FALL
Music in seventh grade offers the students the ability to explore various instruments as a means to express themselves. Piano, guitar, bass, ukulele, and drums become commonplace. Students are becoming familiar with various lead sheets for each.
Seventh grade will focus on harmony and chord progressions this year. As the foundation and fabric of song, chords support melody and color and syncopate against rhythms. We have begun with diatonic chords and how they are constructed. Understanding the amount of natural gravity of chords, students will begin to understand how harmony is like a language. We will write and perform chord progressions for each other, always supplemented with the practice of offering feedback. Again, these practices, much like any other class, support our community values.
We will work on our reading skills and translating them from the piano to other instruments. However, sight reading music is just one tool that deepens our relationship with music. Like different problem-solving skills in math class, I look to supplement their reading abilities with other skills such as ear-training, transcription, and free play.
The through-lines for seventh grade are Promoting Dignity and Peaceful Solutions. During this pivotal year, we seek to maintain love for one's self and pride, coupled with the humanity and dignity it takes to promote peace. Whether within circles of friends or within the larger community, our natural and inevitable disagreements and conflicts must be met with intentions of peace and understanding.
As a class, we have collaborated to write a song inspired by our through-lines. “What’s In A Family” was an idea that elicited engagement from the group. It reminds us that no two families are alike and that the dynamics of different families are forever changing. The students worked to communicate that family is comprised of those who love you and that it often branches beyond the family tree. The process of cowriting elicits skills of listening, honoring others’ thoughts and ideas, taking risks, and flexibility. It allows us to understand that many minds can often produce work beyond our individual experiences and expectations.
Students are practicing ensemble and individual pieces. Their ensemble piece, given to every student, allows for small groups to form in order to practice or perform. “Imagine” provides excellent background for structure, melody, and message of peaceful solutions. Their individual pieces have been chosen by the student and offer the chance to feel ownership of learning current music that appeals to them.
Music in seventh grade offers the students the ability to explore various instruments as a means to express themselves. Piano, guitar, bass, ukulele, and drums become commonplace. Students are becoming familiar with various lead sheets for each.
Seventh grade will focus on harmony and chord progressions this year. As the foundation and fabric of song, chords support melody and color and syncopate against rhythms. We have begun with diatonic chords and how they are constructed. Understanding the amount of natural gravity of chords, students will begin to understand how harmony is like a language. We will write and perform chord progressions for each other, always supplemented with the practice of offering feedback. Again, these practices, much like any other class, support our community values.
We will work on our reading skills and translating them from the piano to other instruments. However, sight reading music is just one tool that deepens our relationship with music. Like different problem-solving skills in math class, I look to supplement their reading abilities with other skills such as ear-training, transcription, and free play.
The through-lines for seventh grade are Promoting Dignity and Peaceful Solutions. During this pivotal year, we seek to maintain love for one's self and pride, coupled with the humanity and dignity it takes to promote peace. Whether within circles of friends or within the larger community, our natural and inevitable disagreements and conflicts must be met with intentions of peace and understanding.
As a class, we have collaborated to write a song inspired by our through-lines. “What’s In A Family” was an idea that elicited engagement from the group. It reminds us that no two families are alike and that the dynamics of different families are forever changing. The students worked to communicate that family is comprised of those who love you and that it often branches beyond the family tree. The process of cowriting elicits skills of listening, honoring others’ thoughts and ideas, taking risks, and flexibility. It allows us to understand that many minds can often produce work beyond our individual experiences and expectations.
Students are practicing ensemble and individual pieces. Their ensemble piece, given to every student, allows for small groups to form in order to practice or perform. “Imagine” provides excellent background for structure, melody, and message of peaceful solutions. Their individual pieces have been chosen by the student and offer the chance to feel ownership of learning current music that appeals to them.
"What's In a Family"
WINTER
Since Interim Grades in November, we have focused on our performances for the winter concert, studied music theory, and have been exploring musical history as is pertains to our through-lines. We also continue to attend to the importance of creating a positive, productive, and creative music space. While individual improvement is important, we focus on creating an exciting collaborative environment for music. Many students have begun to branch out and experiment with various instruments.
Revels gave us the opportunity to work together and support each other. Performing “What’s In A Family” was a highlight. To sing an original song accompanied by so many students was incredible. While the lesson of honoring and celebrating diversity was paramount, the students enjoyed being able to take ownership of the song. They sang with pride and purpose. With this concert, students also experienced the process of arranging a song for performance. We would move choruses, add introductions, offer moments for the listener to breathe and digest the lyrics, and manipulate the structure and instrumentation to achieve a version that meet our standards. While this can be rather subjective, and elicit many chances to discuss individual preferences, we realized that we must constantly remind ourselves to consider the audience and their experience. We will continue to provide performance opportunities throughout the year.
