Seventh and eighth grade students held a live debate on Friday afternoon, October 31st, in the RMS auditorium. Students spoke passionately and knowledgeably about the presidential candidates and the issues affecting all Americans - the economy, health care reform, and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. T
he event was moderated by Mrs. Causey and organized by Dr. Boyle and Mr. Washington. In the end, seventh grade emerged victorious, scoring more points for the effectiveness of their arguments. Four of the debate students wrote and performed songs for a video project that incorporated elements of poetry, vocabulary words, and Spanish. Watch the video below!
On Tuesday, October 14th, RMS music students travelled to the Cannon Center for the Performing Arts to attend the Memphis Symphony Orchestra's Young People's Concert. RMS students, along with other MSC students, enjoyed performances of twentieth century pieces from composers such as Aaron Copland, Charles Ives, Igor Stravinsky, and Leonard Bernstein. MSO Assistant Conductor James Feddeck discussed each piece in terms of its historical context, explaining the twentieth century events that inspired each composer and what the music represented.
Dear Parents, Family, and Friends,
You are cordially invited to the Oktoberfest Concert and Hot Dog Supper Fundraiser on Thursday evening, October 23rd, 6:00 to 7:00 PM. The event will be held in the RMS Cafeteria and feature:
Admission will be $4.00 per person at the door. Proceeds benefit the RMS Choir, World Drum Squad, and General Music program.
After school choir rehearsals will continue from now through October 23rd. Rehearsals will be held on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday from 2:30 to 3:30 each day. Students are encouraged to attend any and all of the after school rehearsals. Transportation home must be provided for students immediately following rehearsals.
Student volunteers are encouraged to stay after school on the day of the concert – Thursday, October 23rd – to help set up and decorate the cafeteria for the event.
Click Here to Download/Print Oktoberfest Concert flyer (this flyer was sent home with stduents on Thursday, October 9th)
Please contact me with any questions or concerns you may have. I look forward to seeing all of you at the concert. Thank you for your support!
Sincerely,
Ken Greene
greenekennethe@mcsk12.net
(901) 416-1588, ext. 21513
*Approved by Lisa Henry, RMS Principal*
Click the play button to hear sixth grade students
performing the syncopated polyrhythm notated in the picture on the left. The first rhythm performed in the recording was line four, played on a floor tom, snare drum, rubber cans, and chairs. Line one enters next - this is the rhythm from our October 1st, "Day 1" entry. Line two enters next. followed by hand-clapped line three. The performance was impressively accurate! Improvisation will be added on Monday, October 6th, on drums and harmonica (if Theodore and Antario bring their harps). Click on the picture on the left to view a larger image. See if you can follow the notation as each new line of rhythm is performed.
Click the play button to hear sixth graders Antario Ross and Arthur Robinson introduce the first part of a polyrhythmic composition that includes syncopation and improvisation. Students are experiencing the strong connection between music and math as they read, analyze, divide, count, and perform rhythm patterns in different meters (4/4 and 4/2 so far). We continue to emphasize the connection to speech (language arts) as we learn new, more complex rhythms. The rhythm notation in the picture below (left) is the pattern performed by the students in the recording. Click on the pictures to view larger images. The next syncopated pattern will be introduced tomorrow, along with a section for improvised solos on percussion and harmonica!
Members of the RMS World Drum Squad performed with professional percussionist Maria Estes in front of the Memphis Drum Shop on Saturday, September 13th at the 2008 Cooper Young Festival. Maria Estes, founder and director of the SANKOFA Drum and Dance Ensemble, visited us in February of this year for a private drum clinic in the RMS auditorium.Click the play button to hear the composition.
Inspired by the 6th period general music class, 5th period students composed their own rondo piece - a 7-part instrumental work (ABACADA). Students applied concepts and vocabulary learned over the first six weeks, including form, polyrhythm, improvisation, ostinato, and timbre.
Sixth grade students Erin Beal, Diamond Hodges, Keannyi Wilson composed and performed the 3-part keyboard piece for the A-section. Other students used percussion instruments and non-traditional instruments such as chairs to compose and improvise music for their sections.
A "music video" is being produced to support the piece and will be posted next week. Until then, enjoy this 7-part original group composition.
The 6th period, sixth grade general music students composed a 5-part rondo piece and video to illustrate the connection between music and visual art forms. Continuing with their study of musical form, students explored 5- and 7-part rondo. They composed and performed short polyrhythmic pieces to experience the forms, then began work on a larger musical work with a supporting video.
Sixth grade student Quanisha Dandridge contributed original lyrics sung on an improvised melody, while Maurice Banyon and DeShawn Westbrooks rapped their original rhymes. The music was composed by the students, built on a rhythmic ostinato, and performed on drums and percussion.
