Composing Activities for Classes Archives - Cheryl Camm – Composer https://cherylcamm.co.uk/category/composing-activities-for-classes/ composer Wed, 12 Aug 2020 13:33:08 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.0.7 Limerick Composing https://cherylcamm.co.uk/limerick-composing/ https://cherylcamm.co.uk/limerick-composing/#respond Wed, 12 Aug 2020 13:33:05 +0000 https://cherylcamm.co.uk/?p=10769 A generic limerick tune that can be used to sing any limerick and also to create new lyrics in that form.

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During my time as a composer in schools and workshops, I’ve often used the limerick form to inspire creativity in both writing and composing. I composed this tune, originally for some limericks we were using to help set words to music. I think the original one was the nursery rhyme, The Tutor Who Tooted The Flute.

Anyway, as time has gone on, I’ve used lots of different limericks, most often this one exploring the letter Z. I wrote it when I was going through my zebra phase at St. John Vianney’s School in Queensland, when I composed a few different Zebra songs and also wrote a story about the origins of the “Zebra’s Crossing”!

The other limerick on this video was for some phonics activities, this one using the ee (or ea) sound.

For older children I have encouraged them, once they know the tune well, to make up their own lyrics on whatever theme or other we’re focusing on. If they make sure their lyrics have the same rhyme pattern and rhythm, then they too will end up with a limerick.

On this video you hear the tune eight times:

  • Twice with no lyrics so you can add your own,
  • Twice for the Zebra limericks,
  • Twice for the Puddle limericks,
  • Twice again with no lyrics so you can add your own.

If you’d like a backing track with no lyrics so you can add your own lyrics and not bother with mine, just contact me!

My limericks:

The Zebra In The Zoo
A Zambian Zebra had gone 
On an outing to Azerbaijan!
When he got to Baku, 
He was locked in the zoo,
And befriended a white unicorn. 

A zebra from Azerbaijan, 
Declared to a sparrow, “Hey aren’t
You glad to be free, 
Not locked up like me
In this old zoological barn?”
The Weeping Puddle
I’m weeping! Oh, I’m so upset! 
My feet are incredibly wet!
My knees are submerged 
In my tears. It’s absurd!
I weep more, the damper I get.

So cheer me with wheezes and sprees, 
So I laugh in my green sleeve with glee.
Shout “Whoopee!” at the moon: 
I must stop weeping soon,
From this puddle I want to be free!

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Sonnet Seasoning https://cherylcamm.co.uk/sonnet-seasoning/ https://cherylcamm.co.uk/sonnet-seasoning/#respond Thu, 19 May 2016 13:05:46 +0000 https://cherylcamm.co.uk/?p=5133 It’s all about the extra-musical influences that inspired Vivaldi while he composed “The Four Seasons”, in particular sonnets which often appear at the beginning of the score.

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vivaldi sonnets (9)Activities inspired by the sonnets which in turn inspired Vivaldi when he composed “The Four Seasons”.

What’s the meaning?

  • What does the word “programme “(or program, if you prefer the American spelling) mean?vivaldi sonnets (2)

 

  1. To organise data and information so that problems can be solved by a computer
  2. A broadcast on radio or television
  3. A list of events at a concertvivaldi sonnets (6)
  4. A type of music which tells a story
  5. A schedule of events
  6. Computer software
  7. Any other?

 

  • vivaldi sonnets (8)Yes! All of them, but which one are we dealing with here?

