Music at the Mall 2010

Ringing in the holiday spirit, 17 students from the studio performed some Christmas favorites at MetroCenter mall on December 11, 2010 at 3:30pm.  Family, friends, school teachers and shoppers alike enjoyed the performances.  MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Christmas Camp 2010: "Making Magical Music over the Holidays"

For Christmas camp this year we focused on the 5 magical elements of music:
RHYTHM, NOTES, DYNAMICS, ARTICULATION and ARTISTRY.

Here are pictures from some of the activities that we did during camp to reinforce this elements...

The Gingerbread Boy- students created a short motif to go along with this story.  While I read the story they would play their motif when it was their characters turn to "speak".  I was impressed how creative some of their motifs were.  Enjoy the video here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9-DerYpzrA

Jingle Bells- A favorite activity among many students was our Jingle Bells dynamic activity.  One student hides an item (in this case a treble clef ornament) while another student find it.  The trick is, all the students must sing Jingle Bells (we added We Wish You a Merry Christmas as well for variety) using  different dynamic ranges to give the finder a hint on where the ornament was hidden.  They learned that it isn't simply going from piano (soft) to forte (loud), they must work up from piano to forte by gradually getting there.  (p, mp, mf, f, ff, etc...)  If we had more time, I would have some students play their Christmas pieces using different dynamics for their finding hints.  This would be a fun activity to even do at home.  What a fun practice tool to get them to practice a piece over and over!

Here is a video and pictures to enjoy...

Treble Clef Ornament- Students had a chance over a short break to make a simple treble clef ornament of their own to take home...

Magic of Music Board Game-  I created a board game for students to use at home in their practicing.  By using this board game they would focus on each magical musical element.  Each student had a chance to try this game hands on so they understood how to play it at home.  

Music Bingo- To review articulation, dynamics and rhythm students played Christmas Ornament Bingo

Christmas Sound Story- I am a big fan of sound stories as it opens up a world of creativity and imagination for students.  It allows them to listen and discover what can happen in the world of music.  At Christmas camp, students participated in a sound story, "St. Nicholas leaves a gift" by using different instruments.  Here is a video to enjoy...   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nP1mzCZNbC8

This was just a few of the highlights over camp.  We had a lot of fun and I hope students will take what they learned from camp and apply it to their pieces this year.  They have the tools to truly make their pieces MAGICAL!!!