A student who recently transferred into my school approached me after music class and asked, “Do we sing in this class?” She joined our school just after the winter concert. Without the pressure of an upcoming concert, I’ve been enjoying teaching lessons focused on participating in music without performing it. Actively engaging in music in … Continue reading Do We Sing in This Class?
January’s composer of the month is Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Born: January 27, 1756 Died: December 5, 1791 Five facts: • Mozart was baptized with the name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart. His parents and older sister called him “Wolfie” for short. • Wolfgang could write music before he could write words. It is believed that he … Continue reading Composer Corner: Mozart
Think about your favorite song. How many times do you hear the chorus repeat? What is it about repetition in music that seems to hook us? Basically, it boils down to the fact that we like what we’ve been exposed to before — a phenomenon that psychologists refer to as “The Mere Exposure Effect.” In this TedEd … Continue reading Repetition in music, and why we love it
It’s not often that you hear the word ‘mashup’ associated with classical music. But in a recent YouTube video, composer and ‘one-man production team’ Grant Woolard has done just that. In the video, Woolard has cleverly woven together 57 famous tunes of classical music by 33 different composers. You can follow the different melodies on … Continue reading Classical Music Mashup Quiz
In a recent article, KQED/MindShift staff writer Katrina Schwartz investigates self-control strategies in children, with a focus on the research of psychology professor Walter Mischel. When Mischel was a professor at Stanford University in the late 60s/early 70s, he led a team or researchers who who studied delayed gratification in what became known as “The Stanford Marshmallow Experiment.” … Continue reading Strategies to help children develop self-control
I recently had the opportunity to be a student in my own classroom. A small group of fourth graders had earned a reward of their choice and they decided that they wanted to be teachers for the day. I may have had a moment of panic at the thought of nine-year-olds running my classroom, but … Continue reading Music Student for a Day
This week at the Lyric Center for the Arts in Virginia, Minn., area students in grades 7-12 can participate in workshops where they’ll learn about robots, music, and how those two things can work together. The students will even have an opportunity to “create a new robotic percussion ensemble,” which will perform in a special presentation (along … Continue reading Music and robots in northern Minnesota
There’s an African proverb, “The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second best time is now.” For evidence of the wisdom in this proverb, one can look to a person who calls herself Violin Noobie. “I wanted to see if it was possible to learn to play the violin as … Continue reading Is it possible for an adult to learn violin? This video says ‘yes’
No tuxedos, formal gowns or bouquets of flowers — this video is an unfettered look at musicians hard at work. Ahead of its New Year’s Day concert featuring Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, the Minnesota Orchestra released this video of Osmo Vänskä leading a Dec. 31 rehearsal. Watch the intense movements of conductor and musicians as they … Continue reading Here’s a sneak peek at the Minnesota Orchestra’s New Year’s concert
Every teacher knows how difficult teaching in December can be. Energy levels are at their highest and attention spans are at their shortest. Many music teachers have the additional challenge of trying to come up with something meaningful to teach in just a few class periods between the holiday concerts and winter break. I am … Continue reading Meaningful Teaching Between Concerts and Break
From the Top, the radio program that celebrates the stories, talents, and character of classically-trained young musicians, is embracing the enthusiasm ahead of the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. True to From the Top’s format, the show found three talented youngsters — Maxine Park, Katherine Lui and Michael Karshis — dressed them up … Continue reading The Force is with these three young pianists
No one knows the exact date on which Ludwig van Beethoven was born. We know that he was baptized on December 17, 1770, and since at that time baptisms were performed as soon as possible after a birth, odds are that he was born the day prior to that. Today, Google is celebrating the 245th anniversary … Continue reading Beethoven’s birthday in today’s Google Doodle
For many school choral programs, keeping boys singing in choir as they get older can at times be problematic. In a recent essay for the National Association for Music Education, Doreen Fryling — a public school music teacher for 20 years — notes that there are two important ways in which a teacher can change that trend: … Continue reading Tips on keeping boys singing in choirs
December’s composer of the month is Jean Sibelius (zhahn suh-BAY-lee-oos). Born: December 8, 1865 Died: September 20, 1957 Five facts: • Sibelius composed seven symphonies between 1899 and 1926. He worked on an eighth for some time, though according to his family, he burned the score in 1945. • In his native Finland, Sibelius’s face has appeared on stamps and currency. … Continue reading Composer Corner: Sibelius
Eighteen-year-old violinist Jason Shu — a 2012 Minnesota Varsity Featured Artist with the Take 4 String quartet — will be performing this weekend at the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis. He will join the Moscow Ballet as part of their “Musical Wunderkind” program, during their performance of “The Great Russian Nutcracker.” Shu will open the program with … Continue reading Minnesota Varsity alum performs at Orpheum this weekend
One of the most important objectives of an elementary concert is to create an enjoyable performance experience for students. However, in order for a concert to be successful (and therefore, enjoyable), certain behaviors are expected from students. I find that my students are better able to remember and demonstrate proper performer etiquette if they know … Continue reading ‘Be Awesome’: Primary Students on Performer Etiquette
A DJ recently made the news after claiming that SoundCloud — an online audio distribution platform — removed a song of his because of copyright infringement. The song in question was titled “John Cage — 4′ 33 (DJ DETWEILER REMIX).” The title refers to the late American composer John Cage, and arguably his most famous, most important work, 4’33”. For those … Continue reading Can silence be copyrighted?
Jimi Hendrix is widely regarded as one of the greatest guitarists who ever lived. But did you ever wonder about the science behind how he was able to translate wood and metal into notes, rhythm, melody, and music? In a recent TedEd video (wonderfully animated by Chris Boyle), teacher Oscar Fernando Perez examines the physics of the guitar, … Continue reading The science behind playing a guitar
Mathematics and music are closely related. And as teacher Michael Staff points out, their common ground could be partially connected with a Rubik’s Cube puzzle. In a recent TedEd video lesson, “How to play a Rubik’s Cube like a piano,” Staff explains: “If you were to cover your entire Rubik’s Cube with notes, such that every … Continue reading Playing a Rubik’s Cube like a piano
A new exhibit at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts features 70 zebra finches — and 14 guitars. French artist Céleste Boursier-Mougenot developed the concept which he calls ‘living music’. “Looking through the window, my feeling was that I want to make music from these birds on the wire, and 30 years later I did … Continue reading Art installation features 70 guitar-playing birds