Ensemble Musings

No world exploration clip this week. My students and I have been reviewing video of their performances at last week's recital. There were many strong performances. However, I think the ensemble numbers really got the crowd going.

Those ensemble performances were a great prelude to what coming up at the studio. Next week is Group Class Week.

The kids have been working hard since September on two or three ensemble pieces. Instead of their regular lesson, they will have a combo class. Next week is the first time they will meet as a group to work on their pieces. It's hard to tell who's more excited: my students, Maestro or myself!

I've split my students into eight ensembles. We have a varied line-up:

1. "Mission Impossible" (for sax, clarinet, keyboard and cajon)

2. "Numb" by Linkin Park (for voice, keyboard, cajon and bass)

3. "Under the Sea" for 4 hands/1 piano, cajon and hand percussion

4. "Super Mario Overworld Theme" for piano, cajon and hand percussion

5. "Lady Bird" for piano and cajon

6. Pia no Jac's version of "Ode to Joy" for piano and cajon

7. "Edge of Glory" by Lady Gaga for voice, keyboard, cajon and hand percussion

8. "The Athletic Rag" from Super Mario for 4 hands/1 piano, cajon and hand percussion

9. "Bless the Broken Road" for piano, guitar and cajon

10. "Gerudo Valley Theme" from Zelda for 4 hands/1 piano and cajon

11. "Floral Heartstring" by Pia no Jac for piano, cajon and hand percussion

12. "When You Believe" for voice, piano and cajon

13. "Moves Like Jagger" by Maroon 5 for voice, keyboard and cajon

In addition to the studio combos, I've been preparing for my submission to

Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir 3.0

. This is undoubtedly one of the most difficult works for voice I have ever worked on. With it being a "virtual" choir, I do not have the benefit of having a stellar singer beside me to follow. I need to know my pitches! Not only that, but I have to work tremendously hard on breath support.

It's been a wonderful challenge though. I got goosebumps when I first heard

Virtual Choir 2.0

and am excited to just be a part of it.

Solo music making is fun but I'm finding that there is something magical and energizing about music making in an ensemble.

(c) 2012 by Musespeak(TM), Calgary, AB, Canada. All rights reserved.

World Music Exploration - Nigerian Gospel Music

This week, we are reminded that we are in the middle of winter. With temperatures in the -20's (Celsius), taking a virtual trip to Nigeria is a nice change.

This week, we are looking at Nigerian Gospel music. Judging from the vast number of videos on Youtube, one can surmise that this is a huge part of the fabric of Nigerian Music.

This is the ECWA Yoruba Choir Mushin. The music is extremely upbeat and their clothing is bright too.

(c) 2012 by Musespeak(TM), Calgary, AB, Canada. All rights reserved.

World Music Exploration - Traditional Dance Music from Nigeria

When I chose this month's musical destination back in the summer, I assumed we would be in the middle of a cold snap. For the most part, we have been enjoying a rather mild winter in Alberta.

We are exploring Nigeria this month. According to Wikipedia, "Nigeria has been called "the heart of African music" because of its role in the development of West African highlife and palm-wine music, which fuses native rhythms with techniques imported from the Congo for the development of several popular styles that were unique to Nigeria, like apala, fuji, jùjú, highlife, and Yo-pop."  After listening to some music from Nigeria, put on some hip hop or reggae. You'll probably notice some similarities.

There are over 250 ethnic groups in Nigeria. Each group has a distinct style of music. Some of their songs are works songs and some are based on epic poetry. Many of their songs have a call and response form. They use mainly percussion instruments plus voice.

This clip features three dances:

1. Yoruba: uses the dundun hourglass tension drums

2. Hausa: call and response song uses the Arabic scale and is played on a one-stringed goje

3. Igbo: known for incorporating foreign styles,. Instruments used include the 13-stringed zither, called an obo., slit drums, xylophones, flutes, lyres, udus and lutes and European brass instruments.

Enjoy!

(c) 2012 by Musespeak(TM), Calgary, AB, Canada. All rights reserved.

Speedlinking December 19, 2011 Edition

One of these days I will get to musing on something regarding this teaching year. Today isn't one of them.

In the meantime, please check out these fantastic posts by my colleagues:

Contrapuntal Music for Young Students

Another Useful Accompanist Career Guide

More Thoughts on Slow Practicing

(c) 2011 by Musespeak(TM), Calgary, AB, Canada. All rights reserved.

World Music Exploration - German Trance Music

Trance music isn't something you'd normally hear at a piano lesson. However, since the idea is to expose students to a wide variety of musical genres, why not?

Wisegeek defines trance music as: "an art form that relies heavily on the use of electronic equipment and a specific tempo range, typically 130-160 beats per minute (BPM), to create a musical arrangement that is understood to have somewhat hypnotic qualities." It came onto the scene in the 1990's.There is a set form to trance music. The repetitive melodies are "connected by a series of crescendos and breakdowns." Sounds a bit like minimalist music in a way.

Here is an example of trance music from Germany. Enjoy!

(c) Musespeak(TM), Calgary, AB, Canada. All rights reserved.