door
  • Ed Sheeran – Skinny Love
  • Radiohead – Fake Plastic Trees
Pop

Chords used:
E minor, Cadd9, G, Dsus4/F#

Play-along:
Capo 6th fret
(Em, Cadd9, G, Dsus4/F#) X 4

Rock

Chords used:
Drop D tuning (D5, E5, A5, F5)


Sunday 3 September 2017

Grade 3 : Ukulele

The ukulele is a very good first instrument for children, however, you must think of it as a real instrument and not consider it an introductory instrument that is generally easy to play. Although the ukulele is a fretted string instrument, it is a completely different instrument than the guitar. 

Parts of a Ukulele



Tuning



Chords


You Are My Sunshine


Strumming Patterns








Tuesday 15 August 2017

Grade 4: Research and choose a simple instrument to make by hand

Objective:


  • Cultural and Historical Context
  • Understanding relationships between music, the other arts, and disciplines outside the arts.
  • Research to Build and Present Knowledge
  • Conduct short research projects that build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic.
  • Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas
  • Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience in an organized manner, using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace.
Guideline:
  1. Students will complete a search on hand made musical instruments at school during music class. (Students may also search on home computers.)
  2. Students will build the instrument. Parents may help with nails or sharp materials, but the final product must be the students’ work.
  3. Students will bring completed instrument to their music class during the first week of October.
  4. Students should attach the form passed out in class with their projects
  5. Students should prepare a short presentational report containing the following:
  • Why the instrument was chosen
  • How instrument was made
  • Demonstration of how instrument works
  • Short description of the learning experience

Grade 4 : Composers Guided Research Project (2017/2018)

Students will work in groups of 3 members. Each group will have a group leader. The group leader will communicate with the teacher and oversee the project flow. The group members will be responsible for the following:

  1. Research and compile information to share about the composer
  2. Include one song by your composer to play during presentation
  3. Create a PowerPoint representing the composer
  4. Research instrument used by the composer, as well as famous songs
  5. include any other background information (history, regions, influences, etc) for the composer
  6. Present the data to the class
Class 1
  • Students will be assigned to groups and a group leader will be appointed
  • Students will select a composer to research
  • Students will fill out their presentation rubric
Class 2
  • Students will research information for their project
  • Students will record informational facts about their genre onto their presentation note
Class 3
  • Group leaders will provide an update on groups progress
Class 4
  • Each group will create a short PowerPoint presentation to share with their class
  • The presentation should conclude with a listening example from the composer
Class 5
  • Students present composer PowerPoint to their class
Class 6
  • Students will play a game of 'Name that Composer', featuring songs from all 4th-grade composer research presentations
List of composers:

  • Adele
  • Louis Armstrong
  • Johann Sebastian Bach
  • Ludwig Van Beethoven
  • Irvin Berlin
  • Leonard Bernstein
  • Georges Bizet
  • Johannes Brahms
  • John Cage
  • Ray Charles
  • Kelly Clarkson
  • Frederic Chopin
  • Aaron Copland
  • Duke Ellington
  • George Gershwin
  • Elton John
  • George Fredric Handle
  • Joseph Haydn
  • Beyonce Knowles
  • Scott Joplin
  • Francis Scott Key
  • Franz Liszt
  • Paul McCartney
  • Felix Mendelssohn
  • Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
  • Carl Orff
  • Dolly Parton
  • Franz Schubert
  • Camile Saint-Saens
  • Clara Schuman
  • John Philip Sousa
  • Igor Starvinsky
  • Taylor Swift
  • Pyotr Llyich Tchaikovsky
  • Carrie Underwood
  • Guiseppi Verdi
  • Antonio Vivaldi
  • John Williams
  • Pharrel Wiliams

Monday 1 May 2017

Grade 7 (Music Video Project)

Assignment:
Produce a music video using an instrumental song

Purpose:
To make a clear connection to a: composer, a musical era, composition OR genre (style) of music through the use of a music video. Specifically, we will understand how the music used represents the composer or culture it was written in. We will also understand clearly how the video represents the title of the song, the composer, or the culture. And it will be memorable for us!

Details:
Musical composers representing several musical eras are listed on the lime green sheet. You will choose only one and use that song to be the background music to your video. Creativity for the type of video is encouraged – examples are listed below.

