Music Monday (May 18th)

• Instrument Play – We hope you’ve been enjoying trying out all different kinds of improvisations each week with your instruments at home. Continue to build off of the last few week’s improvisation exercise: start again with  Play and Play as a warm up. Use body percussion (clapping, tapping your knees, stomping etc.) or shakers if you have them in the house.  Now add our version of The Noble Duke of York.  The song has a swing feel; it has forte moments as well as piano moments.  How does this change how you play?  Can you try singing it on your own and changing how loud or soft you play with your instruments at home?

 

• Movement Game – In class, part of our musicianship time is spent on learning and embodying different sets of musical opposites.  Children, show your families how we move our bodies to reflect the changes in the music.  Below you will find the musical exercises for 2 sets of opposites: High/Low (illustrating the directionality on the piano keyboard) and Staccato/Legato (short & choppy/smooth & connected). Each week build upon these skills at home with different recordings that support the musical opposites. Play these new audio recordings for your child to move around the house to the music.  Presto/Lento try jogging and swimming to the music. For Staccato/Legato try jumping for the choppy parts and flying for the smooth and connected parts! Piece #1: Presto/Lento – Chopin Waltz C# Minor; Piece #2: Staccato/Legato – Faure Pavane

 

• Listening Exercises – One of the most important skills we hone as musicians is our ability to listen.  In class, one of the ways we do this is by listening to a piece of music and then having a discussion afterwards. Finding the words to articulate our thoughts about music is a cultivated skill. Some of the questions we ask our students are:  Did you like or dislike the piece?  What did you like  or dislike about it?  How did it make you feel?  Did it make you think of anything?  What kind of sounds did you hear – short, long, loud, soft, big, little, high, low? This week EC Pianist Eri Yamamoto performs an original piece: Our Blues, to spark a discussion at home. Build off of Eri’s performance, and learn more about the Blues with Sherrine. Here she sings Centerpiece. How is this style different from the other styles we have learned about – Swing, Bossa Nova, Samba?  What does the music sound like to you?  How does it make you feel?  Could you hear the baseline?  Grab your shakers and shake along with Sherrine. 

 

• Meet the Autoharp with Ingrid! And, try this Movement Game with Ingrid and her Autoharp. 

 

• Sing – Down By the Bay with Marissa. 

 

• Lullaby – This week Luisa shares an early childhood classic, Arorro Mi Nino. She sings this beautiful song in both Spanish and English. We hope you enjoy this sweet melody while rocking from side to side, or holding a favorite doll or stuffed animal. 

 

• A Special Musical Book Medley with Stephanie & Walter