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Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Jazz Listening

Students,

I will tell you to listen to many specific instruments (i.e. saxophone, trombone, accordion  of people playing jazz music (to celebrate International Jazz Day). Type the musician's name and song name in your Music Journal to keep notes.

Example: baritone saxophone - Gerry Mulligan - Moonlight in Vermont


Mr. Kozak

Friday, April 26, 2013

International Jazz Day

Grade 6,

Although the Science Fair is next week, International Jazz Day is also the same day! To prepare for it, you will use your BIG6 research skills to to read about what it is.

After, you will record a 30-second video WITHOUT using ANY notes while all your browsers are closed. You should mention at least one jazz musician, what UNESCO is, and why it is important.

Upload your videos to the StudyWiz folder called "G6 Jazz Day videos". Label your video (i.e.) "Sam Jazz Day".

Mr. Kozak

Woodstock

Grade 8 students,

In honor of Richie Havens (1941-2013) who was the first performer at Woodstock, we will research and listen to music of that culturally-iconic music festival.

In your Music Journal, answer the 5Ws about Woodstock.

Pick one song that was performed at the concert and Audio Hijack it to put in this gallery. 

Label the song (i.e.) "Freedom-Richie Havens". Tell me about the band/performer and the song in your Music Journals, such as:
- What instrument(s) do they play?
- What type of music is it?
- Was there something that performer was famous for?
- Why you chose the song.

Mr. Kozak

Monday, April 22, 2013

Stump Mr. K with Eras of Music

Grade 8,

I have shared with you PDFs about composers from these main eras of music in Google Docs called "Musical Eras":

Medieval
Renaissance
Baroque
Classical 
Romantic
20st Century

Your job is to pick one composer from one era, use Audio Hijack to record about ten minutes of audio, and put that sample into the StudyWiz gallery called "Musical Eras".

If you haven't figured it out by now, you are making your own quiz.

LISTEN to ALL of the samples and learn to recognize the eras. For example, a harpsichord is a Baroque instrument and a popular instrument of that time, so get to know what it sounds like.

Some of you are hijacking 21st-century music. Most people think it sounds weird because there is no beat and the music is not organized into regular major or minor scales. It might sound like random notes.

Romantic music might make you feel like running through a field of wheat, or crying at the sunset.

Medieval music has no instruments and is usually sung by a choir of monks, men only.

Out of the thousands of composers in history, it's much easier to tell which era is which.

I bet I can tell which each era is from by listening to the first 20 seconds of the song.



Happy listening!

Mr. Kozak

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Poverty songs

Grade 9 Students,

I feel you need something creative to lead you into the final leg of Nishimachi life. That's why I want you to write a song about poverty awareness.

It's one of the world's most daunting problems, but most people don't know the facts, or how to act globally to help reduce poverty.

It's one of the Millenium Development Goals and those should always be a focus whenever we learn a new skill. Making the world a better place - it's something that many people are struggling to do daily.

In your Music Journals, bullet point your ideas on what your song will sound like. Don't do a rap - we already did one for the economy earlier this year. Lyrical depth will communicate your thoughtfulness about the problem and possible solutions.

Good luck.
Mr. Kozak

Monday, April 15, 2013

Eco Music

Grade 8 Students,

You have all finished your single Google Presentation slides with the name of a song, the musician/band, a few lines of lyrics, and your name. The slide will be used as a list of songs that sing about environmental protection, Mother Earth, or some kind of commentary about climate change.

Mr. Kozak

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Benjamin Zander's shining eyes TEDTalk

Feeling a little better after watching this TEDTalk by Benjamin Zander.

I have copied and pasted my favorite comment from the site bellow. His name is Bruno Neves. I do not know him:


Mar 11 2013: I heard this talk many years ago, and I remember feeling warmly about classical music. I began to listen to it, but I forgot the message hidden behind his words, and classical music crumbled back into harmonious but emotionless chords. I listen to this talk now, and I realize why this happened, and why much of the pop music that surrounds us never has the same effect: words. 

Words are great. They can express things nothing else can. But we hear words in advertising, in chanting, boring conversations, others' conversations, in meaningless messages... and what don't we hear? the silence. When he played Chopin's piece, we can close our eyes, imagine a vacuum, and slowly let it fill. This is guided meditation, but simpler –– so that everyone can do it! But most of all, I love how the lack of words makes us clear our minds and listen (or see) that which can be easily ignored. The beauty and messages behind art and nothingness; something that in a digital age such as ours, is quickly being forgotten. 

Benjamin Zander, thank you for this talk, for the beautiful tone, the beautiful message, and the infinite messages we can find buried in your presentation.


By the way, the song is called 'Prelude in E Minor, Op. 28 No. 4' by Frédéric Chopin.

Mr. Kozak




By the way, the song he plays is "Prelude in E Minor, Op. 28, No. 4" by Frédéric Chopin.

Mr. Kozak




Evelyn Glennie's quote about music

Maybe because I'm actually physically sick, but I wanted to share this quote:

"Music really is our daily medicine. — Evelyn Glennie (at 12:27)"

comes from her TEDTalk

I agree.

The question for you is:

"Have you found our medicine?"

Stay healthy!
Mr. Kozak




Noteflight!

Students,

Unfortunately, you can't create an account with your NIS email address, but that's okay. I'm sure you have one or two others you can use to log in to noteflight.

Make sure to change your instrument to drums in the Staff pull-down menu.

When recreating the percussion part of the Lucious song "Don'y Just Sit There", you need to have an upper voice and a lower voice:

Again, you can find that menu under the Staff pull-down menu.

Your homework is to tell me a popular song that everyone can easily dictate into noteflight.

Mr. Kozak