APRIL 2024: WE ARE CURRENTLY WORKING ON #42-58 AND LINKS HAVE BEEN SENT HOME ON EMAILS!
CONCERT MAY 29TH, 2024.
CLARINET #53
TRUMPET #53
#58- ALL
FLUTE #53
Week of Jan 25, 2024:
We worked on #21-34 in SOE, new terms: solo, soli, tutti, fermata, tie, repeat sign and two new notes
online below
online below
Click this video to see what instruments are available for you to learn and then fill in the registration form :)
How to care for your band instrument:
November
Students so far have made a sound, put together their instruments, learned how to hold it and started to read #1 and #2 on page 6 in the red book. Whole note and Whole rest. We are now working on half notes and half rests #11-18
See below for first 5 notes and instrument care!
Red book
Folder
Bell cover: for clarinet, sax, trumpet and trombone
April 8th, 2021
Hi everyone,
If your child is NEW to band, you can choose to print the form below (for your school) or complete the GOOGLE FORM below...far right side.
Bass Clef: All Cows Eat Grass and
Good Boys Deserve Fudge Always
March 10,12 and 29th lesson
Top 3 we now know! as of March 3, 5 and 8
This week we learned about quarter notes (#15 in red book)
We now know the top three in this pyramid
Have a listen to this :)
Which Instrument will you choose for Band 6/7?
(WSS does not have the String instruments, but we have the others! )
Complete the colouring page while listening to Saint-Saens's Carnvial of the Animals (22 min video). Submit colouring page to Mrs. Jensen by June 5th :) via email (snap a pic and send it in, or scan it)
Report Cards will be posted through MyEd.
Registration for Band 7 is now open. See document above or email Mrs. Jensen :)
Thank you for a memorable year, everyone! Miss you <3
Westview Secondary music director Linda Jensen has a flute in her hand, and her MacBook is propped up on a trumpet case as she conducts a Zoom session from her dining room with her Beginning Band 6/7 class.
“It did my heart good to be able to connect, talk, and answer questions today with my band students,” she says.
Since the suspension of in-class instruction, Jensen has embraced new technology and come up with creative online exercises to keep her choir, band and jazz band students engaged with distance learning.
In late March, Jensen sent students an online survey asking them how they would like to continue learning to play/sing. “Overwhelmingly, they wanted to continue with learning the songs we would have for term three, had we been in the classroom,” she explains.
So, Jensen started by setting up a website where she could set up weekly notes to the students and lessons to keep them engaged. “I create video recordings of myself singing or playing their parts for designated sections of the pieces we are currently working on.”
To do that, she has set up a virtual recording studio in her dining room where she has all her instruments – piano, flute, clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, trombone and improvised percussion as well as a microphone and recording equipment to connect to her laptop. “I alternate between a playing/singing lesson and a listening activity.”
She is also Zooming with her Beginning Band 6/7 class once a week to help those students individually because they are new to their instruments and require real-time feedback.
For choir, she has posted the recordings of the three songs they are working on and then she posts a video of herself going through the two or three parts, along with publishing warmup activities.
“I also have recordings up for all the band classes to listen to and play along with,” she says, noting that she requests students to submit a 30-second recording of their progress by email.
Recently, she gave students a listening exercise where they were to try and find two songs that were similar to each other, such as David Bowie’s Life On Mars? and Shiny from Moana.
“I had some amazing results with that one.”
Another recent assignment was to listen to a virtual concert and answer 10 feedback questions. “I got this idea from Tim Burns at THSS,” she says.
Jensen is also playing her instruments most nights at 7 pm – either solo or with her 19-year-old son – as a salute to health-care workers.
“We post 45-second clips on my WSSMusic1180 Twitter and Instagram accounts. I have been encouraging my students to play outside at 7 pm, and parents have been sending me the video of them doing so!”
Jensen finds that social media helps to keep students engaged. One week, she ran a series of photos featuring odd instruments and asked them to guess the names. She also posts tidbits of instrument knowledge, music cartoons and more.
“I am trying to keep the students enthusiastic about learning music, having them continue to play or sing and learn something along the way,” she says.
“I miss being in the classroom in a big way. I have always loved teaching through music, and this is a challenge for me right now, and I am sure for my students. Some of the students have sent me notes telling me they feel a sense of comfort in seeing me on the website and engaging in our lessons. Music helps us.”
Please watch the Conducting and Dynamics video below and work through the exercises, then drop Mrs. Jensen a note to say you've completed them by May 29th, 2020
Flute and Trumpet
Clarinet
Alto Sax
Trombone
Assignment Due: May 15th
Next Zoom lesson Wed May 13th at 2pm :)
T3L4 Regal March pg 21- bottom half of page
Please send Mrs. J a note on how many minutes you practiced between May 3 and 8th.
Life On Mars?
Shiny
Hi everyone, I was listening to music last Saturday in the kitchen, while cooking and I heard David Bowie's Life on Mars? song come on my Spotify. Immediately I thought... I have heard this musical 'thought' recently in a newer work. It came to me almost instantly. Threads of Bowie's style can be found in Shiny from Moana. Listen to both and tell me if you can hear it! (above)
I then looked on the web and found that the Shiny character WAS based on Bowie, his musical stylings, his flare for style and clothes and they even copied his eye colour (one green , one blue) and the unusual differing sizes of his pupils. Check it out!
Many modern day musicians 'borrow' musical thoughts from the musicians that came before them.
Second listening assignment: In our WSS choir this year we sang Memories by Maroon 5....which is based on Pachebel's Canon in D. Listen to Pachebel first, then Maroon 5, (below). Do you hear the common thread? This is called a chord progression.
Shout out to Max and Avery for playing Sawmill Creek and getting your clips in to me! It is not too late, you too can still send me a 30 second playing clip and I will reply with some feedback :) Miss you guys!
Canon in D
Memories
What I have learned in the past three weeks is there are certainly barriers to working as an ensemble when we are not able to rehearse inside the school building! I would love for you to continue playing over the next few weeks. I myself have been playing more for enjoyment and you can see some clips of this on my Twitter @WSSMusic1180. Band students, if you would like a 'solo' song for your instrument please email me...I have ideas for each of you.
So, today, how do you practice at home?
1st- listen to the recordings and follow along with your part (notice the connection between what the notation says to do and what the piece actually sounds like
2nd- tap out the rhythms
3rd- practice breathing in time while listening to the recordings and reading your part
4th- Follow along with my weekly mini-lessons- if you miss one, back track!
5th - Listen to the music again and then again. How does your line/ part fit in with the other parts? Are there any similarities?
6th- When it stops being fun, take a break..... circle back to it another day :)
please register for Band 7 or 8 asap!
See playing assignment just below : )
The audio is BAD... on this one...I have since figured it out, so next week should be MUCH better everyone! Keep playing :)
Monday April 6th Beginning Band students:
Lessons to be posted on this site by Wednesday of every week starting April 15th and be titled T3L1, T3L2 T3L3 etc.... If you have any questions, please email Mrs. Jensen! PLEASE EMAIL MRS.JENSEN TO LET HER KNOW THAT YOU HAVE VISITED THIS WEBSITE.
Curricular Competencies