Step 1: The era and song to be researched is to be determined in class with your teacher and your partner. The sooner you decide on one, the more options you have.

Step 2: Listen to each selection for a few minutes. Some are too long and will need to be shortened. Ideal length is 2-3 minutes long but may be slightly longer.

Step 3: Choose only 1 selection. Bring a blank CD or flashdrive to the next class so you can get a copy of the music chosen or you can download your own music.

Step 4: Background research – Fill out the sheet called “Research Sheet Summary”. Take notes in your own words. This will be used to present information to your class. Some handouts will be provided in class and you can also find a lot of good information in library books or online. Some great websites to start with are:

1) classicsforkids.com
2) dsokids.com
3) www.nyphilkids.org

Step 5: AFTER the research is completed (except for the last question) then create a music video using the song chosen. Whatever you video must relate to the music in some way and represent well the era in which it was written. The goal is to reveal something about the culture and/or composer that the music belongs to, as stated above in the purpose. This must be clearly shown in your answer to the last question – answer “what is the connection you made?”

Step 6: Prepare a presentation (which will be done by both partners) for class. You must give an EXPLANATION of your music video (either before viewing or after). You must also share information from your lime green sheet - biographical details about your composer such as: name, date of birth/death, country of origin and any other places they lived, what kind of music compositions (ie. Organ, symphony, etc) they were famous for, several other titles of their music compositions, and of course, 3 interesting facts not already mentioned! You also need to explain HOW this music selection represents the culture of the time it’s written in – answer “what is in the song that was commonly done?” Note: The rest of the class will be taking notes on this information.

The video must have:
-representation of BOTH partners (ie. Each has been assigned equal responsibilities)
-the instrumental music playing in the background

Playback info:
**The video will need to be copied onto the teacher’s school laptop in order to play back. If the video is saved on an Apple product (computer, iPod, iPhone), please make sure it is also saved correctly as a file that can be easily played on a PC computer. Ask Ms. Carrie A if you are unsure about this. Common files that work are: .mov (Quicktime movie), .mp4 (MP4 video)

**Some ideas for video presentation: instruments (solos, groups), movement, colour, poster signs, collage of pictures, talking, skit, commercial, interview, air band, written lyrics sung along to the melody, still-motion, cartoons, newscast. There are many other options – be creative!**

Sunday 2 April 2017

Grade 8: Assignment 2 (Research Project – Musicals / Blues / Jazz)

For this project, you will pick either: 
  • a blues artist 
  • a jazz artist 
  • or a musical 
…research it, and do the following: 
  • Create a poster OR 
  • digital presentation (Powerpoint, Prezi, Keynote, etc...) OR 
  • short video 
IF YOU CHOOSE A BLUES OR JAZZ ARTIST, you must include the following information: 
  • When they lived (birth, death) 
  • Where they are from 
  • A Brief Biography 
  • Three significant songs 
  • A link to an online version of one of their songs (Youtube) 
  • At least one image (picture of the artist, etc...) 
  • 2 Interesting Facts (any other information you think is unique, or cool, not stated elsewhere in your project)
IF YOU CHOOSE A MUSICAL, you must include the following information: 
  • When it was written 
  • Who wrote it 
  • A Brief Outline of the Plot (the story) 
  • A song from the musical / a description of what part of the story the song tells 
  • A link to an online version of the song (Youtube) 
  • At least one image (picture of the artist, etc...) 
  • 2 Interesting Facts (any other information you think is unique, or cool, not stated elsewhere in your project 
You will be required to do a presentation consisting of: 
  • A presentation of your poster / digital presentation / video 
  • A listen to the song 
THIS IS NOT A GROUP PROJECT. THIS IS INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT. 

Grade 8: GarageBand (Assignment 1)

GarageBand Assignment


  • Create a full-length song in GarageBand that is 2-3 mins long 
  • The song should work for a specific genre of music as opposed to just random clips assembled together. 
For example, you should create a rock, country, or electronic song.
  • The song should have distinctly different parts of the song 
(parts that are emphasized or de-emphasized or repeated).  "Real" music has verse, middle, and chorus sections.
  • The song must contain at least 6 different tracks. Most songs will have have more than six sections.
  • You should include at least one sample, voice, or musical instrument
  • At least 2 of the tracks must change volume multiple times throughout the song
  • At least one track must include a segment that loops –
usually created by clicking in the upper left corner of a region and dragging to the right.

