This is an excellent biography of one of our greatest composers- Ludwig Van Beethoven.  Watch this video and learn all about Beethoven's life.  After watching, think of 5 facts that you learned about Beethoven.  

1. Watch this cup passing tutorial video.  When we return to school we will be trying this, so practice it every day!  You will need one plastic cup.  DO NOT use glass!!!  

You already have a lot of background knowledge on the life of Beethoven.  This is my favorite Beethoven piano piece: the second movement from his Pathetique Piano Sonata.  The music is slow and expressive.  Please watch the video and think about the following questions:

• At what period of Beethoven's life do you think he wrote this in?

• What does Beethoven seem to be "saying" to you, the listener?  What was he thinking about when he wrote this? 

• What do you think Yundi, the pianist, is thinking about while he is playing? 

• What is the mood of this piece?  

• Why do you think Yundi has no written sheets of music and rarely looks down at his fingers?  

• How does Beethoven use dynamics (soft/medium/loud) in this piece?  

See how far you can get in this My Turn/Your Turn game (Call and Response)!  What level player are you?  You can use a drum if you have one, or just use your knees.  Practice every day.  Good luck...

Level 1: 0:00-1:13 Easy and short rhythms all on the beat

Level 2: 1:13-2:08 These are still easier, but longer

Level 3: 2:08-3:40 Much trickier rhythms

Level 4: 3:40-5:15 Using more rests and playing on upbeats

Level 5: 5:15-7:15 Congratulations! You are a master!  

Last year, the 5th graders loved learning the Electric Slide.  Give it a try- it's harder than it looks!  

Can you guys do the glide?  I can't.  But I tried and it was fun to try!  See how you do... Remember, everything he is doing is mirrored, which means that when he says LEFT he is using his RIGHT.  That way when you do it with him he will look like your reflection in the mirror.  

For this rotation we'll be taking a closer look at Musical Theater.  This video will give us a brief introduction to the history of musical theater.  

I will be showing you some really famous scenes from some really famous musicals.  Here is the Barn Raising scene from 7 Brides for 7 Brothers.  What do you think of the dancing?  

This is from a musical that came out just a few years ago, called “La La Land.”  Unlike most musicals, this has never been performed live on stage- it’s only ever been a movie.  What elements of a musical can be seen in this scene?  What are some similarities and differences from this scene and the scene from 7 Brides for 7 Brothers?  

Here is your daily dose of Musical Theater… this is a scene from my favorite musical- West Side Story.  The music and the dancing in this musical are second to none!  In this scene, Anita and her friends are trying to convince Bernardo and his friends that America is a great place to live.  Bernardo does not agree- he prefers to live in his home country, Puerto Rico.  What style of dance is this?  What are some funny lines from this song?  An immigrant is someone who was not born in America but lives here now.  Do you think you would have a different perspective on this song if you were an immigrant?  

Have you ever seen Line Rider?  It’s a very popular youtube series.  Here is a fun way to listen to Beethoven’s 5th Symphony- one of the most famous pieces of music ever written.  Many people believed that Beethoven wrote this music to express how he felt about continuing to compose music even while he was going deaf.  It’s meant to be a triumphant piece of music.  How does it sound to you?  What part of your life would this sound good as background music to?  Do you recognize any musical symbolism in this?  

Do you like Hip-Hop dancing as much as me?  What about JT?  Well, here is a video with both.  This dance might take some practice before you get it perfect.  Remember that when you dance you are trying to improve your musical timing using movement.  Get that heart-rate up and sweat!  

And now for your daily fix of musical theater… Here is one of the most iconic performances EVER in a movie- let alone a musical.  This is from the film “Singin’ in the Rain,” starring the incredible Gene Kelly.  Imagine if an actor like Brad Pitt was also an amazing dancer and singer- that was Gene Kelly.  In my opinion, Gene Kelly was the best dancer ever to make a movie and this scene really shows you why.  If you notice similarities between this and “La La Land,” you wouldn’t be wrong- “Singin’ in the Rain” was a major inspiration for “La La Land.”  On a side note, Gene Kelly was suffering from the flu when he filmed this, but he still did it with a fever of 103 degrees.  

Let’s continue our discussion about Musical Theater.  Here are two clips from The Sound of Music.  These are very famous songs that many of you have probably heard before.  In the first scene, Maria is trying to teach the Von Trapp children to sing.  In the second, she is trying to comfort them when they are scared by a thunderstorm.  Do you think Maria seems like a good Nanny?  Which song do you like better?  

Now you are ready to play some intermediate rhythms.  This is a rhythm reading challenge that uses some of the more difficult rhythms: the dotted quarter note (Ta-i), the single 8th note (ti), and the 8th rest(sss).  See if you can play every level correctly.  

This is the first number from a musical called "The Lion King."  The Lion King started as an animated movie and was later adapted for the stage to be performed live.  All of the animals in the stage musical are performed by people using innovative costumes.  What animals do you notice in this and how are they portrayed by people?  

It's time to practice those syncopation rhythms (quarter-8th-quarter note patterns) we have been working on.  This is an easy song to sing and an easy rhythm to play, but to do them both at the same time is challenging!  

OK, this is SUPER cool!  Here is a link to a professional-level drum machine.  Start by fooling around with different pre-made drum tracks by clicking on different kits (next to where it says “KIT”).  You can alter any parameter you want- experiment by clicking on different things and seeing what happens.  When you are ready to compose your own track, click on COMPOSE.  In the bottom right of the drum machine, you can choose how many beats long you want your track to be- choose anywhere from 4 beats to 32 beats long.  The orange squares tell you which drum plays on which beat.  Clicking on an orange square will delete the drum from that beat.  Clicking again will replace the drum.  This is a really great composition tool and if you put some time into it, you should be able to come up with some really cool rhythms.  

This is a video showing the arrival of the Beatles in other countries (they were British) and a period known as “Beatlemania.”  Their fans were crazy!  They would scream so loud during their concerts that the Beatles said they couldn’t even hear themselves play!  What was it about the Beatles that made fans go so crazy?  

After they arrived in America, they played the Ed Sullivan Show, the most popular variety show on TV.  The whole world tuned in to see the Beatles perform and it introduced America to the music of the Beatles.  This song, “Twist and Shout,” has been used in lots of movies and TV shows.  Have you heard this song before?  Where have you heard it?  

At one point, the Beatles held all of the top 5 songs in America- something that had never been done before and hasn’t been done since.  Here is one of their most popular songs, “Yesterday.”  Why do you think the other Beatles don’t play on this song?  

This video takes a closer look at the string family.  What do all of the instruments found in the string family have in common?  What are the 5 string  instruments found in the orchestra?  How does a string's length affect it's pitch?  What about the thickness of a string?  

Here is the song “Eleanor Rigby.”  Listen to this song and try to concentrate on the words.  What is this song about?  Is it a happy or a sad song?  Listen to the song again and concentrate on the music.  What instruments do you hear?  The Beatles were considered a rock and roll band.  What rock and roll instruments do you hear?  

Another one of my favorite Beatles songs from this period is called “Strawberry Fields Forever.”  Listen to this song and think about what the song is about.  How does this song sound different from the Beatles’ music from earlier?  Do the members of the Beatles look different?  How?  

"Hey Jude" is considered by many to be the greatest Beatles song ever recorded.  This is the only time it was ever played in front of an audience.  It was also the first hit song played on the radio that was this long (most songs were under 3 minutes long).  What do you think Paul's lyrics are about?  Why do you think the ending goes on so long?  

It's time to learn a new dance!  This is the most difficult one we have done yet- it has a lot of different moves.  I'm hoping the more I practice this the better I will get at it.  The important thing is that you are having fun and getting some exercise.  It's OK if it's not perfect.  

During the Beatles later period, each member of the group decided to write music on their own rather than as a group.  They began experimenting with many different styles of music and they wrote some of their most famous songs during this period.  This is a song by John Lennon called "Revolution."  What do you think the words are about?  How would you describe the sound of this song?  

The Beatles hadn't played in front of an audience in over 3 years.  One cold January day they decided to bring all of their equipment up to the roof of their recording studio and play a concert for anyone that was on the street below.  This ended up being their final performance together as a group.  Why do you think the greatest rock band in the world decided to end their career as The Beatles this way?  

This presentation will teach us about the instruments of the orchestra.  When you click on this link  it will take you to a website called MusicPlay.  Click on the first game- Instruments of the Orchestra.  Make sure you click on each instrument to hear what it sounds like.  What are the 4 families of the orchestra?  Can you name 4 instruments from each family?  

This is a really fun song to sing called "Agents of Change."  Once there was a really smart man who said, "Be the change you want to see in the world."  What do you think he meant by that?  What is something that you would really like to change in the world?  

In this lesson, we will be looking into the Beatles in the movies.  The Beatles starred in three movies together, the first of which was called "A Hard Day's Night" and was about, well... THE BEATLES.  The movie explored what it was like to be a Beatle through the eyes of John, Paul, George, and Ringo.  Here is the opening scene of the movie.  

