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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 educational version.
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.

Playing a musical instrument can be fun and rewarding, but it does require a bit of discipline to be able to go beyond just playing Hot Cross Buns to being able to read music and participate in a music ensemble.  Every student will get a minimum of 30 minutes per week of instruction on his/her instrument at Forest Park Elementary.  This is not very much time.  Certainly, if a student only plays their instrument during class, s/he will NOT know how to play it even after a year of coming to class; and attempting to playing the instrument will be frustrating.  Daily practice is vital for learning to perform on any musical instrument.  The better we get at playing an instrument the more fun it is!

All band students will use the book,   Standard of Excellence Level 1, for their particular instrument. These may be purchased through Amazon or from a local music store for less than $10.

The instrumental classes will provide clear instructions so that students will know what to practice during the rest of the week.  It is recommended that every student practice at least 30 minutes per day.

I also highly recommend each student taking private lessons on their instruments as time and money will allow. All of the best musicians I have met received many private lessons as a child.  Individual instruction far surpasses class instruction because the private teachers are experts on the specific instrument the students are playing and they are listening and solving technical problems for just one student at a time.  Let me know if you need help finding a good private teacher.

Click below for a rough outline of what will be happening this year in music:

Music GVC RDP Yearlong Planning 2019-2020

WELCOME BACK, FOREST PARK FOXES!!

Let’s begin this year right by you giving me input about your favorite songs by filling out the survey, linked to this page.  Your choices may be matched with the Words of the Month and will get sung A LOT over the school year.  Information about the music your family likes could help us choose great music for the school’s International Festival.  The link is below and below that is a list of this year’s Words of the Month, so you can use this survey to tell me about songs that address the ideas behind these words:

Link to the Survey

Words of the Month

Please evaluate your soundtrap composition after following this link:  Self-Evaluation

Thursday, May 30th (3rd, 4th, 5th)

Giovanni

Giovanni quando balla

Danza, balla, balla

Giovanni quando balla

Danza con il mignolo

Con il mignolo, olo, olo,

È così che Gianni balla.

Giovanni quando balla

Danza, balla, balla.

Giovanni quando balla

Balla con il piede,

Con il piede, ede, ede

Con il mignolo, olo, olo

È così che Gianni balla.

Giovanni quando balla

Danza, balla, balla.

Giovanni quando balla

Danza con il ginocchio,

Con il ginocchio, occhio, occhio

È così che Gianni balla.

Giovanni quando balla

Danza, balla, balla.

Giovanni quando balla

Danza con l’anca

Con l’anca, anca, anca …

Con la mano, mano, mano …

Con il gomito, ito, ito …

Con la spalla, spalla, spalla …

Con la testa, esta, esta

È così che Gianni balla.

Musical accompaniment to Giovani:

Volare

Penso che un sogno così non ritorni mai più
Mi dipingevo le mani e la faccia di blu
Poi d’improvviso venivo dal vento rapito
E incominciavo a volare nel cielo infinito

Volare oh, oh
Cantare oh, oh
Nel blu dipinto di blu
Felice di stare lassù
E volavo, volavo felice più in alto del sole
Ed ancora più su
Mentre il mondo pian piano spariva lontano laggiù
Una musica dolce suonava soltanto per me

Volare oh, oh
Cantare oh, oh
Nel blu dipinto di blu
Felice di stare lassù
Ma tutti i sogni nell’alba svaniscon perché
Quando tramonta la luna li porta con sé
Ma io continuo a sognare negli occhi tuoi belli
Che sono blu come un cielo trapunto di stelle

Volare oh, oh
Cantare oh, oh
Nel blu degli occhi tuoi blu
Felice di stare quaggiù
E continuo a volare felice più in alto del sole
Ed ancora più su
Mentre il mondo pian piano scompare negli occhi tuoi blu
La tua voce è una musica dolce che suona per me

Volare oh, oh
Cantare oh, oh
Nel blu degli occhi tuoi blu
Felice di stare quaggiù
Nel blu degli occhi tuoi blu
Felice di stare quaggiù
Con te

In The Blue Painted Blue

YouTube to Volare

Original Song:

Mar Eske Tuwaf

YeTsebel dar enkoy wenz yawezat qTel

Teshefna warka kelmat yezafTel

Yet neber yarkut qefoyen sil nore

Lib teketyie bay Gojam nura mare

Branaye anchi yeLijnete guade

Teresash wey yesat zuriawu teret beande (X2)

Branaye anchi yeLijnete qelem

Enie endanchi ya Telahut fidel yelem (X2)

Fikir yebezabat zelqo lamenkusat

Menalech nilign bicha libs libsa

Shewa keRufael sTebqat nore

Nbie gedam gebta Gojam nura mare

Sidona Yohannes yamet wezen yshie

Gama shto kasa shegntogn kewenze

MeTchie keShewa sTebqat nore

Leka gedam gebta Gojam nura mare

“Ha” blih tew dgem silugn nsih abate

“Wa” byie temarkugn ay alemesmate

Qelem weqie bihon, yeqirbe guadegna

Fikir leyazew sew kelkay yelew dagna

Ahun beman tkie yelbien likasew

Ande besua fikir yeteretahugn sew

Yet erqies lagegnkefikra meshesha

Esua hona lenie yalem mecheresha

Mar Twaf hune

Mar Twaf huna

Mare mare

Gojam nura mare

Mar twaf huna geba meqdes

Nodo lelit tselot liyaders

Dima Giorgis wey mankusa

Yachu wengiel bicha lebsa

Keangdima qob asTiye

Endalwesdat, ababiye

Seblyte nat emahoye (X2)

Wey gedam gebash wey gedam (X2)

Mar twaf huna geba meqdes

Nodo lelit tselot liyaders

Dima Giorgis wey mankusa

Yachu wengiel bicha lebsa

Keangdima qob asTiye

Endalwesdat, ababiye

Seblye nat emahoye (X2)

Wey gedam gebash wey gedam (X2)

Zengiza

Mar zengiza

Pronunciation:

YouTube of Mar Eske Tuwaf

Original song:

Accompaniment to Mar Eske Tuwaf: