Ancient Music

Ancient music is somewhat of a mystery. While several ancient civilizations had some form of musical notation, interpretation of that notation is up for debate. Music and dance is often reconstructed from artwork depicting musicians and dancers, instruments found in burial sites, or existing traditional music of the area. However, this uncertainty hasn’t stopped our music classes from enjoying explorations of what music may have sounded like in ancient times.

K – 2 students have been experiencing Pharaonic (Ancient Egyptian) music and dance through the story of Hatshepsut – one of the most successful pharaohs, who also happened to be female. Students especially enjoyed imagining how Pharonic dances may have been choreographed. Egyptian choreographers named their “moves” with evocative titles such as: “the successful capture of the boat," “the calf,” "the leading along of an animal," and "the taking of gold.”

3rd – 4th grade students have been recreating music from Native American traditions – singing traditional melodies using wordless vocalizations (also known as non-lexical vocables) and choosing appropriate accompaniment instruments, including drums, sticks, rattles, and bells. It seems the more these students get to bang on drums, the happier they are.

Finally, 5th - 8th graders have, of course, been working with ancient music in the context of their upcoming production of Gilgamesh. Scholars believe Mesopotamian music was based on the diatonic scale (like our major and minor scales), based on pipes found in archaeological digs. However, we have been using a slightly different arrangement of the diatonic scale than what our modern ears are used to – such as the Phrygian mode – to set an otherworldly, ancient mood in our music. Students were enamored of Phrygian music, calling it “spooky” and “sad.” Who knows, Sumerians may have loved this mode as well!

6th – 8th graders have been exploring this music in the context of creating the proper mood for a scene. They first analyzed how Edvard Grieg used different musical properties to set a mood in his own music for a play, Peer Gynt. Students loved the excitement built in The Hall of the Mountain King and are working to use similar techniques to set musical moods for battle and funeral scenes.

Recorder time

As many of you may have heard :), we have begun recorder study in 3/4 and 5/6 classes. 3/4 students are thrilled to have a musical instrument in their hot little hands, while 5/6 students have begun work with the larger, deeper-toned alto recorder. We first spent some time exploring the possibilities of the recorder through creating a "rainforest:" students were invited to investigate the different sounds they could get out of their recorders. They took their recorders apart, hummed and sang into them, blew through the fingerholes, found out what happened when different parts of the recorder were blocked. They made a wide variety of sounds--from frogs and birds to wind, water, and trees.

We have also been reviewing the basics of tone production and note-reading and will continue our belt program for soprano recorders. In the belt program, students can learn a series of songs of increasing difficulty to earn differently-colored “belts” to hang on their recorders, much like karate belts. We will be working as a class to help every student earn their first few belts, though some have already chosen to work on their own to earn them ahead of time. Once students have earned their black belt, they can earn further belts by helping other students earn belts.

The recorder is a true musical instrument (not just a toy for kids) with a rich historical tradition. If you’re interested in further listening, I’d recommend starting with the Pro Arte Recorder Ensemble, Marion Verbruggen, or Michaela Petri.

Parents: thank you for listening. Though first sounds from beginners can be less than sonorous, the recorder can indeed make beautiful music - even in the hands of students!

To Market, to Music

September was full of farm and table connections as we began our hard work (and fun play) singing, dancing, playing instruments, and composing in the music room. Kindergarteners enjoyed learning folk songs, rhymes, and dances centered on several "farm animals of the day." Their most-requested activity to review has been galloping in different ways to different sections while I played Schumann's Wild Horseman on the piano - a way for them to experience form and pulse in music. They have also been exploring their voices and instruments in the music room to provide accompaniments for books about farming and animals. (Many thanks to Val for providing me with several delightful books to use with the students.) Similarly, 1/2 graders had a blast working in small groups to sonically illustrate:

