2017, Term 2, Week 9: Musical Fidget Spinners

What music symbols can you recognise? 

Fidget spinners are all the rage at the moment - so why not have a fidget-spinning song?



This one, called Fidget Spinner Song for Kids is likely to be very catchy - but probably more annoying than the fidget spinners themselves. 

And one more Fidget Spinner song. 

 Add bar lines to have four beats in each bar.  Scroll down to end of post for completed version. 

Notation Song  - Remember that notes in the space spell FACE, and notes on the line (EGBEF) do the rhyme. 

Another notation song: Time to learn more about notes on the line - EGBDF - Every Good Boy Does Fine. 

Here's a flashcard quiz to test your knowledge of FACE and EGBDF. 

And here's a note name game to play by yourself on your own device. Just press the note name on your keyboard. 

Scroll down to last week's post to check out the notes on the staff and then find them on the keyboard. 

                                     


Dances - Rock around the clock (juniors) 

Juniors: 
This week's nursery rhyme is about the old woman who lived in a shoe.

This is a rock'n'roll version of the old lady who lived in the shoe - with quite a different story to it. 

Here's Kermit the frog trying to find the old woman to interview her for Sesame Street News. 

How do they do this? Can you see that they have to keep in time with the music and count to keep together.



Ukulele and Glockenspiels: 
A new song: Rock around the Clock.  This is in the key of A and uses A, A7, E7 and D7. 

Here's the original from the movie Rock around the Clock. 

Homework: Watch this video about rhythm, and learn the difference between beat and rhythm.  It carries on from last week's video about beat.  Skip to the  explanation at 1:25 and the practise exercise at 3:07.  Note that USA names are used here: semibreves are called whole notes,  minims are called half notes, crotchets are called quarter notes, and quavers are called eighth notes  in this video.

2017, Term 2, Week 8: FACE the Music

How many music symbols can you find and name?

Introducing  a new music symbol this week: the minim rest. H It looks a bit like a small rectangle,  and when it sits on top of the line, it means a rest for two beats. Add bar lines below to make bars of 4 beats each. (Scroll down to end of post for the completed version.) 

Can you locate these notes on the keyboards above and below? 

Clapping and reading practice. Can you keep up? 

By the way, in New Zealand English, this would read "I don't want to practise!" We spell practise with an s when it is a verb . . . . couldn't help take the opportunity to point this out. 

Everyone: 
Practise Tutira Mai  - Scroll down two weeks ago for our original lyrics and ukulele chords if you need them, and for more information if you  need it.  

Our Theory Songs: 
I Knew You Were Treble
Ode to Treble Clef

Seniors  - A new dance to try. Choose which version you prefer. 
I Gotta Feeling (partner version) 
I Gotta Feeling (individual version - Panda dancing) 

Juniors: 
Warm up - Everywhere Stars
Matariki Macarena (Scroll down to last week's blog for more information). 
Fight Song Dance 

Our Theory Songs: 
Piano and Forte - Loud and Soft song
Crescendo and Decrescendo song

This week's nursery rhyme is Jack and Jill went up the hill 

Here's Kermit the Frog interviewing Jack  



And here's  how to play Jack and Jill on the piano, glockenspiel or recorder (except you'd have to change  the note that goes below C). 


Homework: Watch this video to learn about the beat in music "The Beat is the Heart of Music"

2017 Term 2, Week 7: Matariki

Add bar lines to match the time signature. Scroll down to find the completed version.

                                       
This week's clapping rhythm uses quavers and crotchets - and no rests. 

Our Theory Songs

 I Knew You Were Treble
Ode to Treble Clef
Piano and Forte - Loud and Soft song  
Crescendo and Decrescendo  song 

                                      Can you recognise  and name these FACE notes? 

Junior Warm-up music: Everywhere Stars by Claudia Robin Gunn   (Listen for the reference to Matariki) 

Matariki is the Māori name for the cluster of stars which are also known as the Pleiades. It rises in late May or early June, which is mid-winter in New Zealand. For many Māori, it marks the start of a new year. Find out more about Matariki here. 

