Music Theory and History

For 3MBS FM’s Radiothon, Classically Kids is pulling out all the stops on 7th May, 2011…

FREE LESSON IDEA: RECORD THE RADIO SHOW TO PLAY BACK TO YOUR STUDENTS

Our special guest  in the studio with us – and our new composer of the month – is French composer Hector Berlioz. Find out what he’s been up to for the last 140 odd years…

There’ll be a quiz to keep everyone on their toes…

Celebrate the birthday of Johannes Brahms…

We look at another AFL club and try to work out where their theme song came from…

And lots more…

Join Classically Kids this Saturday morning for our Radiothon Special, and if you like what we do, keep us on air by becoming a 3MBS subscriber – call 03 9416 1035.

Every subscriber gets a $30 CD voucher from Thomas’ Music and everyone goes in the draw to win a Bernstein Baby Grand, thanks to Bernie’s Music land.

Classically Kids, 3MBS 103.5FM, Saturdays 8am – 9am with Jacqui and Adam.

It’s birthday of the great Franz Liszt – piano virtuoso extraordinaire – happy birthday Franz…who was a buddy of…

Chopin – it’s still Chopin month on Classically Kids, and  Katie Harley clues us up about the  pieces that Chopin churned out – mazurkas, polonaises, nocturnes, you name it…

Didn’t get around to our Nuts ‘n’ Bolts segment last week, so this week we’ll finally look at Jeremiah Clarke’s “Trumpet Voluntary” – we’ll pull it apart, give it a good going over, and put it back together…

And for a bit of world music, we go all Greek – so pull out your bouzoukis and join in…and-a-one, and-a-two…

Plus lots more on Classically Kids this Saturday on 3MBS 103.5 FM, 8am – 9am with Jacqui and Adam. Classically Kids – not just for kids! Listen online at www.3mbs.org.au

ACO Matinee Concerts for Secondary Students
Two performances exclusively for secondary school students, led by Richard
Tognetti Artistic Director & Lead Violin, Australian Chamber Orchestra and presented by
Francis Merson, Limelight Magazine.

MOZART Symphony K196/121, "La finta giardiniera"
MEALE Cantilena Pacifica
SCHUBERT (arr. Tognetti) String Quartet No.14, "Death and the Maiden"

*Fri 8 Jun 12pm-1.30pm
Sydney - City Recital Hall Angel Place

*Tue 19 Jun 11am-12.30pm
Melbourne – Melbourne Recital Centre

Tickets $20. Teachers can book
online www.aco.com.au/Default.aspx?url=/matinee
or phone 1800 444 444.

During these interactive concerts, students listen for key elements in the
music, while learning about performance and ensemble techniques. A broad
range of repertoire encompassing Mozart, Schubert and the contemporary
Australian composer Richard Meale covers key aspects of the NSW & VIC music
curricula. Specially tailored Teacher Resources are provided with each
booking, providing students with additional insights into the repertoire.
Resources include state-based curriculum notes and exercises, recordings
and scores. Concerts are tailored to the music curriculum for stages 4 and
5 for New South Wales and levels 5, 6 and VCE for Victoria.

breezinthrutheory.com

New, online music theory lessons and drills. You can currently access a free demo of some of the online drill games.

www.iv-v-i.com/

This card game is designed for 14 year old + students who are studying harmony and cadence writing.

Go to resource: Classics for Kids is a podcast station that streams classical music suitable for children.

Read more…

http://www.classicsforkids.com/activitysheets/

Dozens of free, colourful worksheets on well-known Classical / Romantic / 20th century works. Most include pictorial listening guides.

Go to resource: Classics for Kids Lesson Plans (USA) are classical music lesson plans designed for students aged 5 to 11 years of age.

Read more…

INTRODUCTION TO VCE MUSIC PERFORMANCE AURAL AND THEORY

Deborah Smith presents an interactive lecture and workshop for students studying VCE Music Performance (Units 1 & 2 or 3 & 4). Sunday April 3rd, 2011. Carlton VIC

Enquiries: Deborah Smith Email: dsmusicbookings@gmail.com

free worksheet – suit middle to upper secondary Music students, working with chord creation theory

from www.musicteachingresources.com

La Seconda Prattica with Latitude 37

Following on from the success of last year’s workshop on French  Baroque Music, the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, in association with Latitude 37, is excited to present a 3-day winter school focussing on the performance practices of early-17th Century Italy – the turning point that created the baroque period.

