Primary

• Primary Division - Gr. 7 - 10 - Presentation No.1
• Primary Division - Gr. 7 - 10 - Presentation No.2
• Primary Division - Gr. 7 - 10 - Presentation No.3

Focus on: Rhythm

• beat,
• tempo (slow, fast and moderate), and
• metre (2 or 3)

Focus on: Dynamics

• loud, (forte)
• soft, (piano)
• mezzo

 

During each of these presentations, the members of KSBQ will also be answering some of the questions to try to lead the students in the direction we would like to go. Sometimes the performers will answer the question correctly...some times incorrectly.

 

Questions to ask:

Rhythm

• What is beat?...tempo?....metre?
• How do we identify these things? (passage of time, pulse)
• How does the music 'feel' when these things change?...one at a time, or in combination? (exciting, calming, dull, sad, etc)
• Identify natural objects/ events/ living things that have these characteristics. Make a list. (heart, birds, machines, waves, wind, etc.)

Dynamics

• What is/are loud, soft, medium volumes?
• How do we identify these different volumes? (ears)
• Identify sounds from nature/ life that are this way.(birds, cars, trains, wind, breathing, etc.)

Concept: Rhythm, Beat, Tempo

1. Begin the program by performing a March (Marche Militaire, March of the Priests by Mozart, or Prince of Denmark's March, etc.)
2. Introduce group, individuals and their instruments. (eg. Hi Wayne!)
3. "Would you say that the piece we just played was fast, slow or medium speed." (It was music that was written for marching, so it was a medium speed.) - Discussion
4. Define Tempo and beat (heart)
5. Have students clap together at 3 different speeds (fast, medium, slow) to demonstrate.
6. Trumpet plays William Tell and students clap along (fast)
7. Cory plays This Old Man and students play along (medium)
8. Sylvain plays The Elephant and students clap along (slow)
9. "What things outside or inside the school move quickly, medium, slowly?" (Members of the KSBQ will also have answers.)
10. We will now perform some music and your job will be to clap along with the tempo that we play. Use only 2 fingers on each hand to clap along (practice clapping with 2 fingers or tap your knee)...or some other method that keeps students relatively quiet.
11. Perform When I'm 64 ? (medium) or a Canzon
12. " Does anyone know that piece?" - Discussion (Members of KSBQ contribute answers too.)
13. " Was that fast, slow, or medium?" - Discussion
14. Perform something fast - Washington Post March
15. " Does anyone know that piece?" - "What type of piece was it?"
16. Perform something slow - The Elephant, Can You feel the Love Tonight
17. " Does anyone know that?" - Discussion
18. " Which tempo is easiest to clap along with?" - Discussion - (Match tempos with running, jogging, walking, crawling, etc.)
19. Now we will play a piece of music that has different speeds in it and it will be your task to clap or tap along with us. You will need to listen carefully to hear the tempo change.
20. Perform Hungarian Dance No.5 - Brahms
21. Discussion of tempo changes that occurred...how many, fast, slow, etc.

Concept: Dynamics

1. We will now play a piece of music in which the tempo will remain constant but something else about the music will change. Listen carefully to find out what in our performance of the music changes while we play.
2. Perform - Entertainer or something with many changes of dynamics
3. " Has anyone heard that piece of music before?" - Discussion
4. " What changed during the piece of music?" - Discussion (Members of KSBQ have answers too.)
5. The different louds or softs or changes in volume in music are called dynamics.
6. " Did all of us change the dynamics together?" - Discussion
7. " How did we know to do that?" (Written in the music.) - Discussion
8. " What sounds outside or inside the school are loud, what sounds are soft, what are medium?"
9. " There is another way for large groups of musicians to know when to change the dynamics" (conductor)
10. Have student 'guest' conductors conduct the quintet. Get all students to practice controlling dynamics before anyone is called up. Arms/hands up for loud, and down for soft. Slow movement will make us change slowly. Student volunteer to control dynamics only.
11. Perform Pezel (or something short and simple) with 3 different conductors to demonstrate.

Finale: Sesame Street, When Johnny Comes Marching Home or other lively tune that they would know.

Focus on: Pitch

• which instruments play, high, low, middle

Review: Rhythm, beat, tempo (slow, fast and moderate) and...

Dynamics: loud (forte), soft (piano), medium (mezzo)

Questions to ask:

Pitch

• How do we know if a note is higher or lower?
• What sounds in nature are naturally high?...low?...middle?
• How does the highness or lowness of music affect how you feel?
• Can you tell if an instrument is going to produce a high or low sound just by looking at it? Why? Why not?
• What instruments make high sounds, low sounds, middle sounds.

