Monday Memorable Musical Moment!

On Facebook recently, there has been a challenge circulating called the  "Artistic Memorable Moments Challenge". The challenge was/is to post a picture a day of your art for five days and nominate two friends to join the challenge. Many musician friends have been writing about their fondest and most impressionable musical memories from their childhood. I though I'd share one of my special memories with you here.

Project Group ’85 & The Wizard of Oz.

My first ‘lead role’ in a school production was as a ‘Princess’ in a year 2 class play with Sharon Ransom. (Well actually, my real first lead role was as the “Star” in a pre-school Nativity Play in Bundaberg, but I got conjunctivitis and wasn’t able to perform!)

I remember auditioning for the role in class one day and we presented it to our parents just before pick-up. Sharon, who was an infinitely more talented actress than me was the “wicked witch” who I think had to put a spell on me. Five years later and as year 7 students at the same school (Heatley Primary), Sharon and I were re-united on stage again.

Amazingly, and seemingly audaciously, a teacher at our school – Ian Griffiths, secured permission to trial a special Performing Arts Immersion Program known as the “Project group 85”, (or PG 85). The concept behind the class (as I recall it) was to bring like-minded artistic children from years 5-7 together and to encompass the key learning areas of the curriculum through the performing arts culminating in an epic “Rich task” which was a completely student directed and produced musical to be publicly staged in the city’s Civic Theatre.

I was lucky enough to score the lead role of Dorothy - a role and character which in many ways shaped me as a young girl. I developed a complete adoration of Judy Garland and of course a special relationship with the music of Harold Arlen and in particular “Over the rainbow”. Sharon performed the most amazing version of Glinda (particularly for a 12 year old!)

A few years ago, when Carson and I were watching Wicked in New York City, I spent most of the night fighting back tears. Not just because it is an incredible, powerful musical performance, nor because the story and songs are so moving but really because I felt I was watching the back story to a majorly important part of my own life and the person I kept thinking about the whole night was “MY” Glinda, Sharon and the incredible journey we shared in 1985 on our own Yellow brick Road! Wish I had a photo – but so fortunate to have the memories!

Techno Tuesday – Brief Review of StaffPad

I thought I’d begin a series of Techno Tuesday Blogs sharing new technology finds which may be of use in the classroom. The first cab off the rank is an extremely exciting new release - StaffPad available from the Windows Store for $70. Composer, Music Engraver and Music Consultant Philip Rothman describes this product as “quite simply, the most fun, innovative, and ground-breaking music notation software available today” and I have to agree!

As avid users of Finale and Sibelius my husband and I were intrigued to try a product for pen-and-touch based Windows 8 tablets like the Surface Pro.

Firstly, let’s watch the 2-minute promotional video for StaffPad:

Amazing stuff?

Phillip Rothman explains, key to the way StaffPad works is its method of recognizing your scribbles. It looks at every individual stroke you make and then interprets what you wrote based on the relationship of each stroke to all of the others. Creator, David William Hearne says that “it’s more efficient and accurate to take the position and temporal information from the pen, and then use musical context to decide what the music is trying to be. That way, you can do things that would totally confuse OCR. Because we know the order of the strokes and where they are in relation to the notes, we can say, OK, that’s a natural, that’s a sharp.”

The real magic of StaffPad starts to become evident as you begin to move from bar to bar. All you need to do to move to any other bar is to simply start writing in it. You don’t need to finish writing in one bar; StaffPad won’t automatically fill the bar with rests. You don’t need to write in contiguous bars or select another bar to prime it.

Take a look at Philip Rothman notating some bars of Rite of spring!

Powerful Playback:

What we probably loved the most in our first experiment with this app was the ability to control and enhance the quality of the playback performance. If you've placed dynamics in your score, you’ll see the expression overlay reflect those dynamics. But you can further customize playback by drawing lines and curves to subtly enhance your score.

Listen to my husband, Carson’s partial transcription of Paraniod Andriod by Radiohead (which he did this morning sitting in a lounge chair and drinking coffee!) and hear some of the subtleties in playback reflecting a more natural and musical sounding performance.

  

Implications for Music Education.

There is no doubt that music educators will take serious note of the potential of this powerful application. In a time where the skills of traditional notation may well be a dying art and the desire for immediacy and authenticity in the front end of composing software is growing, StaffPad provides an exciting hybrid experience for students and teachers alike.