Over three days participants will closely examine the repertoire,  treatises and documentation of early-17th Century Italian music performance. Special attention in masterclasses and lectures will be  given to the practice of improvising and interpretation of the score,  focussing on the the implementation of various techniques which are  lacking on the printed score but can be recovered from the many extant  sources of the period.

The members of Latitude 37 are recognised as exceptional performers  of this repertoire and will be joined by two guest artists; bassoonist  Simon Rickard, who will return to discuss the diverse and exotic wealth  of instruments in use in the early 17th Century, and Melbourne  Conservatorium Convenor of Voice, Stephen Grant, as vocal coach.

Dates
Friday 15, Saturday 16 & Sunday 17 July
10:00am – 6:00pm  Friday and Saturday
10:00am – 8:30pm Sunday (inc evening concert)
Enrolments close Friday 8 July

Full program details and enrolment forms: http://www.conservatorium.unimelb.edu.au/programs/short/earlymusic.

www.emusictheory.com/practice.html

Check out this website for free online aural music skill drills and notation practice for students.

Go to resource: The Fanfare Series, written by Tim Cain and published by Cambridge UP, is suitable for primary school students. Read more…

Go to resource: Fortissimo!, written by Roy Bennett and published by Cambridge UP, covers musical concepts such as performing, composing, listening, analysing music. Read more…

http://www.makingmusicfun.net/pdf/worksheets/composer-employment-application-worksheet.pdf

This fun, free worksheet, asks students to fill in a mock job application, requiring biographical details of a composer. The website www.makingmusicfun.net includes biographical information and other fun activities.

www.mtrs.co.uk/subscriptions/KS4.html

Lots of units of work (including audio tracks) for studying many topics, including film music with Year 7-8… 20th century composition with Year 11-12 … using GarageBand … atonal music … much more (free!)

Thanks to MTRS in UK for sharing

http://www.dolmetsch.com/theoryindex.htm

A free website with comprehensive information on Music Theory.

A comprehensive source (online) for music theory information, suited to secondary students.

http://www.dolmetsch.com/theoryintro.htm

Go to this link: Ray Foo … Click on “Music Games/Quizzes” half way down the left side to find dozens of free online quizzes and games to drill music theory. Send students to this page and let them explore – learning through games.

Dr Watson’s podcasts – a MASSIVE and free resource from an American lecturer in music, which has dozens of podcasts, many of which have free lesson guides and activity sheets attached. Topics include “what music means to me”, “repetition in music”, “bad boys in classical music”, “modality” …

THIS FREE RESOURCE is a powerpoint presentation of well over 100 slides. It comes from THIS website. THANKS!

Give students a copy of the powerpoint (perhaps edit it down a bit first). Ask them to create a timeline or their own powerpoint to show 60 years of Rock’n'Roll history.

dsmusic.com.au/resources/free-resources/

Print off a few of these FREE theory sheets (or give the link to your students) and let your students choose what to work on next lesson. Suits middle / upper secondary music students.

www.funmusicco.com/rhythmclock/

FunMusicCo has prepared a video tutorial on how to prepare and use a rhythm clock (suits primary and perhaps Year 7). All the files you might need are also free on the website.

Free worksheets from Color in My Piano website. Topics include discovering the piano keyboard, making tetrachords, write scales and chords, applying barlines …

http://cnx.org/content/col10363/latest/ “Understanding Basic Music Theory”

This course includes a review of common notation and an introduction to the physics behind music theory, as well as the basic concepts of music theory and a few slightly advanced but very useful topics, such as transposition.

HERE are some free worksheets from makingmusicfun.net – naming notes and intervals in bass and treble clef. Make up a booklet for students to work through when they have a few spare minutes at a time.

Go to resource: Good Ear is a free online aural training program that covers basic aural requirements such as recognition of intervals, chords and cadences.

Read more…

Go to resource: Great Relief Junior, published by Noteable, is a textbook suitable for students self-teaching (eg when teachers can’t attend classes). Read more…

Go to resource: Great Relief Senior, published by Noteable, is a set of self-taught lessons suitable for senior students. Read more…

Go to resource: Happy Anniversary! Middle Schools Concerts Education Kit (from The Queensland Orchestra) is a kits on the music of three composers celebrating anniversaries in 2009: Handel, Haydn and Mendelssohn.

