Begin with your hands in the air… now move your arms…

Down, Together, Out, Up

Down, Together, Out, Up

Down, Together, Out, Up

Now try counting 1,2,3,4 with your movements.

Do you remember this from music class? Try changing tempo (speeding up and slowing down)

Try moving your hands like this when you hear a song. Can you follow the beat?

This is the basic way a conductor leads a group of musicians. Not all music repeats after 4 beats, but most does.

Conductor – a person who conducts an orchestra, chorus, or other musical group in the performance and interpretation of ensemble works. At the most fundamental level, a conductor must stress the musical pulse so that all the performers can follow the same metrical rhythm.

Here are some of my favourite conductors…

Gergiev!

Bernstein

Bugs Bunny

Mickey Mouse

Dudamel

Try saying these rhythms…

     Ta      Ta      titi   Ta

     titi    titi    titi    Ta

Rhythm, in music is the placement of sounds in time. … Includes elements, such as accent, metre, and tempo

Beat is a steady pulse, a repeated sound. In music, Beat is the basic unit of time.

Now try saying these rhythms…

Do Re Mi Fa Sol La Ti Do

Do you remember this warm up? Can you sing the call and response?

Do Re Mi             [Do Re Mi]

Re Mi Fa              [Re Mi Fa]

Mi Fa Sol              [Mi Fa Sol]

Fa Sol La               [Fa Sol La]

Sol La Ti                [Sol La Ti]

La Ti Do                [La Ti Do]

I encourage everybody to limit their screen time as much as they can.  More than ever we are using  computers to communicate with each other.  While these are powerful tools, it is important to get physical activity and spend time reading books, writing, drawing and playing music.

Our school may not be open, but the music continues to ring out!

Wow! We have had some big changes recently. I miss seeing and playing music with hundreds of students each day. Although we are social distancing for now, I am happy to still be able to share musical activities with my students.