While I am at an amazing music conference learning exciting and incredible new things that I can teach you, you have the opportunity to learn about several amazing musicians (and artists!). Their stories are all different and they all make music in different ways, but they are people who I hope will inspire you.
FIRST: Read the three article links below. All of them. All three of the articles. Yes, I know some of you will ask if it's okay if you only read one, but you need to read all three. When you're done, complete the second task.
George Dennehy
Mozart, Elvis, Monet and More
Yoo Ye Eun
SECOND: Answer the questions on your worksheet.
**Write complete sentences and think through your answers. Use your best handwriting and spelling skills.**
THIRD: Check your work. Did you write in complete sentences? Did you use your best handwriting? Will I be able to read what you have written? If you believe it to be your best work, then turn it into the sub so I can grade it. If you need to rewrite, erase marks or sloppy handwriting or revise then please do these things so that you can turn in your best work.
Sunday, February 8, 2015
Friday, February 6, 2015
Musical Form
Students in grades 4 and 5 are going more in-depth about musical form this week. Here is an outline of the three forms we are focusing on: ABA, Rondo and Theme and Variation.
Musical Form
What is musical form?
Form is the order of the musical parts.
It describes the overall plan of a piece of music and how it is laid
out. We often split the music into
sections by letter. The letter “A” would
refer to the first section of music. The
letter “B” to the second section and “C” to the third section and so on. Each section in the music has a particular
sound and tune. Sometimes the sections
repeat or change just slightly. Let’s
look at three examples of musical form:
ABA, rondo and theme and variation.
ABA FORM
This form is in three parts and often called ternary
(meaning three). The first section
called A is repeated after the section section ends. The second section is called B. It is very simple and easy to recognize.
RONDO FORM
The word
rondo comes from the French word “Rondeau” and means a round. Rondos keep coming back ‘a-round’ to the A
section. Rondo form is a form where a
main theme returns often throughout, with different themes in between each
return - if A is the main theme, then the piece might run like so
(ABACADA). Section A always comes back
after a different section has been played.
It is
often the last part or section of a bigger piece. The music is usually fast and builds up
excitement. Some famous rondos were
written by Zoltan Kodaly, Wolfgang Mozart and Ludwig Beethoven. Beethoven’s famous rondo is called “Rage over
the lost penny.” He was often an angry
man but this song was actually not very angry sounding. It is quite happy and joyful.
THEME
AND VARIATION
You can
think of a theme and variations form as cupcakes and ingredients used to
decorate them. You start with a basic
cupcakes (the theme) and then add different decorations on top (these would be
the variations).
The
theme is the first melody that you hear.
It is usually the simplest sounding melody in the entire piece. If it were a cupcake, it would have no
decoration, frosting or filling. It
would be extremely simple.
A
variation is the music that sounds like the original theme, but is somehow
different. A composer can change the
theme by changing the rhythm patterns, the instruments used, adding extra
notes, and playing faster or higher or longer or shorter. It would be like a baker taking our plain
cupcake and adding chocolate frosting.
Then taking another plain cupcake and putting powdered sugar and
sprinkles on it. Each change to our
cupcake becomes a new variation. In the
song, each change creates a new sound.
Friday, January 23, 2015
Sixteenth and Eighth Note Rhythms
Fourth Graders have started learning about a new rhythm "Ti-Tika" (one eighth note connected to two sixteenth notes). The students have asked if they can sing the new song and have a copy of the words. I follow another teacher's blog where I found the idea for this lesson. If you'd like (or your student) would like to see the lyrics and music, click on her site:
Fun with Fruit
Fun with Fruit
The song is from Finland and is a beautiful melody. Students will be creating their own rhythm patterns from fruit next week. Can't wait to see how it turns out!
Third Grade Orchestra Unit
We have begun our new unit on the Orchestra in Third Grade. Students have learned an incredible amount of information about conductors, composers and concertmasters. The terms composer and conductor are often confused with each other so we began our study be discussing what each of these words mean.