Tuesday 21 February 2017

Grade 7 - NoteFlight

What is NOTEFLIGHT?

Noteflight is an online app that allows users to compose, view, and share music notation from any web browser. However, rather than basic composition software, Noteflight allows users to edit, print, and playback written music from any connected device. With a free account you become part of a global network of musicians who are able to write music directly on their computers, tablets, and smartphones. But, in addition to the free access, students have the option to enroll in a premium subscription that includes many other features that really stimulate creativity.

These are the steps to take:

Fill out the next page with your details. You need to give your email address and an email will be sent to you with a link to finalise your registration. You will have to click on the link in the email you will be sent, then you will have access to this great site. It does not cost any money, so don't worry!

Here is a link to a little piece of music as an example: Grade 7 Activity 

It's only simple, but it shows how nice the score looks and you can listen to it played back by clicking the orange playback button which appears when you move your curser above the bars!

Here is your activity using Noteflight
  • Click on 'New Score'
  • Click on 'shared' in the drop down box that appears
  • Click on the 'sharing' tab and then check the square box 'Allow others to discover this score by searching and browsing'. Close the tab.
  • Click on 'edit title' and type the name of your piece.
  • Click 'edit composer' and type your name.
We'll just keep this first piece simple and leave it as a piano score in C Major scale. The 8 bars are ready for you to put notes in. 
  • Write a melody in the top line by clicking the notes into the stave with your mouse. 
You can change the pitch of a note by typing a letter on your keyboard A - G or by clicking the note head in. You can move a pitch up and down by using your arrow keys too. You can choose the length of your note by using the orange menu which appears when you click on the stave.
The best way to learn is to experiment yourself and see what you can come up with.
  • Make a melody in C major scale for 8 bars. Start your melody on C or G and make sure you finish on a C. Try for interesting rhythm and keep it mostly stepwise.
  • Next, write a simple part in the left hand (bass line) as well, if you have time.
  • Click the orange playback triangle which appears above each bar in your score and have a listen to your composition. Make changes to improve it.
If you want, you can add all sorts of things to your score, like dynamics and slurs. Check out the 'help' menu or just experiment.
  • When you have made your piece, go to the 'sharing' tab (over on the right side of the page.) 
  • Click the check box 'Allow others to discover this score by searching and browsing'
  • Copy the link (there is a copy URL button in the 'sharing' tab) 
  • Paste the link in to a page (use Pages) - save the file with your name on it!
  • Upload it to me in Google Drive on your folder. 
By the end of two periods period, I want to see something from each of you produced by using Noteflight
Don't worry if your composition is not as good as Mozart! It is the first time you are trying this. You will learn a lot about composing just using the notation tools. Have fun!!

Sunday 22 January 2017

Grade 8: Instrument Research Assignment

In this assignment you are required to do research on your instrument. This will give you a better understanding of the history of your individual instruments, as well as some helpful tips to keep you improving in your musicianship.

There are two main parts of this assignment.

  • First, your Preliminary Research. Preliminary Research has three sections of questions that are detailed below. Make sure you answer them fully.
  • Second, Dig Deeper. Your Second is your Dig Deeper section. This requires that you find at least two websites for EACH of the categories listed below. Each website must also include a short paragraph presenting a summary (this means in your OWN words) of the research in each category. For the categories that require you to get videos, you need to have at least two for EACH of the categories.

Preliminary Research

Before you begin your website research, answer the following questions. You can either type the question and then the answer, or use the question in the answer. For example, if the question is how many trombones in are in a typical orchestra, your answer could be, “In a typical orchestra there are usually ____ trombones”.

Section I: Family Ties, Size, Shape and Differences

  • What family is the instrument in (strings, woodwinds, brass, or percussion)?
  • What is the instrument made of (brass or other metal, wood, etc.)?
  • How is it shaped?
  • How is it different from other members of that family (Size, shape, range, how the sound is started)?

