New Clubs are coming up!

AND:

Welcome back!!!

Welcome everyone!


HOPE you had the HAPPIEST vacation EVER!!!


Hey... I missed you, guys!


I know, you are thinking that how can I possible miss you and posting NEW MATERIAL for TEST ?????  Well... that is...irrelevant!  As you already know, this week we are going to have the Music Theory Test (except 6th graders) and after that, you will have 2 more: one in History and Terminology of music and the other in Auralia software (OK..this is going to be fun - I will update you in class!)


This is the notes I will give you to study at home, but in case someone doesn't get them...there is NO EXCUSE - there are here!

Music History:

Gregorian Chant:  Originated in monastic life, Gregorian Chant was traditionally sung by monks in churches  and it is, of course, a type of vocal music.  It is the first one to be notated  in a system ancestral to modern musical notation.

Canon: It is a piece of music that a musical theme get going infinite. Canons started out in Italy and France under the the name of “caccia” meaning in Latin: “chase”. There are different kinds of Canons’ most popular and famous are the “round canons”  and the “riddle canon”, where you needed to follow a clue, or a rule written on the canon in order to get it to work (e.g: “play it backwards”). Famous composers of canons are: Bach, Beethoven, Mozart. The most famous, though, piece of canon is  Canon in D written by  Pachelbel.

Harpsichord: Is a musical instrument played by means of keyboard (its strings are plucked from a keyboard), widely used in Baroque and  Renaissance period. It is known also as cembalo in many countries such as Germany.

Romantic Symphonic Orchestra: The first form of the Symphonic orchestra as we know it. It is consisted of strings, woodwinds, brass and percussion.  In strings group we have:  violins, violas, violoncellos, double basses and harp. In woodwinds group we have : flutes, oboes (English horns), clarinets in B-flat and bassoons. In brass group we have: horns in F, trumpets in F,  trombones and tubas. In percussion group we have: timpani, snare drum, bass drum, cymbals, triangles, tambourines and glockenspiel. 

Violin: The violin belongs to the string family. It is the smallest and the highest pitched instrument in the violin family. It’s first name was “vitula” which in Latin means: stringed instrument. A violin maker is called “luthier”.  The voice of the violin depends on the shape, the wood that is made from and the varnish that coats the outside surface. 

  The most important parts of the violin are: 

the peg box

the neck

the bridge

the f-holes

the fine tuners and 

the chin rest

 Violin’s strings (4) were first made of sheep guts but in now days we use various synthetic materials. The open strings are: G, D, A, E (sol re la mi) and can be tuned by turning the pegs in the peg box. 

The violin is played by a bow made of a stick with 100 horsehair (usually grey male horse) between the tip and the frog at opposite ends.

One very famous playing technique in violin is the “pizzicato” mode: The violin player has to pluck the string with the finger of his right hand rather than use the bow.

Music Terminology:

Tempo: In modern music, tempo is indicated in beats per minutes (BPM). This mean that a particular note value (e.g a quarter, or an eighth) is specified as beat and the marking indicates that a certain number of these beats must be played per minute. 

The greater the tempo, the larger the number of the beats - therefore the faster to be played.

Basic tempo markings: In classical music it is used for the tempo to be described by one or more words. Before the metronome  the same metronome we use up to our days for beat matching), words were the only way to describe the tempo of a music piece; yet in now days we still use these terms:

▪ Lento — very slow (40–60 BPM)

▪ Largo — very slow (40–60 BPM), like lento

▪ Grave — slow and solemn

▪ Adagio — slow and stately (66–76 BPM)

▪ Andante — at a walking pace (76–108 BPM)

▪ Moderato — moderately (101-110 BPM)

▪ Allegro moderato — moderately quick (112–124 BPM)

▪ Allegro — fast, quickly and bright or "march tempo" (120–139 BPM)

▪ Vivace — lively and fast (-140 BPM) (quicker than allegro)

▪ Presto — very fast (168–200 BPM)

▪ Prestissimo — extremely fast (more than 200 BPM)

Terms for changes in the tempo:  Sometimes, composers may use expressive marks to adjust 

tempo in the music:

▪ Accelerando:  Speed up

▪ Ritardando: Slow down

▪ Ritenuto: Slightly slower, like holding back

▪ A Tempo: Return to the main tempo marking.

For more images, please see older post on 10/12/2010. 

THAT'S ALL FOLKS! See you in class for more updates!!!!!!!

rests and names: especially for 4th graders!!!!

Dear 4th graders,


Your music test in the elements of music theory will contain rests also :)!


Please, take a look at the picture below - it will help you remember the names!

4th, 5th grade and 6th grade music test: due dates / helping notes!

Hi all!


Please take a look at the terminology below, it will help you study for your music test (due date: 4th grade - January 6th, 14:00 , 5th grade- January 7th, 13:00 and 6th grade- December 16, 13:00)

• Stave /Staff: the 5 lines we use to write music notation on.

