February 24, 2014

February 24, 2014

Grade 7 Goals: Students will review the elements of music covered so far and begin learning about the element of tonality, which refers to the scale used in composition. In particular, students will be expected to demonstrate an understanding of the pentatonic scale through listening, composition and performance.

During the first class of the week, students will complete testing on "Big Raven" and begin to learn song 84. Then they will view the video "Howard Goodall on Penatonic Music" Chinese Pentatonic, and Chopin's Etude 10, op. 5, which introduces the 5-tone pentatonic scale. They will write out this scale on a new scale chart.

During the second class of the week, students will review songs 72 and 74, and learn song 84 which uses a pentatonic scale. They will begin learning to improvise simple pentatonic patterns which repeat called "ostinati" and will be assigned a composing activity using the pentatonic scale. Students should know measures 45-60 of Tempest.

Homework: practise the pentatonic scale, song 84 and Tempest.

Grade 8 Goals: Students will be working on learning to read, play and compose using rhythms in 6/8 time. (6/8 time means that every measure will contain 6 eighth notes or the equivalent instead of the typical 4 quarter notes)

During our first class of the week, students will receive written feedback/marks on their "Home" assignments. They will listen to a variety of musical examples which use a new type of metre, to gain an understanding of the "feeling" of compound metre. Using a variety of strategies, they will learn how to clap, count and notate patterns in 6/8 time. Students will receive a worksheet which they will need to complete for homework, and a copy of a new band piece, "The Last Voyage of Queen Annes' Revenge" which uses this metre..

During the second class of the week, students will take up the worksheet and check their understanding of the work covered. Students will learn a section of the new band piece, and will begin a 6/8 composing assignment.

Homework: Finish worksheet. Begin composing assignment and practise "Last Voyage".

Senior Band - please listen to the following recordings:

Whispering Winds 

Last Voyage of Queen Annes' Revenge

February 17, 2014

February 17, 2014

Grade 7 Goals: Our goals for this week are to continue learning about the elements of music through listening and performance. We will review metre, tempo, dynamics and rhythms; we will add tone colours and pitches this week.

During our first class of the week, students will listen to examples of tone colours and pitches in pieces such as Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy, Pines of Rome - Appian Way, Canon, Spring, and popular musical examples as well. 

They will begin journal entry 2: Edvard Grieg wrote a piece of music called "In the Hall of the Mountain King". In this legend, the hero named Peer Gynt, escapes from ugly trolls who want him to marry the troll kings daughter. How does Grieg use musical elements (pitches, tone colours/timbres, rhythms, dynamics, tempo and metre) to create suspense as Peer Gynt escapes from the trolls?

Some students will be tested on "Big Raven". The success criteria include the ability to perform using:  correct posture and embouchure     
an appropriate-steady tempo    
accurate and in-tune pitches    
accurate rhythms    
a beautiful tone     
accurate dynamics
appropriate use of breath control
correct articulations  

During our second class of the week, students will review songs 72 and 74 and continue testing if needed. They will hear a recording of their new piece, "The Tempest" and begin measures 45 - 60.

Homework: Prepare for a performance test on Big Raven, complete journal 2, and begin learning Tempest at measure 45.

Grade 8 Goals: Our goal for this week are to continue to demonstrate an understanding of how the elements of music are used in incidental music create mood and convey information to the viewer.

For those students who have music this week: During our first class of the week, students will complete any remaining testing on "Home". Earth written assignments will be handed back and we will discuss them together in class.  In groups, students will listen to a variety of movie themes and determine which movie title they believe it matches. They will be asked to support their answers with information about the musical elements, the emotional effect on the viewer, and how it relates to the plot of the film. 

During our second class of the week, students will begin learning about 6/8 time and how music which is composed in this meter is performed.

Homework: begin to write counting under notes and learning a small section of "The Last Voyage of Queen Annes' Revenge"

February 10, 2014

February 10, 2014

Grade 7 Goals: Our goals for this week are to continue to understand the elements of music through listening and performance. We will focus on rhythm and tempo this week.

During our first class of the week, we will listen to a variety of pieces including: "Say Something", "Les Toreadors", "Swan Lake", That Aint Classy, Clarity   to help us identify the elements of rhythm (patterns of short and/or long sounds and silences) and tempo (the speed of the beat). Students will be asked to complete the following entry in their music journal: "The music I listen to usually has ________ dynamics, _________ metre, a _________tempo, _________short rhythms. I prefer this type of music because . . . " We will then apply that understanding to our music beginning with a brief review of songs 62-64. 

We will focus on our performance goals during our second class of the week: complete "Big Raven" and learn songs 72 and 74 in the method book. Students will receive a practise record sheet for term 2.

Homework: Learn all of "Big Raven" and songs 72 and 74 in the method book. Complete journal entry 1.

Grade 8 Goals: Our goals for the week are to demonstrate an understanding of how the elements of music create mood through language and musical performance.

During our first class of the week, students will share their "Earth" incidental music selections with classmates and discuss their choices. The written assignments will be collected and marked. We will focus on performing with expression to create emotion in "Home" and 

"Wonderful World" in preparation for a playing test next class.

During the second class of the week, students will be asked to demonstrate their playing skills by performing sections from "Home" and/or "Wonderful World".

Homework: Prepare for a playing test on Home and "Wonderful World".

February 3, 2014

February 3, 2014

Grade 7 Goals: This week's goals are to identify some of the elements of music through listening and use these elements in performance.

During our first class of the week, students will receive a copy of the Musical Elements Web which identifies and defines all of the elements of music. They will focus on understanding two of these elements: dynamics and metre, as we listen to "Elephants" and The Second Waltz" (three beats in every bar - triple metre), "The Washington Post March and Radetzky March (2 beats in every bar - duple metre). We will work on incorporating these elements in "Big Raven" measures 27-36 and 52-60, and songs 62-64.

During our second class of the week, we will review songs in duple and triple metre from our method book and "Big Raven". Students will be asked to prepare a listening journal which will be used throughout the term. 

Homework: Learn measures 27-36 or more of "Big Raven" and at least one triple and one duple metre song from the method book.

Grade 8 Goals: This week's goals are to demonstrate an understanding of how the elements of music are used to communicate a message or intensify an emotional response.

During our first class of the week, we will revisit our discussion on how the elements of music affect mood as we watch a scene from "Up". Then we will watch "Earth, The One Video You Must See" without it's background music and consider what the message of the video might be. Students will receive a worksheet in which they are asked to answer questions about the video and select appropriate background music based upon the message/mood they wish to share. With the remaining time, students will review "Home" measures 23-the end and then finish learning the beginning 23 measures. 

All students are expected to be able to play all of "Wonderful World" and "Home" at a slow tempo. Students will be tested on these pieces next week.

For those grade 8 classes which have at second music class this week, we will complete our study of "Wonderful World and "Home".

Homework: Learn all of "Wonderful World" and "Home" for a playing test next week. Complete the worksheet "Earth" for your second class next week.