They were quite pleased with and proud of their final performances - and were able to use loud, soft, high, and low sounds appropriately to convey the mood of the story. 1/2 students also commemorated their trip to the farmer's market by "shopping" for various fruits and vegetables placed around the music room, then improvising vocally and on instruments, inspired by their choices (I got inspiration for this activity from Doug Goodkin's book Intery Mintery.) 3/4 students very much enjoyed drawing and journaling to Aaron Copland's Rodeo Suite, helping them to understand contrast in music and how different tempi, dynamics, and instruments are used to set mood in orchestral music. They have also been very involved in working in small groups to compose and solve musical problems, and have loved improvising on various classroom instruments inspired by folksongs about food and farm life. 5/6 students have been getting "postcards" from around the world teaching them songs about food as a way to review note-reading and instrumental composition techniques. They worked together to arrange a version of Diem a Ga - about the delicious Taiwanese delicacy of pig's feet - that was so beautiful I got goosebumps (another activity inspired by the geniuses at the San Francisco School). Finally, the 6/7/8 group worked to compose songs with a melody and accompaniment, either using a poem about food or eating that I provided, or their own words. Results ranged from a lovely guitar, drum, and vocal piece about the uniqueness of our school to a rap with spare xylophone and drum accompaniment with a very beatnik feel.

In all, we've had a great start to a productive year!

Field trips

We will again be taking advantage of Ann Arbor's cultural opportunities with field trips to area music performances this school year. Kindergarteners, first-, and second-graders will be attending
Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán, which promises to be an exciting way to celebrate our musical "Global Citizenship" on January 28, 2013. 3/4 and 5/6 classes will be attending the Ragamala Dance performance on April 24, 2013 as they use myth, music, and dance together to communicate with audiences, touching on themes of Global Citizenship and Circle of Life.

Edit: Unfortunately, we will not be able to attend From Cass Corridor to the World, as school is not in session that day. Stay tuned for alternate plans.

Finally, the entire school will attend this year's Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra Youth Concert on March 13, 2013, focusing on nationalistic classical music from around the world, another great way to explore our global citizenship.

If you would like to help out as a chaperone at one of these performances, please contact me or your child's classroom teacher. Because of limited space on buses, chaperones may have to drive separately and meet us at the concert venue - either Hill Auditorium or the Power Center, both in downtown Ann Arbor.

What Do Music Teachers Do With Their Summer Vacations?

They go to music camp, of course!

I had the pleasure of attending the San Francisco School Level II Orff course for two weeks this summer. I learned a million-and-one songs, dances, and teaching techniques from around the world that I can't wait to share with my students. I honed my recorder skills, composed and arranged new pieces, and got feedback on my teaching. We started singing and dancing at 8AM every day and often didn't stop until late into the night. I also got to experience being a music student again--I have a renewed respect for the power and frustrations of individual and (especially) group work. Whew! What a summer! Back to recorder practice and lesson planning...

Kindness, Loyalty, Respect

5th and 6th graders at SK had the amazing opportunity to work with Chris DuPont and Betsy King of Community Records on writing and recording their own song.

Students brainstormed on issues that were important to them and identified their most pressing problem as the negative ways in which they were speaking to each other. Our expert song-smiths then helped students use the problem's impact and potential solutions to create singable lyrics. Students used classroom instruments (and chairs) to lay down a beat and their personal musical preferences to generate ideas for background riffs, interludes, and melodies.

The kids had a fantastic time--huddled around the microphone when our music room was transformed into a recording studio, composing lyrics while sitting on the playground, and watching Chris make magic out of the recordings with Pro Tools and his synthesizer.

The song premiered at Reflections Night, but took some time afterwards to make it into a shareable file. I am now so pleased and proud to present for your downloading and listening pleasure:

Kindness

We've got a problem with the way we talk,
Insult each other, we just can't stop,
Talking just so we can hear our own voice,
In the end, it's all just noise.

Kindness, loyalty, respect

Bullying and fighting happens every day,
This air pollution makes you want to run away.
It takes some patience now to change this mess,
We've got to learn to lay our words to rest.

Kindness, loyalty, respect

We can fix this, it's within our reach,
If we can listen first before we speak.
We can be the ones to take the first step,
We can start a revolution of kindness.

Kindness, loyalty, respect 

Reflections Night!

This Thursday at 7pm will be Reflections Night at SK, our annual showcase of music and art programs. I can't believe it's almost here! We've been hard at work in the music room to make the show fun and rewarding for students as well as parents. Back in April, I had K-2 classes brainstorm their most enjoyable activities or performances in music, then vote to choose the class favorites. Kindergarteners chose the Ballad of John Henry and a Chinese New Year parade. First and Second grade classes each chose a singing game and to play instruments or drums. Third and fourth graders chose to focus on the recorder song that would earn them their next recorder belt, "By the Fireside," rather than revisiting previous pieces. Our fabulous art teacher then worked with the students to create props for each performance.

