Last week we explored creating our own melodies, using an Indian raga, called Yaman.  Many of the children at Forest Park seem to have access to piano keyboards at home.  Use this diagram to help you find the notes “F” and “C.”  Play them over and over again with your left hand while you play in Yaman with your right hand.  Remember that F and C are you most restful notes while E and B express the most tension because they want to go to F and C.

Here Dr. Bob play Yaman on the clarinet here!

Podcast

Max Piano

Litty Committee

Greta’s Song

Stefan’s Song

Pop

Voodoo Magic

Malia’s Song 2

Stefan’s Song

Nicholas’ Song 12

Rubber Duck

Cup of Sugar C

Dubstep

Luke’s Song 3

Elyse’s Song 3

Clownish

Nicholas’ Song 10

Frances’ Song

Sophia’s Song 4

Scary Night 2

Drew

Wyatt’s Song

Opidi’s Song 2

Jaxon’s Song 7

Pan’s Song

Nikhil’s Song

Catherine’s Song

Here’s the link to the form for all Forest Park Fifth Grade students to fill out for their self-assessment of their musical compositions:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdQu_c7h2srTsu2nAQxHJUn6k8MJ0_SQRF1zQELA_j_31hW_w/viewform?usp=sf_link

Thinking Like a Composer: Soundtrap Compositions– These lessons are designed to get the children “thinking like a composer” by composing their own pieces with the cross-platform music program, called, Soundtrap.

1. Go to soundtrap.com.  There are educational and personal versions of this program.  Make sure that you attempt to login to the personal version.   The basic personal account is free, but each student can keep only five songs in Soundtrap’s cloud.  This is a workable limitation in that the songs can be downloaded, saved on the computer or CD and then erased from Soundtrap’s cloud.  Students at Forest Park have access to Google accounts, which gives them access to Soundtrap’s basic personal account.
2. Click on Login and set up an account as discussed above:

Login with Google:

Below, you will see you home page.  This shows the compositions that you are working on and it is where you and/or your students will need to delete the pieces, when finished, to make room for new songs.   Click on the button, labeled “Enter Studio,” to begin working on a new composition:

Below you will see the options recommended to you by Soundtrap.  Students like to play with the templates, but the real work begins by either choosing the “Blank Page” of clicking away the options, by clicking on “X.”

Then, click on the purple circle, with the eighth notes to see the loops that are available to your or your student’s account.

Your students will have lots of fun listening to these loops and dragging them into the studio and try them out in their compositions.

Click on “Add New Track” and choose the microphone to use the computer’s mic to record a voice, acoustic instrument, etc.

You may also use the computer’s keyboard as a piano keyboard.  A touch screen computer makes using the built-in piano keyboard much easier to work with.

There is much more to explore in this program and you and your students will discover them by trial and error.  A class of fifth graders makes an excellent research team!

This is one of the first activities for the year and should last at least two full weeks (four classes), followed by presentations and student self-assessments, as mentioned above.  Every student is required to fill out the following survey after this activity is completed at the beginning of the year (pre-assessment) and at the end of the year (post-assessment):

I have recorders available that third and fourth grade students can purchase for only $3.00 a piece.  I haven’t enough to sell to their siblings, so please purchase recorders only for the students from those classes.  I also will be keeping recorders in the classroom for students who forget to bring their instruments to school.

Third Graders will also be participating in a very exciting project called The Carnegie Hall – Oregon Symphony Link Up Concert.  All third and fourth grade students will be singing and playing recorder with the OREGON SYMPHONY! – More information will follow as I receive it.