More MIOSM 2014

Here are a few different videos that haven't really fit in other blog posts. It's a nice variety for Music In Our Schools Month. Some are inspiring, some are silly, all of them are worth it.

Fran Kick - Fun, Good, Work

We like to do things that are fun...and since we do them more often (working at them), we tend to get good at them, which makes them more fun, so we work harder, so we get better, so they're more fun... You get the point. 

PDQ Bach - Beethoven Symphony No. 5

PDQ Bach is the pen name (made-up name) of silly composer Peter Schickele. This video is funny! Can you imagine what music would be like if it had commentators (the bearded one is PDQ Bach) and referees like sports do? Hmm, and maybe a penalty box... (Hey, 4th and 5th graders, do you recognize the instruments we learned about earlier this school year?)

Solfege kitties...

This is just a cute and silly picture. :)

Silly Symphony - Music Land

This is a Disney short from 1935! This one takes place on Jazz Isle. There aren't any people, just instruments. Check out how they make it work. If you're interested in more, here's the entire list!

"Pipe Dream" - Animusic

Animusic is a computer animation of music.

"Drumbone" - Blue Man Group

Remember how longer instruments sound lower? Check out how the Blue Man Group alters (or changes) the pitches on the PVC pipes they're playing in this video. It's pretty sweet! (By the way, if you ever get the chance to see them live, they're awesome! Bring earplugs to protect your hearing from the amplification, though.)

"Don't Stop Believin'" (Journey) - PS22 Chorus

The PS22 chorus is an auditioned group of 5th graders at the biggest elementary school in New York City. They have tons of YouTube videos - just search "PS22 chorus," and take your pick!

A-rhythm-etic. The Math behind the Beats. - Clayton Cameron

A large part of music is rhythm, and a large part of rhythm is math. Clayton Cameron explains that in this video...while playing snare drum the entire time, without missing a beat. That level of multitasking takes skill, folks!

Music In Our Schools Month 2014: Music "History" at Lannoye Quiz

In honor of Music In Our Schools Month…

Music “History” at Lannoye

Which Lannoye staff members have a background in music? Which instruments did they play? Who was in show choir? What words of wisdom do they have for you? Learn the answers to all of these questions in this just-for-fun 12-question quiz!

DRUM Card Opportunity: Email me (or you can drop a note in my mailbox at school) your reactions to the information in this quiz. What did you already know? What surprised you? 

Music Notes: End of March 2014

Music Notes

March 2014

Greetings from the Lannoye music room!

March is MusicIn Our Schools Month (MIOSM)! This year’s theme, “Music makes me _____,” is at the bottom of the page – how would you fill in the blank? In honor of MIOSM, I did a survey of all of the Lannoye adults to get a sense of the music “history” in the building. I created a “just-for-fun” quiz for students and families to take. Test your knowledge (or guess!) and see how much you know about us here at school. The quiz begins on the next page, and the answers (and wisdom/advice from survey participants) follow!

It’s neat that we’re celebrating Grandparents Day during MIOSM – as an entire school, we get to share our appreciation and love through music! That being said, the students have continued their preparations for the program opener and closer and are excited to perform it for our guests on Friday!

We also celebrated Read Across America Week during the month of March. The school-wide Stop, Drop, and Read activity fell during 5^th grade music, so both 5^th grade classes got to select from a variety of music-related articles to read. All of the articles are now up on the music blog with related videos. Check it out!

Brief rundown of the rest of our classes:

The kindergarteners have continued on in their Rhythm Band studies, which begin to build the connection between music reading and instrument playing. They are getting very comfortable taking turns echo-singing, both in small groups and as individuals. Also, they’ve been practicing showing loud/soft and fast/slow by playing (and singing) “Lucy Locket,” a hide-the-object game.

The 1^st graders have been learning how to play new and review instruments, including the claves, guiro, woodblock, maracas, and tambourine. They also just added “la” to the solfege that they know (in addition to “so” and “mi”).

The 2^nd graders have been practicing their composition skills with the rhythms that they know (quarter note, two eighth notes, quarter rest, half note, half rest, whole note, and whole rest).

The 3^rd graders have continued their rhythm studies with “ti-ta-ti,” and will next apply their single eighth note knowledge to single eighth notes and eighth rests. They've become quite confident in their partner songs and rounds, too!

The 4^th and 5^th graders have continued their recorder studies. They’ve also begun exploring evaluation and constructive criticism. After reflecting on what they use to determine whether a performance is good or needs improvement, both grades used four musical criteria to evaluate me playing the opening excerpt of a flute concerto in two very different ways. After that, the 4^th graders created their own recorder performance rubrics, and the 5^th graders played for each other in small groups to practice giving and receiving constructive criticism. 

Enjoy your spring break!

Ms. Corinne Galligan
(920) 822-0433
cmgalligan@pulaskischools.org
lannoyemusic.blogspot.com

Excerpt from “Why Study Music?” by Donald Hodges (2005)

♫      Feelings: Central to any discussion of music as a knowledge system must be the idea of feelings. From one end of the continuum dealing with vague, unspecified moods to the other end dealing with crystallized emotions such as grief or joy, music is intrinsically connected with feelings.

