Take a Song

Chicken in a Fence Post

The key to a good teaching is a solid core of a sequential list of elements and good pedagogical practices. For me that is definitely a teaching sequence based on hear, feel, see and write where concepts are prepared, named and then practiced. Here, I will focus on the practicing of elements through the use of just one song.

There is more than one way to skin a cat (or should I say pluck a chicken). This is a list that is by no means exhaustive - just a few ideas to get your ideas pinging!

1.      Sing
2.      Sing in Solfa
3.      Sing in Rhythm Names
4.      Sing with text, solfa and rhythm names (Switcheroo)
5.       Create New Words – keeping as close as possible to the rhythmic pattern.

Here are some ideas....

• Music teacher stressing can’t sleep at all x3 Time to have a holiday!
• Marsha, Jan and Cindy, Bobby , Peter   x3 Greg and Alice, Mum and Dad

6.     Missing bars

7.      Missing notes

8.      Find the mistakes

9.      Play on boomwhackers

10.      Play on tuned percussion

11.      Create rhythmic ostinati

12.      Create melodic ostinati

13.      Create arrangement

14.      Aural Analysis - questions like... 

What is the metre? How many beats in the song? how many phrases? How many different notes? What notes do you hear? What is the final note? what is the starting note?...

15.  Written Analysis - instructions and questions like...

Circle the time signature. How many bars? Find the double bar line? Circle two notes that are next to each other and a major second apart. Are there any bars that are the same?...

16.  Writing – the rhythm
17.  Writing – the solfa under the rhythm 
18.  Writing – the song on the staff  
19.  Writing – transposing from one position on the staff to another

20.  Writing – the stems onto the note heads on the staff 

Hump Day Hilarity

Book Week 2015
This year Book Week runs from Saturday 22nd August to Friday 28th August. The theme this year is Books Light Up Our World.
Would you like a 'ready to use', 'cheap as chips' resource for all your classes? Would you something the kids will love that you can easily put into a celebration of Book Week, at the same time 'advertising' the great work you do in music? Just look HERE. Thank you Nathan Cahill!

Debbie's Quick Teaching Tip #22

From The May/June Crescendo Newsletter 

Paddle Pop Sticks are just fabulous in the music room! Some of my colleagues hate the coloured ones. They don't like the kids picking out certain colours, making patterns etc. Understandable - and if that is how you feel, use the plain ones, they do the same job. However, I love colour, so I use the the pretty ones! They are great for rhythmic dictation, quicker than writing once you get going, and much easier to assess the whole class at a glance! Have you thought of using match sticks? The older students, with better fine motor skills, really enjoy manipulating these.

To sign up for the free Crescendo Newsletter click HERE

Totally Treble - Choir Workshop

(Email Debbie for a flyer debbie@crescendo.com.au )

with Kate Albury, Debbie O’Shea and Katherine Ruhle

Session 1: Debbie O’Shea is an enthusiastic, experienced educator who wants to help conductors with repertoire choice and keeping students actively engaged in rehearsals. In this session, Debbie will delve into a bag of tricks, some learned on her recent visit to the UK and the USA, as well as some long standing favourites. You will also read through a new piece or two and learn some canons and warm ups.

Session 2: Katherine Ruhle is an incredibly talented Brisbane composer who is writing some fabulous pieces! In this session you will be introduced to some new warm-ups, canons and larger works, movement and intentional listening activities, all working towards forming well-rounded musicians who can sing beautifully. 

Session 3: Kate Albury and the Brisbane Grammar School Vocal Group and Chamber Choir. Kate Albury is Choral Director and Coordinator of Middle School Events at Brisbane Grammar School.  Her choral experience extends from conducting with the Queensland Conservatorium Chorus to co-conducting Gondwana Singers at the National Choral School.  She is excited to be bringing the Chamber Choir, an auditioned ensemble of 35 treble voices as well as the Vocal Group, a non-auditioned ensemble of over 75 voices!  During this session she will demonstrate some of the boys’ favourite warm ups and games as well as conduct an open rehearsal which will include techniques on sight reading a new piece and also polishing and choreographing well-known repertoire.