 

  • Each concerto in The Four Seasons has a poem to go with it. Vivaldi clearly intended the music and the poem to go together as he placed large letters next to different lines of the poem with corresponding letters in the music score.vivaldi sonnets (5)

 

 

Winter Match-Ups

  • Here are nine musical examples (click on them to see a bigger version!) and nine images from the poems.sonnet examples 1
  1. Listen to Winter and try to decide which music goes with which image.
  2. In which order do the musical examples appear in the score?sonnet examples 2
  3. Do you think the music goes well with the poem?
  4. Why?
  5. Why not?sonnet examples 3

 

  • sonnet examples 4The winds rage in a battle
  • A terrible wind
  • Sitting by the fire while it rains outside
  • Frozen and trembling in the frosty snow
  • sonnet examples 5To run, stamping your feet
  • The ice cracks open
  • Teeth chattering in the cold
  • Sliding and falling
  • sonnet examples 7Walking on the ice with careful steps

 

Rough Springsonnet examples 9

  • Here is a rough summary of the poem which goes with Spring. sonnet examples 6sonnet examples 8

Here comes happy spring. The birds sing a joyful welcome, and the brooks flow and quietly murmur in the gentle breeze (zephyr). The sky is filled with dark clouds heralded by thunder and lightening. When they stop the birds return with their songs.

In the flowery meadow the young goat-herd sleeps with his faithful dog by his side among the gently waving leaves.

Nymphs and shepherds dance to the merry sound of the rustic bagpipes when spring’s brilliance comes along.

  • vivaldi sonnets (3)Compose your own music to go with this poem.
  • Compare your music with that of Vivaldi.
  • Were you thinking along the same lines?

 

Autumn Drama

  • Listen to Autumn.
  • Make up your own story or poem to go with the music.
  • You could create a series of visual images or a drama or a video if you prefer.

 

Little Descriptionsvivaldi sonnets (4)

  • In addition to the lines of the poems placed through the score, there are other descriptive score indications for different players.
  • One example is in the slow movement of Spring where the solo violin melody is the slumbering goat-herd, the orchestral violins are the gently rippling leaves and the viola is assigned the role of the dog barking.
  • Have a look and listen for some more of these little bonus descriptions.

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Harmony Capers https://cherylcamm.co.uk/harmony-capers/ https://cherylcamm.co.uk/harmony-capers/#respond Mon, 02 May 2016 08:22:54 +0000 https://cherylcamm.co.uk/?p=5015 No dry harmony study here – activities in composing, performing, score-reading, listening…as well as analysis to help you get to grips with some of Vivaldi’s harmonic delectations.

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flower music 2 (3)Practical activities to help with the exploration of harmony in Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons.

Conclusions – After looking at all the movements of The Four Seasons by Vivaldi, here are a few conclusions I’ve drawn about the harmonic trends:

  • Mostly the opening ritornello sections of the fast movements have static harmony which centres around the tonic, dominant and subdominant chords.
  • Later (and usually shorter ) ritornello sections are similar but sometimes modulate employing chromatic harmony and sequences to do so.flower music 2
  • Mostly the episode sections of the fast movements are more complex harmonically as they often modulate to a new key and use transitory sequences and chromatic harmony on their way there.
  • The harmony in the slow movements is more like that in the episode sections of fast movements: there are transitory passages of sequence and modualtion and chromatic harmony, but also periods of reinforcement of the key using harmony centred around the tonic, dominant and subdominant chords.

 

  • flower music 2 (2)Of course, there are exceptions to all these general comments, for instance the opening ritornello in the first movement of Winter modulates to the dominant minor and contains several 7th chords (including diminished 7th) and chromatic alterations. Maybe you can find other exceptions….
  • Here are a series of activities relating to the harmony in The Four Seasons which will help you understand and become familiar with Vivaldi’s harmonic style as well as expanding your own store of harmonic resources:

 

1. Autumn Listening

  • For these three listening activities, you’ll need to print the musical examples out. If you click on the example it should open up a new page which you can then print…at least I am able to do that. If not, you could try a screen shot of it.
  • Listen to this opening ritornello from the 3rd movement of Autumn. Put chord symbols above or below the melody to indicate the harmony. Use either Roman numerals or guitar chords.

3.6 Harmony egs1

  • Insert the cello part underneath the solo violin in this theme from the 1st movement of Autumn (bars 14-23)

3.6 Harmony egs2

  • Fill in the missing notes (under the stars) in this passage from Autumn, 1st movement (58-66)

3.6 Harmony egs3

2. Jazzy Vivaldi Composing

  • Compose a piece of music based on this chord sequence:

3.6 Harmony egs5

  • Where is this chord sequence in The Four Seasons?

