Moving with Sid the Sloth !

Dancing with Sid

Follow Sid the Sloth's moves to learn the "Continental Drift".

When you can do it well, teach it to your siblings and parents. It would be fun to video all of you doing the "Drift"!

Sid has help from some friends all over the world who are dancing the "Drift".  Remember: this is optional, but I think you'll have fun doing some moves after a rainy Sunday!

Click on the uppercase, underlined word HERE under the picture of Sid to access the video.

Click HERE to learn the
"Continental Drift".

Make Your Own Drum Kit - Super Fun! Be A Rock Star!

National Music Center - Make your own drum kit

This is so much fun and creative!  If you don't have any drum kit or drum sticks, be sure to watch this video LINK HERE so you can make your own.

Viennese Musical Clock

Listen and Play Along

The composer of this music is Zoltan Kodaly.   He is a Hungarian composer and is known for creating a method of teaching music that we now know as the Kodaly Method.  You will recognize some of it when using the solfege hand signs when we sing do, re mi, etc. His influence in music teaching methods has influenced the entire world of music teaching.  Kodaly's inspiration to create a new way of teaching was that he wanted to raise the standard of children's singing and music education in general. 

The Kodaly Method uses a child-development approach, sequencing skills using easiest and progressing to more difficult.  For example, the first sequence to teach in melody training is s-m.  It is a natural interval, as when we are calling to each other....Daaaaa-vid.  It is a natural minor third descending.  Think about your voice and listen to it the next time you are calling someone from a distance and you will hear this interval.   A particular sequence is also followed and labelled for rhythms, beginning with quarter notes as a ta.

One of the main features of the Kodaly Method is the moveable do system, which enhances the ability to sight read music in any key!  

The following selection provides activities. Please try:

1. Play Along.  Read and follow the written rhythms.

2. Listening Log.

3. Analysis.

4. Cup Game -- If you would like. 

Remember, all of this is optional!   Enjoy!

Musical Clock Link

Synchronized Marble Magic

This is Amazing!

"Every block was hand placed and moved until it matched the beat.  For those wondering how I made this, the software is called Algodoo.  It's free and allows you to run 2D physics simulations. (ok everyone--what is 2D?) Once I learned how the scripting worked, i was able to add the spawning of other objects on collision and changing colors." by DoodleChaos

The music is: Force by Alan Walker



Listen for:
1. Notice the accented notes when the marble hits the black lines.
2. Keep a steady beat along with the music.  Watch for the line connected to downward facing boxes - are they strong or weak beats?
3. Notice the kick /snare:  those are accented beats.  Create a movement to use every time you hear kick/snare in the music.
4. When the marble hits the black squares, is the beat strong or weak?
5. When the curved lines appear, there are three dots in a row, is the THIRD DOT/NOTE a ta or a two-oo?
6. How does this music make you feel?  use an emoji or words to describe your feelings OR use both.

Synchronized Marble Magic

Listening With a Game

Listening and Game

Hello 1's, 2's, 3's, & 4's!  

(remember that this is optional, but you may enjoy learning this game as a family!)

Follow this link for some listening and a cup game.  It would be best to start with the option of watching the game demo and then go back to the written explanation of the game that also shows the rhythms.  Maybe you and your family could all learn the cup passing game together!  It would be good for a rainy day.   

Use "Entry of the Gladiators" , the first Listening activity that is posted on the page.

1. Start with the listening log.

2. Go to the play along and be ready with your own way to tap the rhythms you see.

3. Watch Cup Game instructions.

4. Watch Kids Demo

5. Try the game with your family.

If you were successful and you wish to let me know, I would love to hear from you!  

Line Rider Rides Again!

Line Rider

Composer: George Bizet

Music: "Les Toreador"

Each line in this piece was drawn by hand!!!  What??? That is a lot of work!  So, each 'trick' takes a long time to plan and execute.  

Listen for:

1. What's going on in the music when there are two or more lines?

2. tr: you will see this in the music and it is referring to a technique called a trill.

3. Do you see Dynamic markings?

4. What the sound is short and sharp, what is going on with the lines and sleds?

5. In the music you will see the marking: cres. What do you hear the music doing then?

LINK TO MUSIC

Listening for KG

Listening

Watch the instruction video with Ms. Miller

Link

Sound Wave Fun

Sound Waves

Sound waves are waves of sound traveling through the air very fast!  They are invisible, but we can hear them.  Some waves are long and slow, while others are short and fast.  As they travel through the air, they are disturbing air molecules all around them and making them bounce.  We can't see that either.  

Watch the instruction video to see what to do.

Follow this link to have some fun with sound waves. 

