Music Mondays June 8

• 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 play along with Oren to this upbeat song, Windy and Warm. Grab your shakers, drums, sticks (whatever you have on hand) and see if you can keep the beat!

 

• Movement Game – In class, part of our musicianship time is spent on learning and embodying different sets of musical opposites. 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. Piece #1:  Presto/Lento – Grieg-Holdberg Suite; Piece #2 Legato/Stacatto– Beethoven Variations

 

• Listening Exercises – One of the most important skills we hone as musicians is our ability to listen. 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 another jazz classic: A Child is Born, by Thad Jones.  In the wake of all that is happening around us, we hope you enjoy this peaceful song. What elements of music do you hear in her playing? How does the song make you feel?  Do you want to dance or rest? Smile or frown?
  • This week Sherrine begins a new concept – a jazz waltz with Someday My Prince Will Come. Different from most of the other music we have learned about in 4/4 time, a waltz is in 3/4 time. How is it similar to a ballad, how is it different?  Is it faster or slower? How does it make you feel?  Does it make you want to dance or rock your body? What instruments do you think would be best to play along with Sherrine? 

 

• Sarasponda High/Low Game with Marissa

 

• Last week, our friend Rob shared his upright bass with you. This week, he shows you his Electric Bass!

 

• Enjoy beautiful flute music with Kirsten! Piece #1: Bach Allemande, Partita in a minor; Piece #2: Simple Gifts