Composer: Person who writes music
Conductor: Person who directs an orchestra
Third Graders learned many definitions about terms and famous people associated with each word.
CONDUCTORS
1. They hold a baton.
2. They stand on a podium which is a raised platform. (There are often metal bars at the back to help them to not walk backwards off of it)
3. They cue the performers when it is their turn to play.
4. They have specific hand patterns to show the beats for each measure. Students practiced conducting in groups of 2, 3 and 4 beats.
5. Their music is called a score and shows the conductor what each instrument is playing. The score rests on a music stand in front of the conductor.
CONCERTMASTER
1. This person is the First Chair Violinist.
2. They sit to the left of the conductor in the first chair.
3. They tune the orchestra.
4. The conductor bows towards them at the end of the concert to say "Job well done."
COMPOSERS
In each music class, we have focused on one of the songs that will be performed at the concert on our field trip on March 6. Students have learned about each family in the orchestra as well as information about each instrument in the families. They will be bringing home their learning packets in the next two weeks as we finish.
We will be hearing/seeing the Lewisville Lake Symphony perform at First Baptist Church in Lewisville. Students learn interesting facts about the composers, the stories behind the music played and what instruments are used in each period of music. If you would like to hear the pieces, click below on the links:
BAROQUE PERIOD:
J.S. Bach: Air on the G String
CLASSICAL PERIOD:
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Overture to Marriage of Figaro
ROMANTIC PERIOD:
Ludwig Beethoven: Symphony No. 5, Last movement
MODERN PERIOD:
Igor Stravinsky: The Firebird (Infernal Dance)
Piotr Tchaikovsky: Waltz of the Flowers from The Nutcracker
John Williams: Star Wars Theme
Composer: Person who writes music
Conductor: Person who directs an orchestra
Third Graders learned many definitions about terms and famous people associated with each word.
CONDUCTORS
1. They hold a baton.
2. They stand on a podium which is a raised platform. (There are often metal bars at the back to help them to not walk backwards off of it)
3. They cue the performers when it is their turn to play.
4. They have specific hand patterns to show the beats for each measure. Students practiced conducting in groups of 2, 3 and 4 beats.
5. Their music is called a score and shows the conductor what each instrument is playing. The score rests on a music stand in front of the conductor.
CONCERTMASTER
1. This person is the First Chair Violinist.
2. They sit to the left of the conductor in the first chair.
3. They tune the orchestra.
4. The conductor bows towards them at the end of the concert to say "Job well done."
COMPOSERS
In each music class, we have focused on one of the songs that will be performed at the concert on our field trip on March 6. Students have learned about each family in the orchestra as well as information about each instrument in the families. They will be bringing home their learning packets in the next two weeks as we finish.
We will be hearing/seeing the Lewisville Lake Symphony perform at First Baptist Church in Lewisville. Students learn interesting facts about the composers, the stories behind the music played and what instruments are used in each period of music. If you would like to hear the pieces, click below on the links:
BAROQUE PERIOD:
J.S. Bach: Air on the G String
CLASSICAL PERIOD:
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Overture to Marriage of Figaro
ROMANTIC PERIOD:
Ludwig Beethoven: Symphony No. 5, Last movement
MODERN PERIOD:
Igor Stravinsky: The Firebird (Infernal Dance)
Piotr Tchaikovsky: Waltz of the Flowers from The Nutcracker
John Williams: Star Wars Theme
Tuesday, December 9, 2014
Pentatonix
Who are Pentatonix? They are an a cappella group with most of the singers growing up close to us - Arlington, TX. There are five singers (thus the 'penta' in their name) who all contribute wide vocal ranges and amazing vocal performances.
We've been studying vocal ranges in Fourth and Fifth Grade - focusing on the five main voices: Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Baritone and Bass. We've compared the sounds of each voice. In listening to a few examples of the Pentatonix videos, students were able to clearly hear each vocal part and name which voice was featured.
