Showing posts with label 8th grade. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 8th grade. Show all posts

8th Grade Listening Assignment

Listen to the first movement of Handel's Messiah (movements are notated by tempo changes) and describe the type of bow stroke (articulation) you should use to create the appropriate timbre. What is the timbre and how do the dynamics affect the timbre of this movement. Lastly with a highlighter mark all of the dynamic changes and with a pencil draw hairpins (crescendo followed by a descrendo) that follow the contour of the piece based upon what you heard. This is due by Friday and we will listen to this piece in class on Wednesday, however it is not possible to complete this assignment with only one hearing. If you have any questions please let me know.

Here is the link to listen to Messiah- http://www.halleonard.com/audio/59225048.mp3

8th grade Orchestra To Do List

All students need to be practicing the following pieces:
  1. Riding the Dragon's Back--57 to the end 
  2. Prelude 19-41....I really think we can do this piece but it is going to require a lot of detailed practice on your part
  3. Wicked the beginning to 43---you are doing a good job but it is not clean......fix the eighth notes and intonation
  4. Mambo Incognito---start clapping this and listening to it on the blog.

Listening Log

8th Grade Orchestra needs to listen to Remote Control which is located below (click on the name to access the file). The style is simply Classical music because it incorporates too many different pieces to identify each style. Also remember that this is due tomorrow and to be specific in your descriptions. Look Listening Log in the assignments section on the right side of the blog.


Remote Control

Teamwork is the theme


7th Grade
Tuesday you all will have a CA (classwork assessment) on Brewster Bears from the 33-51.  The purpose of this CA is for you to play together as an ensemble which means there will be a metronome and rushing will have a large impact on your grade.  You will play this by stand with one stand from each section.

8th Grade
Tuesday you will have a CA (classwork assessment) on Prelude from the beginning to measure 19.  The purpose of this CA is for you to play together as an ensemble, which means there will be a metronome and rushing will have a large impact on your grade.  You will play this by stand with one stand from each section.

Wednesday we will all do a listening log on a piece of music within the styles that we are playing in class.  We will also work on scales and shifting in 7th and 8th grade classes so bring your book.

8th Grade Festival


Congrats to the 8th grade orchestra students for recieving a rating of Excellent at Festival this year.  I am very proud of your professionalism and performance this year (we had a lot of obstacles to get there).  You guys never let me down and I want you to know that I could not ask for a better group of students who are passionate about their music.

7th and 8th Grade Concert Music

Croc Rock
Toccata
Listen to the music above, compare and contrast your sound.  What can you do to sound like the recording?  They use vibrato, exaggerate dynamics/ articulations, and most importantly they are always aware of who has the melody.  Try to play along with the recording, does it help you, how, and why?
Turn in detailed answers to these questions for extra credit on your practice log.

Practice Log


7th and 8th grade Orchestra students have a new practice log that will guide their practice during the week.  All students must practice what is given to them on the specific days and this is due Monday, March 24th.  The only day that your child is not required to practice this week is Friday because everyone needs a break.  Students cannot make up practice for days missed although if a child speaks with me individually about a conflict then I am open to compromise.
 
I WILL NOT ACCEPT THEM LATE OR WITHOUT A PARENT SIGNATURE!

8th Grade Festival Music

Contrasts Part One




Here is your festival music....we have one week till festival, WILL U BE READY?

8th Grade Festival Music

Click on the following links to listen to your music for festival:

Celtic Roots
http://65.23.157.59/mp3/64517.mp3

Poco Adagio
http://65.23.157.59/mp3/40520.mp3


Try to play along with the recordings and see how well you do. Can you match their tempo, intonation, rhythms, bow articulations, and dynmaics? If you can then you are ready for festival, if not then you know what you need to practice : )

8th Grade Orchestra- October 25th Concert

You have a concert on Thursday and we are almost ready!!!! This concert will be awesome because of the music, effects, and of course you. HOWEVER, if we don't fix some small things we will not represent the 212 power and that is our motto so lets get it done.