Read more…

Go to resource: Haunting Music (ArtsEdge USA) is a six-lesson unit that focuses on program music through exploration of ’spooky’ orchestral works by Berlioz and Saint-Saens. Read more…

Read it HERE

ABC Classic FM is re-broadcasting Andres Ford’s series on 20th century music (Illegal Harmonies) at 9.05am on January mornings …. or you can listen to podcasts HERE.

If you use a Mac computer, download a program (free) called Flip4Mac, then download the podcasts from the “Windows Media” links (which are .asx files).

Go to resource: Instrument Bingo, written by Cheryl Lavender and published by Jenson Publications, combines musical knowledge with the game of bingo. Read more…

an MCA publication -

Journal of Music Research Online www.jmro.org.au: this refereed journal includes music education research

Go to resource: The Listening Mat (published by The Queensland Orchestra) is a double-paged list of musical elements often heard in orchestral music.

Read more…

HERE is a YouTube attempt to make a song about the characteristics of classical music periods — careful, as there as some swearing near the end. Brainstorm the characteristics of different musical eras (write them on the board). Challenge your students to create a better song about periods of music.

Go to resource: Melody Bingo, written by Cheryl Lavender and published by Jenson Publications, combines aural skills with the game of bingo. Read more…

free resource site – Music Australia website presents free information, old-style sheet music, and recordings on archived Australian topics such as “Beach and Bush” & “Waltzing Matilda”.

Go to resource: First Rhythmic Composition is a lesson plan written for 11 to 13 year olds, published by the Kennedy Center, US. Read more…

www.musicatschool.co.uk is a free website of Secondary Music teaching ideas, lesson plans and worksheets from UK Music teachers.

For example, here is a worksheet for Year 7’s learning about how orchestral players are seated:

http://www.musicatschool.co.uk/year_7/Instruments_sheets/layout_worksheet.PDF

Go to resource

MusicTheory.net offers lessons on music theory, aural training, and other tools such as chord calculators. Read more…

Fresh off the printing press – Instant Lessons in Music (Vols 3, 4 & 5) – photocopiable /digital lessons designed to enhance school Music programs OR leave for Emergency teachers (without the need for musical competency) – suits 11-16 year old Music classes – written by an Australian teacher for Australian students.

Vol 3: Music in Australia

Vol 4: Everyday musicality

Vol 5: Theory, composition & song-writing

New Millenium Records – a rich resource for free lesson content. Most lessons are paragraphs of typed information embedded with free audio files or video clips to support the text.

HERE is a selection of textbooks and resources re. music education, as used by some Australian universities.

http://australianmusiceducators.ning.com/ is an Australian discussion forum for music educators.  It was set up with the intent of discussing ideas on classroom band programs, but it really is a forum for discussion on any aspect of Australian music teaching from P-12.  At present there is a small group of members, but I am hoping to build it up and draw on a wide range of professional knowledge and experience.

This group is completely FREE (in a monetary sense, not a moral or metaphysical sense).

Please come along and check it out.  The page is run as a ning, which is basically a social network with a particular focus.  It is great for online discussion, linking of video and photo and has facility for you to blog.  All you need to do is create an account.

Go to resource: The Northern Tour Education Kit (by The Queensland Orchestra) is a kit that supports the 2009 concerts ‘Words and Music’ and examines what music conveys (stories, emotions etc).

Read more…

http://cnx.org/content/col10214/latest/ “Sound Reasoning”

“Sound Reasoning” is a web-based, introductory music appreciation course. It features an explanation, followed by a relevant musical audio quote.

This e-text offers a new approach to music appreciation for adults or 17-18 year old students, focusing on style-independent concepts. While the course concentrates primarily on Western classical and modern music, the concepts that are introduced apply to music of any style or era. The goal of “Sound Reasoning” is to equip you with questions that you may ask of any piece of music, thereby creating a richer and more comprehensive understanding of music both familiar and unfamiliar.

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/musictutor/id448150755?mt=8&ls=1

www.epianostudio.com/

This website has tips on teaching music theory and piano teaching advice.

