The 6 most insane pieces of classical music in existence

Hello students and parents,

I thought I'd share this article with you. The 6 most insane pieces of classical music in existence.

Happy listening - or not.

Mr Kozak

Teaching meter the easy way

Fellow Teachers,

My very first trial lesson for a music teaching job, the administration wanted me to teach meter. Nothing could have been easier.

Meter is one of the elements of music, and students can grasp this concept at a very early age. It can be mastered by grade seven without problem. Here's how.

Play a sample of music with different meters and have students clap the beat. This prep exercise has nothing to do with meter, but warms up their ears by listening to the pulse of the music (which is the exact definition of beat, by the way).

My song list includes:
- 15 Step (Radiohead)
- Take Five (Dave Brubeck Quartet)
- The Blue Danube (Strauss)
- any pop song (let's say "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" by The Beatles) or my begrudgingly favourite non-song to trot out and whip once in a while (for so many reasons-remind me to do a whole plog post on it), which is unfair, but a lot of fun - "Friday" by Jessica Black
- a polka
- and the grandaddy, The Rite of Spring

I usually leave the last one out until a few classes later. The idea is to build confidence, not confusion.

After the listening activity, we move to the clapping.

Pat your lap with your left hand (weak beat) with a constant tempo. Stress the downbeat (strong beat) with your right hand. Demonstrate 4/4 meter first and tell them.

Now the fun begins.

Call each student out of the room and tell them to demonstrate a meter of your choice. That new "conductor" sits in a chair at the front and taps out the meter while students count and figure out the meter. All students get a chance to be the conductor.

As they grasp the concept of strong/weak beats, eventually you can have someone do mixed meter. For example, a bar of 4/4 and a bar of 3/4.

That's a simplified lesson plan for you. The next lesson, they write basic quarter note rhythms with mixed meter and melodies on manuscript paper.

Mr. Kozak

Singing to a Greener Tune - UNEP Environment & Music Initiative Report

Students,

This report is four years old already, so the lists must be much longer by now of green companies, festivals, and bands that want to make a festival green and sustainable.

Mr. Kozak

United Nations Environment Program & Music Initiative

Some simpletons have excluded this possibility.

Don't be one of them.
If you think music education and the environment are separate issues, then read the report and comment bellow.

Be the positive change instead of the danger.

Mr. Kozak

Creativity again

Great article about creativity.

In my experience, it is undervalued, if even mentioned.

Mr. Kozak

The consequences of location and reverb when recording music

This video is an amazing demonstration of how the environment affects reverb. Fantastic editing.

The invisibility of teachers

Another article about education reform talking about how teachers are not part of the process. An excerpt:

In effect, then, for a century, teachers have been invisible in their own field, except as both compliant workers implementing political and bureaucratic mandates and asoften-silent scapegoats as that bureaucracy fails. However, even that teachers have primarily been those who implement education policy instead of those creating it is more complicated than it seems.

Mr. Kozak

The 7 Superpowers every teacher should have

Here you go, teachers.

Mr. Kozak

Mind Up

Teachers,

Mind Up is a curriculum promoting mindfulness, stress reduction, meditation, empathy, and self-control. I look forward to reading through their materials and getting back to you. A potentially important part of any middle school pastoral program.

Mr. Kozak

Play!

Students and parents,

More and more research shows that play, daydreaming, and downtime is important for learning:

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Nelson Mandela - 1918-2013

A sad day for one of history's most magnificent citizens, Nelson Mandela.

A great opportunity to listen to some music sung in the Xhosa language.

Rest in peace.
Chris Kozak

This is your Brain on Improv

TEDTalks are an amazing collection of videos that really bring concepts to life inside the mind.

Here is one relevant to what the Grade 7 students are doing right now about improv and the brain.

Mr. Kozak

 

Henry Giroux on Bill Moyers

Henry Giroux was interviewed by Bill Moyers recently. He has some words to say about education at about the fifteen minute mark.

Mr. Kozak

David Suzuki's Carbon Manifesto

For those of you who wonder why I changed my theme...

Dr. David Suzuki's Carbon Manifesto.

Mr. Kozak

A critique of Common Core

This high school student speaks very eloquently against Common Core standards.

Mr. Kozak

 

Why Improvise?!

Grade 7 Students,

Millions of musicians have spent their lives improvising. Obviously, there must be some reason that people continue this activity, teachers teach it, and music lovers buy the music.

After researching, in your Music Journal, answer the question:

What is the value in knowing how to improvise?

Make the font 22 point so I can find it easily.

Mr. Kozak

 
 

Amazing Music Site! - BBC Bitesize

Everyone,

This BBC site is a wonderful resource for learning about the elements of music, listening to samples of music, music history, popular music, and world music. It's chat board is changing formats to a blog, so stay tuned. I highly recommend it.

Mr. Kozak

Fair Trade chocolate and music

Students,

Halloween will soon be here, and that means lots of people will be buying chocolate to give out.

Unfortunately, most chocolate is not fair trade.

Watch this informative video to find out more about what fair trade is and why you should make this year a fair trade Halloween year.

Listen to the melody of the Ghanian instruments. You'll be humming the tune by the end of the video.
Mr. Kozak

NEW Sir Ken Robinson TEDTalk

Everyone,

He's got a new one, and it's as good as any other.

Sure, there's only so much you can say in ten minutes, but he has a way, doesn't he?

Mr. Kozak

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