With the winter performance behind us, our new year has begun with attending to skill development and our social justice through-line. In seventh grade, we are looking at chords and harmony as the essential fabric of song. It creates the base for lyric. We have recently begun to understand the habits of certain chords and how they further the journey of a sonic story.
Seventh grade has recently begun to enter the world of digital music recording using GarageBand. We are currently assimilating to the new interface and becoming familiar with how to record, layer, and manipulate the given sounds using plug-ins and effects. We are lucky to be able to balance the study of music theory with an element that democratizes it and makes it so accessible.
The through-line of Positive Leadership and Peaceful Solutions will be our tether to social justice. In addition, we will be practicing and arranging John Lennon’s “Imagine” to perform at an All School Meeting this spring. Reminding students that music has a special capacity for creating change is an imperative.
Since Interim Grades in November, we have focused on our performances for the winter concert, studied music theory, and have been exploring musical history as is pertains to our through-lines. We also continue to attend to the importance of creating a positive, productive, and creative music space. While individual improvement is important, we focus on creating an exciting collaborative environment for music. Many students have begun to branch out and experiment with various instruments.
Revels gave us the opportunity to work together and support each other. Performing “What’s In A Family” was a highlight. To sing an original song accompanied by so many students was incredible. While the lesson of honoring and celebrating diversity was paramount, the students enjoyed being able to take ownership of the song. They sang with pride and purpose. With this concert, students also experienced the process of arranging a song for performance. We would move choruses, add introductions, offer moments for the listener to breathe and digest the lyrics, and manipulate the structure and instrumentation to achieve a version that meet our standards. While this can be rather subjective, and elicit many chances to discuss individual preferences, we realized that we must constantly remind ourselves to consider the audience and their experience. We will continue to provide performance opportunities throughout the year.
With the winter performance behind us, our new year has begun with attending to skill development and our social justice through-line. In seventh grade, we are looking at chords and harmony as the essential fabric of song. It creates the base for lyric. We have recently begun to understand the habits of certain chords and how they further the journey of a sonic story.
Seventh grade has recently begun to enter the world of digital music recording using GarageBand. We are currently assimilating to the new interface and becoming familiar with how to record, layer, and manipulate the given sounds using plug-ins and effects. We are lucky to be able to balance the study of music theory with an element that democratizes it and makes it so accessible.
The through-line of Positive Leadership and Peaceful Solutions will be our tether to social justice. In addition, we will be practicing and arranging John Lennon’s “Imagine” to perform at an All School Meeting this spring. Reminding students that music has a special capacity for creating change is an imperative.
SPRING
Seventh grade has been immersed in digital music. Together with Mr. Felix, we have studied the history of its creation and its continually expanding format. He will introduce various facets of digital music and I create projects supplemented with music theory to create a unique experience. From synthesizers that required an entire room to current handheld expressive devices, students see how digital music has evolved and also helped to democratize music, making it available and approachable to all. Coupling with our skill-based through-line of harmony, students created eight bar loops of chord progressions accompanied by a rhythm track and a unique modified sound. Using effects and plug-ins, students are experimenting with sound design and music synthesis.
In a collaborative project with a kindergarten in southeastern India, we were sent rhymes about learning the alphabet and counting. Our students took these rhymes and turned them into songs. They recorded them into Garageband, adding accompaniment of drummers, keyboards, and other sounds. We recently saw video of these students in Chennai, India singing along to our students’ songs that implement these rhymes. It is magical to blend cultures and share with students from around the world, especially with the universal language of music.
We have begun to deepen our understanding and use of Garageband to include basic mixing techniques. Students are learning about reverb, panning, compression, and other techniques used by mix engineers. Our goal is to create a comfortable stereo field, a three-dimensional space, where the listener is able to process the various tracks of a recording. Students began by remixing their previously recorded Harmony projects. Now, they will remix a recording of their original song, “What’s In A Family” that I recorded. This multitrack recording is purposely dry, austere, and quite congested sounding. I added no effects in order to provide them with a blank slate. They will remix the song while keeping notes as to what worked or did not work.
They have realized the power of home recording on their laptops. The next step is to create songs that are appealing or palatable to an audience. The idea is that the recording process continues into mixing. As with the publishing process of a paper for English class with its many revisions and edits, the mixing process offers a similar demand and work ethic. We not only want to make our own unique music, but we want our listeners to be able to fully appreciate it.