3. La Pioggia

  • Perform this solo from Winter, 2nd Movement. Improvise an accompaniment based on the chords shown.
  • It has a little heading from the descriptive sonnets: la pioggia which is Italian for rain. Will you try to reflect this reflect this in your accompaniment?

3.6 Harmony egs4 (2)

 

flower music 2 (4)4. Mini Score Quest

  • Find the following in the 3rd movement of Autumn. Give bar numbers and copy out the phrase.
  1. A bar based on an A7 chord
  2. A perfect cadence in C major
  3. An 8-bar phrase harmonised only by F major
  4. A sequence based on the chords  F Bb G C A Dm
  5. An imperfect cadence in F major
  6. A bar based on a diminished 7th chord

 

5. Harmonic Scrutiny

  • Analyse the following chord sequence from Autumn. Use Roman numerals or guitar chords.

3.6 Harmony egs4

  •  A more difficult harmonic analysis would be the slow movement from Autumn.

 

 

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Composing With Antonio https://cherylcamm.co.uk/composing-with-antonio/ https://cherylcamm.co.uk/composing-with-antonio/#respond Thu, 28 Apr 2016 13:56:20 +0000 https://cherylcamm.co.uk/?p=4786 Here’s a selection of activities to not only help you become more familiar with Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons, but also to hone some of your own composing skills at the same time.

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daffodils15th August coble16th October 003IMG_0830 (2)Some composing activities inspired by Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons.

1. Wisps and Smatterings

  • 2.5 composing snippetsUsing two or more of these smatterings of Vivaldi’s seasonal music, compose a short, wispy piece of music for members of your class to play.
  • Make your composition exciting and clever by applying some of the development techniques in the box to the smatterings.development techniques

 

 

2. Seasonal Variations

  • Write a set of variations on the melody below for the instruments available in your class.
  • The variations should have the following characteristics:

Variation 1: the melody is scattered amongst the parts in a hocket-like effect

Variation 2: is in a minor key

Variation 3: changes time signature on a regular basis

Variation 4: the melody has longer note values than the accompaniment

Variation 5: the intervals are expanded and contracted

Variation 6: the time signature is all the way through

Variation 7 : is anything you like

2.5 composing melody

3. Four Personalized Seasons

  • Compose your own music to go with each season.
  • Here are some simple ideas. You can think up better ones, I’m sure, but if not, use these!

daffodils15th August coble16th October 003IMG_0830 (2)Compose cuckoo and daffoldil music.

Compose trembling, shivering, freezing cold music.

Compose some dance music for an autumn festivity.

Compose “sweltering in the sun” music.

 

 

 

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Eine Kleine Rhythmische Musik https://cherylcamm.co.uk/eine-kleine-rhythmische-musik/ https://cherylcamm.co.uk/eine-kleine-rhythmische-musik/#respond Wed, 20 Apr 2016 07:59:08 +0000 https://cherylcamm.co.uk/?p=4690 Clap the pulse, clap the rhythm, make up your own rhythms that add up to 4 beats. The musical genius Mozart will help us!

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Slide2 (2)Performing and composing activities inspired by rhythm in the 1st Movement of Mozart’s Eine Kleine Nachtmusik.

 

Pulse and Rhythm

  • Invite a musician to your class (maybe an older student who plays an instrument, or maybe a teacher who knows a lot about music.
  • Ask them to clap the pulse along with the opening of the music.
  • Now ask them to clap the rhythm of the music.

things to know einekleine2

 

 

  • What’s the difference?

 

  • I’ll tell you what…..

 

    • The pulse is the same all the way through. It never changes – never speeds up or slows down.

 

    • The rhythm is the same as the instruments are playing. When you clap the rhythm, it’s like you’re clapping the tune. There is a mixture of long and short notes, so sometimes you clap fast and sometimes you clap slowly.

