Week 6/15-6/19
Congratulations on making it through 13 weeks of distance learning! There is no new work assigned for this week. I will still be accepting assignments up until Thursday. If you have work you have not completed, please use this this week to catch up!
Week 12: 6/8-6/12
STRENGTH THROUGH SONG
There are many examples of the power of music all around us right now. At this time in history, and through many, many others, music is helping bring people together and helping them find a common language. Not just in America, but all over the world, people are gathering, protesting, marching, chanting, dancing and singing for justice and an end to police brutality. Music is helping them unite and move forward. It is building them up and propelling them onward because Black Lives Matter. And we know that this fight for freedom and true equality is nowhere near over.
There are countless examples of strength though song that have moved me to tears over the last week from all around our country and the world. Here are just a few. Please take the time to watch them and think about what you are seeing and hearing.
Ask questions about what these brave individuals are singing and why.
Please share your thoughts with me here: Strength Through Song Form
There are countless examples of strength though song that have moved me to tears over the last week from all around our country and the world. Here are just a few. Please take the time to watch them and think about what you are seeing and hearing.
Ask questions about what these brave individuals are singing and why.
Please share your thoughts with me here: Strength Through Song Form
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Week 11: 6/1-6/5
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I loved hearing your sight reading recordings this past week! Not only was it great to hear the sound of your voices, your singing was impressive! This week, you have the chance to share a favorite song with me. It can be a song in any style, with singing or without. Use this google form to tell me all about it!
Picking a favorite song is incredibly difficult for me. I literally have dozens of "favorite songs". I love so many different styles and genres of music and my tastes are always changing. But, this song, "Rainbow" by Kacey Musgraves, is one that I keep coming back to. I sing it and play it at home with my daughter who also loves it. The piano part is so simple and perfect to me. I think her voice is AMAZING. I love her song writing and the message of this song really speaks to me and always lifts me up. Since the beginning of this pandemic, the meaning of her song has shifted for me. I think a truly excellent song can do that. It can mean different things to you at different times in your life. It's sort of like a great book that you re-read or a great piece of art that you look at again and suddenly see something new and interesting. I suddenly started seeing rainbows in people's windows and thought of the power of that image. The pride, the hope, and joy that rainbows convey in any form. My kids and I made one out of cut up magazine pages and hung it in our front porch window. I like to think that people who walk by and notice it might smile when they see it. I hope you like it too. I can't wait to hear your favorite songs and read about why you chose them. Reach out if you need help or have any questions: [email protected] |
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Week Ten: 5/26-5/29
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Sight Reading Factory is an online resource for practicing sight singing. I made a video tutorial posted here (where I look very excited and little crazy) to show you how to use this program. It's quick, it's easy, and it's the assignment for this week!
Once you've practiced and feel confident with how it works, please record yourself singing one example and send me the recording. You can do a voice recording or a video recording so I can see your solfege hand signs. Please email me with any questions you may have. You may email me your recordings or drop them in this folder. Happy Sight Singing! :) |
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Week Nine: 5/18-5/22
Ok Go is a band and they like to make stuff. They make really interesting music and amazingly creative videos. Here are some of my favorites! Head to their website to learn more about all the cool projects they do and listen to some more of their music.
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These videos rely on brilliant (or crazy!) ideas, creative film production, masterful special effects, lots of knowledge about science, and a willingness for the band to dance, play, experiment, and test the boundaries of what we usually think rock bands do. At their core though, they are musicians and they are people. They wrote a song about the pandemic, inspired by the lead singer's first hand experience. Damian Kulash contracted the virus early on, then his wife then got it, and their 2 year old twins had symptoms as well. You can read about his experience, and why he wrote this song, on their website. I found his letter really powerful. One part that really spoke to me was when he wrote about how different communities are cheering for frontline workers each evening. He said:
"We’re telling each other we believe in one another. We’re reassuring ourselves that human goodness is rugged, that our capacity to care for each other is less fragile than our individual bodies, that we can choose compassion for others over the comfort of our routines."
ASSIGNMENT: Read his letter, watch their video,
and share your thoughts about it with me using this Google Form.
and share your thoughts about it with me using this Google Form.
