Our Music Lab Leads are excited to announce this month’s Music Lab theme is 90’2 Pop! Check out the listening station, the music history station, and the composition station during your lab time this week.
You can’t stop the music!
Category: Breaking News
Summer Break
Enjoy your break for the first week of July. We return Monday, 8 July! Remember to keep the music fun. (Lessons scheduled for today and tomorrow are still happening.)
Songwriting Camp
Ready to take a five-day journey to write a song? Of course you are! It’s a great way to start working with music and lyrics in a new way. It’ll also give you an appreciation for all the music you hear over your favorite streaming service. (Who listens to the radio anymore? AM, FM, XM – oh my!)
MTMS will introduce you to noteflight (where we do our compositions) as well as learning all the basics of songwriting. Words become lyrics and it is a lot like poetry to tell a story. Also there’s bits of songs that are important to understand, not just a verse and a chorus. There are specific places and times for the chorus, the verses, and all the other bits- intro, outro, bridge, and hook as well as what kind of tempo and notes are used. For example, if you use a key like E minor, you’re probably going to sound like you’ve got a blues song. But in a key like C major, you’re going to have a more upbeat sound.
One more cool thing about songwriting camp is that you get to work with others on your music and also on theirs. You get to experience the new songs and even collaborate with your fellow campers.
Someone sign me up, please! These kids are obviously in sync with it already.
Playing Music in a Group
Upcoming Rock Band Camp – a great time to try out all of these benefits – sign up for the week of July 15th from 12 to 4pm.
More social interaction: Being part of a musical group brings people together. This can help against isolation and depression. It encourages the members to overcome shyness. Also, bringing together a group of musicians increases cooperation between them.
Working with a teacher or a conductor brings new learning styles and techniques for the group rather than a single player. Listening abilities and communication skills are enhanced in the group setting. This is a great way to get exposed to new genres and new styles of playing.
Playing in a group can accelerate learning of techniques. It improves timing, rhythm, and focus.
If you’ve never tried playing in a group, start now. It’s a great way to begin a new musical journey.
May Theme: Movie Themes
Many movies have a theme, a song that brings the experience to life and memory. This month the lab is exploring movie music themes. Some of them are old – think Wizard of Oz and An American in Paris, to more contemporary ones composed by John Williams.
Think about your favorite movie – what’s the song that brings that movie to mind? What’s playing in that moment where a main character gets the goal? The music binds together images to create the entire movie experience. Next time you watch a movie, pay attention to the sound and when these themes are woven into the storylines. Let us know what you think!