♫      Aesthetic experiences: All human beings have a need for beauty and to activate their innate responsiveness to the organized expressive sounds that we call music.

♫      The ineffable: Precisely because music is a nonverbal form of expression, it is a powerful means to express or to know that which is difficult or impossible to put into words.  Two of the most common human experiences that are frequently known through music are love and spiritual awareness.

♫      Thoughts: Musical thought is just as viable as linguistic, mathematical, or visual thought. It can be a potent means of expressing ideas and of knowing truth.

♫      Structure: Closely allied to the idea of thinking is structure. The human mind seeks patterns, structure, order, and logic. Music provides a unique way of structuring sounds across time, as well as providing a means of structuring thoughts, feelings, and human experiences.

♫      Time and space: Time and space are the ‘stuff’ of the universe. All human knowledge systems provide ways of dealing with time and space. As indicated in ‘Structure’ above, music is a means of organizing sounds across time. Although music occurs in ‘real’ time, it deals more with ‘felt’ time. Music, especially in connection with dance (bodily-kinesthetic knowledge system), is a primary means of experiencing space in time.

♫      Self knowledge: Music’s role in intrinsic, and especially peak (transcendent, life-changing), learning experiences provides for powerful insights into our private, inner worlds.

♫      Self identity: Many gain their sense of self through a variety of musical activities and experiences.

♫      Group identity: Group identity through music is both inclusive and exclusive in that (a) music helps cement the bonding of those members of a group who share common ideas, beliefs, and behaviors, and (b) music helps isolate and separate one group from another.

♫      Healing and wholeness: From more specific applications of music in therapy and medicine to more general interactions, music has profound effects on human beings. Music provides a vehicle for the integration of body, mind, and spirit.

For more information, go to http://musiced.nafme.org/events/music-in-our-schools-month/

Read Across America Week: Music Articles

Last week was Read Across America week. On Wednesday, Lannoye had a simultaneous, school-wide "Stop, Drop, & Read" activity. I adjusted my 5th grade lesson plans to include some music-related reading time in both classes (not just the one during the Stop, Drop, & Read time). The students got to choose from a variety of articles, and some of them were very intrigued and inspired by what they read! They requested links to read more of the articles, so here they are (with short descriptions of each reading).

DRUM Card Opportunity: Write a 3-5 sentence review of one of the following articles or related videos, using correct spelling/grammar and complete sentences.

Alice Herz-Sommer Dead: World's Oldest-Known Holocaust Survivor Dies at 110

The Holocaust, which occurred during World War II, was an awful time in human history in which 6 million people were killed because of who they were. Alice Herz-Sommer survived two years in a concentration camp, largely thanks to her love of music and her son. In fact, a documentary about her was recently made, entitled The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life. Here's part of the documentary:

My View: Everything I Needed to Know, I Learned in Music Class

The author of this article got his bachelor's degree in music, but switched to business for his master's degree in order to have a greater chance of a higher-paying job. However, his background as a musician helped (and continues to help) him become successful in school and in life.

A Rock and Roll Perspective: Snapshots of a Career as a Rock Photographer

Photographer Janet Macoska has taken more than a million pictures of thousands of rock and roll artists in her nearly four decade career. She shares some of her experiences and photographs here.

Jeremy Redmore Shares an Inspiring Story About How Music Can Help Through Tough Times

New Zealand rock artist Jeremy Redmore shares a story one of his fans, a surgeon, shared with him. The surgeon told him how Midnight Youth's music helped him stay on his A-game in surgery, and how it helped a large group of people after a disastrous earthquake in New Zealand.

Musician Makes Young Flutist's Dreams Come True

What would you do if you were born without a left hand, but you really wanted to play the flute? Clarence Jefferson Wood, Jr., is an 88-year-old retired instrument repairman who designed modifications for a flute so that fifth grader Abby Gieseke could achieve her dreams.

Violinist with One Hand Inspires Musicians
Violinist Adrian Anantawan was born without his right hand, so he couldn't play recorder in elementary school. Instead, his parents bought him a violin. He connected a bow holder to the end of his arm, and the rest is history! Now he teaches music as well, and his students have gotten used to his ability. Here's the introduction to his documentary, The Story Behind the Notes.

One-Handed Pianist Nicholas McCarthy Graduates from Royal College of Music
Nicholas McCarthy is the first one-handed pianist to graduate from the Royal College of Music (in Britain - a big-name music school!) in its 130-year history. He also joined Britain's Paraorchestra, an orchestra for musicians with disabilities. He said that when they first heard him play, some of the visually impaired musicians didn't believe that he was only playing with one hand! Listen to him play in the short video below - what do you think?