 

  • Slide2 (3)Everyone clap along with the pulse – it’s easy. Sometimes clap loud, sometimes quiet. Appoint one of your group to be the conductor. He or she can point at one person to pay the pulse on their own, sometimes two, or more, or everyone.

 

  • Now clap the rhythm of the beginning. It’s a bit harder. Listen a few times.
  • Now make up some other rhythms to play as background music while we listen to the recording. The rhythms will be patterns that fit into 4 beats.

 

  • Here are some musical signs and symbols to use to help you make up rhythms. You might want to write down your rhythms so that you can remember them.

Slide1 (2)

Slide2

  • Repeat each rhythm until everyone has it right.
  • Then one of you can make a rhythm up. Take it in turns around the class.
  • Now use instruments to play patterns along with Mozart’s music, one person at a time. Some of you will clap a pulse while others clap the rhythms.

 

  • Some of you could learn the opening of this music on the glockenspiels. The music is below. Remember to play the correct rhythm.

Slide1

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Adoration In Sheba https://cherylcamm.co.uk/adoration-parade-in-sheba/ https://cherylcamm.co.uk/adoration-parade-in-sheba/#respond Sun, 17 Apr 2016 16:16:30 +0000 https://cherylcamm.co.uk/?p=4664 With waving and petals and bowing and clapping, let’s welcome the Queen Of Sheba to our school…and while we’re at it, let’s pretend to be her and her courtiers as well!

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Things to know handelListening and movement activities inspired by Handel’s “The Arrival Of The Queen Of Sheba”.

 

Parade For A Queen

 

  • This music was composed by Handel for his opera “Solomon”. When this music is played the Queen of Sheba arrives at King Solomon’s Palace for a visit. She was a very wealthy Queen who had lots of servants and possessions and when she went on a trip there would be hundreds of camels carrying her things and all those people.London (176)
  • We’re going to make up a procession and welcoming party for the Queen Of Sheba as she arrives in our school hall.

 

  • Pathways – find a partner and make a line two by two. Move along to the music, keeping in time and going in the direction of the leading twosome. Things To Know solomonEvery now and then the two at the front should move out to the side and the next two take over as leaders, then the original leaders join the back. The leaders should go in all directions around the room with the line staying the same length – no gaps opening up, no bunching. Try jogging, jumping, tiptoe-ing, trotting..still keeping the procession in line.

 

  • Adoration – the people at King Solomon’s court would have never seen such a splendid queen on a visit. What sort of things might they have done to show their adoration to the queen? Possibly bowing, clapping, waving, throwing flowers:London (177)
  1. Bow in interesting directions, use your arms to make your bows more flamboyant. Get into a line and do aMexican Bow” like a Mexican wave but with bowing instead of waving.
  2. Clap along with the music, keep in time but with different beats. Make up clapping rhythms to go with the music. Clap one at a time and together. Clap quieter and louder.
  3. Wave in different directions. Don’t just wave with your hands. Wave in shapes. Make your hands into interesting shapes to wave with. Wave at different heights and while you turn.Things To Know Arrival
  4. Pretend to throw petals. Exaggerate your actions. Think of different ways of throwing, moving your hands outwards from your body and letting go of what’s in them.

 

 

  • Half the class should be the Queen of Sheba’s Procession and the other half should be King Solomon’s courtiers welcoming her with the adoration gestures and moves you’ve worked on.
  • Swap groups so that everyone has a go at both jobs.
  • Try all the things we’ve done earlier.
  • The courtiers should make a pathway for the procession to walk through.
  • Think about these two things to make your procession more of a performance:
  1. How should the people in the procession react to the courtiers? Perhaps by waving in a royal way, or ignore then and look straight ahead. What do you think?Things To Know London
  2. This music lasts for three whole minutes. How will you vary the performance so that it isn’t just three minutes of the same thing over and over again? Perhaps have sections of the procession with no courtiers, or perhaps now and then the procession could stop to acknowledge the crowd. Perhaps the courtiers will react in different ways for different sections of the music. The music has oboes and strings. Perhaps when the oboes play on their own, something different could happen.

