Welcome Back!

Welcome new and returning Leaside Musicians for another year of Music at Leaside!

Here are some important upcoming dates:

Music Info Meeting - Monday Sept 10 at lunch

First Band Rehearsal - Tuesday Sept 11 at lunch

First Choir Rehearsal - Wednesday Sept 12 at lunch

We hope to see you there!

HISTORY EXAM REQUIREMENTS

SENIOR YEAR 1

Know the basic characteristics of music in each era, plus definitions/significance of the following terms:

Medieval: neumes, modal, chant, Pope Gregory, sacred, secular, lute, 

Renaissance: madrigal, motet, word painting, Palestrina, Tallis, patronage system

Baroque: opera, oratorio, concerto, Bach, Handel, Vivaldi, harpsichord, 

Classical: absolute music, symphony, Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven

Romantic: programme music, tone poem, art song/lieder, ballet, piano, virtuoso/virtuosity, Wagner, Tchaikovsky, Schumann, Berlioz

20th Century: 12-tone, atonal, Stravinsky, Schoenberg, Debussy

SENIOR YEAR 2

All of the above, plus be able to trace the transformation of various forms of music across the eras.

Theory Exam Requirements

Beginners

- names of notes/flats/sharps/piano keyboard

- rhythm concepts up to 16th notes/rests

- tones/semitones

- major scales

- key signatures

- intervals (MAJOR and PERFECT)

Intermediate

- above, plus...

- minor scales

- minor, diminished and augmented intervals

Advanced

- above, plus...

- major, minor, augmented, diminished triads

- chords in key (I, IV, V)

EXAM TAKES PLACE THURSDAY JUNE 14 IN CLASS.

Today's Google (in Japan/Australia) is pretty... cool.

Bonus marks to anyone who can tell what it is/why it's there...

http://www.google.co.jp/

Tasks for this week:
** Reminder: all term work due Friday May 17

Monday
- email Ms. Simmons your paragraph planning your Romantic Tone Poems
- continue work on Romantic Tone Poems

Tuesday
- activity on 12-tone music
- continue work on Romantic Tone Poems

Wednesday
- continue work on Romantic Tone Poems

Thursday
- continue work on Romantic Tone Poems

Friday
- LAST DAY FOR ALL TERM WORK
- sharing Romantic Tone Poems

Here is our plan for this week:

Monday
- finish last week's Reading (Romantic Era) and previous Listening (Baroque/Classical)
- Year 1: wrap-up Progression compositions (no, seriously)
- Year 2: finish up Recording projects

Tuesday
- lesson on Romantic Era
- Year 1: introduction to Romantic Tone Poem composition
- Year 2: begin editing and sequencing of Recording projects

Wednesday
- Year 1: work on Romantic Tone Poem composition
- Year 2: work on editing and sequencing of Recording projects

Thursday
- New Listening Portfolio: Romantic and 20th Century Music
- continue work above

Friday
- FIELD TRIP to The Audio Recording Academy
- meet at 10AM in lobby by Eglinton doors --> bring lunch and TTC fare
- done at 2:30 PM

Tasks for Today

• finish up late Listening and Reading Responses
• Year 1: prepare Melody and Chord Progressions for performance ASAP
• Year 2: continue Recording Projects to wrap up this week
• work on Bonus Assignment (O Canada REMIX) below

Happy Friday! Continue Work on the following:

• Listening Portfolio #4 assigned yesterday, due today
• Year 1 Chord Progressions and adding melodies (for performance next week)
• Year 2 Recordings (to be wrapped up next week)
• Studying for Quiz Monday, below

REMINDER History Quiz on Monday, April 30

 

Know eras and definitions for the following terms:

 

Medieval

• lute
• neumes
• plainchant
• modal
• Pope Gregory
• monophonic
• parralel chant
• secular
• sacred

Renaissance

• madrigal
• motet
• Palestrina
• Josquin des Prez
• mass
• word painting
• polyphonic

