Wednesday, August 31, 2011

WHAT WE DID TODAY 2011-2012: SEMESTER #1 WEDNESDAY; AUGUST 31, 2011

GENERAL MUSIC periods 1,2,3
OBJECTIVE: BODY LANGUAGE/FOLLOWING A CONDUCTOR
....ROLL
....WORKSHEET: WHAT IS BODY LANGUAGE WORKSHEET/DISCUSSION
....PROCEDURES/CLASS FOLDERS TO HOLD CLASSWORK
.....CLASS RULES TAKE HOME TO HAVE SIGNED

.....PRACTICING BODY LANGUAGE/FOLLOWING THE CONDUCTOR
........01. Body Language: What is it? Why is it needed in the orchestra? Demonstrate some examples.
........02. Silence: What is it? How is it used in music? Is there ever complete silence?
..............a. Sound does not become music without silence (the planned spaces between the sounds)
..............b. Music is a combination of sound and silence the most difficult part being the performance of the silences 

                  especially in a group of musicians.
..............c. Mistakes in the creation of musical sounds are able to be covered up in group playing but all mistakes are 

                  heard if someone in the group plays in the silence.
..............d. Learning to create the silence is a skill that takes training as it takes much control and focus to accomplish.
........03. Listening versus Hearing: What is the difference?
..............a. There are so many sounds around us that in order to function we have learned to block many of them out to 

                   where we have forgotten that our hear capacity is much greater than we know.
..............b. Listening deals with the process of intense focusing; an element essential for the musician
........04. Teams: An orchestra is a team. What other groups are teams?
........05. Teamwork: What is it and why is it important for an orchestra?
........06. Leadership: What is a leader and why is his/her function in a team?

........07. Rules: What are they? Why are they important for a team?
........08. Conduct: What is it?
........09. Conductor: As the leader of the orchestra's conduct, what does he do? What are his/her rules?

..... BODY LANGUAGE PRACTICE/FOLLOWING THE CONDUCTOR
........01. Importance of watching the conductor
........02. Review visual cues
........03. Demonstrate and practice the conductor's starting beat or "gravity" beat

               (What goes up...will come down) so everyone learns to start together
........04. Practice with percussion instruments
(after short demonstration of each instrument used) cues on how to:
..............a. stop/start
..............b. get louder/softer
..............c. faster/slower
..............d. how to
stop with a silence that is not only heard but seen by an audience
             (body movements are completely still until the conductors hands go down)  

ADVANCED VIOLIN 
OBJECTIVE: DIRECTIONS/PROCEDURES
....ROLL
....CONCERT INFORMATION-PLANS FOR THE YEAR
....NEW PROCEDURES ON SET-UP/TAKE DOWN DISCUSSION
....CLASS RULES: TAKE HOME TO HAVE SIGNED


BEGINNING VIOLIN
OBJECTIVE: DIRECTIONS/PROCEDURES
....ROLL
....PROCEDURES/SEATING CHART
....INTRODUCTORY VIOLIN INFORMATION