Hayes Middle School

Wow. In just a few minutes of my observation, I was already amazed.

Very fast-paced.

Josh Gronlund

Armstead

Warm-ups

·      using a lot of the body parts. Arms and legs.

·      Lip trills

·      Tense up, then release

·      Funny and energetic

·      Repeat after Josh. Modeling. Incorrect, then correct.

·      Stomp, stomp, “yoga ball” arms out in front of you.

o   Waits patiently for them to listen

·      LOTS of modeling

·      Bee bee bee, beh beh beh, boy boy boy

o   Move with one foot, then the other, then arms up

·      Oo, ee, ahh, ehh, ahh. (similar to the warm-up I know.)

o   With hand signs

Many mumbling mice.

·      Moving with the fingers on the hand

Hand signs.

·      So, la

·      Do, ti

·      Do mi so

·      So, mi, do do do

A major, has..

·      three sharps

How do you find the sharps

Has the example on the screen.

·      Great use of technology

Reading the exercise

·      “one, ti, one”

·      snaps on rests

Does everyone start on do?

·      Yes

Speak on solfege.

Tapping the rhythm on their chest with their hand

Soprano 1 and Soprano 2

Excellent.

Word of the day:

P for pride day

Practice, is both a noun and a verb.

As a noun, repeat an exercise in, or performance of an activity. Or skills so as to acquire or maintain proficiency in it

It must take a lot of practice to become an amazing musician.

When we use it as a verb—perform (an activity) or exercise (a skill) repeatedly or regularly in order to improve or maintain one’s proficiency.

I need to practice my music

Reading of the day

·      Answers from the kids

o   Be patient and something will work itself out

o   Be okay with just the question, and not always an answer

Attendance:

·      59 girls

·      .4 or better gets a point.

·      Most points get a pizza party

11 or so groups going to festival

·      Special women’s group after school

o   8-9 parts

·      first two hours 7^th grade

·      next 8^th

·      boys one

When I close my eyes

·      Breath support is there

·      Notes are there as well

·      Vowels

·      Different between the sections of the piece.

·      The descant is perfectly on. Bright tone, but still with good vowels

·      Asks questions

o   Can someone tell me what a fermata is?

o   Who cuts you off?

o   Models what Josh wants

·      Take me too the river-----take me to the sea.

o   Carry through

·      All know the terminology.

o   Crescendos, etc.

·      “Knees, and hips, and now a little shoulders”

o   For the quicker section

·      Expressions

What does this mean to you?

·      Being confident

·      Feeling

·      Connect with the music

o   It will be different than others

o   You get your own personal connections with the music

Conducting from Josh

·      Very musical

·      Left hand

o   Shows the vowel shapes

o   Crescendos

o   Eyes (look at me)

·      Cut offs with both hands

·      Right hand

o   Keeps tempo

o   Articulations

o   Speed

Pyramid of Musical Aristry

·      Full of words

·      What is most important.

·      The kids decide where to put the words

·      Bottom

o   Rests, rhythm, notes, correct vowels, etc.

·      Middle

o   Phrasing, word stress, dipthongs

·      Top

o   Rhythmic energy, facial expressions, engagement

·      Velcro to put the words and allow them to be moved

PRIDE

·      Posture, Phrasing

·      Resonance, Round Vowels

·      Inflection, Intonation

·      Diction, Dynamics

·      Engagement, Expression

“What we tolerate becomes our standard!”

The students are listening intently

Models incorrect, and correct

·      Do-nah

·      Do louder and nah back

·      Show with conducting

This will be for the transition into the next piece.

iPads for music. I want that for the future.

Hmm, coo-coo, Pie Jesu

·      Take your hands

Shows posture

Pie Jesu

·      Uses hands in circles in front of the face for higher notes for the breath support

·      Syllabic stress

·      Soprano 1 and 2

·      Back straight, back straight. Then sing. Stand up, and place hands in front of you.

·      Requiem (m)

·      Why is the end softer?

o    

Armstead conducting

·      Both hands freely

·      Moves so much

·      Bends knees and up and down

·      Sometimes snaps to keep tempo

·      Moves with flowing movements in circles

·      Syllabic stress.

o   Moves forward, then back for the words

·      Left hand up in a curve to show higher vowels

·      Both hands as if swimming or diving

o   To show to move through

Posture

·      Hands at the side.

·      Corrects those who have them in front or in pockets

·      Makes sure they are ready for performance

·      Don’t move until conductor puts their hands down

Gives recognition to one girl

·      Repeat after me

o   “We can do that, too”

·      So powerful

“Ahh do!”

·      low, then high

·      modeled

·      Hands above heads, squatting or moving knees down to hit notes

Transition into the next piece

Sara Sponda? Ret set set.

·      Movements for all of the words to help with vowels, notes, phrasing

·      Josh sings with the soprano 2

·      Dynamics

·      Articulations

·      “t’s” very clean

·      Clean attacks and releases

School requires words and math

·      Math—fractions for attendance

Fred Rogers

·      Read it and talk about it each day

Movements help

·      Makes you open up

·      More comfortable after awhile

Not required to be in choir

·      Why are you here?

o   Sisters in choir, family likes to sing

o   Break from “real learning”

o   Allowed to speak your minds here

o   Gets us moving

o   Love music

o   Express how I feel

§  Take it out on the music

o   Individuality

Warm-ups every day

·      Placement, flexibility, placement, vowel, diction

·      Always

·      Order

·      Every day

·      Different activities, but the same order

Involved in choir outside of school? Or in the future?

·      No option yet for middle school

·      CMS Children’s Choir

In college?

·      Main goal is never to be a professional or in college

·      “Enjoy music, for the rest of their lives”

Big HS program too

·      5 choirs