Section II: Sound Production and Changing Notes

  • How is it played (how held, mouth or hand etc.)?
  • How does the player start the sound (how is the initial vibration made)?
  • How do you make the different pitches to play a melody on the instrument (different fingerings, valve combinations, moving fingers up and down the neck, or maybe the instrument is unpitched) ?

Section III: Use In The Orchestra and Interesting Facts

  • What is the instruments role in the orchestra (melodic or supportive, how many usually found in the orchestra)?
  • Where do players usually sit in the orchestra?
  • What is something interesting or unique about the instrument?
  • What are some accessories you might need to play it (mouthpiece, bows, mutes, rosin, reeds, mallets, etc.)?


Dig Deeper

Your task is to find and submit ten (10) Web sites/video URLs related to your instrument. Wikipedia is NOT considered a reliable source, however it may be a good place to get some initial information to broaden your search. Your assignment submission needs to include:

Two sites for each one of the categories listed below, and a short paragraph presenting a summary of the research in each category. The categories are:

  • History and/or Manufacturers:

Information about well-known makers and the instrument's history. This can also include the best brands of your instrument and why they are considered top of the line.

  • Famous Performers:

Find a performer famous for playing your instrument. You are not restricted to any particular period or style. I would highly recommend before you research the first name that pops up in your google search, you also check YouTube to see if you enjoy the way they play.

  • Repertoire:

What are the most famous pieces written for your instrument? Submit a list of five famous pieces written for the instrument, and two (2) sites that were sources for the information. Here's a site that might help: www.naxos.com

  • How To Videos:

Find some how to videos on YouTube that you would recommend to someone who wants to learn to play your instrument. This might include how to put the instrument together, how to play (what embouchure to use), what the fingers are, how to get started, all the things you think are important for a beginner to know. Make sure you include a description of what these videos are about and why you feel they are useful above each video. How To For You: Finally, choose something you are having difficulty with (fingering, high notes, low notes, breathing, rhythm, etc) and see if you can find videos/websites that will help you overcome this problem. Detail what issues you are having and how the video addresses these issues.



Webpage Setup:

To present your paper you are going to create a website! Your websites have already been set up for you and your passwords chosen. Your website will consist of FOUR pages which you are to create:

1) Biography - tell me something interesting about yourself. Tell me who you are, where you were born, how old you are, where you’ve lived, what you are studying, what you want to do when you graduate, anything interesting you might read in someone’s biography. Be sure to include something musical! Please leave out anything identifying, like your last name.

2) Preliminary Research - answer the questions in Sections I, II, and III below, right on your website.

3) Dig Deeper - For each of the headings History/Manufacturers, Famous Performers and Repertoire you need to submit a paragraph and the links where you find your research. Include these under the appropriate headings on the Dig Deeper Page.

4) Videos - Finally, your last page will include your How To Videos and your How To For You. Be sure to include descriptions.

Website Creation

1) First, go to students.weebly.com ​to sign in to your website. Click on Edit Site. Start with your first page, your biography. Slide your mouse to the left hand side of the site. Drag the element you want (start with a title) over to your page. Click on it to edit and add your title.

2) Now drag a text box from the left hand side under your title and in this box you will complete your biography.

3) weebly.com does save everything automatically but every so often you should hit Publish in the top right hand side, to make sure your page is published to the web.

4) Once it’s complete, move to your Preliminary Research page by clicking on it at the top. Once on this site, follow the same steps using the Title and Text boxes. Feel free to add pictures where you think they will add to your assignment using the image feature.

5) Next, move to Dig Deeper and complete the first three items using the Title and Text features. Be sure to add your links as your references.

6) Finally, on your videos page, use the Title and Text features to explain what your video is about and why you are showing it. Then use the YouTube feature to insert your YouTube videos into your site. This can be a bit tricky so the instructions are below.

7) Make sure your site is published!

8) Any time you want to delete an element just click on it or hover over it and click the X to delete it.

9) You can also use the divider elements to make sections within your web pages.


Inserting YouTube Videos

1) To insert a YouTube Video, drag the YouTube element over to where you want it on your site. In another tab, open the YouTube video you’d like to insert. Copy the URL. Go back to your website and in the little box paste the URL in.

2) Click in the grey area beside that and your video should pop into the frame above. Now publish your site again.