WHAT WE DID TODAY (SEMESTER #2-25): TUESDAY; MARCH 8, 2011

GENERAL MUSIC PERIODS 2,3,6
COMPOSER: BACH CELLO SUITE PRELUDE Bach of Suite No. 1 in G major, BWV 1007 

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LU_QR_FTt3E&feature=related) SEE POST ON THIS BLOG

1. Defined the term SUITE:
.....a. An instrumental composition, especially of the 17th or 18th century, consisting of a succession of dances in the same or related keys.
.....b. An instrumental composition consisting of a series of varying movements or pieces.
2. Short demonstration on the cello
OBJECTIVE: RECORDER NOTE READING BY LETTERS
1. QUOTE AUTHOR: John Phillip Sousa
.....a. A famous American band director and band composer opera the late 19th to the early 20th Century.
.....b. One of his most famous pieces was called "The Stars and Strips Forever"

.....c. He was known for his patriotic music. (I like to remember that fact about him this way: Sousa.)
.....d. He is also known as the inventor of a marching tuba (the instrument goes around the player making it easier to carry and play while marching) and the instrument called the Sousaphone was named after him.

2. Reviewed note reading by step
.....a. Explained and showed what line and space notes look like on the musical staff
.....b. Explained and showed what notes moving by step (up and down) look like on the musical staff.
...........1)A step is when a note moves from a line to the very next space (or vice versa) either up or down
...........2)These steps can be thought of like stairs you walk up and down on.
3. Notes that move by skip
.....a. Counting the lines and spaces in between the notes that move by skip
4. How to determine the name of one note on the staff so you can figure out all the other note names from it by using the musical alphabet concept

BEGINNING VIOLIN PERIOD 5:
OBJECTIVE: FINGERING DO-RE-MI
1. TUNE
2. FINGERING DO-RE-MI (Students are to remember to keep the 1st finger down when placing down the 2nd finger)
....a.    Using the guitar position (for practice purposes only) students reviewed and practiced plucking the strings using the right thumb over the 
          fingerboard while they fingered the DO, RE, MI notes using the left fingers.
.....b.  We practiced DO, RE, MI on each string in the CYCLE OF STRINGS and students were instructed to retry again with the objective of being 
          able to place the fingers down without using their eyes; I want them to use their sense of touch and their sense of hearing.
.....c.  When able to perform this task they are then ready to try placing the violin up in its regular position and pluck the same sounds, again using 
          right pizzicato.
.....d.  We re-did the exercise again using a DO, RE, MI, MI, RE, DO pattern (placing fingers down and then removing them in order).
.....e.  We started to use the DO, RE, MI patterns in songs; our first one to start on: "HOT CROSS BUNS" (This is to be played on each string in                 the CYCLE OF STRINGS)
..........1)First sing the solfege to get the tune in the mind first (you cannot play anything well on an instrument unless you can sing it in your head 
             first).

..........2)While in guitar position, sing again; this time singing the finger numbers as students place the proper fingers down (silent fingering).
..........3)Again in guitar position, sing the fingering and/or solfege while fingering on the left and plucking on the right.
..........4)If the last step can be done with ease, then try re-doing it in the proper holding position at the neck.
..........5)Once the left hand fingering is memorized and has become what I term an "automatic reflex" (movements that are performed without overtly 
             thinking because they have become a reaction) then the bow can be tried in replacement of the pizzicato.

..........6)Having the left fingering memorized allows the brain to focus only on the use of the bow; if the left fingers have not learned the movements 
             as an automatic reflex and the bow is used too soon with the left fingers, then the brain is forced to have to concentrate on two completely 
             different movements at the same time... that is very difficult to do and it will take longer to get the song learned.

..........7)Continue to use the UH (upper half ) of the bow only in playing the song and work toward articulating the beginnings of each separate bow 
             stroke.
.....f. We also started another DO-RE-MI song: Mary had a Little Lamb (using same practicing format)
Tomorrow Mary had a SAD lamb open string bowing try out open string holiday song if time

ADVANCED VIOLIN PERIOD 4:
OBJECTIVE: Preparation for Harvest Day performance on October 28th/Hoedown music
1. TUNE

2. Hoe Down
.....a. Worked on section B trying to get all the notes to stay together on the violins

.....b. Practiced cello, guitar, piano part separately and they learned to stay together

.....c. Violins need to accent the first note of every 4 in the 16th note passages
........1)Need to sit properly in the seat with feet on the floor so you can use the feet to help make the accent
........2)We do not play these instruments with only the upper parts of our bodies
3. Orange Blossom Special
.....a. Violins stayed together but the piano, guitar parts still need to keep steady beats (will work on that next lesson)

WHAT WE DID TODAY (SEMESTER #1-24): MONDAY; MARCH 7, 2011

GENERAL MUSIC PERIODS 2,3,6
COMPOSER: BACH PRELUDE AND FUGUE in D MINOR (SEE POST ON THIS BLOG)
1. Bach was an expert on playing the organ and he wrote many pieces of music for that instrument.
2. This piece is extremely famous and is often associated with music like one might hear in the "Haunted House" at 
     Disneyland. However, Bach had never intended his music to be used in that way.
3. A "prelude" is a musical introduction and a "fugue" is "a musical composition in which one or two themes are repeated 
    or imitated by successively entering voices and contrapuntally developed in a continuous interweaving of the voice parts." 
    (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fugue)
.....a. It is a fancy round or "canon" in which layers of melodies (horizontal patterns of repeated sounds) overlap themselves 
         in a such a way that their vertical combinations form very beautiful harmonies.
.....b. Each horizontal pattern of melody has an individual character that can be played alone but also combines well when 
         layered against the others in the fugue.