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Riding With Brünnhilda https://cherylcamm.co.uk/riding-with-brunnhilda/ https://cherylcamm.co.uk/riding-with-brunnhilda/#respond Sun, 17 Apr 2016 10:43:29 +0000 https://cherylcamm.co.uk/?p=4636 Sleeping potions, storms, scary forests, warriors riding their horses through the skies, fiery mountains – they all need music composing for them. Wagner’s had a go: now it’s your turn!

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Things To Know WagnerComposing and listening activities for youngsters inspired by Wagner’s “Ride of The Valkyries”, and the German mythological stories that influenced him.

 

1. Story Composing

  • Read the story of the Valkyries that Wagner used in his opera. Here is shortened and simplified version of the whole story:

A warrior called Sigmund is running away from an army. He finds a cottage in a forest and asks the people who live there, Hunding and his wife Sieglinda if he can stay there for the night. Sigmund doesn’t realise that Hunding is a member of the army that’s after him. Hunding agrees to let him stay the night, but tells Sieglinda that in the morning he will kill Sigmund and be the hero of his army. Sieglinda is upset about this because she likes Sigmund and doesn’t want him to be killed. So she puts a sleeping potion in Hunding’s cocoa that night, so that Sigmund will have time to escape. She also hopes that Sigmund will take her with him because Hunding is not a very nice husband and he forced her to marry him in the first place.

5th April 031 (2)So Sigmund and Sieglinda run off in the night and escape. When Hunding wakes up in the morning and realises what has happened, he is very angry, and sets off to kill Sigmund.

Meanwhile Wotan, the leader of the Gods has decided to save Sigmund, and tells his daughter Brünnhilda to ride out on her winged horse and protect him and Sieglinda in their journey. The trouble is that Wotan and his wife, Fricka have an argument about this. Fricka thinks that Sigmund should be allowed to die because he helped Sieglinda escape from her husband. Wotan decides to have a peaceful day, so he changes his mind and asks Brünnhilda to bring back Sigmund’s body to his kingdom of Valhalla and be part of his army who will fight for him at the end of the world, a time called Ragnarok.

Things To Know ValkyriesBrünnhilda sets off with the other Valkyries to find Sigmund, Sieglinda, and Hunding. When the Valkyries spot them Hunding is catching up fast and will soon be close enough to attack. When Brünnhilda tells Sigmund that he is about to die and he must come with her to Valhalla, Sigmund refuses unless she takes Sieglinde too. The other Valkyries are not happy about this because it is not allowed for living people to be taken to Valhalla. They don’t want to get into trouble with Wotan and Fricka. While they’re having their argument, Hunding catches up with Sigmund and kills him with his sword. He’s about to grab Sieglinda when Brünnhilda, quick as a flash, gathers up Sigmund’s body and Sieglinda and flies off into the storm. The other Valkyries follow. (This is when our music is played in the opera).

Once they back to Wotan’s home in Valhalla he is not happy that she has brought back a living woman as well as the body of Sigmund. He sentences her to sleep for many years on a mountain surrounded by fire so that no-one can save her and she can’t escape.

 

  • Listen to the music.
  • How does the music portray the story of the Valkyries?
  • We’re going to compose our own music in groups, for this whole story.

 

2. Scary Forest Music

  • Imagine you are creeping through a scary forest like Sigmund does at the beginning of the story.
  • What sort of things might you come across? Make a list.
  • 29,30,31th march 004 (2)Make up a short snippet of music for each of the things on your list. For instance, you might have trees on your list, so you might make up music that sounds like branches hitting each other, or like leaves rustling together, or your music might sound strong and sturdy like a tree stands strong and sturdy….