Line Rider with Liszt

Hungarian Rhapsody

Franz Liszt was born in Austria in October of 1811.  He lived and composed music during a time known as the Romantic Era.  Liszt was a composer, a virtuoso pianist, conductor, music teacher (private students), arranger and an organist. 

He was known to have a flashy style when performing and Liszt is responsible for piano performers performing from a profile view, rather than face on!  He wrote so much music and a lot of his music were arrangements of other composers music.

His Hungarian Rhapsody #2 is one of his very famous compositions.  A Rhapsody is a one-movement work and is free-flowing in structure, with a range of contrasted moods. 

As you listen to and watch Line Rider, listen for:  (I love the ending! watch what happens at the end)

1. variations in tempo

2. changes in dynamics

3. where the silences are

4. how does the picture and the little riding figure match the music?

5. how does the picture show what the music is doing?

6. how do you feel when hearing the music?

7. what moods do you notice in the music?

Link to Hungarian Rhapsody

Track Mania - Don't Miss This!

Ride of the Valkyries 

Composed by Richard Wagner

Richard Wagner is a German composer.  He was born in Germany in the month of May!  He composed operas that were way too long and complicated.  When Wagner was a child he did not show much musical talent and in fact, his music teacher said, "he would torture the piano in a most abominable fashion".  But, by the age of 16 he was writing musical compositions.  People say he was extremely confident in his abilities.

Wagner would use something called: "leitmotifs" in his music.  A 'Leitmotif' is a recurring theme that is associated with a particular person, idea, or situation.  Like in Peter and the Wolf how there is an instrument and a theme representing each character.  This use of the leitmotif later influenced modern film scores (music).

The Ride of the Valkyries is music from one of Wagner's operas and is one of his best-known pieces.

Enjoy listening to and watching the graphics!  Listen for how the graphics and the music work together.  What is happening in the music that is shown in the picture?  What do you hear and see?!

Link to Music

Interactive Listening Games

Listening

Follow the Link below to musicplayonline and find the listening games.  Numbers 7-12, 14 are some of the listening games that we have used in class.  Remember the melting snowman? Or the bubble popping? Or the frog?   You can try them out at home!

Link to Games

Listening is such an important part of the music curriculum.  We need to be able to distinguish sounds and make sense of them.  Is the sound high or low? Is it fast or slow?  How is it articulated? smooth, or staccato? Is it moving up or moving down, or is it the same? 

This is a skill that can use daily practice!

Roller Coaster Ride

Roller Coaster Ride with the 1812 Overture

This music was composed by Peter Tchaikovsky, a. Russian composer.  The 1812 Overture became the theme music for "The Lone Ranger" in radio, television and film.   Now let's back up a bit --  What is an overture? It is an instrumental introduction to a ballet, opera, or and oratorio in the 17th century.  Later on, Overtures existed on their own.

In this music, listen for the ending when the giant arches appear, the music has a strong accent (the music is louder on an accent) at each of the arches.  Can you discover other areas where something is happening in the music and something is also happening on the screen?  I can think of quite a few, but I would like to see if you find some!

Link to Music 

Marbles, Magnets and Music

You won't want to miss this!

Music is: Waltz of the Flowers by Tchaikovsky

This is design thinking, science and music blended into a stunning, moving piece of art!  Simply enjoy the creativity of the piece and enjoy the long weekend.

Maybe it will give you ideas to create your own ? If so, please share!

Link to Music

Star Wars and Harry Potter Themes with Line Rider

John Williams - Star Wars Theme and Harry Potter Theme

John Williams was born in New York in 1932.  He is an American composer who composed music for more than a hundred films.  Now that's a lot!  His father was a musician and he grew up surrounded by music and learning music.  Later, he studied music on his own and worked as a musician in different places.  John Williams became famous for composing the music for the Star Wars movies.  If you have ever seen a Star Wars movie you have heard his music.

Here is something someone thought of to visually show the music while it's playing, it is called, "Line Rider", it is a kind of visual map to go along with the music.  This took four months to create to sync with the music perfectly.  That's a long time to work on a project that lasts for about 3 to 4 minutes long.  But I think the end result is worthwhile.  

Enjoy listening to and watching Line Rider play the Star Wars theme by John Williams.

Link to Line Rider Star Wars Theme


John Williams -- Theme to Harry Potter 

Here is another Line Rider map.  This theme was also composed by John Williams and I know you will enjoy listening to and watching this as well.

Link to Line Rider -- Harry Potter Theme

Oh The Places You Will Go - Dr. Suess Rap

JZ - rap Dr. Suess, "Oh the Places You'll Go"

Today, relax and enjoy another Dr. Suess story read in rap form.  When done, you can draw a picture of a place you would like to go.  If you like, you could add words to describe your place.