OBJECTIVE: UNDERSTANDING THE BAROQUE "CANON"
1. QUOTE AUTHOR: Gioacchino Rossini
.....a. An Italian opera composer from the 19th Century
.....b. One of his most famous pieces was the "William Tell Overture" 

         

          which was used as the theme song for old TV series called the "Lone Ranger."

 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxIuIxqo2So&feature=related)

2. Discussed what a musical "canon" is.
.....a. The word “canon” comes from the Greek kanon, meaning “rule” or “order.”
.....b. "A composition or passage in which a melody is imitated by one or more voices at fixed intervals of pitch and time." 
         Sort-of like a fancy round (ie: round example: "Row Row Row Your Boat")
.....c. This type of musical style is typical of the music that was being played during the time of Bach.
.....d. A good example of a canon in this style is one written by Johan Pachelbel

        (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wpPk8qk3uQ&feature=related).

.....e. We listened to a funny version of the Pachelbel canon called the"Tacobell Canon" 

         (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HG0VonKs7b8&feature=related)

.....f. After hearing the canon, we sang each of the 4 individual parts (melodies) with the recording.
.....g. Then I split the class into 4 parts and gave each group one of the 4 melodies to sing with the recording.
.....h. The groups switched parts and resang these again with the recording.
.....i. By singing the canon we were able to experience how difficult it is to sing one melody with someone next
         to you singing something completely different and also it helped the students to understand this famous style          from Bach's time.

BEGINNING VIOLIN PERIOD 5:
OBJECTIVE: DO-RE-MI Fingering
1. TUNE 
2. FINGERING DO-RE-MI (Students are to remember to keep the 1st finger down when placing down the 2nd finger)
....a. Using the guitar position (for practice purposes only) students reviewed and practiced plucking the                      strings using the right thumb over the fingerboard while they fingered the DO, RE, MI notes using the left                     fingers.
.....b. We practiced DO, RE, MI on each string in the CYCLE OF STRINGS and students were instructed to retry             again with the objective of being able to place the fingers down without using their eyes; I want them to use                 their sense of touch and their sense of hearing.
.....c. When able to perform this task they are then ready to try placing the violin up in its regular position and               pluck the same sounds, again using right pizzicato.
.....d. We re-did the exercise again using a DO, RE, MI, MI, RE, DO pattern (placing fingers down and then                         removing them in order).
.....e. We started to use the DO, RE, MI patterns in songs; our first one to start on: "HOT CROSS BUNS" (This is             to be played on each string in the CYCLE OF STRINGS)
..........1)First sing the solfege to get the tune in the mind first (you cannot play anything well on an instrument                   unless you can sing it in your head first).
..........2)While in guitar position, sing again; this time singing the finger numbers as students place the proper                 fingers down (silent fingering).
..........3)Again in guitar position, sing the fingering and/or solfege while fingering on the left and plucking on                     the right.
..........4)If the last step can be done with ease, then try re-doing it in the proper holding position at the neck.
..........5)Once the left hand fingering is memorized and has become what I term an "automatic reflex"                                     (movements that are performed without overtly thinking because they have become a reaction) then the                     bow can be tried in replacement of the pizzicato.
..........6)Having the left fingering memorized allows the brain to focus only on the use of the bow; if the left                         fingers have not 
              learned the movements as an automatic reflex and the bow is used too soon with the left fingers, then the                   brain is forced to have to concentrate on two completely different movements at the same time... that is                       very difficult to do and it will take longer to get the song learned.
..........7)Continue to use the UH (upper half ) of the bow only in playing the song and work toward articulating                   the beginnings of each separate bow stroke.
WE ARE CONTINUING THIS TOMORROW TO GET MORE STUDENTS READY TO COMBINE LEFT FINGERS WITH THE USE OF THE BOW

ADVANCED VIOLIN PERIOD 4: 
OBJECTIVE: Preparation for Harvest Day performance on October 28th/Hoedown music
1. TUNE
2. DE COLORES 
.....a. Reviewed harmony parts with cellos, guitar, and piano by having everyone (including violins) play the                 harmony part.
.....c. Started the process of connecting the parts together. by having 4 violins start the melody part (more
          have been added from yesterday and more students to be added later until all violins are playing the                           melody).
.....d. We worked on articulation so all instruments will be staring and stopping at the same time
.....e. We sight read through "Good King Wenceslas" in tutorial home room and started to read and play the                 notes located  on  the "D" string (playing with the recording students only played those notes and left out the           others...this rehearsal technique used to teach continuity)
QUIZ ON THE DIFFICULT 4-NOTE PASSAGE OF ORANGE BLOSSOM SPECIAL POSTPONED UNTIL I RE-ANNOUNCE IT