Our spring has been filled with preparation and lessons to prepare for a culminating project. This Spoken Word project included using Garageband to record a poem to be accompanied by a chord progression and a rhythmic track. Then, students mixed their song using the techniques learned earlier in the year. They documented their changes in their mix notes that I was then able to read as I listened to their songs. This project essentially bundled their entire year into a project that asked them to be confident, honest, and comfortable producing original music.
The lyrical component of the project required the students to listen and review other spoken word examples. Typically, current topics of social justice, politics, race, and community are at the center of this genre of music. Students were given the challenge to examine their lives and create lyrics that conjured genuine emotion. This tied into their poetry studies in language arts from April.
Their skill through-line of harmonic understanding was also utilized in this project. This time, our goal was to keep the progression simple and approachable much like in popular music. They were required to create a lead sheet for the chord progression furthering their understanding of creating complimentary sections of songs, such as an A and a B section.
It has been incredibly beneficial for students to experiment with Garageband and feel the power and pride of producing their own music. I look forward to next year as we continue to push the boundaries and build upon their skills.
In addition to creating and recording original music, Mr. Felix continued with digital music lessons each week. Students developed more complex code using Scratch. Problem solving and checking particulars challenged students to keep their composure and manage their frustrations as they navigated sequences of code.
Seventh grade has been immersed in digital music. Together with Mr. Felix, we have studied the history of its creation and its continually expanding format. He will introduce various facets of digital music and I create projects supplemented with music theory to create a unique experience. From synthesizers that required an entire room to current handheld expressive devices, students see how digital music has evolved and also helped to democratize music, making it available and approachable to all. Coupling with our skill-based through-line of harmony, students created eight bar loops of chord progressions accompanied by a rhythm track and a unique modified sound. Using effects and plug-ins, students are experimenting with sound design and music synthesis.
In a collaborative project with a kindergarten in southeastern India, we were sent rhymes about learning the alphabet and counting. Our students took these rhymes and turned them into songs. They recorded them into Garageband, adding accompaniment of drummers, keyboards, and other sounds. We recently saw video of these students in Chennai, India singing along to our students’ songs that implement these rhymes. It is magical to blend cultures and share with students from around the world, especially with the universal language of music.
We have begun to deepen our understanding and use of Garageband to include basic mixing techniques. Students are learning about reverb, panning, compression, and other techniques used by mix engineers. Our goal is to create a comfortable stereo field, a three-dimensional space, where the listener is able to process the various tracks of a recording. Students began by remixing their previously recorded Harmony projects. Now, they will remix a recording of their original song, “What’s In A Family” that I recorded. This multitrack recording is purposely dry, austere, and quite congested sounding. I added no effects in order to provide them with a blank slate. They will remix the song while keeping notes as to what worked or did not work.
They have realized the power of home recording on their laptops. The next step is to create songs that are appealing or palatable to an audience. The idea is that the recording process continues into mixing. As with the publishing process of a paper for English class with its many revisions and edits, the mixing process offers a similar demand and work ethic. We not only want to make our own unique music, but we want our listeners to be able to fully appreciate it.
Our spring has been filled with preparation and lessons to prepare for a culminating project. This Spoken Word project included using Garageband to record a poem to be accompanied by a chord progression and a rhythmic track. Then, students mixed their song using the techniques learned earlier in the year. They documented their changes in their mix notes that I was then able to read as I listened to their songs. This project essentially bundled their entire year into a project that asked them to be confident, honest, and comfortable producing original music.
The lyrical component of the project required the students to listen and review other spoken word examples. Typically, current topics of social justice, politics, race, and community are at the center of this genre of music. Students were given the challenge to examine their lives and create lyrics that conjured genuine emotion. This tied into their poetry studies in language arts from April.
Their skill through-line of harmonic understanding was also utilized in this project. This time, our goal was to keep the progression simple and approachable much like in popular music. They were required to create a lead sheet for the chord progression furthering their understanding of creating complimentary sections of songs, such as an A and a B section.
It has been incredibly beneficial for students to experiment with Garageband and feel the power and pride of producing their own music. I look forward to next year as we continue to push the boundaries and build upon their skills.
In addition to creating and recording original music, Mr. Felix continued with digital music lessons each week. Students developed more complex code using Scratch. Problem solving and checking particulars challenged students to keep their composure and manage their frustrations as they navigated sequences of code.