 

  • Now think of one way of changing each snippet of music, for instance you could make it louder, quieter, faster, slower, add more instruments, take some away, add a new ending or beginning, or maybe you can think of your own change to make.
  • Play your original version of each snippet followed immediately by the changed version.
  • Now you need to put all your snippets and changed snippets together in an interesting way to create a sound picture of your scary forest.
  • Which snippet would work best at the beginning?
  • Which snippet would best at the ending?
  • Are there any snippets which could happen all the way through as a sort of background music?
  • Don’t forget that it’s OK to have some silence now and again.
  • Write down your finished piece of music so you don’t forget it.

 

Things to know hitler3. Sleeping Potion Music

  • You need to think of three musical ideas for this music:
    1. Think lively, jumpy, fast, energetic. Compose musical ideas that are the same.
    2. Think magical, spooky, spells. Compose a musical idea that is the same.
    3. Think dozy, slowing down, sleeping, still. Compose some music that is the same.
  • Now you have to put the three bits of music together, but it’s not as simple as that.
  • Music 1 is when Hunding is still awake and is excited at the thought that he’ll be getting up in the morning to kill his enemy Sigmund.
  • Music 2 is the magic potion, Sieglinda gives to him in his cocoa
  • Music 3 is when he is asleep.
  • The tricky bit is getting from Music 1 to music 3 gradually. This potion doesn’t suddenly make him keel over on the spot, it slowly has an effect. So your fast music must gradually change into your slow music, not all at once.
  • The potion music just happens once after you’ve established all the ideas in your slow music.
  • Write down your finished piece of music so you don’t forget it.

 

5th April 004 (2)4. Storm Music

  • On the day that Sigmund and Sieglinda escape there is a storm.
  • Write down a list of all the things that happen in a storm, and write down the order in which they happen.
  • This is going to be the structure of your storm music:

no storm;
distant storm;
little bits of storm;
lots of storm;
passing storm;
no storm.

  • Each section of your music must be about 20-30 seconds long. Not longer, not shorter.Clumber (9)
  • Here are some tips to help you:
  • The “no storm” sections should have no hint of what is to come. Completely different music to the storm.
  • Distant storms hint at what’s to come, but quietly, faintly. You might see a dark cloud on the horizon, you might feel a change in the breeze, the sun might go in making everything not so bright and clear. So your music might not change too much in this section from the “no storm” section, but things might become darker or less clear, or a new sound might faintly begin.
  • Clumber (9)“Little bits of storm” are things like fat raindrops, a fork of lightening in the distance, the smell of rain on dry earth, coldness in the air. Remember that storms don’t often go from tiny to huge all of a sudden, so a gradual build-up through this section is what you probably want.
  • The “lots of storm” section will probably have the most music in it, but remember that if everything plays at once loudly for 30 seconds that’s going to be a horrible noise and no-one will want to listen to it. Even in the middle of a storm when there is thunder and lightening, rain, wind, and thick black clouds, you can tell each individual element of that storm. And also remember that a clap of thunder and lightening is quite a short event, and that as the storm gets closer to you the thunder and lightening happen closer and closer together.
  • Things To Know RideClumber (9)Passing storms have all the same things that here and now storms have, just gentler and quieter.
  • And end with no storm again. This music could be exactly the same as the beginning. Make the very ending extra special though. Remember it’s the last thing your audience will hear, and the thing they’ll most remember.
  • Write down your finished piece of music so you don’t forget it.

 

 

5. The Ride Of The Valkyries

  • This is when the Valkyries come to get the body of Sigmund, riding through the storm. This is the music you were listening to at the beginning of these activities
  • Listen carefully to that music again.
  • Think of words and phrases to describe the music. Write down a list.
  • Compose music that can be described in the same way.
  • You’re not going to get any more help this time. You should be really excellent at thinking of musical ideas by now.
  • Remember to make an impact with the beginning and the ending, change some of your ideas in some way so that your audience can hear how clever you are.
  • Paint a musical picture for your audiences of those feisty women on their flying horses, scooping up the dead warriors and whisking them back to Wotan in Valhalla.
  • Write down your finished piece of music so you don’t forget it.