Here's a story of Matariki.

This is a short song about Matariki.

Here's the Matariki Macarena with actions and turns to each corner. 

Lyrics of Matariki Macarena 
Waiti Waita Waipunarangi 
Tupuanuku Tupuarangi 
Ko Ururangi te potiki  (the youngest of the Matariki whanau / family)
o te whanau Matariki.

This is one version of the Matariki Macarena which includes separate parts for boys and girls. 

You will recognise this tune. Copy the actions for this Matariki version of  Twinkle Twinkle 

Tirama, Tirama, Matariki
Me ona tamariki
Tupu-a-nuku
Tupu-a-rangi
Wai-ti
Wai-ta
Waipuna-rangi-e
Ko te potiki, ko Ururangi

Twinkle, twinkle, Matariki
And all your children:
Tupu-a-nuku
Tupu-a-rangi
Wai-ti
Wai-ta
Waipuna-rangi-e
And the youngest, Ururangi

Here's a useful short video to help you learn about the history of writing music, and what some of the symbols mean. This is Part 1 of a series of videos. 

Scroll down to last week's blog to practise "Tutira Mai". 

Juniors - This week's nursery rhyme: Hey Diddle Diddle and cat and the fiddle.

Here's Kermit the Frog reporting for Sesame Street News about the cow jumping over the moon. 

Here's the Teddy Rock version of Hey Diddle Diddle - time for air guitar!

And a jazz version 

And a Moana version? 

Do check out this very old (1935) Terry Toons cartoon based on nursery rhymes.  It shows nursery rhyme characters heading off to school for a quite different kind of education. See what happens when the parents turn up.  Can you imagine your teachers doing what this teacher does? 

Here's the time signature exercise with the bar lines added. 

2017 Term 2 Week 6: Tutira Mai Team All Blacks

                               

Add bar lines to match the time signature.

Follow this link to read and clap a rhythm using crotchets and quavers.  Get ready - it's quite fast. 

Tutira Mai - We are being encouraged to learn and sing Tutira Mai as a sports fan anthem to support New Zealand sports teams - especially starting with our teams playing agains the visiting United Kingdom Lions rugby team.   Other countries have songs that the spectators often sing  to encourage their teams, and ex-All Black (and current police officer) Glen Osborne is leading the promotion. Here's some background information on the the song and its composer, Canon Wiremu Te Tau Huata, MC, QSO, CBE (1917 - 1991), also known as Wi Huata. 

                   

From the official Tutira Mai Stand Together site 

Here's Tutira Mai in G for the recorder  and glockenspiel players.   Can you see anything unusual in the timing? 

Basi c ukulele / guitar chords in C major

Here's Titira Mai on Chordify - in G major. There's a few options you can explore, and it includes a few more chord options.  

Here's a Spanish site with backing track and sheet music (treble clef) for Tutira Mai. It goes quite fast. 

Get it? 

                                 

Can you recognise the notes F, A,C, E on these flash cards? 

Here's a song to help you remember the note in the spaces spell FACE. 
And our favourite song to help us remember the notes FACE and the treble clef: I Knew You Were Treble. 


Juniors: 
Warm up music: Everywhere Stars by Claudia Robin Gunn. 

Craig Smith (writer and singer of Wonky Donkey) has also done an arrangement of My Daddy Ate an Apple - with an accompanying picture book.  Here's the song.  It's easy enough to pick up even without the lyrics in front of you. 

Nursery Rhyme of the Week:
Here's an action song to Humpty Dumpty  - with a second verse. 
Humpty Dumpty with a bit of a safety message.  
And here, Kermit the Frog gives a news report on Humpty Dumpty falling off the wall. 
And another Sesame Street clip about Humpty - and his safety helmet. 

Previous Nursery Rhymes: 
Hickory Dickory Dock Dance 
Three Blind Mice 
Baa Baa Black Sheep 
Mary Had a Little Lamb