Particular opportunities which could enhance the teaching and learning experience within our music classes could include –

·         Rhythmic and Melodic dictation exercises could be delivered and executed with great ease and fluency.

·         The freedom to move about the score as ideas come forth, filling in only partial content within bars, is a level of highly significant intuition (lacking in other programs).

·         The emphasis on expressive techniques in the notation and the opportunity to create phrasing and subtle musical balance in playback, is a fantastic artistic element adding to the aesthetic experience of music composing and arranging which is currently a bit clunky in other programs, sometimes detracting from the inventive ideas of the student composer.

·         The comfort of working with a tablet, lying flat on the student’s table like a real score using a pen to notate could work incredibly well in classrooms.

·         In the middle of a lesson, instrumental teachers could easily and quickly notate exercises, phrases, melodic ideas, bowing or tonging patterns and print them off for their students with greater ease and efficiency.

·         Being an app available from the Windows Store, installation is a quick and easy process, which would be a great time saver for schools.

·         The $70 for full access to the app is affordable and competitive. 

All in all, this is an absolutely amazing application with exciting potential for Music Educators. Check it out!

Interestingly, Sibelius has just announced a response to StaffPad which can be read here: 

10 Tips For Supporting Music Practice At Home.

“If I were a dictator, I would eliminate the word “practice” from the vocabulary, for it becomes a bogey, a nightmare…
I would ask: “Have you already made and enjoyed music today? If not – go and make music”. - Pianist, Artur Schnabel

Here are some ideas which have worked well for my students and my own children over the years. I hope they may be helpful to you too!


1. Help your child set up a special place at home to play the instrument.
A music stand is very helpful!

2. Establish a time each day to play. Some children are at their best in the morning, before school. Some parents set a time after the evening bath when the child is relaxed, but not tired.

3. Consider using the phrase "playing time" rather than "practice time."

4. If possible, be a positive part of your child's playing time. Sit with your child while she plays and ask, "Show me what you're learning."

5. Praise your child for each step forward.

6. Encourage other family members to applaud the child's efforts. Positive attention is a great motivator.

7. Never make practice time a punishment; it will make your child dislike, or even hate, daily practice if you do so. Rather, make practice time enjoyable by showing him your support and enthusiasm.

8. Regular, shorter playing sessions throughout the week is far more beneficial than one or two long sessions before the lesson.

9. Provide positive role models. Bring your child to hear amateur or professional musicians perform live music.

10. Remember that there are always peaks and valleys in the learning process. You and your child should expect times of discouragement, accept them, and focus on the positive fact that they are learning to make music. Remind them that everything worth doing takes time and effort.

Music in the Mountains - A reflection of our Annual Music Camp at Mapelton.

Dappled sunlight glimmers through the dense, cool, green forest surrounding our little camp village in Mapleton, Southeast Queensland today. A variety of buildings, some large and open, others small and intimate, are housing a multitude of excited, sonic gatherings.  Crisp, bright and breezy Celtic reels can be heard spilling out from the string room. Epic harmonies, rich in bold climaxes can be heard from the Concert Band Auditorium. Earnest voices offer out inspiring Gospel tones accompanied by a funky, jazz piano.  And a space spilling with enthusiastic guitarists is transformed by the dulcet strumming and picking of their nylon strings as notes and flourishes cascade around the room. ..

It is the Annual Music Camp for Villanova College and Loreto Colleges.

 

Despite the intensity of two and a half days of rehearsing and tutoring, these camps are also somewhat of a form of retreat. Coming away from the city to a beautiful mountain setting gives us as staff and students, an opportunity to reflect on our practices, plan for the year ahead and enjoy some down time with our students in the much anticipated breaks and free-time. Our venue is the beautiful QCCC Mapleton which resembles a resort with a series of rock pools surrounded by rolling green lawns, a lake for canoeing and rainforest walking tracks to little brooks with water falls.

 

  

This year the theme of our camp is ‘Let’s Dance!” and clinicians have had the task of creatively interpreting the theme for each group in order to provide some inspiring repertoire and challenging but fun musical moments.

Here in the string room our students are working with guest clinician, Emma Nixon where she has the ensemble swooning to “Waltz from The sleeping beauty” by Tchaikovsky. 

The crisp accompanying figures, soaring melodic lines and refined, elegant style is proving a challenge to our robust teens, but they are meeting each obstacle with great commitment. 