This week we must focus on finishing Fright Night, dynamics and articulation in Agincourt, and lastly but not leastly fix the end of Dia. You all have worked really hard and really quickly, you should truly feel like a professional orchestra. We will have cool effects at the concert but remember our concert will only be as good as the work you put into it.


Basses please practice the Sorcerer's Apprentice and the Munster's theme very slowy and gradually get faster. You all have the notes now you just need to work on cleaning it up, remember that you have rehearsal afterschool Monday so that you can work on it as a section. MARK YOUR MUSIC....DO NOT RELY ON YOUR MEMORY!!!! -thanks : ))


Violins, especially 2nds remember that in Agincourt all of your bow strokes should be short. If one person plays the wrong articulation then the whole orchestra sounds bad because it will stick out. Remember at 23, you must be like quadruple piano (pppp) so that we can hear the violas when they come in.

1sts, you must count at 52 and remember to listen to the violas and follow Alex, so that we stay together as an ensemble.

Cellos and basses please follow the dynamics, your part is soooooo cool but if the whole thing is loud then the effect of the piece is ruined.

Violas you have to Watch and don't Rush!!!!!!!!!! Also no matter what happens, PLAY IT LOUD, PLAY PROUD!!!!
Remember that Agincourt is a war and that is what we need to sound like. If you don't understand watch the movie Braveheart and you will see that before war begins there is silence.

The only thing that I have to say about Dia is watch so that we get all of the tempo and meter changes. Our weakest section is at 106 because we must listen to each section but especially the cellos because they have eighth notes.

8th Grade Orchestra


Listen to the link below on Dia de los Muertos so that you understand how all of the sections fit together!!! Pay special attention to measures 39-55 and 106-152, these are our weak sections and really the only sections that need work.


The more time you spend listening and playing with these sections, the better we become as an orchestra....REMEMBER WE'RE THE 212 AND WE DON'T STOP TILL OUT GOOD IS BETTER AND OUR BETTER IS THE BEST!

Agincourt

8th Grade Seating Auditions

Seating Auditions will be on Wednesday (meaning tomorrow). 1st and 2nd violins will have their audition in Vortex measures 79 to 88. Please make sure that you use a lot of bow and do the correct bowings.

Violas will have their audition in Viva Violas, measures 68 to 84. Please make sure that you follow the bowings and COUNT!!!!

Cellos and Basses will have their auditions in Vortex measures 79 to 90. Please make sure follow the bowings and watch for the accidentals (C#). Basses please have your fingerings marked so that you know what position you are supposed to be in.

GOOD LUCK.....THE RESULTS WILL BE POSTED FRIDAY ON THE ORCHESTRA DOOR!!!!

8th Grade Orchestra--09/24

Agincourt is an amazing piece and we will play it on our October 25th concert along with Dia and this really cool piece called
Danse Macabre--I'll give you one hint, get ready to dance . This week you guys really need to focus on the intonation, really make sure that your fingers are either touching or spread far apart. This will be a week of fine tuning rough spots like 69 to the end in Viva and 72 to the end in Biorhythms. We will not have a test on Friday but we will record either Agincourt, Viva, or Biorhythms for a classwork grade.

If you would like to listen to any of the songs we are playing in class please follow the links below. *you must have real player to listen to the songs*

Agincourt
http://www.jwpepper.com/sheet-music/lsearch?pop=N&keywords=agincourt&type=all&option=quicksearch&field=contents&voicecode=STR%20ORCH

Viva Violas
http://www.jwpepper.com/sheet-music/lsearch?pop=N&keywords=viva%20violas&type=all&option=quicksearch&field=contents&voicecode=STR%20ORCH

Vortex
http://www.jwpepper.com/sheet-music/lsearch?pop=N&keywords=vortex&type=all&option=quicksearch&field=contents&voicecode=STR%20ORCH

I need ideas for special effects on your 1st and 2nd concert, nothing too wild please. Also we will be playing the music from the Vitamin Water commercial so get ready....I am sooooo excited!!!!! click here to see the commerical: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H59A0Y7DSD4

Anyone seeking extra credit can do a research project on the real Agincourt and present your findings to the class. You may also do a research project on the Hispanic holiday Dia de los Muertos and present your findings to the class. These projects must be finished prior to the concert date.