Composition Theme: For July we covered Disco! July 12, 1979 is widely recognized as the day disco died, so for the month we brought it back. Listen to some famous disco songs and try some of your own. We even have some advanced challenges for anyone brave enough to try them!
Music History: This month we talked Disco! We recognized the day that disco died – and we brought it back to listen to famous artists and read about their history. Feel free to ask the lab attendant to learn more.
For Young Students: We have a new website for PBS Music Games! Play games about the fan favorite characters from PBS! We also have July Coloring pages about summer and Fourth of July. As always, our coloring pages are directed at children 6 and younger and tie into our music lessons.
Did you know coloring pages are really good for kids on their own? They improve fine motor skills, contribute to better handwriting, and prepare them for school. Coloring pages stimulate creativity as well as color awareness, recognition, and discernment. These exercises allow children to learn boundaries, structure, and spatial awareness. The pages improve hand eye coordination and focus, plus confidence and self-esteem. This is also about stress relief, therapy, and self-expression. While we always choose something related to music at MTMS, it is also good to know that these are good for the youngest students in so many other ways that will be great for their development and education!
Jordan Washington, from here in Columbus, Ohio, is joining us at MTMS! We’re so excited for him to join our staff. He’s taught English as well as music. He’s trained in opera. He’s been involved with St Joseph Catholic Church and also UMBC music department. He has a BA in Music Performance from University of Maryland, Baltimore County.
Advanced voice, intermediate piano, intermediate cello, beginner percussion, and drama will be the first classes he will teach at MTMS. Please welcome him when you see him and if you’re the lucky ones in his classes- say hello!
When I asked what instruments MTMS offers, I was amazed at the variety. Variety not just in instruments, but in the families. What do I mean by families? Well, each instrument fits into a family or classification (although some fall into more than one), depending on how they are played. And that also decides where you sit if you play in an orchestra or what type of group you play in (for example you can play with a group of strings). It’s kind of neat they way they’re arranged and classified. So here are the families with a description and what is offered at MTMS.
Strings
So named because they are played by vibrating strings. (I know, logical, right?) They are differentiated by size. The sound of the instrument changes with the size of the instrument with the smaller instruments being higher pitched. Some older pieces of music were written specifically for stringed orchestras. As you can see from the list that piano is included here and then again on percussion because it has both strings and hammers.
Instruments offered at MTMS
violin
violia
cello
upright bass
guitar
ukulele
bass guitar
harp
piano
Woodwinds
Woodwinds have two distinctions (with one minor exception). They all have reeds and keys. The reed is what produces the vibration to give the sound. The keys change the sounds, but also challenge the player to get the fingers in the right order. Since a saxophone uses a reed, it is classified as a woodwind. The one exception is the flute which does not have a reed and only uses wind and keys to produce sound (not unlike blowing over the top of a bottle). Higher pitched woodwinds (flutes and oboes) generally play the melody, which lower-pitched (bassoon) generally play the harmonic parts.
Instruments offered at MTMS
flute
clarinet
saxophone
harmonica
recorder
According to Ms. Tuesday, “Recorder is a great starter woodwind instrument for kids who are interested in flute or clarinet but whose arms are too short to play them yet.”
Brass
The brass mainly plays a supporting role and provides depth to an orchestra. These instruments are named for their shiny material they are made out of. These instruments use a slide to change notes or their very few keys (normally no more than three). The notes can also be changed by changing the shape of the player’s lips. The sound is produced by the musician vibrating his or her lips against the mouthpiece. “Taps” is probably the song most people are familiar with and is played by the musician changing the shape of his or her lips.
Instruments offered at MTMS
trumpet
trombone
euphonium/baritone
tuba
Percussion
Do you love the banging and crashing in music? That’s the percussion. These are the instruments that must be shaken or struck to produce music. Although drums weren’t always part of the orchestra, apparently composers liked the sound since more and more percussion has been added over the years. Percussion isn’t just drums, but also includes instruments like cymbals, maracas, or marimba.
Instruments offered at MTMS
piano
snare
drumset
mallet percussion (for example bells, marimba)
In the past, the school has also offered French horn (brass), mandolin, banjo (stings), and oboe (woodwinds), but currently have no instructors. They’ve never had a request for bassoon (woodwinds).
Did you know that when you translate something, you use your learned language to bring it into your native tongue? One reason is because we use idioms and they’re harder to learn in the new languages. Here are a few Italian songs and arias with the translation as well as the Google translate version. Always remember when using a translation site, that it might not recognize some of the words like ‘sol’ and ‘ben’ in the examples provided.
Italian Song – Google Translate – Translation Provided
per la gloria d’adorarvi – for the glory of adoring you – for the love my heart doth prize
Alma del core – soul of the heart – fairest adored
come raggio di sol – as a ray of sol – as on the swelling wave
sebben crudele – although cruel – Tho’ not deserving
vittoria mio core -victorious my heart is- victory my heart
O del mio dolce ardor – or my sweet ardor – O thou belov’d
Songs and lyrics from other languages such as these may also have a time aspect involved – these examples are from the 17th and 18th centuries, and if you looked at English from that time you’d notice it had changed. Modern translation software is only prepared for what’s currently in use, so don’t go correcting your teachers just because we found it on the web. Translations are always tricky and require a deep knowledge of both the language and the context of the ideas.