 

14th May 021 (2)6. “The Valkyries” Performance

 

  • You or your teacher should choose one of each of the four types of music to be in the performance.
  • For the performance you will be working as a whole class.
  • The groups who are performing their music need to make sure it’s the absolute best it can be. Make any improvements, practice so you make no mistakes.
  • In between the music other students will be reading or acting sections of the story. Use the story from these pages or re-write it in your own words.
  • For a finale, why not all do the “Ritual Fire Dance” activities? This could show poor old Brünnhilda trapped on her mountain surrounded by fire.
  • Perform your story to another class or in assembly.

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Lucky Latin https://cherylcamm.co.uk/lucky-latin/ https://cherylcamm.co.uk/lucky-latin/#respond Sat, 16 Apr 2016 15:43:45 +0000 https://cherylcamm.co.uk/?p=4614 It’s all about singing a dramatic and rhythmic song in a language other than English, which makes you listen so very intently.

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Things To Know OrffSinging activities using “O Fortuna” from Orff’s Carmina Burana.

 

Singing In Latin

  • Listen to O Fortuna. Can you tell what they’re singing? No, it’s in another language. It’s called Latin and it used be used a lot in churches, and for official documents in lots of European countries. Now you’ll only find it in old songs and poems like this and sometimes in churches.

O fortuna lyrics 3

 

 

  • On the left here are the words in the song you’ve just heard:

 

  • It’s all about luck and how luck changes like the moon, how sometimes luck is on your side in life and sometimes it’s not. It’s also about gambling and how gambling is all about luck, but mostly bad luck and how we tend to always lose more money than we make in gambling. It’s also about good and bad health. The writer of this poem is ill and therefore feels that he is having bad luck in his health.
  • Next, you have to learn how to pronounce this Latin so that you can sing along. It’s basically just as it looks except for these exceptions:
    • A “c” in the middle of a word is pronounced “ts”, but at the end of a word like “nunc” it’s pronounced like a “k”.
    • The vowels “i” and “u” are a bit different to English. “i” is pronounced “ee” and “u” is pronounced “oo”.
    • “aut” is pronounced as in the English “out”.
    • “ch” in “michi” is pronounced like an “h”, so “mihi”.
    • There are no “magic e’s” in Latin so a word like “sine” is not pronounced “sign” but “seenay” – two syllables.

 

  • So now it’s time to listen to the recording again and learn to pronounce the Latin. While you’re doing this, you’ll automatically learn the rhythm and tune, so then you’ll be able to sing along.

Things To Know Carmina

  • In the third verse the singers get very excited and sing very high – probably too high for us. Just keep singing it at the same pitch but get a bit louder.
  • The last line is a bit tricky too. This is because they sing lots of notes for each syllable.

 

  • Once you’ve learned the words, tune and rhythm, sing along with the recording.

 

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A Pinch Of Saltarello https://cherylcamm.co.uk/a-pinch-of-saltarello/ https://cherylcamm.co.uk/a-pinch-of-saltarello/#respond Sat, 16 Apr 2016 07:01:58 +0000 https://cherylcamm.co.uk/?p=4586 Let’s adopt the saltarello dancing position and skip, leap and spin ourselves into a celebratory mood with Mendelssohn’s Italian Symphony.

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Things To Know MendelssohnDance and movement activities inspired by the 4th movement Saltarello in Mendelssohn’s Italian Symphony.

Saltarello

  • The Saltarello was a medieval dance popular in Rome, and then used in carnivals around Italy. Mendelssohn is said to have seen and heard a saltarello in Italy on his travels there in the 19th century, and it inspired him to compose his own saltarello for this “Italian” Symphony.

 

  • We’re going to dance a saltarello to this music. It will be like a country dance where you have to dance with a partner or group with steps to learn.
  • Let’s get used to the speed and the music first with some….
  • Dance warm-ups:

Things to know ItalianFeel the beat. This saltarello has quite a quick beat. Put the music on and move in time with the beat. Use different parts of your body and feel the beat. Move around the room in time. Incorporate a turn here and there, but whatever you do keep in time and feel the beat.