I also aimed to include substantially student-created aspects in each performance, ranging from choreography by the Kindergarteners to an entire recorded track by 5th and 6th grade students. (We have been incredibly fortunate in having some musicians from Community Records work with the 5th and 6th graders, but more on that later.)  The process of creating a performance as a group has involved a lot of decision-making, conflict, and compromise. While this hasn't always been pleasant, students are learning important lessons in teamwork and musicianship. As a music teacher, it has been a bit scary to let go and let students decide, rather than telling them what to do and how it should be done. However, I'm often pleasantly surprised by the results. I hope this final project will represent the students' hard work and joy in music.

5/6 Rock Band -

The band rehearses ...

Rock cello...look at that focus!

5/6 graders got to visit Oz's music environment again this week. This time: rock instruments! Students took turns playing various guitars and drums, as well as singing. Oz taught us a song that outlined the chords of a 12-bar blues progression, and off we went! Students were also able to play "Hound Dog" using the same progression. The distorted guitar effect was popular, as were drum and conga solos. Such fun! We will be having a special guest in the 5/6 music classes for the mont

Guitar and bass jam.

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Classical Indian Music a Huge Hit

3rd-6th graders saw an amazing performance by Zakir Hussain and his Masters of Percussion on Thursday. Mr. Hussain presented the 2,000-year-old tradition of Indian classical music in a way that was fresh, engaging, informative, and even funny. The show opened with a back-and-forth vocal improvisation between Mr. Hussain and his Ghatam (clay jug) player, nicely paralleling our studies of rhythm syllables and question-and-answer improvisation techniques in music class. I will admit, they were a little better at it than we are as of yet.... Here's a clip featuring Mr. Hussain in a similar performance:

Students were also thrilled by the bansuri, or Indian bamboo flute, played by Rakesh Chaurasia:

Not to mention the dancing drummers of Manipur:

The musicality of the performers was just amazing. Wow. The students were overwhelmingly positive about the experience and may have discovered a whole new genre of music to explore.

John Henry’s Hammer and Other Tools

We had a great time wrapping up our “Tools” theme this week in music. In K-4, we explored the legend of John Henry through literature, song, and music. Fun fact: sources (including NPR) claim that “John Henry” is the most recorded folk song in US history. Classes listened to versions by Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie, and/or Bruce Springsteen, as well as an instrumental piece based on the legend by Aaron Copland. While listening, students acted out the legend, meditated, or heard the book John Henry by Julius Lester, illustrated by Jerry Pinckney. After listening, students learned to sing "The Ballad of John Henry" quickly and enthusiastically. Students then chose instruments to hammer along with while they sang, which we layered in and out to create our final performance of the piece.

3/4 students also heard the story of John Henry, but used it as inspiration for working on their instrumental settings for "This Old Hammer." Students worked in small instrumental groupings to create more intricate accompaniments for the song, then performed for their classmates and began notating their work.

K-4 students also heard musical examples featuring a hammer and anvil as part of the orchestra. Students tried to re-create the sound in the music room, coming closest with a hard mallet on the gong. We then used this sound in our John Henry accompaniments. Some students recognized the Anvil Chorus from Il Trovatore, while even more recognized the other example as part of Nicholas Hopper's soundtrack from Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

Blacksmith or orchestral musician?

5/6 students continued to try out musical tools at Oz’s Music Environment. This week, we focused on stringed instruments, including violins, violas, cellos, string basses, harps, and guitars. Students learned basic techniques and played various note values in unison. Students were enthralled by a live demonstration by a recent graduate of the violin program at the UM School of Music, and were quite creative in their imaginings of stories behind the songs she played.

Tool Time

Here’s a sampling of activities we’ve done so far in music to supplement students’ learning about tools. I haven’t been bold enough to have the kids experiment with using standard tools as instruments, instead using and studying the “tools” we have in the music room, as they are a bit less likely to lead to injury….

Kindergartners enjoyed learning various songs about tools, and then finding instruments in the music room that most sounded like the tools to accompany their singing and chanting. The class favorite was “Johnny Works with One Hammer.” Not satisfied with just using five hammers (hands, feet, and head keeping the beat while singing), they extended the song to 21 hammers –fingers, toes and head hammering simultaneously. Giggles ensued.

