2018, Term 2, Week 1: New Zealand Music Month Part 1

May is New Zealand Music Month - where we discover and celebrate all kinds of New Zealand music and musicians. 
But first of all - this Friday is May the fourth - 
STAR WARS DAY!

Watch this video of John Williams (the composer of Star Wars music) conduct the Imperial March.  He is introduced as a surprise guest conductor by the world famous conductor from Venezuela, Gustavo Dudamel.  

- Can you identify the sections of the orchestra? 

- What instruments can you identify?

- How does the music change? 

- How does the conductor communicate with different groups in the orchestra? 

- Would you say this is a very formal part of the concert?  Why or why not? 

- How does the audience react to the different things that happen?

- How does the piece finish? What do the audience and the orchestra do? 

A standing ovation is when the audience stand at the end of a performance while they are clapping to show  extra appreciation and respect for a performance and performer. 

Ray Columbus and The Invaders  “She’s A Mod,” 1964

Ray Columbus was a NZ pop singer the early 1960s. He was one of the first NZ entertainers to become famous through tv appearances  on such shoes as "C'mon" and "Happen Inn" - in the days when there was only one tv channel  and all programmes were in black and white!   Ray Columbus and the Invaders' song  "She's a Mod" was a cover of a UK song, and this NZ version was more popular in Australia and NZ than the original was in UK. It's very much inspired by the Beatles' music which was in its earliest days at the same time. There are many similarities in the sound and the appearance of the band. The video is from a promotional film made in Australia and was the first music film of its kind shown on NZ tv.  "Mod"  and "Rocker" refer to different styles and fashion of clothes, music and teenage culture of the late 1950s into the 1960s. Mods wore smart suits and had a "clean cut" appearance and typically rode motor scooters and preferred '60s pop ad modern music, and Rockers wore leather jackets, rode motor cycles and preferred '50s rock and roll music. Look for the relevant  references in the lyrics.  

Ray Columbus and the Invaders was the first Kiwi band to have a Number 1 hit in Australia. Ray died in 2016 and is remembered as one of the greatest and most respected New Zealand "pop stars" and entertainers. 
          

She’s A Mod (Chords: G,C,Am,F,Dm)

She's a mod – she's a mod – she's a mod – she's a mod

CHORUS

She's a mod, she's a mod, she's a mod, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,
She's a mod, she's a mod, yeah, yeah

She's a mod, she's a mod

She won't change anymore

Girl, now listen to me, 
I've got something to say,
If you chop and change anymore,
I won't have the money to pay
Fellas, she was once a drag
Then the black leather caught her eye,
After being rocker for a week,
she's a mod and I wonder why.

CHORUS
(Instrumental

She's a mod – she's a mod – she's a mod – she's a mod

CHORUS

Because I wanted her love,
I said I'd buy her new clothes

She took advantage of my trust
Now I'm broke and completely bust

CHORUS


She's a mod – she's a mod – she's a mod – she's a mod – YEAH!

 The Swingers - Counting the Beat (1981) 

And another version (HD) 

The Swingers were a three-piece pop band consisting of Buster Stiggs, Bones Hillman,  and  Phil Judd who had left Split Enz in 1977. The  song was written in Palmerston North while the band was jamming while doing a soundcheck before a performance. Each member  of the band joined in with the bass player who had started the rockabilly-inspired riff and the music and song developed from there. It was instantly popular and got people up on the dance floor straight away. 

The song went to Number 1 in Australia and New Zealand  and sold over 100,000 copies.
“Counting the Beat” probably sounds familiar if you’ve watched enough TV; Countdown  uses it for its supermarket commercials, and it's been used for Lemon and Paeroa soft drink  and K Mart commercials and some TV3 promotional video soundtracks. 

Interesting fact: Watch the video (made in Australia) and notice the dancers who fill the stage at the end of the  song. They were a group of young people on mystery bus trip and had no idea they were going to end up spending 15 minutes dancing for a music video as one of their mystery destinations.
 

Sing along (and dance?) to "Counting the Beat" - Here's the lyrics

Dancing: 
Juniors: 
Junior movement dance - Everywhere Stars by Claudia Robin Gunn. 
Yakkety-Yak   A fun song from the 1950s originally recorded by The Coasters 
Hold Still  
Hot Potato - by the Wiggles. 
Party in My Tummy  
Ram Sam Sam - an old song with a new twist. Click on "More" to see lyrics. Note the change in vowel sounds and the  change of tempo - and the accelerando. 

Seniors: 
Tapati Tapata - a new song with nonsense words but some cool dance-floor moves to learn. Scroll down to see the words - pretty easy to learn. 
Tapati Tapata -  same song, same dance moves, different performers - You choose. 
This term we are learning about some of the special words and symbols which help us understand the way music is written and played.  You may like to do with with a partner - or by yourself. Note guitar is played both left- and right-handed. 
Bailar -  Add to your Spanish knowledge Vamos a Bailer - Let's Dance!
Don't Stop Me Now - by Queen  - with lyrics. 