Go to resource: Puzzles and Stuff, published by Noteable, are designed to reinforce musical concepts and musical vocabulary. Read more…

Go to resource: Rhythm Bingo, written by Cheryl Lavender and published by Jenson Publications, combines aural skills with the game of bingo. Read more…

HERE is a free worksheet from FunMusicCo which uses mobile phones (alpha-numeric buttons) to help students to learn the definitions of Italian terms. After completing the sheet, students could create their own worksheet using mobile phone buttons.

HERE is a free video explaining how to use the worksheet.

Go to resource: TES Connect collates free teacher-created resources from UK. This link is for Secondary Music resources and links. You will need to sign up to view resources – signing up is free and simple.

Go to resource: The Classical Music Navigator (USA) introduces students to information about classical music through familiar/notable works and composers, determined by relevance.

Read more…

A little known instrument from the Classical period is the pedal piano – like 2 grand pianos joined at the hip. Read more HERE.

http://library.thinkquest.org/22673/

An interactive guide to the Symphony and orchestral composers – including an interactive timeline.

Here are some suggestions of songs which have a particularly Australian flavour. Teach the chord progressions of each chorus (guitar / ukulele / keyboard) to your class. Discuss from which decade each song came, and why it feels Australian.

Skyhooks – Living in the 70’s (1975), Joe Dolce – Shaddup You Face (1980), Men at Work – Down Under (1981), Paul Kelly – From St Kilda to Kings Cross (1985), Midnight Oil – Beds are Burning (1987), Yothu Yindi – Treaty (1991 remix), Hunters and Collectors – Holy Grail (1992), any song from Gurrumul Yunupingu’s 2008 album – Gurrumul.

More info on Australian pop music: “Playlisted” by Craig Mathieson

Organise students into table groups. Inform them you will play 5 pieces of music from 5 different centuries (1600’s 1700’s 1800’s 1900’s 2000’s). Use iTunes library or GrooveShark to play 5 very different pieces of music. Each team must discuss (quietly) which century belongs to each piece of music. Score 2 points for each correct century or 2 points for being 100 years either side. Score 1 bonus point for every correct reason given for answer!

National Library of Australia has a new online catalog called TROVE – research for books, journal, video, audio, websites, pictures and more. You can even click through the website to purchase many of the items, if you wish.

Do you have students who are anxious about the analysis section in the Unit 4 exam? Students who need additional help to prepare and master the material? Students who need a confidence boost or extension?

Designed for VCE Music Performance students, this 2.5-hour workshop will give students tools and strategies to assist them with the Analysis component of the Unit 4 study design.

Conducted by Adam Yee, composer, oboist and teacher, this workshop promises to be fun, informative and will provide VCE music students with invaluable insights into the process of listening and analysing musical works.

When: Monday 4 July, 10:00-12:30 or 1:30-4:00

Where: Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, Royal Parade, Parkville

How Much: $50

Full details and enrolments: http://www.conservatorium.unimelb.edu.au/programs/youth/analysis

Returning by popular demand!

After our first workshops on the analysis component of the VCE Music Performance exam sold out, we are pleased to announce a further two workshops in the September school holidays.

Adam Yee will take students through a through a range of practical strategies for the VCE Music Performance examination sections B & C: listening and analysis, in a 2.5-hour workshop designed for both year 11 and 12 students.

Participants from the July workshop gave extremely positive feedback:

• Monday 26 September:
• Morning workshop: 10:00am – 12:30pm
• Afternoon workshop (repeat of morning session): 1:30 – 4:00pm
• $50 per student

Enrolments and further information: http://www.conservatorium.unimelb.edu.au/programs/youth/analysis

Deb Smith is running a 4 day course for VCE Music students (Melbourne) 11-14th April 2011

This 4 day course provides a comprehensive overview of the aural skills & musicianship required for VCE Music Performance. Using a range of tools such as rhythmic syllables, solfege & the voice, students will gain a thorough understanding of scales, keys, melody, rhythm, chords & chord progressions.

Booking form available from http://www.dsmusic.com.au/events.htm

Play THIS YouTube clip of a string quartet playing music from 300+ years of history — how many titles can they write down — and from what period is each piece? Finally, ask students to make their own list of famous, representative pieces from each era / period.

http://www.limelightmagazine.com.au/Article/254537,classical-music-a-history-according-to-youtube.aspx

The history of music from Medieval to post WW II. Presented as text and related YouTube video/audio clips. A series of lessons, in effect!