Concept: Pitch

1. Perform - Just A Closer Walk with Thee - walk in to gym while playing
2. Introduce the group, individuals and instruments. (eg "Hi Wayne.")
3. In the first part of our concert today we are going to talk about how high and how low these instruments can play.
4. " Which of these instruments/players plays the highest?...lowest?...which ones are in between?" - Discussion
5. " Which instruments are the shortest?..longest? Does the length of the instrument tell you how high or low it play?" "Is it difficult to tell which ones are longer than the others?" "Why? Why not?"
6. This next piece will highlight our highest and smallest instruments.
7. Demo trumpets, Bb, Eb, Piccolo - play a simple scale to demo range. Show length of trumpet with garden hose.
8. " What sounds inside or outside the school are very high? Do those sounds come from small things or big things?"
9. Introduce and perform Prince of Denmark's March with piccolo trumpet.
10. " Which instrument is the next highest?" - French Horn.
11. Cory plays a short tune on the French Horn.
12. Show length of horn with garden hose.
13. " Are there sounds inside or outside the school that are medium high...ie not really high, but net really low either?"
14. Introduce and perform Simple Gifts or other piece that highlights Horn.
15. " Which instrument of the 2 that are left is higher? How can you tell?"
16. Show length of trombone and tuba with garden hose.
17. Play a scale on each. (Euphonium too.)
18. " What sounds do you hear everyday that are low? Which sounds are the lowest?"
19. John does brief demo on Trombone.
20. Introduce and perform Can You Feel the Love Tonight or Mac the Knife to highlight the trombone.
21. "What is the name of the instrument that Sylvain plays?" (Tuba)
22. " How low do you think he can play?"
23. Sylvain does brief demo on Tuba.
24. Introduce and perform The Elephant to highlight the Tuba.
25. Review lenght of instruments with garden hoses to compare all 5 instruments.
26. Shorter instruments play higher. Longer instruments play lower.

Concept: Pitch, Tempo, Dynamics

1. The next piece we are going to play highlights the high instruments. (Name them.)
2. You will also need to listen to find out if this piece is fast or slow, loud or soft.
3. The name of this piece is Buglers' Holiday. What is a bugle? (Like a trumpet.
4. Perform Buglers' Holiday with trumpets and horn standing in front of group.
5. Comments?
6. The next piece we are going to play highlights each of the instruments, but there is one section where the lowest instrument is going to play all by himself.
7. " Which is the lowest instrument? Who plays it in our group?"
8. This piece of music also has changes in tempo and dynamics. (review)
9. Listen for which instrument has the tune and whether the music is fast, slow, medium, soft or loud.
10. Perform Theme and Variations of Turkey in the Straw.

Finale: Newfoundland Sketch (Canadian Folk Songs)

Focus on: Tone Quality

• identify different instruments and how they sound

Questions to ask:

• Can you identify each instrument with your eyes closed? (by listening)
• Use different words to describe the different instruments (bright, low, lugubrious, mellow)
• Why do the instruments sound the way they do? (construction, material, shape, who is playing, mouthpiece, warm, cold, the size and type of room, etc.)
• What natural sounds do these instruments mimic?...if any? (voice)
• How is the sound produced? How are sounds produced on other instruments?
• What other instruments do you blow into to make a sound?

Concept: Tone Quality

1. Perform When Johnny Comes Marching Home or other March as intro.
2. Introduce group, individuals and instruments.
3. " Does anyone know the name of that piece of music?" - Discussion
4. " Which instruments played the tune?"
5. " How could you tell which instrument was playing the tune?" Hear it and see it.
6. Each of us is going to play a short tune by ourselves and we want you to listen to the type of sound or tone colour of the instrument and then think of a colour and something else (feeling, material, metal) that describes the instrument's sound.
7. Each person plays a simple tune. Happy Birthday. (Any Birthdays?) - Discussion of different sounds.
8. " Can you tell which instrument is playing with your eyes closed?" Have students close their eyes.
9. Each person plays a simple tune. This Old Man slowly (Barney)
10. " Why do the instruments sound the way they do? Why a does a trumpet sound like a trumpet? A tuba like a tuba? Any guesses?"
11. " What are the instruments made from?" They are all brass instruments.
12. " How is the brass made? How do they shape the instruments?"
13. " What part of the instrument actually makes the sound? Mouthpiece
14. " What does the player need to do in order to create a sound?" Buzz on mouthpiece
15. Everybody buzz.
16. Larry does demo of buzzing into the mouthpiece, then plays the instrument
17. " Does this instrument sound like anything in nature (voice, car horn, ambulance)"
18. Repeat each of the above steps for each instrument.
19. " When can a person begin to learn how to play an instrument?"
20. " When did Larry start?...etc Was this the first instrument he played?...etc...each member of the quintet explains when they start to play an instrument.
21. "Does anyone here play an instrument?"
22. " Do your teachers play instruments or sing?"
23. " What instrument would you like to play when you are big enough to hold it?"
24. " How do you learn how to play an instrument?"
25. Other questions about playing instruments?
26. Now we are going to play a piece that features each instrument in the quintet. You will need to listen and watch to find out who has the tune. First we will play the tune for you
27. All play subject from Little Fugue in G Minor
28. " Count how many times you hear this tune during the piece of music and identify which instrument is playing the theme."
29. Introduce and perform Little Fugue in G Minor. (J.S. Bach)
30. "How many times did you hear the main tune?" "Which instruments played the tune?"
31. Introduce and perform Joshua or some other piece that features each instrument.
32. Questions? Direct your question to one of the people in the group.

Finale: I Just Can't Wait to be King or other popular kids' movie tune.