September 2023

 September 5-8

We are unlikely to be in regular class configuration until late this week or early next.  I'll have various groups, like the new-to-the-school students in the first few days, so have some fun musical activities set up here.  

This is a little video you can find at (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jx15HhWfPxE) - I'll place students in rhythmic groups of 'woods, skins and metals'.  This could be played at home on woods (wooden spoons), skins (any type of drum or substitute) and metals (pots and pans).  Each team gets one of the characters in the video and plays along!

Bouncing Bicycles-Rhythm Playalong 

Here's another similar playalong that works the same way.  Each instrument or instrument group picks a colour.  I found this at (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Hb5_TK6Uks) 

Funky Veggies Percussion 

This one is explained by the legend at the beginning.  It's more complex-involving movement! I found it at (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVsjjG4Tvd8)

Hathi's March 

This Week's Music Around the World-Traditional and Contemporary Music-First Week Motivation and Mindset-September 2023

How Playing A Musical Instrument Benefits Your Brain (4:45) (found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0JKCYZ8hng&t=273s) For Intermediate students-not primary-as language and concepts are advanced in this video!

Evolution of Music (11:00) (found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wb2akjZsl9k&t=32s) 111 songs, 1100 years, 11 minute history of music! What fun!

Lucy Plays Piano (14:34) (found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BK8GxWB84HA&list=PLtgaMxQbmxKMgwgN2yxe8mXRP2p_q0KlW) Lucy is blind and has autism.  She plays piano.  Any limits you have to what you can do are self-imposed!  I showed a pan flute player (Matthias Schlubeck) who was born without hands a few years ago in order to question the limitations we tend to place on ourselves (with music specifically) so here is this year's contribution along the same lines.  Here's a news article:  https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-11866137/Mother-blind-pianist-Lucy-won-Piano-knew-big-stage-one-night.html   Here is the culminating performance (5:36) (found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2b9eGZRLY5k)  Lucy gave at the Royal Festival Hall in London: 

Music as Language-Victor Wooten (5:00) (found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yRMbH36HRE&t=131s)  Well said.  

September11-15

The rhythm instruments and activities proved so popular, and I didn't get to see a great many students in the first week, so this was held over this week.  

This Week's Music Around the World-Traditional and Contemporary Music-Zimbabwe

Mbira-Stella Rambisai Chiweshe -Rwavesekuru (4:45) (found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPWmWk8uv-I) The mbira is considered an integral part of Zimbabwean music and culture.  It is traditional to the Shona people of Zimbabwe.  It is in the lamellophone family.  We have closely related kalimba's in our music room. 

Sangura Music-Leonard Zhakata (9:21) (found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhpEqEcgJbo) Sangura has been a favored form of music in Zimbabwe since independence.  Here is very popular Sangura music star Leonard Zhakata with a live performance.

Imbube (Work) Music-Vuka Nthwakazi Group-Lion Sleeps (3:46) (found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWc5zUhghiQ) The things I learn doing this research!  Imbube is the 'mine workers' music created in Zimbabwe-the workers would sing acapella while working long hours in the mines.  The echo of the caverns helped create the music experience.  The music form is related to the South African 'mbube', and mbube literally means 'lion' in Zulu.  The song mbube was written by Zulu musician Solomon Linda who didn't realize that the recording contract he signed effectively took the rights to the song from him.  So here is a Zimbabwean Imbube group singing an authentic version of Mbube! As a bonus here is South African Zulu Solomon Linda & The Evening performing the original Mbube from 1939!

The Four Brothers-Vimbai (Jilt Music) (5:08) (found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGJd7Vz1xh0) UK radio DJ John Peel described the Four Brothers as the best live band in the world.  Here is well know Zimbabwean band with one of the signature jilt or 'Harare Beat' tunes.  I looked up the lyrics to the song and I'm not convinced the lyrics that flash up during this video are accurate-oh well. 

September18-22

This week I will be starting singing games with the young students (This Way That-A-Way) teaching a song and moves.  We will also start learning the steps for the Thriller class from K-7.  Older students will be starting an introduction to ukulele and we'll start working on the Avicii song Wake Me Up.  

***Tuesday edit!  I planned too much!  Really just getting through introduction to Thriller Dance this week-I'll add games and ukuleles in coming weeks as classes reach important benchmarks in the Thriller Dance!  We always work to keep up when there is a performance on the horizon.   

This Week's Music Around the World-Traditional and Contemporary Music-United Arab Emirates

Traditional Music (3:17) (found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHYuex6G6io) UAE is a federation of seven kingdoms on the Eastern side of the Arabian peninsula.  Here is some traditional music from one of the kingdom/cities-Abu Dhabi.  We see the stringed qanun here and the tablah drum.  

Liwa (9:49) (found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3m-UN2KQdmI) From the video description: Liwa has a history that dates back to the days when the East African traders came into the Arabian region and brought with them this dance form as well. Hence, one can find traces of African influence in this dance form. One can observe the various instrument used by the people for this dance form - a Mizmar(a flute-like instrument, with a wide-open mouth) and 3 kinds of drums - the Jabwah, Shindo, and Jasser.

Karl Wolf-Get Away (3:05) (found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXRLxFMTWyc) Karl Wolf is actually a Lebanese-Canadian hip hop artist from Toronto, but he lived in UAW between the ages of 3 and 17, has returned there to perform and is one of the top popular artists in UAE.

Abri-On To Other Things (4:54) (found at https://drive.google.com/file/d/1u55GbNiweb8qF5gCwsep4nG1HOcRZ06l/view?usp=share_link) UAE Soul and funk singer ABRI (Hamdan Al Abri) formed the group ABRI and is now a solo artist. 

September25-29

As I mentioned above I overplanned last week.  We will do tour, then I will take students in all classes through the 'week 1' and 'week 2' moves for Thriller.  This brings us halfway into the dance.  I do have song song and dance games planned for primaries if we have time, but it is unlikely,  I can also do some introduction to ukulele for older students if time.  This is a little more likely.  The schedule is very different this year with shorter blocks for many, so I am getting used to the instructional flow of this!  We have choir after school on Tuesday and Wednesday this week.  

This Week's Music Around the World-Traditional and Contemporary Music-Serbia

Gusle (8:54) (found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUSrOTtGV8k) I found a lot of interesting instruments in Serbia that I haven't found elsewhere, but I think the most crucial to Serbian culture is the one-stringed fiddle called the gusle.  It was used, for example, to accompany sung Serbian epic poetry for hundreds of years.  

Kolo dance (6:47) (found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q90z5hDRUFQ) This dance is on the UNESCO intangible cultural heritage list.  Historically, dancers would dance to music played on a gusle.  During Ottoman rule instruments were forbidden so dancers would have simply stamped the musical rhythm of the dance. This is a really great video by the way!

Guča Trumpet Festival 2019 (4:00) (found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYfSIPq-6rI) Brass bands known as trubači are popular in Serbia-particularly in the south.  The biggest music festival in Serbia is the Guča Trumpet Festival.  It apparently attracts over 300 000 visitors each year.  Here is a clip from the 2019 festival.  

Marija Serifovic-Molitva-2007 Eurovision Winner (3:12) (found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSueQN1QvV4) I will often throw Eurovision winners in here-and Serbia won in 2007.  The song is sung in Serbian. About 12 million people speak Serbian in Serbia itself and surrounding countries.