• Clef: Treble (G) and Bass (F). The music symbol that indicates the pitch of the written music notes

• Stem: the line which extends from the notehead. Look at the picture below to see the parts of an eight note:

• Bar lines: The vertical lines drawn through the staff to mark off metrical units:

• Accidentals: The symbols which mark a music note and alter their pitch. There are 3 accidentals:  Sharp (+ a semitone or half pitch), Flat (- a semitone or half pitch) and Neutral (brings the note in it's original form)

• Dynamic markings:

 p: piano (soft)

mp: mezzo piano (moderately soft)

pp: pianissimo (almost as a whisper)

f: forte (loud)

mf: mezzo forte (moderately loud)

ff: fortissimo (very loud)

Diminuendo: from forte to piano

Crescendo: from piano to forte

Photo album from Beauty and the Beast

Our performance in "Beauty and the Beast" on Friday went amazingly well!

What a feeling for everyone!

Thank you all for this great show, for your time and patience during the rehearsals, and for your indescribable energy and enthusiasm during the performance!

YOU ROCK!

http://picasaweb.google.com/ceri.his.photos/20101210BeautyAndTheBeastElementaryDeptPerformance#

So....what's next??/

Directions to Science Park Theatre (Beauty and the Beast)

View Hsinchu Science Park Theater in a larger map

How to prepare before performing

The day we will perform our show is really close now!
As you already know, performing for a crowd sometimes can be a nail-biting experience!
With a proper preparation you will be able to give a dynamic performance that everyone will enjoy...including YOU!


Here below you can find some good advices to prepare yourself for the day of your performance:

1. PRACTISE until you can perform in your sleep! The more you rehearse, the better you get - but be careful: try NOT to memorize your mistakes; A mistake accidentally repeated over and over is more likely to appear AND in YOUR performance. Perfect practise is more likely to yield perfect results!
2.  Perform to YOUR FAMILY. The more you perform in front of people, the more comfortable you will feel to perform in front of a crowd. Try to perform EXACTLY as you would on stage.
3. TAKE NOTES OF YOUR TROUBLE SPOTS. Highlight the lines in your script that you easily forget and practise these areas OVER and OVER AGAIN until you can perform them perfectly every time.
4. Get adequate sleep before your performance. Sleep deprivation can inhibit judgement and reaction time and can cause stress and anxiety.
5. EAT A HEALTHY SNACK AND DRINK SOME WATER before you perform. Right before you go on stage, be sure that you stop by the restroom. Save yourself any embarrassment and don''t consume anything that could cause flatulence such as beans, cabbage or broccoli.
6. MAKE USE OF YOUR SPARE TIME. If you have to wait backstage before you perform don't waste time thinking what could go wrong. Run the script in your mind and listen to the music. This will help you to focus.
7. EXPECT NERVOUSNESS! Even the most experienced performers can get butterflies in front of a crowd. Instead of letting this hinder your performance,  channel your jitters into energy for your act.

APPEAR CONFIDENT. Remain calm, hold your head up and SMILE!  The more confident you appear, the more confident you'll feel!




Try to follow the above advises! They have been tested from many others before and they really WORK!


THE MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL:


HAVE FUN! 

Saturday's rehearsal

Customize your own photo album

Rehearsal on Saturday, November 13th!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ms05La1pDIU

On Saturday, November 13th 12:30 -17:30 is the big rehearsal for the whole play!


We were waiting for that moment and  we all have to attend it.


This is our chance to wear our costumes, and put the whole play together in a non-stop pace.


See you all at our auditorium!

Rehearsing at Ms. Fay's

Take a look!
We had a Great Time!!
Thank you everyone for your positive mood, the fun we had and the delicious deserts you brought!!!

This free picture slideshow generated with Smilebox

sneak a peak!!!

http://smilebox.com/playBlog/4d546b334e5455794d6a633d0d0a&blogview=true

Rehearsals! Sneak a Peak!

Welcome again to our weekly "sneak a peak at the rehearsals" photo show!


Enjoy our young elementary actors while they're learning all about the musical world!

1st, 2nd and 3rd graders learning choreography for the "Be our Guest" scene

it's all about balance!

4th graders at the first row!

let's learn a little can - can steps!

on the stage now! let's learn how we...fall!

...well, acting is real fun!

hm...master.. it would be a good idea if you calmed down a little bit?

Waltzing all around the music class!

Music History: Violin instrument analysis

The parts of a violin

The violin is the first of the symphonic orchestra instruments we learned while breaking down a romantic symphonic orchestra.

It belongs to the "string family" and it has 4 strings tuned in perfect 5ths (G,D,A,E).

It is played with a bow made of grey male horse hair.

Please check the music notes I gave you for more information.

Below you can find a usefull link for violin players:

http://www.theviolinsite.com/

Rehearsals - Drama Class

4th graders learning a scene

Hello again!


Drama classes have begun and we all enjoy our new exploration of the theatrical world!
We learn how to speak clear and loud, how to breath properly in order to sing and act at the same time and how to move on the stage.
Acting is our main goal and there are so many new things we are excited to try for and have fun with, such as: 
-how can we alter our voice? 
-how we perform cogently enough the character we are impersonating?  
-how we control our stress on the stage?


Enjoy us in the rehearsals of the Beaty and the Beast during our Drama Session:

1st, 2nd and 3rd grade learning a choreograhy

Stay tuned!

Every week we will have more snap-shots from our theatrical progress!