Embedded Files
Students/Guardians: Explore enriching musical activities and mini-lessons, here. Students are NOT expected to submit written work for these enrichment activities and lessons. You may also log-in to the Quaver Music Curriculum to learn other concepts we cover in music class. If you have questions, please e-mail Mr. Wiget.
Snowday/Virtual Learning
Snowday/Virtual Learning
How's the mood during sunrise in the opening scene from "The Lion King"? Is it mystic, is it kind of sad, silly in a way, dark and scary, or is it in fact majestic and heroic? Let's see if the music can alter the mood of this well known Disney film.
We look at how music can manipulate characters or scenes in films.
How Pixar uses music to influence our moods in its movies.
Dive into the early experiments of Edison trying to incorporate sound from film’s inception, through the experiments in the early 1920s, the Jazz Singer and the industry sound overhaul, and finally the multi-channel surround and modern movie sound technologies.
Evolution of the piano
Evolution of the piano
In class, we've been learning about musical instruments and how each instrument essentially started its life as an experiment, evolving over time into the modern instruments we play or listen to today. The gentleman in this video demonstrates one of the early instruments upon which the design of the modern piano is based: the hammered dulcimer.
Less Common Instruments
Less Common Instruments
Bizarre Instruments
Bizarre Instruments
Which is your favorite?
Wild Instruments
Wild Instruments
Listen to the smooth sounds of some pretty unlikely *instruments*. We begin with a junkyard virtuoso, proving that one man’s trash truly is another’s orchestra. Then we travel deep underground to witness the world’s largest instruments before we groove along to the seriously spine-chilling tunes of ‘The Apprehension Engine.’
The Idea of the Vegetable Orchestra
The Idea of the Vegetable Orchestra
This video describes how the Vegetable Orchestra members make instruments out of vegetables and how they use them.
Unusual and Strange Instruments
Unusual and Strange Instruments
Listen to the factory fan bass, nyckelharpa, hammered dulcimer, sador, arduino, carnyx, and a PVC pipe xylophone.
Theremin
Theremin
Theremin: An instrument one plays by NOT touching it! This electronic instrument just turned 100 years old. The Theremin is distinguished among musical instruments since it is played without physical contact. The thereminist stands in front of the instrument and moves their hands in the proximity of two metal antennas. The distance from one antenna determines frequency (pitch/high or low), and the distance from the other controls amplitude (volume/loudness).
Debussy's "Clair de Lune" on Theremin.
Debussy's "Clair de Lune" on Theremin.
Grégoire Blanc plays the Theremin and Orane Donnadieu plays the piano in this duet arrangement of Claude Debussy's famous piece for piano.
The Mellotron: Famous Songs!
The Mellotron: Famous Songs!
This instrument uses individual strips of audiotape, assigned to each key, to play recordings of actual instruments when the player depresses each key (like a piano or organ). Follow this link to read more about How Mellotrons Work and What Makes Them So Special. There are also lots of videos and recordings demonstrating how useful this instrument was, especially before
Paul McCartney Demonstrates the Mellotron
Paul McCartney Demonstrates the Mellotron
A Famous Example: Paul played the Mellotron in the Beatles' song, "Strawberry Fields." If you click the link, you can hear the Mellotron throughout the song in the original recording. It is particularly easy to hear it at the beginning, using recorded samples of flutes.
Natural and Synthetic Strings
Natural and Synthetic Strings
How they're made: Natural Gut Strings
How they're made: Natural Gut Strings
Click here to watch the process by which natural gut strings are made.
Natrual vs. Synthetic Strings
Natrual vs. Synthetic Strings
Listen to the difference between natural gut strings and synthetic (man-made) strings. Brandon Acker demonstrates by playing the theorbo, a plucked string instrument of the lute family. Can you hear the difference?
Learn the story of some talented women who found a voice in Cleveland's early music scene.
Instruments of the Orchestra
Instruments of the Orchestra
"Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra" and its instruments
"Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra" and its instruments
Listen to this piece written by the English composer, Benjamin Britten. We've studied the four families of instruments. Listen for them as you watch this video.
Test your ear
Test your ear
Watch the video and try to test your ear using the images. While listening, try to identify the instruments you hear. To which of the four instrument families do they belong?
Beat Box
Beat Box
Beat Box Flute
Beat Box Flute
Listen to Greg Pattillo as he mixes well-known tunes together and plays them with his beatbox-flute playing technique!
Learn how to beat box!
Learn how to beat box!
if you ask Siri or Alexa to beatbox, they'll say, "boots and cats and boots and cats..." That's actually a pretty good place to start, but this woman takes it a step further. Here is a good resource to use when learning about beatboxing and its history and techniques: http://www.wonderopolis.org/wonder/can-you-beatbox
Clay Elementary School subscribes to the Quaver Music Curriculum for students in grades K-6. Some of the resources are available to our students by logging in with their @claylocalschools.org e-mail account. When you're ready to log-in, click the large Quaver logo and then Click HERE to view/download the log-in guide.
Fourth grade class code: 6TCSR
Fourth grade class code: 6TCSR
Fifth grade class code: L2PD8
Fifth grade class code: L2PD8
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