Experiences in Music

This course will traverse the musical landscapes of our world through a diverse array of experiences

and explorations. These experiences and explorations are designed and implemented in such

a way that the cultivation and development of skills pertaining to the reception, dissection, analysis, emulation and creation of music are

equally addressed.

This course affords students the opportunity to broaden their historical, theoretical, physical, social and intellectual understanding of music.

Ultimately, it seeks to prepare students by equipping them with the necessary skills and

knowledge to become informed, life long, passionate consumers of music.

This presentation is a brief overview of some of the experiences implemented throughout the duration

of the course.

!!!TEACHING GENERAL MUSIC IS NO EASY TASK!!!

Variations on a Cup Game

Great introduction to modifying something they know into a meaningful learning experience.

The rhythmic sequence can be broken down into at least 7 parts.

Exploration into tonal qualities by using cups of various sizes and materials.

Introduction to rhythmic dictation and the concept of time line.

Example

Polyrhythmic Composition

&

Alternative Notation Project

Nurturing psychomotor skills through clapping, counting, drumming and vocalizing.

Introduction to musical concepts such as steady beat, tempo, dynamics, texture, polyrhythm, etc.

Individual, small and large group practice/performance.

Unconventional introduction to writing and arranging music.

Opportunity to create something unique.

Experience in leading rehearsal and performance in small and large group settings.

Example

The Musically Inclined Dictionary

A compendium of words that may help one to become adept at recreating a musical experience

through written and/or spoken commentary.

Combat a lack of fluency when describing music.

Incentive to read about music and hone in on words that effectively describe music.

Opportunity to develop a larger vocabulary to use when speaking or writing about music.

A website that students can access to peruse or add words.

Listening and writing exercises.

Writing and Speaking Musically

What It Is

Guidelines

Choose 3-4 songs that you're really into. They could be songs from back in 4th grade or ones that have been playing over and over again on your portable music device. Your objective is to

take each piece of music you've chosen and immerse yourself in it; to a point where your

relationship with it is strengthened and you have come to a more thorough understanding of it.

There should be a connection between your What It Is selections' objective musical elements and

your personal subjective affinities to them. Hence, the challenge of this assignment is to create a written analysis/review for each song

that balances objectivity and subjectivity, with a greater intention of and attentiveness to

drawing the reader into the music you hold so dearly.

To assist you, use the Perceptive Listening handout, the Wilco, Jesus Etc. analysis handout, and most importantly, read and read and read as

many music reviews online as you can. The Metacritic assignment can be of great assistance

as well.

Some questions to ask yourself

Why did I choose this song?What is it about this song that connects me to it?What specific musical elements draw me into the

song?How do I get across to my readers the immensity

of this music?What kinds of information will draw my reader

in?What should my readers learn from my analysis?

YOU MUST EMAIL TO NCPHSWORLDMUSIC@GMAIL.COM THE

FOLLOWING:

1. Attachments of the selected What It Is mp3s2. An attachment of Microsoft Word files

containing your 1-2 page analysis for each song/piece

3. In the SUBJECT field of the email, please type the following: FULL NAME -- WHAT IT IS

Note: If applicable, please include lyrics. Lyrics are in addition to the specified length of this

assignment.

All of our previous review-oriented assignments were in preparation for this What It Is project. I

am expecting substantive material that stretches your ability to analyze and elaborate. Any

submissions that I deem as less than substantive will not be accepted.

Example

Wilco

Jesus, etc.

It’s been some time now since I first heard Wilco’s Jesus, etc. I’m still completely enamored yet haunted by it. I’d venture to say that it is the only straightforward pop tune on Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. The sweet harmonies in the string arrangement, Jeff Tweedy’s raspy vocals, the simple yet delicate percussion, the subtle pizzicato articulation in the violin parts, and the glissando effects of the pedal steel all play a resounding effect on the mood of the piece.

While the great majority of the album is speckled with esoteric sonic atmospherics, Jesus, etc. takes on a more straightforward indie pop sensibility. There’s something about the tempo of the music, the vocal melody, and the instrumental accompaniment that keeps me engaged, yet not too immersed in the intricacies. From a musical standpoint, this song is far from overly embellished, especially so when compared to other tracks on the album. I believe it was Wilco’s intention to render musical simplicity for Jesus, etc so as to accentuate the poetic testimonial of this hauntingly beautiful song.

When the name Jeff Tweedy comes to mind I think poet first, then musician. His lyricism is vague, cloudy, not very easily understood, open for interpretation, and tends to reveal a person’s account of an experience or reflection. Tweedy writes, in my opinion, as though it is the only way he can articulate feeling and imagination. It is his only creative means for drawing out and getting in touch with his emotions. His poetry is so poignant and thought provoking that it gives the listener freedom to interpret it any which way. 5 years later, I continue to analyze the lyrical content and play the track and album over and over again.

Primary Objectives

A means for students to delve deeper into the music they are passionate about.

An opportunity for the teacher to create meaningful classroom learning experiences that

centers on student submitted music.

A forum allowing students to share with classmates their musical tastes.