1/2 students are composing rhythmic interludes for a song based on the rhyme “There’s Music In a Hammer.” Students worked in groups to arrange names of tools and their corresponding note values to make rhythmic patterns and transfer the patterns to their bodies and instruments. Next week: performances!

3/4 students are becoming quite accomplished at accompanying their singing on the barred instruments. It’s such a treat when we finish a song and they exclaim, “That was great! Let’s do it again!” beaming with pride. This month, we’re taking it a step further, by working together to arrange our own accompaniment for “This Old Hammer.” I’m hoping the arrangement will be simple enough that the 1/2 classes will be able to play it successfully.

5/6 students have eagerly taken to working in a drum circle. We are lucky to have seven student conga drums, 17 hand drums, and a full set of other percussion tools, such as cowbells, maracas, and a suspended cymbal, in our music room. I have seen a great improvement in student motivation and focus Students have been able to accurately play some complex rhythms, and really get “in the groove” every now and again.

Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra - Fairy Tales From Our Symphony

All classes have enjoyed interacting with the music we will be hearing at next week’s Ann Arbor Symphony concert. They were thrilled to learn they would be hearing music from the Harry Potter movies, and enjoyed the verve and contrast in Michael Daugherty’s “Oh, Lois!” This piece, from Daugherty's Metropolis Symphony about Superman, was composed to sound like a comic book, full of orchestral "Wham!" and "Pow!". Daugherty himself will be hosting the concert.

We also worked with two waltzes from ballet suites: Prokofiev’s waltz from Cinderella and Tchaikovsky’s Sleeping Beauty Waltz. Many students preferred the darker, more modern sound of the Prokofiev, while others were pleased to notice similarities between Sleeping Beauty and the Nutcracker Suite, also by Tchaikovsky. Students’ interest in ballet was taken to new heights after learning that it was originally based on the moves of fencing. Students were also interested to hear versions of the Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty stories that were not the “Disney Princess” versions, and 5/6 students especially enjoyed sharing and comparing different versions of the tales. Third through sixth grade students were excited to identify themes and repeats in the music by following along with a visual listening map. Students of all ages enjoyed waltzing, dueling, and acting out parts of the story along to the music. I was impressed by the grace and joy displayed in the duels as well as in the ballet moves and waltzes. Students should experience greater enjoyment and understanding of music at the concert after getting to interact with the music physically, visually, and emotionally.

A Triple Waltzing Trio

We also still have room for additional chaperones, Wednesday March 14, from 9:25 am to about noon. If any parents want a free trip to the orchestra, feel free to contact me ☺.

Barn Dance a Huge Success!

To kick off winter break, SK held its annual Barn Dance at a nearby school auditorium. Students got to show off their skills in various community dances they learned throughout the month, including US square dances and folk dances from Israel, Québec, England, and the Ukraine. Val, our beloved kindergarten teacher, offered her photography skills for the evening:

A 5/6 and 3/4 student partner up for "Sasha!"

We were lucky to have not only a large proportion of SK students and parents show up, but also grandparents, siblings, and other relatives and friends. It was a delight to see such a wide range of people laughing, smiling, (and sweating) while trying to follow along with the dance steps.

Listening to instructions ...

Many thanks to the SK Parent Engagement Committee for planning the event, spreading the word, and encouraging attendance. Thank you also to the parents who arrived early to set up and decorate, as well as those who stayed late to clean. The auditorium was transformed into a Western-themed wonder, complete with a barn, lanterns, hay bales, and a (cardboard) campfire. While not dancing, kids and adults could take part in various games and activities, or just eat snacks and enjoy conversation with fellow community members.  The kids were thrilled to see Jan, last year’s music teacher, who graciously agreed to call the dance. The SK community is amazing!

Joanna lends a hand at ring toss.

Strike a pose.

Field trips

5/6 students had a great time visiting Oz's Music Environment this week, gaining exposure to brass instruments. I unfortunately missed a golden photo opportunity: we had Danny on French horn, Aristea on bugle, Isobel on alto horn, Cory, Mikey, and Saul on on trumpet/cornet, Atty on trombone, and Trent on baritone. After practicing their buzzing embouchures, they were able to make a marvelous racket. With conducting and coaching from Oz, they were able to use their previous recorder experiences to help them articulate notes and follow conducting signals. They even played the rhythm to "Hail to the Victors" and sight-read some other rhythms. Students rated this trip an overwhelming thumbs up, and we may return to give kids a chance to try other instruments.