Think about:
1. What does it look like?
2. Where is it? Could it even be in space?! Yes!
3. Who will you go with?
4. What does it smell like?
5. What foods might you eat!
6. What is the weather like?
7.What would you wear?

link to story

What Instruments Do You Hear?

Which Instrument?

Instruction Video

Link to Instrument Game   Choose #2 What Instrument -Instrument Matching Game

Dr. Suess - Fox In Sox in rap  Listen for all the fun rhymes!  See if you can make a short rhyme of your own.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar - animated

Animated Story

Hello Tuscany !  Remember- this is optional!

This is one of my very favorite stories by Eric Carle.  Notice all the beautiful artwork in the story.  Eric Carle is very talented.

After listening, it would be fun to create your own Days of the Week book with your own creature.  Maybe ants?  Maybe spiders?   Your own idea?   You could be the artist and also add some words! 

Materials if making own book:

1. Paper for book
2. Pencil for first draft - always do your first work in pencil and color after
3. Eraser - just in case!
4. Coloring tools
5. Stapler to staple the pages together


Process:
1. write the day of the week at the top of each page
2. decide what creature you will use
3. choose what the creature will eat on each day, on day 1 it eats 1 item, on day 2 it eats 2 items, etc.
4. decide where you will write your words on your page
5. draw your picture for each day
6. color your picture - keeping clear the place for words
7. add your words.
8. choose a title for your story and design a title page to add on top of the first page of the story
9. add a page at the end to say - the end!

Link to Story 

Interactive Melody Composition

Interactive Composition

Instructional Video

Once you have selected a level and have completed that and want to try a new level,  you can hit  MENU to take you back to the main page and you can choose a different level.  Just hit reset to stay on the same page to build a new composition at the same level.  

Link to Interactive Composition

Instruments of the Orchestra

Instruments of the Orchestra

Hi Everyone;

Some of you have been to an orchestra with a conductor and some of you have not.  Today, you can practice learning about the instruments of the orchestra on musicplayonline.com.  On the website, you will need to find the Games section and find the game called, "Instruments of the Orchestra".

Follow this link to get to the site.

Instruments of the Orchestra link

Activities:

1. draw a picture of your favorite instrument

2. write a story about your instrument- 

         -did it travel somewhere?

         -did it have any adventures?

         -did it get left inside its case and never get practiced?

         -how does it feel?

         -how does it feel when it is performing?

        - who does it perform for?

        -what can YOU think of to write about your instrument?

 3.  Can you ACT out your story?

Orchestra Listening Activity

Listen to the LINK below:  An orchestra playing, "In The Hall of the Mountain King", by Edvard Grieg

1. what instruments do you hear?

2. How does it begin?  with a lot of instruments or a few?

3. What happens to the dynamics in the music?

4. What happens to the tempo of the music?

5. How does the music change during the song?

6. What do you notice about the 'music map' and the music?

In The Hall of the Mountain King LINK

                    

Keeping It Canada 3

Legend of the Blue Nose

Blue Nose is a ship that was both a fishing ship and a racing ship.  She lived in Nova Scotia and became a legend in Canada for winning races!

Did you know that the great ship the Blue Nose is found on our money?   If you look at some change - hint - nickels, dimes quarters, see if you can find which one has a picture of the Blue Nose ship!

Click on this link to hear, in song, the story of the Blue Nose.  Then listen to the link below that to hear the Folk Song composed about the Blue Nose.

Legend of the Blue Nose link   This link tells the story.

Blue Nose Folk Song link  This is the Folk Song!

Materials needed:

1. paper

2. pencil and or coloring pencils

Activities you can do after listening to the song:  

1. Draw a picture of the Blue Nose racing.

2. Create a movement drama to go along with the words of the song. You can pretend to be the ship and racing.

3. Make a paper kite of the Blue Nose?!  See if it will fly in the wind.  Kite making Link Please be sure to have a parent help out!

Sound Sandwich from NMC

Making a Sound Sandwich

Today's music comes from the National Music Center.  Remember, this is optional, but I think you may enjoy building your own Sound Sandwich.   Follow the link below for instructions.

How to Make a Sound Sandwich

ChromeLab.RHYTHM

Creating Rhythms via ChromeLab

Hi Everyone!  

Remember that this is optional, but I think you'll have some fun with this rhythm program at ChromeLab.  If you create an awesome rhythm that you would like to share with me, you may do so and I would love to hear it. 

Follow the link below to access ChromeLab rhythm.  Remember to review the Music Monday song and sing it today, Connor Ross's, "We Are One".

Have fun and May the 4th be with you! 

Instruction by Ms. Miller

ChromeLab Rhythm Link

Connor Ross-We Are One