The composition originally started as a 5-part rondo with Quanisha's singing representing the "A section." On the final day of the project, Don-Angelo Woodard presented us with a verse he had composed for the piece. We decided to add Don-Angelo's verse as an extended introduction to the piece. The final form was a 5-part rondo with extended introduction (that was the class consensus, anyway). The video was developed by the students to support the music and the form. The form is mapped out below the video player.
Click on the play button to hear 5th period, sixth grade General Music students review our vocabulary list from the first six weeks. A few examples are provided, illustrating connections to classroom activities.
Eighth grade general music students Marissa Butler, Juanita Byrd, and Tashua Jenkins prepared this report on jazz musician Miles Davis. The three students researched biographical information online at MilesDavis.com, the musician's official web site. Miles Davis is the most recent musician/composer added to our Composer Series. The picture on the left was created by Marrisa Butler in recognition of Miles Davis' contributions as a visual artist. More composer and musician biographies will be written and recorded for upcoming posts.
Listen to an original song composed today by eighth grade students Orlandria Johnson, Chasity Mosby, Chelsea Rainey, KeAndre Davis, and Westley Williams. These five students decided to write a rap song today during the first part of the class period. They went into a practice room and improvised on tubano drums and a gong until they found a groove they liked. Orlandria and Chasity wrote the lyrics and worked on their rap (rhythm). After rehearsing for a few minutes, the group set up in the classroom and performed the song heard on the recording (in one take!). Click here to read the lyrics. National Standards/Performance Indicators covered in this activity: 1, 2, 3, 4, 7. Click here to read the National Standards for Music Education.
Today in general music, sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade students wrote reflection papers on their first two weeks in class. The written works will be published here throughout the week. A few of the students read their work today and recorded it for this post.
Click the play button to listen to three of the reflections:
Continuing their study of dynamics, seventh- and eighth-grade students participated in a fun activity that helped reinforce the concept.
1. Students worked in groups of six - two groups playing at a time
2. Dynamic symbols (ff, f, mf, mp, p, pp) were written on scrap paper - one symbol per sheet, two sets of symbols (six symbols per set)
3. Teams gathered on one side of the classroom while Mr. Greene stood on the other side
4. The symbol sheets were balled up and tossed into the open space between the students and Mr. Greene
5. Each team scrambled to gather the papers, working together to organize the symbols in the correct dynamic order from loudest to softest
6. The student with the loudest level (ff) stood on a chair, and the other students in the group assembled in front of him/her in the appropriate order (see the pictures below for examples)
Two new vocabulary words were added to our list today: dynamics (the musical symbols that determine expressiveness, how loud or softly to perform) and timbre (the distinctive tone quality of an instrument). Students reviewed six standard symbols for dynamics and applied them to a performance on drums and chant. Here are the dynamic ranges and their corresponding symbols:
Students explored the different timbre of objects in the classroom such as books, doors, and metal stools, and experimented with different ways of making sounds with them. After selecting their object, students created short, improvised polyrhythmic pieces and performed in small groups. The performances may be repeated tomorrow and recorded for a podcast.
We also examined the five categories of instruments as determined by anthropologists: Aerophones, Idiophones, Membranophones, Chordophones, and Electrophones. Click Here to download the Instrumental Timbre categories and their descriptions. Print this handout and have your child complete it and turn it in for extra credit!
PROJECT INFORMATION
This week's project is "My Instrument", which students will prepare and create at home. The project objectives are for students to consider how sound is produced, experiment with different materials (such as metal, plastic, and wood), and create their own instrument from ordinary household items. Projects are DUE this FRIDAY, August 29th. Click Here to download the project guidelines and grading policy.
Check out these links to web sites that feature instructions
for making your own instruments.
Click on the play button to hear students' comments on the composers.
Our classroom Composer Series introduces students to different composers and musicians every week. So far, students have discovered Ludwig van Beethoven (Symphony No. 5 and Symphony No. 9), Carl Orff ("O fortuna" from Carmina Burana), and Samuel Barber ("Adagio for Strings"). In addition to listening to exemplary works from each composer, students will also:
Additionally, students will conduct online research in the classroom to create Composer Bio-Posters. The poster layouts will be designed by the students and include composer portraits, biographical information, and notable works. Bio-posters will be displayed in the classroom and here on our blog as they are completed.
Sixth-grade music students delivered a fantastic performance of their polyrhythmic piece on Friday, August 22nd. The fifth-period class put several vocabulary words into action for this performance - beat, tempo, rhythm, polyrhythm, notation, articulation, improvisation. A new vocabulary word - form - was introduced during this week's rehearsals. Students developed note reading skills, performance technique, and ensemble experience through this short unit. They also gained experience in working with others to achieve a common goal, a life skill that we will continue to emphasize throughout the semester. Click on the photo to view a larger image of the group.
Seventh and Eighth grade general music students performed their polyrhythm compositions today, clearly demonstrating an understanding of the strong connection between speech (language arts) and rhythm. Great job, everyone!
Click on the play button to hear one of the 8th grade performances. 
Click on the play button to hear one of the 7th grade performances.