An experience that encourages students to begin the process of writing and speaking articulately

about music.

An approach that conveys to students that this is their class and their music is important to how I

teach and they learn about music.

To develop their ability to articulately speak and write about music.

How can the teacher use the music students submit to create substantive learning experiences?

Kanye West

Belanova

Tutorial

Sample Based Learning

The idea of sampling may be of great teaching value to the music educator in that it offers an

entry point into other musical genres or cultures. 

Kanye West’s “Gold Digger” is a very well known piece of music in which the vocal sample is

extracted from Ray Charles’ hit “I Got a Woman.”

Charles’ vocalization is the melodic hook that holds the tune together.

Did your students know that melody was composed by Ray Charles? The majority of my students

thought it was Jamie Foxx.

Kanye West’s “Gold Digger,” specifically the sample he uses, may be a reasonable entry point

into the study and exploration of the man who single handedly fused Gospel and Rhythm and

Blues to create Soul.  Of greater importance here is the connection between two very significant genres

of black music, Soul and Hip Hop. 

Sample Based Learning

Sampling is an intriguing process because it requires the listener to focus, in a very perceptive manner, on the discerning qualities of a piece of music.  It shifts the approach to listening from

whole to particular.

Using a sample to lay the groundwork for compositional experiences challenges the

composer to be flexible and begin the creation process with an established tempo, key, style,

tonal quality, etc.

Teach students how to sample first.

Identifying accurate entry and departure points when seeking out potential samples require deep

listening skills.

Ethnomusicology

In this time of global awareness, music is an aural pathway for understanding the world in which we

live.-Patricia Shehan Campbell-

World Music in Films-Music Educators Journal-

March 2009

Explorations into cultures less familiar to us through the lens of music.

JVC Smithsonian Folkways Video Anthologies, National Geographic Music, Multicultural

Perspectives in Music Education, Rhythms and Songs from Guinea, Drum Circle Spirit, Worlds of Music,

Short of embarking on real life ethno-musicological expeditions, we come close to such experiences by

bringing the world’s music and cultures to us.

Ethnomusicology

A dream project that has been nestled in the back of my mind for a number of years now involves

coordinating an ethno-musicological excursion with a group of students. Equipped with on the fly

recording equipment, a few Panasonic DVX 100 cameras, and whatever rations that can fit in our packs, we’ll head to some remote region of the

world and document the music and culture of the people.

Project

Hip Hop as a Catalyst for Exploring Non Western Music Traditions

To understand music that is unfamiliar, we must first

understand music that is most familiar

Begin with what they know in order to build upon what they will eventually know

Hip hop’s music is rooted in rhythm (beat) and

melody (hook)

Non western traditional music is rooted in rhythm and melody

Hip Hop as a Catalyst for Exploring Non Western Music Traditions

Musical Examples

Japanese turntablist and producer DJ Krush is well respected within the global hip hop community for furthering the development of hip hop music and

culture

He uses traditional Japanese instrumentation throughout many of his compositions to create a broader, more global, musical perspective for the

western listener

In his composition, “Beyond Raging Waves,” Krush layers an ominously foreboding backdrop of beats

with flurries of shamisen inflected pentatonic melodies

Hip Hop as a Catalyst for Exploring Non Western Music Traditions

Musical Examples

Aesop Rock, from Brooklyn, New York, is a respected master lyricist whose approach to

rapping is characterized by a meandering type of flow and stream of consciousness wordplay

The piece called “Oxygen” makes use of the sarod - a lute like instrument used in North Indian

Hindustani music and made famous by Ustad Ali Akbar Khan

The sarod is characterized by a hollow tone quality and embellished glissando articulations

Hip Hop as a Catalyst for Exploring Non Western Music Traditions

Musical Examples

Now in their twenties, the Yoshida brothers, since the age of 5, have devoted their lives to shamisen

studies

They have become highly respected virtuosos in their native country, Japan

The Yoshida Brothers have single handedly revolutionized the use of the shamisen yet

continue to maintain and uphold the traditions of the instrument and its music

In their composition, “Kodo,” the Yoshida brothers juxtapose a more innately East Asian musical

rendering with that of a guitar driven rock and roll aesthetic

Hip Hop as a Catalyst for Exploring Non Western Music Traditions

Musical Examples

The hip hop complexion or arrangement of “Kodo” is rendered through the production rework of

Inside the Sun

His use of drums and various electronically produced sonic renderings provides for a much

more relevant hip hop sound

You may be familiar with this remix as the accompanying music

for the Nintendo Wii television commercial

Inside the SunKodoRemix

Hip Hop as a Catalyst for Exploring Non Western Music Traditions

Musical Examples---continued---

In Aesop Rock’s “Odessa,” we have what appears to be an oud (Arabic lute) and possibly a

shakuhachi (Japanese bamboo flute)

In the Gift of Gab’s “Way of the Light,” we have what appears to be a kalimba or mbira (West

African thumb piano)

Thank You

Leo ParkNorthside College Preparatory High School

Chicago

iknowithink@gmail.comncphsworldmusic.blogspot.com

iknowithink.blogspot.com