The Beatles' second movie was a comedy farce called HELP.  Despite a silly plot it featured the Beatles playing many great new songs that went on to become classics.  

The Beatles third movie, "A Magical Mystery Tour," was a very strange and abstract piece of art film.  Although it featured many excellent new songs, it was considered by many to be the Beatles' first artistic failure.  

One of my favorite things to do when I am in a different country is to listen to music from the culture that I am visiting.  When I was in Indonesia I got a chance to hear a lot of different types of music.  One concert I went to was called Kecak.  The concert tells the folk story of a monkey and a prince battling an evil king.  Here is one of the videos that I took of the concert.  Does this music sound strange to you?  Do you hear any instruments other than voice in this?  Do you notice how the tempo (speed of the music) keeps changing?  How do you think everyone changes tempo at the exact same time? 

I also went to a Gamelon concert while I was in Indonesia.  It was amazing!!!  The gamelon is a group of instruments that are similar to our xylophones and are played with wooden hammers.  The instruments range in size from tiny (smaller than a glockenspiel) to huge gongs.  Dancers come out and perform alongside the gamelon players.  Here is a video I took of the concert. 

Also while I was in Indonesia I actually met a gamelon master (he’s the guy who leads the gamelon orchestra) and he gave me a private lesson.  Here is a video of the gamelon master and me playing a song that he taught me.  Do you notice how my hands are doing two different things?  What does my left hand do?  What about the right? 

In India, a very popular instrument is called the sitar- a stringed instrument often made from a pumpkin or gourd.  This is a clip of Ravi Shankar, considered by many to be the greatest sitarist ever to have lived.  George Harrison, of the Beatles, called him the greatest musician in the world.  Here he is playing with a tabla (Indian drums) player.  They are playing a form of music called a Raga, which is mostly improvised.  What does a musician do when they improvise?  Music often serves a purpose- what do you think is the purpose of a raga?  

When you watch a movie do you think about the music that goes along with the movie?  Incidental music is music that is played in the background- it’s not meant to be the main focus of the movie but is instead supposed to complement the main focus and make it better.  This music is called the film’s score.  There are composers whose job it is to compose film scores.  This is a very interesting clip about Pixar film scores and how they are the masters of creating the perfect score to complement the film.  Can you think of a Pixar movie that does this really well?  What does the narrator say is the secret to composing the right music for a film?  

Here is a video of one of my favorite guitar players- Charlie Hunter.  He is amazing!  Some things to think about while you are watching…

1.       How many strings does he have on his guitar?  How many does a regular guitar have?

2.       Are all of the strings the same color?  

3.       Why does Charlie make so many strange faces while he is playing?  

4.       Does he use a pick or his fingers with his right hand?  Why?  

5.       What genre (type) of music is this?  

6.       Do you like this?  Why or why not?  

Look for the answers to these questions tomorrow.  

In Trinidad they hold steel drum festivals.  Huge troops gather to play their countries' native music.  A steel drum is an instrument made from an oil drum that's been hammered to make different pitches.  How do you think the steel drum was invented?  Why do you think there are so many different sizes of steel drums?  

Here is a challenging body percussion game to play. Once you learn the pattern you will play the whole thing at a slow tempo. Then you will slowly increase the tempo (speed of music) and see if you can keep up. Good luck!

If you think you are getting good at body percussion, then check out this video. How long do you think these boys had to practice to get this pattern down perfect?

Ms. Alex's Lessons

Hi everyone! I am so excited to get to teach you about some of my favorite female composers! Let's get started!

Hildegard Von Bingen

Introducing our first Female Composer...Hildgard von Bingen (also known as Hildegard of Bingen)! She's the first female composer in history that we can put a name to as well as a Saint!

Some things to think about while watching this short introduction video...

1. Where is Hildegard from?

2. What else was Hildegard famous for aside from her music?

3. Why was  Hildegard writing music for female voices as well as male voices so important?

4. What type of play did Hildegard write that could also be considered the first opera?

Here we have a chunk of Hildegard's opera: Ordo Virtutum! Start the video about 30 seconds in if you want to skip the silent intro. You do not have to watch all the way through, just long enough to figure out the answers to these questions...

1. How many main melodies can you hear in the music?

2. What do you notice about the way that the music is written that differs from how we read music now?

Our second female composer is the amazing Clara Schumann, wife of the composer Robert Schumann! She was also the daughter of the talented piano teacher Frederick Weick and friend to famous composer Johannes Brahms. 

