Lesson 12 - Wednesday 14th December

Remember:
You need to keep your blog updated at least weekly, as part of the assignment. You should be including detailed information about your practice and your preparation for your recital.

At this stage, you should include some notes about how you are going to do in response to your feedback for your mock recital and some reflection on how you felt it go. Are your going to do those songs in your actual recital? What else will you be singing?

Merry Christmas!!

Lesson 10 - 23rd November 2016

Remember:
30th November: Mock Recitals
7th December: Come to watch Peter Pan (2pm in theatre)
14th December: Everyone to sing a christmas song


Here is your assignment brief for the first assignment.
Make sure you have read and understood it.


In your blog today:
i) Give an account of any feedback you have received today
ii) Briefly outline the features of classical songs and arias
iii) In planning your solo recital, what kind of things should you be thinking about?


Classical Songs and Arias

Lesson 9 - 16th November 2016

Folk Music

On your blog today:

i) Give a brief account of some of the features of folk music?
ii) Please note down anything else you have learnt today, particularly any feedback on your solo songs.

Lesson 8 - 9th November 2016

Latin Music

In your blog today:
i) Outline some of the features of Latin music.
ii) Note down any feedback you have been given today.
iii) Note down what Christmas song you will be doing and which two songs you will be singing for your Mock Recital. (You can change these later but it is a good idea to have something in mind at this point).

iv) What is a diphthong? Give some examples of diphthongs in English. (At least 2).

Lesson 7 - 2nd November 2016

In the final hour of this lesson, I will be going through your blogs with you. You should make sure everything is up-to-date and also:

i) Give an account of your practice over half term.
ii) Outline some of the features of blues music.
iii) If you have not already, choose your solo for your allotted style.

Blues

Rhythm: time signature 12/8 to give the characteristic shuffle sound of blues (often for slow blues). This is scored as a crotchet followed by a quaver.

Snare on the backbeat.

4/4 is common as well. 

Harmony: 12 bar blues, this is the most basic version of the 12 bar blues (it uses chords I, IV and V)

| E | E | E | E |

| A | A | E | E |

| B | A | E | E |

There are variations on this, one of the most complex being

| E | A | E | E7 |

| A | Bbo | E | C# |

| F#m7 | B7 | E-C#m | F#m7-B7 |

Melody: blues scale - the notes of this are: I - iii - IV - dimV - V - vii 

i.e. A - C - D - Eb - E - G  or  E - G - A - Bb - B - D 

AAB rhyme structure: this means that the first four bars are repeated and then the final four bars are slightly different. The variation of the A theme comes when the melody line is repeated and starts over chord IV rather than chord I. 

Lesson 6 - 19th October 2016

Here is a list of questions that can be useful for you to make sure you have a clear understanding of your song which will enable you to perform eloquently.

In your blog, choose one song you are working on and answer the questions.

Please note: you may not always be able to answer all the questions. And there is often not a right or wrong answer!

After half term

We will be looking at various styles of music. Each week, the people named will prepare and perform a song in the particular style. We will also learn a group song in the same style.

2nd November - Blues

Onisofien
Monet
Leonie
Phoebe
Alesha
Cheila
Yasemin
Joshua


9th November - Latin

Shania
Isabella
Skye
Tehilla
Treviscia
Mide

16th November - Folk
Marianne
Tenika
David
Darcey
Samarth

23rd November - Classical
Robert
Amelia
Tone
Kaede
Mimi



Then...

30th November - Mock Recitals - everybody to sing two songs

7th December - No lesson - come to watch the panto in the theatre.

14th December - everybody will sing a Christmas song.

Lesson 5 - 12th October

In your blog this week:

Give an account of how you felt the performance went. Describe how your practice/rehearsal regime helped you to prepare for the performance. How can you improve your practice regime over the course of the next half-term to develop further.

Make sure this and all your other work is completed by Monday morning when I will be marking it.

There will be a lesson as normal next week!

Lesson 4 - 5th October 2016

We are performing next Wednesday in the theatre as part of a performance that starts at 2pm.

Please be there (if you can!) at  1.30pm for a soundcheck and run-through.

Make sure you have learnt the lyrics!!!!!!!!!!!!



Here is the backing track for Don't Stop Believing



In your blog today:
i) Give an account of any practice / preparation / rehearsal you have done this week (only write about today's lesson if you have done nothing during the week!)
ii) When rehearsing together, what do you need to do (individually and collectively) to make sure that the rehearsal is efficient and effective?

Lesson 3 - 28th September 2016

Here is the backing track for American Boy:





In your blog today:

i) Identify three (or more) regular warm-up exercises that you use or plan to use on a fairly regular basis. For each one, briefly explain why it is suitable for you and/or the songs you are singing.

ii) Other than by using appropriate vocal exercises, what else can you do to keep your voice healthy? (List at least three points).

Lesson 2 - 22nd September 2016

We are working on this:


Lyrics are here.



We'll also be working on this:



Lyrics are here.




BLOGS

Each week, I will be asking you to do some written work, which you should complete on your blog.

Setting it up:

i) If you don't already have a Google account, set one up. Make sure you remember username and passwork as you will need them to access your Blog.

ii) Access Blogger, either by going to www.blogger.com or accessing via the Google homepage.

iii) In Blogger, click on "New Blog", which should take you to this screen:

Use Music Certificate and your own name (eg. Music Certificate Philip Collin) as the title and 
musiccertificateyourname.blogspot.co.uk as the address. 

iv) Under "Settings", you can set your blog so that it will not be listed and will not show up in search engines but you will need to leave your blog set to "public" as it will need to be accessible to the exam board.

v) Click on "New Post" to create your blog entry for this week. Call it "Lesson 2 - 22nd September" and do the work below.
vi) E-mail me your blog address (to philip.collins@westking.ac.uk )


Your work this week:

i) a list of two or three solo songs that you are going to work on (including links to backing tracks if you don't have them as an MP3)

ii) a short account of what you think your strengths and weaknesses are as a singer

iii) a brief description of the vocal exercises you have used today