Students are learning the song 'Carol of the Bells' on the Orff instruments (xylophones) so it was only fitting to listen to Penatonix version of the song. We also listened to the song "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" written by Tchaikovsky and compared the original version to the newer version.
Here are the links to the video clips that we watched in class:
Carol of the Bells
Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy
For more information on the group, see their official website here.
We've been studying vocal ranges in Fourth and Fifth Grade - focusing on the five main voices: Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Baritone and Bass. We've compared the sounds of each voice. In listening to a few examples of the Pentatonix videos, students were able to clearly hear each vocal part and name which voice was featured.
Students are learning the song 'Carol of the Bells' on the Orff instruments (xylophones) so it was only fitting to listen to Penatonix version of the song. We also listened to the song "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" written by Tchaikovsky and compared the original version to the newer version.
Here are the links to the video clips that we watched in class:
Carol of the Bells
Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy
For more information on the group, see their official website here.
Friday, December 5, 2014
Mr. Shafferman's Class
I am at an event today and missing your class! I expect that you're making great choices for Mrs. Herring and doing your best. Please read this blog post and then answer questions on your worksheets. Click on the highlighted words to find their meaning.
PETER ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY
Peter Tchaikovsky was one of the most famous Russian composers. He wrote six symphonies, music for ballets, piano pieces and many concertos. Tchaikovsky's music is easy to listen to and you probably will recognize some of it. Click below to see some performances of his music:
Nutcracker - Trepak Dance
Nutcracker - Waltz of the Flowers performed by the Vancouver Symphony
Nutcracker - Nutcracker March
Swan Lake - Entrance
Sleeping Beauty Waltz - Gimnazija Kranj Symphony
Tchaikovsky's Childhood
Tchaikovsky was born in a small town in Russia called Votkinsk. Tchaikovsky's father was a mining engineer and his mother was French. Both of his parents had some musical training. Tchaikovsky had four brothers and two sisters. When he was four years old, his parents hired a French governess (private teacher) named Fanny Durbach, to look after Tchaikovsky and his older brother. Young Peter was a very quick learner. By the age of six, he had learned to speak French and German.
Tchaikovsky started taking piano lessons when he was five. He was a quick learner with music too. In just a few years, he could read music as well as his teacher.
Despite his gift for music, his parents did not want him to make a career in music. When he was 10, his parents sent him to attend a school in Saint Petersburg about 800 miles away from his home and family. Tchaikovsky was unhappy at the school and missed his family very much.
A few years later, when Tchaikovsky was 14, his mother died from cholera (a bacteria disease from contaminated water). This was a sad time for Tchaikovsky. He later said that his mother's death was the event that shaped his life. In his sadness, Tchaikovsky turned to music for comfort. He improvised music at the piano and began writing down some early compositions (music).
Tchaikovsky completed school at age 19 and took a job as a government clerk. This job did not make him happy, so he decided to return to studying and composing music. He took classes at the St. Petersburg Conversatory with Anton Rubenstein, who was famous pianist, conductor and composer. When Tchaikovsky finished his studies at the conservatory, he was awarded a silver medal, which was a special prize given to outstanding students.
MUSICAL CAREER
Tchaikovsky was offered a teaching job at the new Moscow Conservatory so he moved to Moscow where he taught and also continued to compose. His early pieces, however, were not liked by audiences.
Tchaikovsky's life changed when a wealthy widow named Nadezhda von Meck asked him to compose a work for violin and piano. She liked his composition so much that over the next 13 years, she gave him money so that he could focus on composing. In all that time, they never met, but they exchanged more than 1,000 letters! They became very close friends in these letters, and Tchaikovsky dedicated many of his pieces to her.
With this support, Tchaikovsky continued to compose music and soon the public grew to love his pieces, both in Russia and across the world. In 1891, near the end of his life, Tchaikovsky conducted performances of his works at Carnegie Hall in New York City. He was very pleased to discover that American audiences loved his music.
