Who's Gonna Stand Up?

Long time no talk.

Because my school celebrated Earth Day today, I decided to have Grade 2 listen to the three versions of Neil Young's Who's Gonna Stand Up (and Save the Earth)? They enjoyed the acoustic version, were humbled by the orchestral version, and rocked out to the live version with Crazy Horse - so much so that we made a rock video with them individually playing air guitar, air drums, or singing.

I wasn't sure if they fully understood the message, since even most adults don't understand the severity of the issue or are in denial to it's causes.

As I was quietly finishing a rubric in my room, I heard a student sing the refrain from across the hall:

"Who's gonna stand up and save the world?"

This quiet little boy's voice singing the world's biggest question suddenly struck me hard.

It continues to ring in my mind...

All the best,

Mr. Kozak

Music and fire

Students of fire (and music),

This is a 2D Ruben's tube with sound.

"Yes, I really want to light it up."

Mr. Kozak

Eco Music Festival Design - Part 1

Students,

You need to research and pretend you are a consultant for a famous music group that wants to green up their tour. Here is a list of organizations to start your research:

Organizations or initiatives working with musicians and industry to promote environmental issues:

- 10:10 Campaign (UK)
- All At Once/Jack Johnson Initiative (USA)
- Artful Change (UK)
- Artists Project Earth (UK)
- Climate Neutral Network (UNEP)
- Fieldcore (International)
- Greenpeace (UK)
- Green Train Project (USA)
- Hard Rain Project (Global)
- MUSE Musicians United to Sustain the Environment (USA)
- MUSE Musicians United for Safe Energy (USA)
- Music for Acton (USA)
- Music for Relief (USA)
- Rock the Earth (USA)
- Save the Earth Artrock Auction (USA)
- WWF (International)

 

Who are the groups concerned with music?

- Musicians/Bands/Music Groups
- Record Companies/Record Labels
- Music Industry Organizations, including those focusing on the environment
- Festival and Live Music Event Producers
- Music venues
- Instrument and equipment manufacturers
- Audience
- Regulating, Licensing and Funding Bodies
- Solutions providers
- Tour Promoters and Managers
- Booking Agencies
- Sponsors
- Environmental campaigns and related NGOs
- Music Media Outlets

The following is a list of music festivals which have taken an active role in reducing the environmental impacts and/or in promoting environmental messages:

2000 Trees Festival, UK AIM Festival, Iceland Bestival, UK
Big Chill, UK
Big Day Out, Australia
Big Green Gathering, UK BluesFest, Australia
Bonnaroo, USA
Boom Festival, Portugal Burning Man, USA
Canal Street Festival, Norway Clearwater Festival, USA CO2PENHAGEN Festival, Denmark
Corinbank Festival, Australia Croissant Neuf Summer Picnic, UK
Das Fest, Germany
Download, UK
Electric Picnic, Ireland
Falls Festival, Australia Frequency Festival, Austria
Fuji Rock Festival, Japan Glastonbury Festival, UK Golden Plains Festival, Australia
Green Apple Festival, USA Greenfest, Australia
Hanoi Sound Stuff, Vietnam High n Dry Festival, Australia Hove Festival, Norway Ilosaarirock Festival, Finland Kokua Festival, Hawaii
Lake of Stars Festival, Malawi Latitude Festival, UK
Live Earth (international) Lollapalooza, USA
Lovebox Weekender, UK Lowlands Festival, Netherlands Meredith Music Festival, Australia
Meredith Music Festival, Australia
National Folk Festival, Australia Øya Festival, Norway
Paleo Festival, Switzerland Peats Ridge Festival, Australia Phish Festival, USA
Pink Pop, Netherlands Provinssi Rock, Finland Rainforest World Music Festival, Malaysia
Reeding/Leeds, UK Rheinkultur, Germany
Rock Party, Sweden Roskilde Festival, Denmark Rothbury Festival, USA ROTHBURY Festival, USA Ruis Rock, Finland
Sarawak Rainforest Festival, Malaysia
Shambala Festival, UK
South by Southwest, USA Southbound Festival, Australia Splore Festival, New Zealand Summer Sundae Weekender, UK
Sunrise Celebration, UK
The Big Tent Festival, UK
The Green Apple Festival, USA The Green Man Festival, UK Think Green-World Music Festival, USA
Waverock Weekender, Australia
WOMAD, UK
Woodford Folk Festival, Australia
York Green Festival, UK

Mozart notes part 1

notes about Mozart:

More than 200 years ago, there was a little boy who learned to play a musical instrument at the age of three.
By the time he was five, he was composing beautiful music all by himself.