Many thanks to Steve Oz for providing this experience, and to Mr. B for offering to chauffeur us there and back again.

The entire K - 2 crowd will be going to Hill Auditorium to see Sweet Honey in the Rock on Friday. This trip complements our Migrations theme perfectly, as we have been listening to and learning music related to African American migrations. K-2 students have learned to sing one of Sweet Honey's songs, "All for Freedom," and all grades have been discussing how music helped migrating people to express their emotions at leaving home, as well as to remind themselves of home.

In other news, this blog post was typed by my right hand alone, as my left arm was broken in an unfortunate incident with some ice while walking my dog this weekend. Full recovery is expected, but I won't be able to properly demonstrate instrument playing for a while, and may have to miss some days this week.

Musical Maps

In January, we took the opportunity to explore various ways that visual and kinesthetic maps could improve our understanding of music. First through sixth graders all enjoyed discovering how "listening maps" were related to various pieces of music, especially the second movement of Haydn's "Surprise" Symphony. Listening maps are a visual tool to help music listeners hear and remember the salient features of a composition without having to be able to read music notation. At the same time, it prepares students for reading music notation. Students loved the folk story about the musical "surprise,"a fortissimo chord placed in the middle of the traditionally quiet and soothing second movement: Haydn put it there to wake concertgoers that had fallen asleep. Unfortunately, Wikipedia says Haydn denied the story in his old age. Students went into the symphony in more depth depending on age and interest (the 3/4s could not get enough). We compared the listening map to the musical score, picked out notation examples we recognized in the score, and eventually came to a greater understanding of how the musical score translated into the music we heard. We also used the listening map as a more traditional map and walked along the path it charted while listening to the music.

Relatedly, we also tried some Dalcroze movement and singing techniques I learned from David Frego at a music conference I recently attended. Students used the classroom floor to physically map the auditory difference between pitches. Each student chose a spot on the floor to represent the starting note of a song or scale, then chose another place forward or backward for each note, depending on the pitch's distance and whether it was higher and lower. We then sang through songs or scale patterns, stepping on each "note" as we sang it. The 5/6s especially benefited from this technique; I heard tuneful singing from some otherwise reluctant singers. Also, it helped fidgety students to productively use their energy while singing.

First and second graders also learned how to map rhythms using popsicle sticks and written notation to communicate rhythmic patterns to their classmates. Fifth and sixth graders were given a similar task: to compose and notate a variation on a given theme to share with classmates. Many students were excited about improving their knowledge of treble clef notation for pitches sung or played on the barred instruments. I am hoping they will be able to use this improved knowledge to notate songs they composed through vocal improvisations earlier in the month.

Mapping Mr. Waggle and Ms. Wiggle

Dramatis personae

To kick off the maps theme a couple of weeks ago, Kindergarteners loved hearing the story of Ms. Wiggle and Mr. Waggle, two star-crossed friends with very different voices. Mrs. Wiggle lived in the the highest tower of a castle on top of the highest mountain, with a high-pitched voice to match. Mr. Waggle, on the other hand, lived in the very bottom of the deepest sea with, of course, a low, deep voice. Both get lonely while home alone, so travel down hills and up valleys to find a friend. their voices changing in pitch as they change in altitude. At the end of the story, they meet on a unison pitch.

Simple enough, right? The Kindergartners could not get enough of this story!

They retold the story and illustrated it with improvisations on the barred instruments, playing higher or lower notes as the characters went higher or lower. Then the students, always eager to draw, drew maps of the paths between the two houses or the houses themselves. Finally, students worked with partners to arrange bits of yarn to map the paths between the houses, then took turns singing each other's paths. Students were quite involved and creative in laying out their paths, and took pride in showing and singing the paths to the rest of the class. 

This was a great way to prepare for music reading, when higher pitches are higher on the page. Also, students were able to use visual, kinesthetic, and interpersonal intelligences to build on their musical intelligence. I heard some of the children's head voices for the first time in music class. 

Many thanks to Janet Greene for the idea for this story, which I experienced at the San Francisco Orff workshop this past summer.