ACTIVE LISTENING - WEEKLY ASSIGNMENT
I encourage all of my students (and their families!) to spend some time doing active listening each week and to reflect on various aspects of what they hear. Every Saturday I will update my website with a link to a new song/piece of the week along with a question relating to the music. I ask that students write down their answer(s) to the question(s) and any other observations in the space provided in the lesson planner. Have fun with this and also feel free to share your own musical discoveries with me throughout the year!
January 29 - February 4, 2023
When I go to YouTube, the recommended videos are almost all related to music, and when I see a title that says "The Most Beautiful Piano Solo", I can't help but click on it! I guess clickbait tactics work on me.
Brad Mehldau is a master at the keyboard and this is certainly worth a watch/listen. Which is your favourite moment? Since notation is provided at the bottom, could you learn to play a short section from this video? Try it out and show me! In which 'voice' (SATB) is the melody?
For another Brad Mehlau video, check out this one.
Brad Mehldau is a master at the keyboard and this is certainly worth a watch/listen. Which is your favourite moment? Since notation is provided at the bottom, could you learn to play a short section from this video? Try it out and show me! In which 'voice' (SATB) is the melody?
For another Brad Mehlau video, check out this one.
January 22-28, 2023
"Flight of the Bumblebee" is an orchestral interlude written by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov for his opera The Tale of Tsar Saltan, composed in 1899–1900. Its composition is intended to musically evoke the seemingly chaotic and rapidly changing flying pattern of a bumblebee. Check out this incredible performance by Yuja Wang!
Learning technical exercises includes playing various scales. What type of scale is featured in "Flight of the Bumblebee"? Practice playing it on your instrument to show me at our next lesson! How fast can you play it while maintaining a steady tempo?
Learning technical exercises includes playing various scales. What type of scale is featured in "Flight of the Bumblebee"? Practice playing it on your instrument to show me at our next lesson! How fast can you play it while maintaining a steady tempo?
January 15-21, 2023
Are you familiar with Max Martin, the ultra-successful Swedish music producer? Martin has written or co-written 25 Billboard Hot 100 number-one songs. He is the songwriter with the third-most number one singles on the chart, only behind Paul McCartney and John Lesson. Watch this video to learn a bit more about him and the question of whether there is some sort of formula that he uses to craft hit song after hit song. It's got to be easy, right? Just use his formula and try writing your own pop song. Maybe the next top songwriter will come from central Alberta!
January 8-14, 2023
Helma van den Brink started out studying violin and piano but after several years took up the cello. She ultimately chose the bassoon. Please watch this video to hear a bit about her story and how she came to play this charming instrument. If you could choose any instrument to play, what would it be? If you have a hard time thinking of instruments beyond the piano, guitar, ukulele, and bass guitar, check out this list for ideas!
*go to YouTube settings to turn on subtitles, unless you happen to speak Dutch!
*go to YouTube settings to turn on subtitles, unless you happen to speak Dutch!
January 1-7, 2023
It can be fun to make your own instruments at home! There are many ideas and tutorials online, including guitars, recorders, shakers, drums, and more. Here is a video showing how to make a pan flute. I encourage you to try making your own instrument at home, whether it be a pan flute or something different. If you give it a try, tell me all about your process. I would love to hear you play it when it is all done!