CHOIR 8-12

Westview is hoping to run choir again 2025-2026.

Registration takes place in January/ Feb 2025.

Choir Warm Up.mp4

Daily Vocal Warm Ups with Mrs. J

Lesson June 1st -5th:

Elements of Music: Terms

Activity: Read through the slides, complete the worksheet and send in to Mrs. Jensen by 3 pm June 5th

Elements of Music

Rhythm = length of sound & silence

Melody = main line (tune)

Tempo= Speed

Texture= # of lines (3-4 parts in choir)

Timbre= quality of sound

Elements Of Music Worksheet.pdf

Elements Worksheet

Please complete and submit to Mrs. Jensen by June 5th, 3pm

WSS Students Hitting a Virtual high Note- SD42 Website May 20th, 2020

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.”

May 25-29th Lesson:

Please watch the Conducting and Dynamics video below, practice the assignments and then drop Mrs. Jensen a note to say you worked on these, by May 29th, 2020.

Conducting and Dynamics May25-28.mp4

Mrs. J's video

Conducting Patterns

Dynamics in Music

Conducting Patterns

Dynamics in Choir

May 20-23 Lesson

Unwritten bars 19-end, 4 part harmony.

Send last weeks assignments to Mrs. Jensen via email!

Drop Mrs. Jensen an email to say you have worked on Unwritten this week. Due May 23rd by 3pm

Two Assignments this week

May 11-15

Virtual concert assignment.pdf

#1 Virtual Concert

Assignment Due: May 15th

#2. Inflections & Articulations

Drop Mrs. Jensen an email by May 15th, with your responses to:

1) which one was easy?

2) which one was challenging?

3) which one is your favorite?

Music Inflections & Articulations

We use these in choir and in band

inflections & articulations.mp4

Video with Mrs. Jensen

Listen to and try with me, some of these inflections

May 4-8 Choir Lesson:

Reflection from Mulan

Please e-mail Mrs. J this week by May 8th, to say you have worked on this lesson. Thank you!

Sop Reflection with CD. May 4.mp4

Reflection

Sopranos/ Part 1 with CD

Sop Reflection MAy4.mp4

Soprano/ Part 1

Alto REflection May4.mp4

Alto/ Part 2

David Bowie

Life On Mars?

Moana (Disney)

Shiny

April 27- May 1st Music Lesson

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.

In 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.

Your assignment this week:

Have you noticed two songs sounding similar in your experience? Try not to look this up on the internet.... Send me, via e-mail, your assignment with the links so I can have a listen too! Due by May 7th :)

Plus! Keep singing your current songs for class. Don't forget to send your 30 second singing clip from last week!

Pachebel

Canon in D

Maroon 5

Memories

Note for my music students: April 20th, 2020

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 singing 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.

So, today, how do you practice at home?

Choir students, you can run through our regular warm ups on your own and then tackle the songs I have posted on your page, in much the same way that I am going to encourage our band students to do.

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? Choir students, listen to the accompaniment only videos with the lyrics in front of you...can you hear how the lyrics fit in without the choir voices from the Full Version track?

6th- When it stops being fun, take a break..... circle back to it another day :)

April 19-25th Choir assignment.mp4

April 20-25th

Choir Lesson

see assignment below!

Lyrics below on this page & Soundtracks are reposted here with better sound...

Enjoy singing...that's what I would love for you to do :)

April 20-25 Singing Assignment: upload a 30 second clip of current progress through Google Drive, or a drive of your choice and email your clip (audio or video) to Mrs. Jensen at linda_jensen@sd42.ca . In tests, Google Drive works very well. See tutorial on how to send me a video, below. You will need to set up a Google Drive account if you don't already have one.

The Audio below is bad...I am re-recording for next week April 20-25th

April 6-10 Term3 Lesson1 (T3L1) please listen to the three audio clips. Sores can also be viewed. Stating with Lesson 2 I will be posting video for you to sing and learn along with, at home (April 14-17)

Have a listen to my favourite song for the moment!

Monday April 6th , Choir students: I have emailed you a survey to find out how you would prefer to learn, moving forward. I do not plan on making you do music theory or history ( so breathe). I am wondering if we should continue with the three songs on this page (Reflection, Unwritten and High Hope) or if you are interested in learning a song of your choice. Please fill in the survey prior to 8pm PST on Wed April 8th.

Lessons to be posted on this site by Tuesday of every week starting April 14th.

PLEASE EMAIL MRS.JENSEN TO LET HER KNOW THAT YOU HAVE VISITED THIS WEBSITE.

I miss you, team! Mrs. Jensen

Choir Dec Concert 2019

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