Think about the following things while you learn about the life of Clara Schumann...

1. By what age was Clara already known as a piano prodigy?

2.  What types of songs did Clara compose to perform at her concerts?

3. Why did Clara have to take over the care of her eight children?

4. Why did Clara do once she had to give up composing?

Watch this amazing performance of one of Clara's art songs, Dei Lorelei. 

What is an art song you ask? An art song is a short piece of music that is typically written for solo voice and piano!

Clara wrote a great many of these during her lifetime, and they are still performed today!

I'm sure you've all heard of Mozart, but did you know he had a sister who some say was even more talented than him? Her name is Maria Anne Mozart, though she was called Nannerl by friends and family!

Look for the answers to these questions while we watch a short video about her:

1. What instruments did Nannerl play?

2. What about her playing did people describe as outstanding?

3. What did she have a reputation as?

4. How did she help her brother with his first symphony?

5. Why did she stop performing?

6. What did she work as after her brother and husband died?

While none of Nannerl's original compositions have survived to be heard today, we can still find her work using her brother! There is an agreement among music scholars that some of his compositions are actually Nannerl's works published using her brother's name. One such song is Sonata in C for Piano using Four Hands!

Fanny Mendelssohn is another sister of a famous composer, Felix Mendelssohn! Both of these siblings were amazingly talented!

Here's some things to think about while you learn about her life:

1. What musical era did Fanny live in?

2. Why was Fanny able to take music lessons despite being a woman?

3. What did her father believe she should pursue instead of music?

4. How did moving to Berlin help Fanny share her music?

5. What did she compose for her wedding?

6. How many pieces did she write?

Remember what an art song is from the last lesson? Well Fanny composed those as well! Her art songs are often called lieder- another name for a German art song. The word itself comes from the German word for song, lied!

Just like Clara Schumann's art songs, Fanny's lieder are still performed today!

Moving on to our first American women composer! Amy Beach has composed many beautiful works and is one of the first American composers to achieve international recognition!

Here's some things to listen for during this history video:

1. Where is Amy Beach from?

2. Why did she learn to compose in her head rather than at the piano?

3. What did she have that links sound to color?

4. Why did her husband stop her from performing?

5. Why was her first mass so important in her career?

6. What was she the first president of?

7. What did she like to incorporate into her works?

Amy Beach's famous Gaelic Symphony is what we call a program piece!

A program piece is a work that is centered around a central idea (for this work, she chose Ireland). The music is supposed to help you evoke an image of different parts of Ireland. Take a listen to part of the first movement and tell me what scene she is trying to get you to picture. 

Taken  a listen and wondering what the answer was? Well if you guessed a storm along the coast of Ireland, you'd be correct! 

Florence Price is one of the most famous composers in our unit, due to her amazing talent as both a female composer and composer of color! 

Here's some things to think about as you learn about her history:

1. What age did she write her first piece of music?

2. What movement did she have a huge part in in Chicago?

3. What did she do to make ends meet after her divorce?

4. What did she earn that gave her national fame?

5. Why was it historic her piece was played by a major orchestra?

6. What happened to her works to be rediscovered and played today?

Here is one of the most famous pieces Florence Price wrote: Symphony no. 1! it was the first piece by an African American woman to be played by a major orchestra, a huge feat at the time! Let's give some of it's first movement a listen. 

Moving on to our most modern composers!

Here we have Katerina Gimon from Canada. She's so modern that there are no videos about her life! Luckily, she's written her own biography for us to look at!

As you read through her bio, think about these questions...

1. What awards has she won?

2. Where does she draw inspiration from for her works?

3. What did she help to found alongside other artists?

4. Where did she earn degrees from?

Here we have one of my favorite works of hers, Fire! Fun fact, Ms. Alex has actually sang this one herself!

Fire is from a work called Elements, which contains 4 different songs each representing a different element of nature. This work is special in the fact it has no actual words, only nonsense syllables, and body percussion to create the music!

Our last modern composer is one you should all be familiar with...Taylor Swift! Yes, pop artists can be composers to as long as they write their own music!

While learning about Taylor's life, listen for the answers to these questions...

1. Who inspired her to start singing and what did they sing?

2. What age did she start performing?

3. Why did she turn down her first record label?

4. What was the name of her debut song?

Here's one of Taylor's most popular songs, Fearless! This is the title song of her second album which she released in 2008 back when Ms. Alex was still in elementary school! This song helped to kickstart her career into stardom!