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WAYLAND MIDDLE SCHOOL BANDS

Tidbits of Musical Information - Index

These pages started out as interesting information for my students, but have become interesting info for any musican!

I am always looking for tidbit topic suggestions; let me know if you have an idea...

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Most recent tidbit pages

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Why Music?  This isn't the real title of this speech by Karl Paulnack of Boston Conservatory to the parents of incoming Freshmen music majors, but it summarizes the message for me.  I've been involved in really moving concerts in the past, but this description of the power of music is the best I've read.   Wow...

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But for daily musical information, bookmark my brother's Facebook page.  He has little tidbits of musical information almost every day in every imaginable arena of music!  It amazes me...  (Who, me proud of my little brother???) http://www.facebook.com/pages/Timothy-Muffitt/  (music director of the Baton Rouge Symphony, Lansing (MI) Symphony and Chautauqua Institution Festival Orchestra)

 

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Rhythm Reading - Thoughts about why it is important, how to get better at it and some practice sheets with MIDI files & a sheet of correct counting. Test yourself!

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THE MUSIC MAN - a web page for our symphonic band members to learn more about the musical. Most of the research was done by Monika Bernotas for her mini-project - thanks, Monika!!

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Jazz and Shakespeare???"  Yes, Jazz and Shakespeare.. There actually is a historical precedent for mixing jazz and Shakespeare

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P.D.Q. Bach. Supposedly the 21st child of Johann Sebastian Bach. Learn a bit about the musical satire of PDQ Bach's creator, Peter Schickele.

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Oklahoma!

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Music for a Royal Fireworks by G.F.Handel

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The Phantom of the Opera

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The Music Man

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We explored the Renaissance period of music. See examples of early music writing & hear a sound file of a composition by Queen Elizabeth I.

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This tidbit is titled, "I Didn't Know That!"--Do you know why Bach spent a month in jail? Or can you play a hemi-demi-semi-quaver?? Or do you know what the mouse had to do with "Silent Night" (this has to do with our recent study of how a pipe organ works!)

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The History of the Clarinet

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Building Scales - major, all three forms of the minors and the chromatic.

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More scales - This time we will focus on the dorian and mixolydian scales and the medieval church modes from which they came. We will then look at how they are used today (especially in jazz) and a bit about the science / mathematics.

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Where is that music from??  Ever wonder why you can sometimes tell what country or culture a piece of music comes from?? We will look at music from the Jewish tradition (including Klezmer), music from India and what is a raga, and music from Latin America - specifically the mambo that was included in Damn Yankees. See the Asian Music page for information on music from China.

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Marching Bands! This site includes a brief history, some different styles of marching bands (and Drum Corps) and the commands that we use at WMS. There are LOTS of great pictures; you can almost hear the bands playing!

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Circus Bands - learn about screamers, windjammers and ballyhooing and see pictures of some of the great circus band wagons of the previous century.

link Early Music Notation - Learn a little bit about the history of music notation. Where and when did it develop? See some examples of early music.

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Asian Music (Specifically Chinese - Japanese to follow, Music from India was included in Where is that music from??
Symphonic Band is working on a piece called Asian Song. This Tidbit explores why this music sounds like it comes from China and includes some links to other sites and information on Chinese instruments.

Click on these running notes to progress through all of the past tidbits, one at a time.

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