COMPOSER: BACH: Invention #4 in D Minor played by the famous pianist Glenn Gould)
OBJECTIVE: NOTE READING ON THE KEYBOARD/NOTE READING BY STEP-WISE MOTION
1. QUOTE AUTHOR: Fryderyk Chopin
.....a. Term used in the quote: "odious" meaning detestable; repulsive.
.....b. Chopin wrote many famous pieces of music (especially for the piano). A famous piece that he wrote that most everyone has heard is called the "Marche Funebre" (Funeral March)
.....a. Due to the fact that I was having the computer fixed and the older loaner given me could not read the word processing program that had all the slides for this report, I decided to go back to this report next Monday as my computer will be fixed by then.
3. RECORDER WARM-UP
.....a. Using echo technique review notes "B" (T1), "A" (T12), "G" (T123), "F" (T1234), "E" (T12345), "D" (T123456) and "C" [or middle "C" as found on the keyboard (T1234567)]
.....b. New fingering T02 ("C" one octave higher than middle "C" or "high C")
..........1)Practiced muscle movement pattern of "A" (T12) to High "C" (T02) to make into an automatic reflex
..........2)Practiced muscle movement pattern of "B" (T1) to High "C" (T02) to make into an automatic reflex (fingers 1 and 2 alternate back and forth)
.....c. Try all notes in order (descending) from high "C" down to low or middle "C"
..........1)This is a "C" major scale going down (DO-TI-LA-SOL-FA-MI-RE-DO) and I showed the students what it looked like on the keyboard.
..........2)Played the scale passage again changing the rhythm and produced the first phrase of "Joy to the World"
4. HOLIDAY SONG: JOY TO THE WORLD (Period 3 and 6 need to start on this part next week)
.....a. Showed the music and explained how many of the passages of music are made up of scales or scale like (step-wise)passages.
.....b. Class reviewed the recorder fingerings and sight read through the song
.....c. We looked at the music and discovered where the main "skips" were as skips are usually harder to play then steps.
.....d. The hardest skip pattern is middle (or low) "C" to high "C" so we pulled the two notes out and worked on learning the muscle movement pattern. (The movement pattern will not be really learned until it becomes an automatic reflex)
5. BECAUSE WE HAVE STUDENTS AT VARYING ABILITY LEVELS I DECIDED THAT WE ARE GOING TO PUT ON A MINI-RECITAL THE WEEK OF NOVEMBER 8, 9, 10.
1. Students will choose a song to play from the music we have been working on in class and/or a piece that I pre-approve of at their ability level.
2. During the next few weeks, when we have our keyboard playing days in class, students will practice the pieces they have chosen to play at our recital.
3. I will divide the class into groups of thirds and students in each group will perform on one of the scheduled days.
4. Students will perform their chosen song by themselves (solo).
BEGINNING VIOLIN PERIOD 5:
OBJECTIVE: PREPARATION FOR HOLIDAY PERFORMANCE ON DECEMBER 9th
1. TUNE
2. Major Scales 1 octave UH bow
3. Discuss and demonstrate playing scales as double-stops (fingering on the lower string while playing the neighboring higher string)
.....a. A question was posed about what to do if the finger (fingering a note) accidentially touches the open string.
Answer:
..........1)The angle of the finger, as it places down on a string, is not always the same.
..........2)Often times, in order to play and open string while fingering on the neighboring string the finger angle must be contorted (or bent a little differently) than normal.
.....b. We will start trying to play scales double-stopped with open strings the next time we work on scales.
3. HOLIDAY SONG: GOOD KING WENCESLAS
.....a. Because I was using an old computer while mine was being fixed I had trouble getting the sound recording to work so we played our music "acapella" without accompaniment.
.....b. We worked onarticulation; to make all the violins start and stop together.
.....c. A student was the bow leader to help everyone know who to follow in terms of bowings and articulation.
.....d. We played the hardest passage in the music which used a 2nd finger (note "B") on the "G" string.
VIOLIN PERIOD 4:
OBJECTIVE: Preparation for: Harvest Day performance on October 28th/Holiday Program December 9th
1. TUNE
2. MUSIC STANDS WERE SET-UP
3. HOLIDAY SONG: GOOD KING WENCESLAS
.....a. Worked with the guitar on understanding his part: Melody/Tablature
.....b. Practice Technique: Layering in the parts.
...........1)Started off having keyboard play bass line/harmony part
...........2)Added in cellos to bass line/harmony
...........3)Lastly, added in violin harmony parts (everyone)
..............a)Everyone learning the harmony part is good because it is good for sight reading, hearing intonation, and understanding how the melody part will fit in with the harmony. (It is sort-of like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle being fit together.)
......c. Asked keyboard to replay harmony part again only this time I played the melody against the harmony part so everyone could hear how the parts were to fit together.
......d. Everyone then split into melody and harmony parts: violins and guitar on melody/keyboard and cellos on harmony and both parts were played together
......e. Violins and guitar (melody) then needed to practice their part alone.
............1)As a group the fingering was reviewed
............2)Music was practiced but bows were not articulated together yet and we need to add in the slurred bow passages as well.
4. REVIEW SONGS FOR THE HARVEST FESTIVAL (PRACTICED DURING HR)
.....a. HOEDOWN
.....b. ORANGE BLOSSOM SPECIAL
.....c. DE COLORES
4 SCHOOL PRACTICE DAYS LEFT FOR THE HARVEST CONCERT