January 28, 2013

Grade 6: Our goals for this week are to continue building our reading skill using our sol-fa syllables by creating and performing a simple song using the major pentatonic scale, and performing ostinati to accompany our melodies. (The pentatonic scale is often associated with Oriental melodies.)

During our first class of the week, we review by echoing and reading patterns using do, re, mi, sol and la. Since we ran out of time last class, we will now listen to the story "Mei Ming and the Dragon's Daughter" and as the story is told, imagine how the pentatonic melody in this story might sound. Students will have an opportunity create a melody with a partner/group for Mei Ming's song::

     Fish have fins,
     Bird have wings,
     I have a small voice and
     I can sing.

During our second class of the week, students will learn more about penatonic music in China. They will complete their pentatonic melodies, rehearse them, and perform these melodies using voice and appropriate pitched percussion instruments.
If time permits, we will add authentic non-pitched instruments. Finally we will work to create our own Chinese percussion ostinato for Chinese New Year called "Hsehuo Gudien" or Festival Parade.

Grade 7: 
This is week 1 in term 2. Students are expected to practise twice this week outside of class. Our goals are to begin developing independence when playing in parts.
During our first class of the week, we will review/play songs 25, 26, 33 and 34 and will work with a partner to perform one of the songs for a mark next class. Practise record sheets will be collected and new ones assigned for term 2.
During our second class of the week, students will receive a pentatonic scale worksheet and will learn to play and improvise simple patterns using the penatonic scale.  For homework students will complete this worksheet.

Homework: practise your two part song (25, 26, 33, or 34) to present to the class, and finish pentatonic worksheet.

Grade 8:
This is week one in term 2. Students should practise twice outside of class this week. Our goals for this week are to improve our reading/playing skills by learning "Crusade" after decoding it, and begin considering how music affects the listener by exploring movie theme songs (incidental music) in our unit "Music and the Movies".
During our first class of the week, we will explore our score for "Crusade" and understand all of the terms and symbols used. We will play 16 measures and learn another 8 for homework.
During our second class of the week, we will watch a short youtube video about the history of "Talkies" and then in groups, try to match movies with recordings of their theme songs. Students will need to support their choices by analyzing what they hear in each musical example, and how it makes them feel. For homework, students will be asked to complete a worksheet "Movie Theme Analysis".

Homework: Movie Theme Analysis worksheet and practise 24 measures or more of "Crusade"