Week Eight: 5/11-5/15
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Become Your Own Music Producer:
I've been playing around with an awesome music app called Acapella. Using the free version, you can record multiple tracks of your voice, or any instrument. You can also share your project with friends to collaborate, and have different people sing different parts! The free version of the app allows you to make 30 second projects. This is super fun to do and eliminates the issue of lag time that happens when you try to make music using Meet or Zoom. I made two videos this week to show you how you can use this app at home. The Pizza Hut Round is a song my 5th grade Chorus learned this year. I also made a video of our Soprano, Alto and Baritone parts for "Ain't Got Far to Go." When I made these videos, I used the metronome feature to keep time, and headphones to block our all the other sounds in the room. *You REALLY need to use headphones for this to work!! ASSIGNMENT: Spend some time exploring the Acapella app. You need to go to the app store to download it. Listen to some projects and get inspired by the different ways musicians have used this app to create music. Then, record yourself (and maybe some friends too!) singing the 3 parts from 'Ain't Got Far To Go". Send me your file at: [email protected] |
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Week Seven: 5/4-5/8
CATCH UP WEEK!
This week, I'd like you to work to get caught up with assignments from the previous 6 weeks. Pick one activity from any week (just scroll down!) that you have not yet completed, and submit it to me through the Google Folder or email your work to me. If you are a superstar and you've already completed each week, then you can take a vacation from Chorus this week OR complete a new version of a previous project! If you have any questions, or need any help please reach out! [email protected]
Scroll down this page for complete details. Here's a quick list of each week's activity remind you of all your options:
This week, I'd like you to work to get caught up with assignments from the previous 6 weeks. Pick one activity from any week (just scroll down!) that you have not yet completed, and submit it to me through the Google Folder or email your work to me. If you are a superstar and you've already completed each week, then you can take a vacation from Chorus this week OR complete a new version of a previous project! If you have any questions, or need any help please reach out! [email protected]
Scroll down this page for complete details. Here's a quick list of each week's activity remind you of all your options:
- Week 6: Tiny Desk Concert Review
- Week 5: Karaoke Challenge
- Week 4: Havana Vocal Workout
- Week 3: Quarantine Vocal Exercise
- Week 2: PSA Song Project
- Week 1: Listen and sing through our concert music
Week Six: 4/27-5/1
Tiny Desk Concerts is a video series of live performances hosted by NPR Music and the radio program All Songs Considered in Washington, D.C. This mini-concert series of small and personal performances has hosted artists from all walks of life, spanning a wide variety of musical styles, and all degrees of fame. You'll find performances by well known pop-stars as well as more obscure performances from artists you've never heard of before. Watching these performances is one of my favorite ways to learn about new artists and styles of music. I could spend hours watching Tiny Desk Concerts! It was nearly impossible for me to pick my favorites, so I just picked a handful of my most recent favorites.
Your assignment this week is to pick a Tiny Desk Concert and write a review about it. You can choose one of the performances I posted here, OR visit Tiny Desk Concerts and browse until you find something you like! Use this google form to submit your work to me. I'm excited to read your thoughts!!
Your assignment this week is to pick a Tiny Desk Concert and write a review about it. You can choose one of the performances I posted here, OR visit Tiny Desk Concerts and browse until you find something you like! Use this google form to submit your work to me. I'm excited to read your thoughts!!
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Week Five: 4/21-4/24
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Karaoke Challenge! This week's assignment is to record yourself performing the karaoke song of your choice and submit it to this google drive folder. Please do not email me each submission individually. Include choreography, costumes, props for extra creativity points! You could even recruit family members to be in on the act as back up singers/dancers.
If you want to team up with a friend for this project, try using a split screen using Google Meet and record yourself! When you do this, the recording saves to your google drive automatically and you can share it with me that way. If you need help figuring out how to do this, please let me know! I would be happy to walk you through the steps and make sure you can team up with friends for this project. Remember, it should be fun. I miss you and I can't wait to see you and hear you this week! |
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Week Four: 4/13-4/17
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WARM UP: Here's another fun and super challenging warm up from vocal coach Cheryl Porter. This warm-up has it all! You'll start with staccato (short) sounds, runs, lip trills, register changes, you'll isolate vowel sounds AND build that vocal agility that helps singers in all styles. Sing through this video at least twice a day and notice the parts that get easier or stay challenging. Isolate the challenge and just sing that one part until it feels better. Then add that part back into the full warm up and see how it fits in.
Here are the words for you to practice with. It's a lot to remember! I wrote it out the way the vowels sound to us which I think may be more helpful to you. Think through each vowel sound carefully and make sure you're singing the correct one! You do not need to send a recording this week, but you are welcome to if you'd like some feedback. Hee, hee, hee, hee Heh, heh, heh, heh Ha, ha, ho, ho, hoo Ee, Eh, ah-oh-oo Havana on my... Me, Meh, Ma, Oh-Ah-Oh-Oo-Eh Ha, ha, ha, ha Brrrrrrr, Oo, Ah, Oh, Oo, Eh. Havana on my... |
PREPARE: Next week's assignment will be a karaoke challenge. You can sing any song you'd like and you will need to submit a video. Start thinking about what song you will sing and begin practicing. More details about how to share your work will come next week!