Music Therapy Success Stories
Music therapy is a type of therapy that uses music to accomplish a variety of goals. A few examples of conditions that can be aided by music therapy include traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), autism, premature birth, developmental disabilities, trauma, and end-of-life care. This link gives short overviews of Jeremy (a man who was badly beaten and had to have both arms amputated), Trevor (a man who fell four stories when he had a stroke while installing windows, and he ended up injuring his spine in the fall), and Laura (a girl who had to be hospitalized in a different part of her country while waiting for a bone marrow transplant, so she was scared and withdrawn). Don't worry - the stories have happy endings. :)

Gabby Giffords: Finding Words Through Song
In early January of 2011, Arizona Congresswoman Gabby Giffords was shot in the head at a public meeting in Tucson. Music therapy helped her find her voice again, literally! The bullet produced aphasia, which means she couldn't speak because that part of her brain couldn't talk to the rest of her brain. However, music therapy combined words with melody and rhythm to create a detour in her brain so she could talk! Here's some more information on music therapy, including some clips of different sessions with different populations (clients participating in music therapy) and some of the science behind it:

The Songs They Can't Forget
Do you know anyone with Alzheimer's disease? This is a type of dementia that causes problems with memory, thinking, and behavior. Eventually, people suffering from Alzheimer's may not recognize themselves, their friends, or their families. This article shares the story of Tom and his wife Elsie. Tom is a resident of a care unit for patients with dementia. Whenever Elsie came to visit him, he'd wander off. The article tells how music helped bring them back together. (Can you guess how that happened?) :)

Here's a related video about Henry, a different Alzheimer's patient in a different place. It's an excerpt from the documentary Alive Inside. Notice how still Henry sits at the beginning of the video, then how animated he gets when he hears music. Notice the change in his responses too - wow! :)

Is Music the Key to Success?
A lot of very successful people (Condoleeza Rice, Alan Greenspan, Bruce Kovner, Paul Allen, and many, many more) have music studies in their backgrounds. Is this a coincidence, or has it helped them learn the skills and habits that helped them get to where they are?

Composer "Adds the Emotion" to Canadian TV Dramas
Do you ever wonder how they add music to your favorite TV shows? Do you wonder what your favorite movies or TV shows would sound like without background music, or what they would sound like with different music?

Check out the difference between the following trailers for The Sound of Music. The first one is a real trailer, and the other had its music replaced to become a scary movie trailer. The videos are showing the same movie...but listen to how the music makes such a huge difference!

Mahler Symphony Gets an Unwelcome Addition
Please put your phone on silent when you're at a performance...and if you're unsure how to do that, it's safest to just turn it off. I wouldn't want to be this guy...whoops!!

Gustavo Dudamel - The New Music Maestro
This article from 2008 (Dudamel isn't that new anymore...) gives an introduction to Gustavo Dudamel. The 4th and 5th graders might remember him as the curly-haired conductor who conducted the video we watched to see timpani and crash cymbals in action.

Music Notes: End of February 2014

Music Notes

February 2014

Greetings from the Lannoye music room!

Please check out the new posts at lannoyemusic.blogspot.com. Don’t forget to sign up for email updates in the upper right corner, underneath the Lannoye Dragon. February posts include a video of kindergarteners singing “Johnny Works with One Hammer,” a list of links where 4^th and 5^th graders can practice their treble clef note names (super helpful for our recorder unit!), “The Star-Spangled Banner,” a post about musical onomatopoeia, an explanation of the Google Voice DRUM card opportunity for 4^th and 5^th grade recorder players, and a bunch of entertaining covers of “Let It Go” from Frozen. There’s plenty to enjoy!

In addition to preparing two school-wide songs for Grandparents Day, here’s a grade-by-grade breakdown of what the students have been learning:

The kindergarteners are working on beginning music reading while playing instruments, using boxes with pictures (Rhythm Band). We’ve also continued learning about dynamics (forte and piano), by thinking of loud and quiet animals, moving to recordings and showing forte/piano with our movements, and moving to live music.

The 1^st graders learned about Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart early in the month, and they really latched onto some of the fun facts about him! (See if they still remember any…it’s been a while!) We also worked on showing high and low pitches with body movements, which we then turned into solfege! The 1^st graders now know “so” and “mi” – see if they can show you those pitches and their hand signs!

The 2^nd graders learned low “do” and have sung songs and have played singing games for songs with low “do” in them. We have also learned how to sightread music by clapping the rhythm, finding the pitches based on where the “do” key is, and finally singing the melody (rhythm + pitches) together. We’re still talking through it together, but it’s a good skill to have!

The 3^rd graders have learned high “do” and just started learning low “so.” They can sign and sing an extended pentatonic scale (do, re, mi, so, la, high do) without any help from me! We’ve been singing rounds and partner songs in two, three, and even four parts, and they’ve been doing splendidly! We have also just begun to add a new rhythm to their toolbox: ti-ta-ti.

The 4^th and 5^th graders have been working hard at playing their recorders. We’ve talked a lot about the importance of practicing and practicing correctly. I emphasize that they should choose tempos based on their abilities – I’d rather hear right notes slowly than wrong notes quickly! We’ve also talked about the quote, “Don’t practice until you get it right. Practice until you can’t get it wrong.” Some of the students were even ambitious enough to call my Google Voice number and play three songs for me to earn a DRUM card! J

Have a lovely March!

Ms. Corinne Galligan
(920) 822-0433
cmgalligan@pulaskischools.org
lannoyemusic.blogspot.com