4/2/2015 Ensemble Blog

Ensemble Rehearsal Notes

Goza mi calipso:

Enjoy learning the music and dancing away with the calypso beat!

The video clip (link below) is of a Spanish youth choir, and, boy, can they dance! Watch the clip every day and get the choreography into your bones….

Here’s how to practice:

·       Chant the text in rhythm and pay attention to your pronunciation of the Spanish.  Soprano 1’s, please pay particular attention to the verses on page 2, rehearsal marking B. 

·       Practice the syncopated rhythms by counting and clapping, speaking the text in rhythm, and even writing out the counting if needed.

·       Sing through on your notes, under tempo. Notice that the material at rehearsal markings A, D, and F is the same!!

·       Memorize from Rehearsal Letter F to the end (last page), including dynamics and choreography.

·       Here is the link to video clip.  Remember to mirror the dancers! 

Day Break:

This NEEDS WORK at home.

·       Review what we worked on during class, pages 13 to the end, beginning at rehearsal marking 7.  Also review the beginning of the piece, as we will be working on it next week.  If you have been absent, know that we have learned the notes/rhythms/text for the entire piece, so please prepare at home for next week.

·       It is very important that you listen to this recording several times to get a feel for this piece.  Only about half of you have listened as requested, so please do so!!  You need to understand the tempo and flow, and listening is essential for you to accomplish this.  This recording is accessed through DropBox.  If you do not have DropBox, it is free and safe to download online.  

Bedu Pako Baramasa:

·       Practice speaking the text from beginning to end.  Begin to memorize.  Do not stumble for words!!

·       Review pages 7-9.  This section was addressed during Wednesday’s rehearsal.  If you were absent, please work on this.   

·       Please watch this video to begin to add the choreography!  Please have prepared choreography from the cannon to the end of the piece.  Remember to mirror the dancer.

Let It Shine:

·       Review your parts from beginning to end and use your music score to check for accuracy.   

·       Soprano 1’s: At the top of page 5, first line, third and fourth measures, make sure you are moving down to a B.  We corrected this again during Wednesday’s rehearsal.  Let’s make sure it stays correct! 

·       All parts: Pay special attention to the last measure of page 6, as this is where the piece moves into a new key and it is a tricky transition!  Please look at the rhythm for the first measure of page 7. 

·       Make sure you know how the ending works, beginning where it says “Rubato.”  You must have your eyes on the conductor.  The final two measures layer from the bottom to top BEFORE the slide!

Aural (Listening) and Theory Skills:

·       Please practice singing the following at home:

1.     Major Scale on solfège with hand signs, up and down

2.     Natural Minor, Harmonic Minor, and Melodic Minor Scales on solfège with hand signs

If you are unsure of the chromatic solfège names or hand signs, look at the one-sheet hand out in your folder

3.     Scale Intervals both ascending (going up – Do Re, Major Second) and descending (going down – Do Ti, Minor Second)

4.     Don’t forget about Sing Legato on solfège syllables, note names, counts, and if you are up to even more challenge, scale degrees!

Musicianship Notes

Hello everyone!

Here are the notes for musicianship for this week:

Musicianship A:

Great job this week! Most of us have the major and natural minor scales mastered.

What I would like you to work on this week is refining those harmonic and natural minor scales.

Remember that natural minor is sung as 'la ti do re...' with no modifications.

Harmonic minor is 'la ti do... fa si la' (7th always raised)

Melodic minor is 'la ti do... fi si la sol fa...' (raised 6th and 7th going up, lowered going down)

Practice those scales!

Musicianship B:

For the most part, our scales are strong. Less than half of you were able to do a chromatic scale and even fewer were able to do the whole tone scale - this is OK!

If you were among those that weren't able to do the chromatic and whole tone scales, give them a try over the next couple weeks!

The chromatic scale is just from do to do by half steps!(do di, re ri, etc)

The whole tone scale is from do to do again, but by whole steps! (do re mi fi si li do)

If you struggled with those scales, play them out on a piano and sing along with them.

If you struggled with singbacks, try singing along with your favorite songs - it's all about muscle memory and connecting it with our ears!

Let me know if you have any questions!

Michael