Step Step Step Hop. Do this: step step step hop step step step hop. The feet you should be on for these steps are RLRRLRLL. Do it slowly to start with, then gradually speed up to the speed of the music. This is the basic step we’re going to use for a lot of our saltarello. Join with a partner and dance the saltarello steps while moving along side by side. You should also hold hands with the held hands raised to about the height of your shoulder. Your spare hand should be raised out to the side, gracefully.

This is the saltarello dancing position.

Little Leaps. The word saltarello means in Italian “little leaps”. We’re going to have some leaping in our saltarello. Leap along to the music – I think you’ll have to go at half the speed of the beat for your leaps, so one leap every two beats. Make each leap different. Choose your favourite leap and do it eight times on the trot, then do a mixture of eight.

Things To Know ItalySpin Twirl Turn. If you look at paintings of medieval Italians dancing they do a lot of spinning, twirling and turning. Spin, turn and twirl along with the music. Seeing as you’re not medieval Italians, try spinning on your backs, tummies, bottoms as well as the usual feet. Can you think of other turns and spins. Try and altar your height while you’re spinning or turning. Twirl with a partner. What new spinning, twirling, turning moves can you make now you have a partner?

Strip the willow. In a circle with partner – outer partner facing one way, inner partner facing the other. Head off round the circle turning round next partner with alternate hands starting with right hand, keep going until you end up back at your own partner.

  • Ok now we’re ready to put all our ideas together in a group dance. You need a partner to dance with, you need to stand beside each other in the saltarello dancing position. This chart has all the steps and moves to follow. You may have to adapt the timings if your recording is longer or shorter than 5 minutes 25 seconds. Good luck and remember that this is a carnival dance so no frowning – only joyful exuberance.

Things To Know Symphony

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King Of The Mountains https://cherylcamm.co.uk/king-of-the-mountains/ https://cherylcamm.co.uk/king-of-the-mountains/#respond Fri, 15 Apr 2016 17:12:27 +0000 https://cherylcamm.co.uk/?p=4566 Have a go at playing a simple melody and then compose some variations on that melody, then you too can be like Edvard Grieg and his King of the Dwarfs.

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things to know griegTwo activities for youngsters using and inspired by Grieg’s In The Hall Of The Mountain King.

mountain1

 

1. Playing A Tune

  • Listen to “In The Hall Of The Mountain King”. There is one main tune, or melody, which is played over and over again during the piece. This is the tune that we’re going to learn. It’s quite tricky.

 

  • Here’s the music for it:

mountain king melody

  • Now learn to play the theme. You will need to practise it for a while to get it fast enough with no wrong notes.
  • G# is written as Ab, and D# is written as Eb on some glockenspiels.
  • If you’re struggling to learn the whole thing, just learn the blue bits, or the red bit, or the green bit, or the orange bit, and join together with some friends to play the bits all together.

Things To Know Peer Gynt

  • Listen again to Grieg’s version of the tune. How many times can you hear this tune being played?
  • The answer is difficult because the melody changes so much during the piece, but if you said 20, you are correct.

 

2. Developing Musical Ideas

  • Listen to “In The Hall Of The Mountain King”. The main tune happens 20 times during the piece of music. Each time Grieg changes the tune in some way so that it isn’t the same as before.
  • Make a list of the changes he makes.
  • These are some of the changes Grieg makes: changes the instruments playing the melody; makes it louder or quieter; makes it higher or lower; changes the background music or accompaniment; changes the ending of the melody; just uses a fragment of the melody.

Things To Know development

  • Play the melody again and this time make some of the changes that Grieg makes.
  • Play the melody 20 times like in Grieg’s piece. Each time you play the melody, change something. You are developing a musical idea.
  • Next time you compose your own music, use some of these ways of changing an idea in your composition.

 

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