Saturday May 16^th - 9.00am – 3.00pm

Cost: $220.00 -  Crescendo Members $200

(Students $110) includes notes, morning tea and lunch

Venue: Arana Leagues Club 247 Dawson Parade, Keperra (Brisbane, Queensland, Australia)

Debbie's Quick Teaching Tip #21

Let's make the most of your repertoire!

I have just picked the song, Goodnight, from my s m repertoire for this post. I know that I am often guilty of not making the most of the repertoire in my program, so maybe some of you out there are also guilty of this from time to time. To help out a bit, I will just create a bit of a list (by no means exhaustive!) of things you can do with this song, to give you some inspiration and variety in your practice activities.

Sing

• Sing - with gentle, soft voices.
• Sing while rocking soft toys to sleep. 
• Sing with the whole class, half class, small group, pairs and individuals.
• Sing in canon, two beats apart is very easy and not very interesting, one beat apart sound fabulous.

Play

• Play on two chime bars
• Play on the black notes of a piano. Pick any two that have a big gap between them. (obviously we are not playing at the pitch written here)
• Play on xylophones/glockenspiels.

Beat and Rhythm

• Sing while pointing to beat icons 
• Sing while walking the beat
• Sing in rhythm names (if known)
• Sing tas and inner hear the ti tis and visa versa
• Derive the Rhythmic pattern on the board
• Write the rhythmic pattern with paddle pop sticks
• Write the rhythmic pattern with paddle pop sticks on paper plates representing the beat
• Half class sing first beat of each bar, other half sing the second beat of each bar. Try to connect the sounds and make a lovely song.

Pitch

• Sing in solfa (if known)
• Sing with the words 'high' and 'low' before s and m are made conscious
• Sing with the high note and low note in different parts of your body. (Head and shoulders, shoulders and waist...)
• Sing s and inner hear the m and visa versa

Expressive Elements and other concepts

• Sing with dynamics. Discuss suitability of piano or pianissimo for this song.
• Walk the beat in a circle and sing the song three times, the second time sing with inner-hearing. (out loud, inner-hearing, out loud)

New Resource for Music Teachers from Ian Ross-Williams

Ian Ross Williams’ brand new Song Book & CD of 16 original songs for Primary School children.
The Song Book includes notation, tuned percussion arrangements and or guitar chords, dance moves and teacher’s notes. The CD includes backing tracks and lyrics booklet. $25 ea. or $45 together as a kit.
A gorgeous collection of original songs, including ‘Come On Down‘(pentatonic/percussion), ‘Happy Dog’(dance), ‘Tiptoe’ (pentatonic & actions), ‘Get Up’ (choral), plus the beautiful ‘So Many Stars – Yingarti Japalinga’, a round previously only available on a limited release EP. Also included are two little gems from Ian’s back catalogue – ‘Jimmy Jumper’ (a novelty waltz) and ‘The Sun Goes Up’, a lullaby suitable for young choirs, with philosophical, life-affirming lyrics. Plus full choral version of the new classic ‘AUSTRALIA – IT’LL AMAZE YA round, part-song.
Repertoire to deeply engage students. Repertoire to enhance your Music Program. Content directly in line with the National Curriculum. Invites student creativity: Compose ostinatos, improvise to the backings. Read notation and play in hocket (photocopy-able masters provided in the Song Book) and much, much more!
To purchase hard copy, email Ian: ianrosswilliams@yahoo.com (with your delivery address and billing details).
Audio mp3 downloads also available, as two albums, Vocal &/or Backings album: iTunes, Amazon Mp3, Google, Rdio, eMUSIC, Spotify and Route Note Direct. Song Book and Collectable CD package