Baroque

• opera
• oratorio
• harpischord
• Bach
• Handel
• Vivaldi
• chorale
• concerto
• fugue

 

NOTE: History Quiz on Monday, April 30

Know eras and definitions for the following terms:

Medieval

• lute
• neumes
• plainchant
• modal
• Pope Gregory
• monophonic
• parralel chant
• secular
• sacred

Renaissance

• madrigal
• motet
• Palestrina
• Josquin des Prez
• mass
• word painting
• polyphonic

Baroque

• opera
• oratorio
• harpischord
• Bach
• Handel
• Vivaldi
• chorale
• concerto
• fugue

This week:

Monday
- complete last week's Reading on Baroque/Classical era

 Year One:

• play the I-vi-IV-ii7-V-V7-I progression for Ms. Simmons
• work on your own progression using these chords and show it to Ms. Simmons when complete

Year Two recording: JJZ

Tuesday
- lesson on Baroque era
- continue tasks above
Year Two recording: JJZ

Wednesday
Year One:

• lesson on adding melody to chords
• work on adding melody to your own chord progression

Year Two recording: DGNK



Thursday
- Listening Portfolio #4 (Baroque/Classical) assigned, due Friday
- continue work on tasks above
Year Two recording: DGNK


Friday
- complete Listening Portfolio #4
- Year One: complete your chord progression and melody for Monday, April 30

Your tasks for today:

• complete the modal compositions if you haven't already (first year)
• complete your recording proposals if you haven't already (second year)
• complete the listening portfolio due today

If you've finished all the above, consult the following web resources as pre-reading for your next compositions:

- Four Part Harmony

- Principles of Four Part Writing

- Four Part Writing Handout

And here's a song I like by a Canadian band called the Great Lake Swimmers.

Today we will continue our theory explorations and receive a new package of keyboard material. You will be asked to play Keyboard Task #3 from this package by Friday April 13.

A few deadline reminders:
Reading Response #3 on Medieval & Renaissance Eras was due Thursday April 5 (last week).
Modal Composition is due Wednesday April 11 (tomorrow).
Any work you'd like considered for mid-term marks by NOON tomorrow (Wednesday April 11).

Next Creation Assignment: Playing With Modes

A lot of musicians in jazz and/or rock use MODAL scales to inform their soloing. Modes were also the basis for most music written before the 1500s, as we'll learn today.

First: visit the Introduction to Scales and Modes Website. Here you'll find info about the different modes/scales and how they related to the major scales we have studied. Listen to the modes and the example pieces and find one you like.

Next: start a new piece in Garage Band. You are going to create a modal chant using the features of chants that we discuss in class, and your own choice of mode. The chant should be:

• monophonic or polyphonic
• at least 12 bars long
• "a cappella" - ie. use organ or vocal sounds
• "flowing" rhythmic style
• using "home notes" at start/end
• at least two parts (melody and drone) and more if you want

Due emailed to Ms. Simmons by Wednesday, April 11.

For an additional 5 bonus marks (or 0.5 on your final), email Ms. Simmons the name of a popular piece of music that uses modes.

Happy modal explorations!

Second Year Students: Recording Project
You should be working on: Recording Research

• point-form summary of the best practices for mic’ing your chosen instruments, at least one page, emailed it to Lauren.simmons@tdsb.on.ca
• Due: Friday, March 30

Next Step: Artist Statement

• decide what kind of song you are going to record (will it be a cover, an original song, who will write it, will it be solo or group, instrumentation, etc.) 
• create a plan for recording (who will play which parts, who will record each parts, how many tracks will you have etc.)
• have some idea of your artistic vision (what do you want the final product to sound like, what genre, what parts are more important, what will you focus on, etc.)
• Write a proposal of 2 pages doubled spaced, at least three paragraphs, addressing the points above. Email to Lauren.simmons@tdsb.on.ca by Monday, April 2.

First Year Students: Texture Composition - reminder

• Required Elements:
• Monophonic Melody
• Homophonic Chords
• Polyphonic Countermelody
• If you wish, you can include your composition written out for a bonus of 5 marks!
• Due: Monday, April 2

Welcome back everyone!