Songs: 
NZ Song called Paradise written by schoolgirl Waimarie Smith.  Click on "Show More" to see the lyrics, and follow the sign language gestures.  

Name the note and rest symbols, then add bar lines so there are 4 beats in every bar.  

Name the note and rest symbols, then add bar lines so there are 4 beats in every bar.

Scroll down to the bottom of the post to find the completed version. 

This could be a bit tricky but see if yo can keep up - Here's a rhythm pattern to follow (clap or clave sticks) of the beginning of the Imperial March from Star Wars.  

2018 Term 1, Week 10: Anzac Day

Here's a few songs and links  for  Anzac  Day 

Scroll down this blog post to find some information about what happens at an Anzac Day  ceremony. 

World War 1 Medley (E)

Keep the home fires burning,

While your hearts are yearning

Though your lads are far away

They dream of home

There’s a silver lining,

Through the dark cloud shining,

Turn the dark cloud inside out

‘Til the boys come home.

Pack up your troubles in your old kit bag

And smile, smile, smile

While you’ve a Lucifer to light your fag,

Smile, boys, that’s the style

What’s the use of worrying

It never was worthwhile

So, pack up your troubles in your old kit bag

And smile, smile, smile.

It’s a long way to Tipperary

It’s a long way to go

It’s a long way to Tipperary

To the sweetest girl I know

Goodbye, Piccadilly

Farewell, Leicester Square

It’s a long way to Tipperary

But my heart’s right there. 

 Maori Battalion (G)

Maori Battalion march to victory
Maori Battalion staunch and true
Maori Battalion march to glory
Take the honour of the people with you
We will march, march, march to the enemy
And we'll fight right to the end.
For God! For King! And for Country!
AU - E! Ake, ake, kia kaha e!

2018 Term 1, Weeks 9 & 10: Percussion - Beat it!

Moving to Music: 
Ship That Sails by Claudia Gunn 
Dances:
Can't Stop the Feeling  
Cheap Thrills
Don't Stop Me Now 
Dynamite 
I  Gotta Feeling 
Gummy Bear 
We no Speak Americano 
YMCA  Junior
YMCA

This week we are learning about the percussion section of the orchestra. It is the biggest family of instruments, and almost anything can be used as a percussion instrument. 

Here's a wider range of percussion instruments used in many different types of orchestras and bands. 
Percussion part 1
Percussion part 2 

Look at the poster below: Which instruments are tuned percussion  and which are untuned? (Note that some instruments can fit in both  tuned and untuned percussion  categories because some instruments come in different sizes and, therefore, have different pitches, and some drums are tuned by tightening the skins.)

Some of the instruments in the percussion family 

See how hitting a snare drum and a cymbal looks in slow motion.  How does this make the sound? 


                                              
STOMP Kitchen - We've seen this a few times before, but it's still worth seeing again. How many ways can you see kitchen items, utensils and fittings being used as percussion instruments? 

Watch:

Watch this clip of Rowan Atkinson (also known as Mr Bean) play the invisible drums. 

And something to try at home, perhaps? See  how buckets can be used to make a drum kit.   Note how the drummer uses his foot to lift the bucket to get a different sound? How does the sound change? 

Here's a ten-year-old girl from Denmark called Johane Astrid playing the drums on Denmark's got talent.  (Whole lotta Love by Led Zeppelin) 

On one episode of The Muppet Show, Rita Moreno sings Fever with Animal playing the drums. See what happens when he doesn't follow the music. Rita Moreno is a Puerto Rican actress, dancer and singer. Listen to her speak Spanish to Animal.  Even if you can't understand what she is saying, her meaning is very clear . . . 

Homework / Extra: 
Here's some kitchen beats to try at home - but ask your parents first - and be prepared for "No!" - but you never know, they might join in. 

Here's a Walt Disney cartoon from 1953 about the history of music (It's ten minutes long.) 

2018, Term 1, Weeks 7 &8 The Woodwind Section - and Easter

                                             
Dances:
Wrap Me up - by Claudia Gunn  (Warm up and creative movement) 
Kids Bop Shuffle - practise your own moves - how can you move to the left / right / kick/ walk around in a circle? 
Chicken Dance 
Can't stop the Feeling 
Dynamite 
YMCA (Junior Version) 

Scroll to last week for more dances

The Bunny Hop - Here's a video of it from 1957 - when the song / music first came out. 
Here's the steps - it's very easy:
(1) Get in a line - any amount from 2 people.
(2) Hands on shoulders (or waist) of person in front).
(3) Keep weight on left foot - right foot out to the side and back. Repeat.
(4) Keep weight on right foot - left foot out to the side and back. Repeat.
(5) Small hop forwards on two feet- pause for one beat.
(6) Small hop backwards on two feet - pause for one beat.
(7) Three hops forward without pauses.
(8) Repeat from (3)
                         
Songs: 
La La song 
The Fox (Scroll down this blog post to find the lyrics) 

This week we are learning about the woodwind section of the orchestra.  There are quite a few different instruments in the woodwind family -  and some, surprisingly, are not made of wood. 

