Enero y febrero - January and February

After Winter Break, we started our drumming cycle. It shows differently at each grade level, as we adjust to the different curriculum requirement and learning needs.

As general guidelines, these would be the progression we are following:

·      Our work is based on patterns.

·      We create our own patterns.

·      We listen to our partners and we learn their favorite patterns… so we can copy and play together.

·      We listen to our partners and we look for little pieces we could add to his or her favorite patterns so we enrich that piece of music. We call this “Sal y Pimienta”.  The partner playing the main pattern is Salt, the partner adding some details is Pepper.

·      We listen to a grade level appropriate piece of music. Our listening effort is intentional, we are looking for a pattern that will enrich the music. We avoid overwhelming the music or drowning the main sound. And, we must keep in mind that not any pattern will match any music. We need to listen for positive opportunities to enrich the music.

·      We explore drumming through out the world. Drums, patterns and sounds in different cultures.

All these experiences help us grow as ensemble musicians. We learn to find out who we are (from a drumming perspective), look around to the other players, and participate as an ensemble musician, realizing we are building something beautiful and interesting as a group.

As a listening experience, this month we listen to “The Typewriter” as interpreted by the Brandenburger Symphoniker. You can watch it at this link:

It was a mind-blowing experience!

·      A typewriter can play alongside with a symphonic orchestra if you have the right patterns.

·      Even a typewriter soloist needs to get ready.

·      Orchestras actually tune their instruments when they play together and musicians make an effort to play along with each other.

Finally, we will be working with our drums until Teachers Conferences in February.  We did not stop working with our voices. One of our weekly sessions is devoted to “Vocal Work Out”.

Kinder and Grades 1 and 2 did a wonderful job at their winter concert. Now we need to keep digging in all those elements they learnt.  Grades 3 and 4 need to keep developing their skills because we have a very serious goal for our Spring Concert. More to come!

Learning music is a spiral experience.

Image retrieved from: http://vocalability.com/spiral-learning-and-voice/

Qué Pasa Clubs

We keep meeting on Mondays during lunch. Right now, both A and B groups are working together. Qué Pasa Dance Club meets both on Mondays and Wednesdays at lunch.

Recorder Ensemble – Música Antigua

Middle Age and Renaisance music are my little babies! In my culture, that music is still quite present. Have you heard of Camino de Santiago? Well, that´s where I am from! Right at the very end of the Camino. The Camino was a really important via of cultural exchange during all Middle Age and Renaissance periods. We all influenced each other!

Here you are a link with a sample of our music back in the North-West.

 It is a pleasure to share that music style in the context of this club. Right now we are working on the music of a Renaissance dance called “A Volta” by Praetorious.

Here your are a link with a performance of this piece.

The next post will include pictures of your students.