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Week Three: 4/6-4/10
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WARM UP: Try singing this warm up each day and focus on starting slowly and building up to the tempo (speed) that she sings it at. This warm up has a good message but also lets you focus on vocal agility, breath support, and intonation. Once you've got it down, send a recording of yourself singing it to me! Just add your file to this google drive folder.
Don't touch my face, don't my eyes, Six feet away, and I will wash my hands! Pandemic PSA Project: I loved hearing your work this past week. If you haven't submitted your project, it's not too late. Just record yourself and add it to this Google Drive folder. I rewrote the lyrics to RipTide by Vance Joy and I'm sharing my version here with you! Here are some fantastic PSA Projects from students who gave me permission to share their songs. |
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Week Two: 3/30-4/3
Pandemic PSAs
A PSA is a public service announcement. PSAs are meant to raise awareness of, and sometimes change public attitudes towards, a social issue. You may have seen and heard some of the amazing rewritten songs about our current situation online. People ranging from healthcare workers to famous musicians have been changing the words to well known songs to spread important information and lighten people’s moods over the past two weeks.
Watch the videos below for some inspiring examples:
A PSA is a public service announcement. PSAs are meant to raise awareness of, and sometimes change public attitudes towards, a social issue. You may have seen and heard some of the amazing rewritten songs about our current situation online. People ranging from healthcare workers to famous musicians have been changing the words to well known songs to spread important information and lighten people’s moods over the past two weeks.
Watch the videos below for some inspiring examples:
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Now it’s your turn! This pandemic is no joke. There’s nothing funny about the reality we see unfolding around us. And yet, musicians and artists throughout time have always found a way to sing about what troubles them. It helps lighten the weight of what they are feeling and brings comfort to those listening as well.
Here is your assignment for this week:
Choose a song you know well and rewrite the words to spread an important message. You are going to write your very own Pandemic PSA. You can sing about staying home, hand washing technique, flattening the curve, or social distancing. You can spread a message of hope and positivity. Be creative (and appropriate) and let your free time fuel your imagination!
-You can sing your song, dance to it, or simply write new lyrics.
-You can play an instrument to accompany yourself or use a karaoke version from the internet.
-You can work on this alone or you can collaborate with friends to create a group project.
-You can use a computer, an i-pad, your phone, and/or i-movie to edit your song.
Email your finished product to me at : [email protected]
Include the title and artist of the original song, and list classmates you’ve worked with on it.
DUE DATE: MONDAY, April 6th, 2020
One more thing...
Here’s an interesting arrangement of the song we were learning, True Colors. This group from the United Kingdom created a virtual choir by submitting videos of themselves and editing them all together. It’s beautiful!
Here is your assignment for this week:
Choose a song you know well and rewrite the words to spread an important message. You are going to write your very own Pandemic PSA. You can sing about staying home, hand washing technique, flattening the curve, or social distancing. You can spread a message of hope and positivity. Be creative (and appropriate) and let your free time fuel your imagination!
-You can sing your song, dance to it, or simply write new lyrics.
-You can play an instrument to accompany yourself or use a karaoke version from the internet.
-You can work on this alone or you can collaborate with friends to create a group project.
-You can use a computer, an i-pad, your phone, and/or i-movie to edit your song.
Email your finished product to me at : [email protected]
Include the title and artist of the original song, and list classmates you’ve worked with on it.
DUE DATE: MONDAY, April 6th, 2020
One more thing...
Here’s an interesting arrangement of the song we were learning, True Colors. This group from the United Kingdom created a virtual choir by submitting videos of themselves and editing them all together. It’s beautiful!
Week One: 3/23-3/27
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Hello Everyone! I will post your assignments on Canvas, but I’m posting here as well this first week for any students or parents looking for info. on this website.
Although we are not together to make music, let’s keep our new songs fresh by singing at home. Have you seen the video of Italians in their windows singing to each other? This video shows how music is EVERYWHERE around us. Maybe you can sing out your windows to one another too! If you need more inspiration, check out this video. A student at Boston Conservatory at Berklee arranged it with 70 musicians all coming together and recording from home. I’ll be in touch with some project ideas for you soon! I really miss seeing you and hearing your voices, and I hope you are well. Listen and Sing along with these links: Sisi Ni Moja True Colors Haru Sugite |
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