You should be working on your REAL WORLD RESEARCH PROJECTS this week. The Library is booked Wednesday-Friday for any presentations should you choose this format, and all written work is due by Wednesday March 21 (hard deadline: Friday March 23).

All outstanding work from before March Break should also still be completed.

REAL WORLD MUSIC PROJECT
Reminder! Due tomorrow:

• links to 3 articles about your topic
• paragraph summary (250 words) for each article

After the Break, presentations for this project will take place Wednesday Mar 21, Thursday Mar 22 and all work is due Friday Mar 23.

NEW STUFF - Second Year Students - Moving to Logic

Over the next month, those of us in the more advanced stages of the class will be moving to using Logic for our next project.

As such, here are a few videos to get you started:

Intro to Logic 9 Express
Logic 9 Express Part 2

The computer with Logic Express 9 are numbers 1-10 (at the front of the class). We'll try to work on these when we get back from March Break!

Today we will start on some new theory material. Ms. Simmons will teach a lesson, then ask you to take a look at the material below.

Beginners:
- introduction to steps and accidentals
- "Half Step Hoedown" game

Intermediate:
- introduction to minor scales
- quiz on major and minor scales

Advanced:
- introduction to chords
- introduction to minor chords
- online chords quiz
- introduction to interval inversion

We will have a theory quiz on these topics on Thursday March 8.

This Week:

• Visit myblueprint.ca to complete your course selections. You must print this off and have your parents sign it by Thursday, March 1.

• Finish previous assignments:
• Melody & Variation Composition
• Reading Reflection #2 (on MIDI)
• playing "Jingle Bells"
• Listening Portfolio #1

• Continue work on new assignments:
• playing blues chord progression and blues scale
• writing your own 12-bar blues improvisation (see above)

Remember to use your class time wisely and not to get behind. You can expect to have a written task and a composition task each week, plus some theory work. Stay on top of it all and you'll be fine!

Next Creation Assignment: Improvisation on the 12-bar Blues Progression

1. Ms. Simmons will teach a lesson on the 12-bar blue and hand out some stuff.

2. On your own, visit the following  ...read all about the standard blues progressions and their deviations.

• PBS Understanding the Blues
•  Blues Progressions website 
• 12-bar blue Progression website   

3. By Monday, Feb 27 you must play "live" for Ms. Simmons the Blues Scale. This is easy.
4. By Wednesday, Feb 29 , you must play "live" for Ms. Simmons the basic RH chord progression of the 12 bar blues, and the LH bass line. You can play these hands separately. Once you can play them live, make a new song with them in GarageBand, each one in its own track (see example in the AMM folder).

FIRST YEAR ASSIGNMENT:

By Friday, March 2 you must create an improvisation over the 12-bar blues you recorded. You may choose one or more different instruments to perform your solo improvisation, but you must use the upright bass/piano as back-up. The improvisation must be at least 36 bars long (eg, 3 times through the progression) (see example in the AMM folder). You may add percussion, change tempo, and have more than 36 bars, but you cannot change the chord progression given. We will perform these on Friday March 2.

SECOND YEAR ASSIGNMENT:

You are going to write your own chord progression. It can have as many chords as you want but the basic progression should be 12 bars long. Some websites to get you started:

Common Keyboard Progressions

Keyboard Progressions and How to Play Them

Once you have written your progression and played your bed track in to Garage Band, your requirements are the same. By Friday, March 2 you must create an improvisation over the 12-bar progression you recorded. You may choose one or more different instruments to perform your solo improvisation, but you must use the upright bass/piano as back-up. The improvisation must be at least 36 bars long (eg, 3 times through the progression) (see example in the AMM folder). You may add percussion, change tempo, and have more than 36 bars, but you cannot change the chord progression given. We will perform these on Friday March 2.

SECOND YEAR: World Music Variation Assignment


Pick a culture from outside North America. Write a piece using influences of that culture, at least 32 bars long.