Here's more examples of woodwind instruments being played. 

In this video, you can hear the same tune played by the most common woodwind instruments in the orchestra, so you can hear the difference in pitch and timbre. 
pitch - how high or low a sound is
timbre - (pronounced 'tamber' and less commonly 'timber') the tone, character and quality of the sound. 

A wind instrument is one where  sound is produced by the vibration of reeds in the mouthpiece, as a bassoon, clarinet, oboe, or saxophone, or by the passing of air across the mouthpiece, as a flute. 

The woodwind section of a traditional orchestra has bassoons, clarinets, oboes, flutes, and piccolos. A A band or modern orchestra could include saxophones and other types of wind instruments.  A reorder is also a member of the woodwind family.

Watch this outdoor concert of music from Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite.  It's called the Dance of the Mirlitons or the Dance of the Reeds. It starts with instruments from the woodwind section, then shows you other sections playing. How many instruments can you name?   Watch the conductor - why do you think he makes different movements and gestures? what do you think he is communicating to the musicians? 

Flutes are played in many different types of music, and are some of the oldest tuned instruments ther are.

Here's a flute made from a fossilised mammoth tooth - over 30,000 years old.

Here's the flute used in a jazz blues  song.

And Ian Anderson in the group Jethro Tull, brought the flute into rock music. 

And some interesting versions of wind instruments from Sesame Street . . .  (James Galway on Flute and Maria on Pool Toy).







Hot Cross Buns: 

Clap these rhythms - Can you name the values of each note and rest? 
   


And here's  a joke for last week's lesson about the brass section.

Homework / Extra: 

Have a go at making your own woodwind instruments at home. (Ask your parents before you start cutting stuff up, though. )

Easter is coming up - here's a very old Walt Disney "Silly Symphony" called Funny Little Bunnies about the Easter bunnies and chickens preparing  for Easter. It was made in 1934 - so how old does that make it?  Listen to the music, and how it changes to fit the animation. How does the music help tell the story? 

2018, Term 1 Weeks 5&6: The Brass section

The National Anthem Part 1: 
We sing the National Anthem at assemblies - and sports matches - but how much do we know about it? 

A national anthem is the official national song or music of any country. It is played or sung at important national events  or ceremonies and has become associated with international sports matches and events also.  

In fact the first known time a national anthem was played at a sporting event was in Wales in 1905 when the Welsh rugby team the  played the New Zealand All Blacks. The Welsh national anthem (skip to 2:00) was sung in response to the All Blacks' haka. 

At the Olympic Games, the national anthem of the gold medal winner is played. 

Not all national anthems are sung  - the national anthem of Spain has no official lyrics. 

W will learn more about the history, background,  and meaning of the lyrics of the New Zealand national anthem in the next lessons, but in the meantime,  we can practise singing the words. 

Follow the lyrics on this video for the first verse in Maori and English. 

And here it is in New Zealand sign language - one of the official languages of New Zealand. 

                                                    
Songs and Dances: 
How many sleeps - Claudia Gunn 

Kidsbop Shuffle - make up your own versions to the movements
Chicken Dance 
Get Ready to Wiggle 
Can't stop the feeling 
We no Speak Americano 
Dynamite 
Don't stop me now 

La la song


Theory: 

Clap these rhythms

   

Instruments of the Orchestra Part 2: The Brass section 
Here  are the instruments of the brass section of the orchestra, played by the National Orchestra of Wales. 

The trumpet is probably the most well known member of the brass family. 

This is a Sesame Street video about how a trumpet works. 

Here's a famous trumpeter called Alison Balsom playing a famous trumpet concerto by Hayden.  A concerto is a piece of music where a single instrument is accompanied by an orchestra. 

A fanfare is a short ceremonial tune played on brass instruments  - usually to announce something important. This is called Fanfare for a Common Man by Aaron Copland. 

What happens when a donkey hears a trumpet? Do you think the donkey is enjoying the music?   And what happens when cows listen to a trombone player plays Lorde's Royals to them. (You may want to  skip though it.) 
                                                   

Nursery Rhymes:  This week's nursery rhyme is Hey Diddle Diddle, the Cat in the Fiddle. 
Here's a jazz version of Hey DIddle Diddle for you to listen to. 

This is Kermit the Frog interviewing the cow who jumped over the moon. 

                            
Homework: 

Check out  these links for more information and examples of the things we have been learning about in music: 

Can you name the brass instruments in this scrambled version of Beethoven's Ode to Joy? 

Can you identify each of the stringed instruments in these videos: 
 - Here's a strings orchestra version of Uptown Funk by Bruno Mars

 - This is a youth strings orchestra playing The Pink Panther by Henry Mancini