Congratulations to each of you on your 'Teaching a Song' presentations yesterday! I hope the experience was not too horrible. And now you can feel even more ready to do some song leading in your practicum.

Most of the letters I received (thank you for each of them and your thoughts) included positive comments on the atmosphere in our music classes, and your own enjoyment of participating in our music activities. Be sure to take that enjoyment to your own students. They will appreciate it I know.

I hope that in our classes you will continue to notice everything that I do. There is generally a lot happening! And often I simply can't take the time to explain each detail (we have exactly 20 hours together all year...) - I necessarily rely on your professional eyes to notice details. I have more than one purpose for everything I do in a music class. On our first day together we learned ‘My Paddle’s Keen and Bright’ as one way of gaining a common experience in singing, while also singing this song while keeping a beat, and experiencing its particular rhythmic features - "syncopa" being one of them – and one that is found in millions of other songs. We also sang this song in partnership with another song, “Land of the Silver Birch” (incidentally these are NOT First Nations’ songs – they are traditional North American folk songs, likely developed by European immigrants.) They both use a pitch series or ‘scale’ that is known as a PENTATONIC SCALE – using only five different pitch classes. (There are all sorts of other scales – much folk music uses a pentatonic scale.) We have sung the songs in canon (otherwise known as rounds) and so have experienced multiple textures, using a variety of ostinatos, (rhythmic and singing) while also experiencing form, mood, timbre, and tempo. ALL of that from one song!  In addition to the elemental musical aspects  (Beat, rhythm, tempo, form, harmony, texture, melody, pitch, mood…) we have experienced aspects of fellowship, camaraderie and humour. Maybe even boredom (yes that sometimes OK too!) – evoking a desire to do something more.  We used the song in our ‘recording session’ as well. I knew I would do all of these things when we first sang that song, and we still have more things that could happen with that one song. We’ll also experience critical reflection and consider other aspect of general musicianship. It’s all in the  “planning ahead.”

All of these concepts are embedded in the Ontario Curriculum document: THE ARTS. I imagine you are able to read that and determine where these experiences show up in the music sections. We will never have enough time in our classes to refer to every piece of that document – nor every aspect of musical experience that is sought there. You are going to need to make those connections yourself. You are professional educators and are quite capable of doing that. 

As a way of reinforcing your concept of ostinato, listen to find if you can detect some of the multiple ositinatos  (the real plural is ostinati) in this new release from BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE :   

http://soundcloud.com/artkitchen/not-at-my-best-broken-social-scene.

[This is part of the soundtrack from It’s A Funny Kind of Story – a new movie by Ryan Fleck & Anne Boden.]  It might be fun to draw what you think could be a picture of one or two of these ostinati.

So – in all of our classes take notice of what happens and does not happen. We haven’t played with instruments much yet. Why is that?  Why would I hold off on doing that in our classes together?

In our October 18th classes we’ll be making some instruments as a way of exploring more about the concept of timbre – and we shall be exploring various sorts of instruments that day and subsequently.

Many of you have commented on the helpfulness of the vocal warm-ups. You will need to look after your voice. I can already hear vocal fatigue in some of your speaking voices.  Your voice muscles are INCREDIBLY delicate. Do look after them, please. A large daily intake of water helps - at least 8 glasses a day - more when you are exposed to lots of car heat, hot air heating systems, air conditioners (the worst). Smoking, prescription and non-prescription drugs also affect your vocal apparatus negatively as does alcohol – so extra water intake is thus important as a result.  Keep care of your voice – you’ll want it healthy! You can do those warm up exercises in your car or walking down the street. (I gave up worrying about what it looks like years ago!)

As an aside to our vocal health warm-ups here is an intriguing YOUTUBE video of Mel Blank’s laryngeal folds (commonly known as vocal cords) while he speaks in his vast array of voices. I’m sure you’ll recognize the sounds – and yes, Mel Blank did them all!  (He’s dead now, but his voices live on.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejVQEFbIfmI&NR=1

If that is of interest here is another rather beautifully crafted film called ‘cords:’

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GtbnZnwpQA

Very delicate those vocal cords – but capable of exquisite beauty!!

Well - enough for now -

Have a great Turkey Weekend – and please drive safely so that you will return to us refreshed and full.