THE NUTCRACKER
Every December there are performances of The Nutcracker, a ballet composed by Tchaikovsky that is loved by children and adults. The ballet is based on a story called The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, which was written by the German writer E.T.A. Hoffmann. Although the details of the tale change slightly in different performances, the basic story is always the same.
TCHAIKOVSKY AND THE NUTCRACKER
When people in Russia heard Hoffmann's exciting story, they decided that it would make a wonderful ballet. They asked Tchaikovsky to write the music for the ballet. Several years earlier, Tchaikovsky composed the music for two other ballets: Swan Lake and The Sleeping Beauty.
To bring the story of The Nutcracker to life in the ballet, Tchaikovsky had to write music that would portray the exciting events of the story and also be appropriate for ballet dancing. Tchaikovsky also published an orchestral suite with some of the pieces from The Nutcracker. Orchestras often perform this suite without any ballet performance, because the music is so wonderful.
If you are unable to attend a performance of The Nutcracker, which usually features elaborate sets and creative costumes, you can easily watch a video recording of a performance, either checked out from the library or on the internet.
THE STORY
At a family party on Christmas Eve, a girl named Clara is given a wooden nutcracker doll, while her brother Fritz receives a set of toy soldiers. Late that night, when everyone in the house is sleeping, Clara sneaks downstairs and discovers that the nutcracker doll and the soldiers have grown in size and come to life. The nutcracker and the soldiers are fighting a group of giant mice around the Christmas tree, which also has magically grown bigger. Clara sees that the Nutcracker is losing a battle against the largest mouse, the Mouse King. She throws her slipper at the giant mouse, and the Nutcracker defeats him.
After the fighting is done, the Nutcracker turns into a handsome prince, and he takes Clara on magical adventure. Together they travel to the Land of the Sweets, which is ruled by the Sugar Plum Fairy. Clara and the prince then watch as dancers from Spain, China, and Russia perform. After the dance, "Waltz of the Flowers," is done, Clara wakes up back in her own bed on Christmas morning. She wonders whether it was all just a dream.
PETER ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY
Peter Tchaikovsky was one of the most famous Russian composers. He wrote six symphonies, music for ballets, piano pieces and many concertos. Tchaikovsky's music is easy to listen to and you probably will recognize some of it. Click below to see some performances of his music:
Nutcracker - Trepak Dance
Nutcracker - Waltz of the Flowers performed by the Vancouver Symphony
Nutcracker - Nutcracker March
Swan Lake - Entrance
Sleeping Beauty Waltz - Gimnazija Kranj Symphony
Tchaikovsky's Childhood
Tchaikovsky was born in a small town in Russia called Votkinsk. Tchaikovsky's father was a mining engineer and his mother was French. Both of his parents had some musical training. Tchaikovsky had four brothers and two sisters. When he was four years old, his parents hired a French governess (private teacher) named Fanny Durbach, to look after Tchaikovsky and his older brother. Young Peter was a very quick learner. By the age of six, he had learned to speak French and German.
Tchaikovsky started taking piano lessons when he was five. He was a quick learner with music too. In just a few years, he could read music as well as his teacher.
Despite his gift for music, his parents did not want him to make a career in music. When he was 10, his parents sent him to attend a school in Saint Petersburg about 800 miles away from his home and family. Tchaikovsky was unhappy at the school and missed his family very much.
A few years later, when Tchaikovsky was 14, his mother died from cholera (a bacteria disease from contaminated water). This was a sad time for Tchaikovsky. He later said that his mother's death was the event that shaped his life. In his sadness, Tchaikovsky turned to music for comfort. He improvised music at the piano and began writing down some early compositions (music).