They have an opportunity to really throw themselves into the sound with Basse Danse from the Capriol suite by Peter warlock where the punchy rhythms and off beat accents produce a string, organic string sound. 

Spanish themes and rhythms are enjoyed in El Toro by Don Brubaker.

A highlight for me however, was witnessing Emma (who is a foremost expert in Scottish Fiddle Playing) teach 50 string players a traditional Reel and accompaniment all by ear! Such an important skill for our young musicians, but not something we always incorporate into our traditional orchestral rehearsal technique.

January Teacher Survival Guide.

I'm linking up with Melissa over at Mrs. Stouffer's Music Room for a linky party called Teacher Survival Guide.

I often find January a difficult month after the fun and frivolity of December.  As my summer holidays draw to a close and the reality of a busy teaching year looms, my survival techniques are predominantly designed to strengthen my spirit and re-energise my mind for a positive and refreshed return to work.

#1. Sleep – I know it sounds obvious but I am and always have been a bad sleeper, so January is a time for me to try and get back into some healthy sleeping patterns.  I need to get myself ready for the 5:30 am rise required to be at school for my early morning rehearsals which start in a few weeks. As a natural “Night Owl”, this is a challenge for me, but I am resolved to be in bed before 11 pm in the hopes of drifting off by midnight!

#2. Hydrate – I discovered to my shock and horror a little while back, that it was ridiculously easy for me to go a day without actually drinking any water. Tea, Coffee, juice and wine (!) were the main sources of refreshment in a 24 hour period. Not good I know, so my January Survival plan (particularly in this 37 degree Celsius heat), is to hydrate with water and a twist of lemon or lime. I feel genuinely, so much better for it.

#3. Open my Mind – January is often a time of reflection for me. Processing the year “that was” and dreaming of the year that “might be”. I t is a time to be open to new beginnings and possibilities, both professionally and personally. Remembering to be open in my heart and mind puts me in a fantastic position for the creative juices to flow and a happy and fulfilling year to uncurl before me.

"…to provoke our students to break through the limits of the conventional and the taken for granted, we ourselves have to experience breaks with what has been established in our own lives; we have to keep arousing ourselves to begin again." Maxine Greene

If you are a teacher blogger with some January Survival techniques you’d like to share, you can link up at Melissa's blog.

2015 New Year's Resolutions

I am hoping to squeeze into my first ever linky party before it closes at Mrs. Miracle's Music Room.

There are so many "new" events about to occur in my life. Moving house the weekend before school starts back, meeting my new boss (the Director of Music at school), meeting a new School Principal, having a new Performing Arts Co-ordinator, new classes, new classrooms, new students and new parents.... (and no, I haven't started a new job!) Although I begin my 9th year at my school, I feel 2015 is looking exciting and maybe a little overwhelming at the same time.

The idea of setting some "new goals" for the year seems like a great one! So here goes:

Personal: 

 

I want to do everything I can this year, to save money in order to travel to see my brothers, and my parents in North Queensland, along with my 3 little Nieces and my sister-in-law. I also hope to spend time with my 2 beautiful Southern Nieces in the ACT and Victoria. We miss them all so much!

Professional: 

 

I'm sure we can all relate to this dilemma! This year I will be having Saturdays free of conducting or teaching and have cut down significantly on my home teaching studio after school on week days. I am also hoping 2015 will see me employ some assistant conductors to help to manage the 7 ensembles I currently look after.

Classroom: 

 

This year I have quite a mix of classes. I will teach 5 classes a week of beginner strings, 5 classes per week of Year 5 classroom music, 4 classes a week of year 10 music, 4 classes a week of year 11 music and private string tutoring as well. Our year 10 class this year is  brand new "Year-long" subject! I am planning to create a fun online learning environment to support our classwork in the form of a blog for my year 10 students.  I'll let you know how it goes!

Blog/TpT 

 

2014 was a very slow year for me with regards to resource creating and blogging, so I am really looking forward to having a bit more time to invest in this wonderfully, creative process.

Just for me: 

 

When I am organised, I love to make myself beautiful, healthy salads for lunch (and they have become quite famous in my staff room). I am determined to pack my salads every night this year for a fresh and healthy alternative to the tuckshop!

I have absolutely loved my summer break and in particular, I have lost myself in books. This has inspired me to keep the reading joy going once school starts back. Let's hope I can :)

Christmas themed Music Theory!

Merry Christmas to you all!!