Soon Wolfie was reading music.
Papa Leopold saw that his son had a rare gift.
He gave him special ruled sheets of music paper.
That way, Wolfie could write down the music he heard in his head.
Wolfie was writing music even before he learned to write words.

Vienna was a magical city, filled with palaces and castles.
It was a home to the University.
There were also many beautiful gardens and grand churches.
Musicians came for its concert halls.
Vienna was known as a center for music and art.

Robert Johnson - Cross Road Blues

Grade 7 Students,

Using PhotoBooth, record a 30-second video explaining the Robert Johnson song Cross Road Blues.

Title it (your name) "Jim - Cross Road Blues".

Mr. Kozak

Who do you look up to?

Is it one of these people?

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.

Mashups Part 2

Students,

Here's an article explaining how to find the BPM of a song.

Mr. Kozak

Mashups Part 1

Students of music,

Making mashups is not easy, but the end result can be very, very cool.

Remember the basic rules:
1) The two songs have to be in the same tempo
and
2) The two songs have to be in the same meter

We listened to two examples (Radiohead with Dave Brubeck and James Brown with The Beatles)

If you use your BIG6 research skills, you can probably find a good tutorial to help you.

You can also find song banks listing songs with the same BPM (beats per minute)/tempo.

Good luck mashing up!

Mr. Kozak

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

 

Superstition - Stevie Wonder

Grade 7 Students,

You have listened to SonnyMoon for Two and figured out the riff and what pentatonic minor scale it is. You have soloed for twenty seconds and put the recording into the StudyWiz gallery.

For example, your mp3 title would be 'Chris SonnyMoon riff'
and
'Chris SonnyMoon solo'

You have listened to Moanon' and figured out the two riffs and what pentatonic minor scale it is. You have soloed for twenty seconds and put that recording into the StudyWiz gallery

For example, your mp3 title would be 'Chris Moanin' riff'
and
'Chris Moanin' solo'


Now, listen to Stevie Wonder's Superstition.  Figure out how to play the riff. Record it and put it into the gallery. Then, record a twenty second solo and put that into the gallery, too.

For example, your mp3 title would be 'Chris Superstition riff'
and
'Chris Superstition solo'

David Suzuki's Carbon Manifesto

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

Dr. David Suzuki's Carbon Manifesto.

Mr. Kozak

Sonnymoon for Two - vocal ad lib

Students,

Here's a guy ad libbing/soloing/improvising with the Sonnymoon for Two melody/riff/lick/head.

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

 
 

Sonnymoon for Two - Sonny Rollins melody and improvisation assignment

Grade 7 Students,

Today you will listen to the Sonny Rollins tune 'Sonnymoon for Two'. 

PHASE 1:
Record ONLY the melody/tune/head of the song by listening carefully. Use a USB keyboard with GarageBand. Export your song to the StudyWiz gallery called 'Sonnymoon for Two' and title it (i.e.) 'Chloe Sonnymoon melody'

PHASE 2:
Improvise for twenty seconds in the key of Sonnymoon for Two. Record your solo and upload the mp3 to the same StudyWiz gallery called 'Sonnymoon for Two' and title it (i.e.) 'Chloe Sonnymoon solo 1'. 

Mr. Kozak

Moanin' - sheet music

Grade 7,

Here is the sheet music for the first two phrases on the keyboard for 'Moanin'" by Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers:

Mr. Kozak

Moanin'

Students,

Here's what we covered in class today. Make sure to answer the questions in your Music Journal.

Mr. Kozak

Songs of Diridum

Students,

That website with the Lego-like characters is here. 

Listen carefully when you move around and you'll notice the sound getting louder or softer depending on where you are in relation to the stage. Also, it will move from right to left (that's called panning) depending on which direction you're facing.

Remember to try it on the open-source browser, Firefox.

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