Tchaikovsky completed school at age 19 and took a job as a government clerk. This job did not make him happy, so he decided to return to studying and composing music. He took classes at the St. Petersburg Conversatory with Anton Rubenstein, who was famous pianist, conductor and composer. When Tchaikovsky finished his studies at the conservatory, he was awarded a silver medal, which was a special prize given to outstanding students.
MUSICAL CAREER
Tchaikovsky was offered a teaching job at the new Moscow Conservatory so he moved to Moscow where he taught and also continued to compose. His early pieces, however, were not liked by audiences.
Tchaikovsky's life changed when a wealthy widow named Nadezhda von Meck asked him to compose a work for violin and piano. She liked his composition so much that over the next 13 years, she gave him money so that he could focus on composing. In all that time, they never met, but they exchanged more than 1,000 letters! They became very close friends in these letters, and Tchaikovsky dedicated many of his pieces to her.
With this support, Tchaikovsky continued to compose music and soon the public grew to love his pieces, both in Russia and across the world. In 1891, near the end of his life, Tchaikovsky conducted performances of his works at Carnegie Hall in New York City. He was very pleased to discover that American audiences loved his music.
THE NUTCRACKER
Every December there are performances of The Nutcracker, a ballet composed by Tchaikovsky that is loved by children and adults. The ballet is based on a story called The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, which was written by the German writer E.T.A. Hoffmann. Although the details of the tale change slightly in different performances, the basic story is always the same.
TCHAIKOVSKY AND THE NUTCRACKER
When people in Russia heard Hoffmann's exciting story, they decided that it would make a wonderful ballet. They asked Tchaikovsky to write the music for the ballet. Several years earlier, Tchaikovsky composed the music for two other ballets: Swan Lake and The Sleeping Beauty.
To bring the story of The Nutcracker to life in the ballet, Tchaikovsky had to write music that would portray the exciting events of the story and also be appropriate for ballet dancing. Tchaikovsky also published an orchestral suite with some of the pieces from The Nutcracker. Orchestras often perform this suite without any ballet performance, because the music is so wonderful.
If you are unable to attend a performance of The Nutcracker, which usually features elaborate sets and creative costumes, you can easily watch a video recording of a performance, either checked out from the library or on the internet.
THE STORY
At a family party on Christmas Eve, a girl named Clara is given a wooden nutcracker doll, while her brother Fritz receives a set of toy soldiers. Late that night, when everyone in the house is sleeping, Clara sneaks downstairs and discovers that the nutcracker doll and the soldiers have grown in size and come to life. The nutcracker and the soldiers are fighting a group of giant mice around the Christmas tree, which also has magically grown bigger. Clara sees that the Nutcracker is losing a battle against the largest mouse, the Mouse King. She throws her slipper at the giant mouse, and the Nutcracker defeats him.
After the fighting is done, the Nutcracker turns into a handsome prince, and he takes Clara on magical adventure. Together they travel to the Land of the Sweets, which is ruled by the Sugar Plum Fairy. Clara and the prince then watch as dancers from Spain, China, and Russia perform. After the dance, "Waltz of the Flowers," is done, Clara wakes up back in her own bed on Christmas morning. She wonders whether it was all just a dream.
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
Vocal Range
In Fourth and Fifth Grade, we have been learning about five different singing ranges: Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Baritone and Bass. We have compared what each voice sounds like and talked about whether the voice is used by a male or female. Students will now complete a PBL project about what they know about each voice range.
PBL on Vocal Ranges
Students, find the note ranges for each voice and fill in the notes on your Grand Staff. Click here to learn about each singing range: Four Voice Ranges
While elementary students have 'children' voices, their voices will change and develop as they get older. If you'd like to find your vocal range, check out this link: Vocal Ranges
PBL on Vocal Ranges
Students, find the note ranges for each voice and fill in the notes on your Grand Staff. Click here to learn about each singing range: Four Voice Ranges
While elementary students have 'children' voices, their voices will change and develop as they get older. If you'd like to find your vocal range, check out this link: Vocal Ranges
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