The Nutcracker

Some of Tchaikovsky's most popular music is found in "The Nutcracker". I'm sure you have heard of "The Waltz of the Flowers," and "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy." This ballet's music is of the Romantic Period of music.

Tchaikovsky discovered the celestra in Paris, and used this instrument as the main instruments in the "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy". He wanted the Sugar Plum Fairy to have a 'heavenly sweet sound'. The celestra gave her that sound.

An interesting fact is that the original suite was only 85 minutes long.

The story of "The Nutcracker" revolved around a German girl named Clara. The Ballet opens with a brief overture. By using the upper registers of the orchestra the music set the fairy mood. The curtain opens to reveal the house, where a Christmas Eve party is under way...

Suggestions:
Watch a performance of "The Nutcracker".
Learn to play one of the pieces in this suite.
Read about Pyotr Llyich Tchaikovsky.
Learn about the Romantic Period of music.


If you have a question you would like me to answer about learning music please email me at Catherines.Music.Notes@gmail.com

Have a Musical and Happy New Year!!! *smiles*

Catherine
"Music lessons should be about the student. Each student learns in different ways, and at different speeds. Music is a journey, and on that journey, we will work and learn together." - Catherine

Books with CDs include:
Impressions Volume One, Two, and Three
Marches
The Frog Prince
CDs include:
Wedding Bells
Lullabies

http://sites.google.com/site/musicbycatherine
www.ShoutLife.com/ClassyKeys
http://catherinesmusicnotes.blogspot.com

A Bit Of

The History of Christmas Music

Music has always been a part of the Christmas Season. Chants, Litanies, and hymns were written in Latin and used during the church liturgy. In the 13th Century carols were written in the vernacular. There were influenced by Francis of Assisi.

The word carol comes from the Greek word 'choraulein', meaning a circle dance performed to flute music. In the Middle Ages, the English combined circle dances with singing and called them carols. The word carol soon came to mean a song in which a religious topic is treated in a style that is familiar or festive.

In England the Puritans looked at the singing of Christmas carols as pagan. They had it banned. After the Restoration began the tradition of singing Christmas carols in return for alms or charity. This was in the seventeenth century. Town musicians were licensed to collect money in the streets in the weeks preceeding Christmas. Also started in the seventeenth century was the taking of a 'wassail bowl' round their neighbors to solicit gifts, accompanied by carols.

Christmas music has been a combination of sacred and secular.

The most performed Christmas songs are:
1. The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire) - Mel Torme, Robert Wells.
2. Santa Claus is Coming To Town - Fred Coots, Haven Gillespie.
3. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas - Ralph Blane, Hugh Martin.
4. Winter Wonderland - Feliz Bernard, Richard B. Smith.
5. White Christmas - Irving Berlin.

Please listen and watch two of my students as they play on the keyboards "We Three Kings".

If you have a question you would like me to answer about learning music please email me at Catherines.Music.Notes@gmail.com

Have a Musical and Merry Christmas!!! *smiles*

Catherine
"Music lessons should be about the student. Each student learns in different ways, and at different speeds. Music is a journey, and on that journey, we will work and learn together." - Catherine

Books with CDs include:
Impressions Volume One, Two, and Three
Marches The Frog Prince
CDs include:
Wedding Bells
Lullabies

http://sites.google.com/site/musicbycatherine www.ShoutLife.com/ClassyKeys
http://catherinesmusicnotes.blogspot.com/

Discovery Page

Find out the answer to these questions and then see how many of your family and friends know the answers. The answers are at the bottom of this page.

1. What are the names of Santa's Reindeer?
Eight of the names are taken from Clement C. Moores, "A Visit From St. Nicholas". The Ninth is taken from the song, "Rudolf, The Red Nosed Reindeer".

2. True or False. England only had 7 white Christmas' in the Twentieth Century.

3. True or False. Maoz Tzur is also known as "Rock of Ages".

4. What is Hannukkah (Chanukkah)?


The Story of "Silent Night"

On Christmas Eve in the year 1818 the song "Silent Night" was performed for the first time. The words were written by Joseph Mohr. He asked Franz Xavier Gruber to write music to go with the words. This song was first performed at St. Nikolas Church in Oberndorf, with Franz at the organ and Father Jospeh on the guitar.

Each year, this beautiful Christmas song is performed in this tiny church. Thousand of people stand inside and outside St. Nikolas Church to be a part of this wonderful Christmas story.

If you have a question you would like me to answer about learning music please email me at Catherines.Music.Notes@gmail.com

Have a Musical Day!!!

Happy Holidays!!!

Catherine

"Music lessons should be about the student. Each student learns in different ways, and at different speeds. Music is a journey, and on that journey, we will work and learn together." - Catherine


Books with CDs include:
Impressions Volume One, Two, and Three
Marches
The Frog Prince
CDs include:
Wedding Bells
Lullabies

http://sites.google.com/site/musicbycatherine
www.ShoutLife.com/ClassyKeys (over 18,000 views and 4000 friends)
http://catherinesmusicnotes.blogspot.com


Answers:
1. Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen, and Rudolf.
2. True.
3. True. Maoz Tzur is sung after the lightning of the candles. It is also known as "Rock of Ages" and was written hundreds of years ago in Europe.
4. It is an 8 day festival commemorating the victory of the Maccabees over Antiochus Epiphanes and the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem.

Jingle Bells

Jingle Bells was written between 1850 and 1857 by James Pierpont. It is not known for sure how the song or why the song was written but it is believed that it was written in the town of Medford, MA. During the winter there were sleigh races through the center of town. As the sleighs sped along their route, townspeople braved the cold and cheered on the drivers, sometimes singing carols and other songs.

A fun activity with your child is to play the bells and sing songs such as "Jingle Bells", "We Wish You A Merry Christmas", and "Sleigh Ride". This activity will help with rhythm and coordination. Keep your child safe. Make sure your child can not swallow the jingle bells or put them around their neck. You can buy a jingle bell instrument from a music store. Also, there are many websites that show you how to make a jingle bell instrument. There are also huge jingle bells that can not fit in a child's mouth that you might consider. These make a deep, rich sound.

Remember to have a safe and happy holiday!!!

If you have a question you would like me to answer about learning music please email me at Catherines.Music.Notes@gmail.com

Have a Musical Day!!! *Smiles*

Catherine
"Music lessons should be about the student. Each student learns in different ways, and at different speeds. Music is a journey, and on that journey, we will work and learn together." - Catherine

Books with CDs include:
Impressions Volume One, Two, and Three
Marches The Frog Prince
CDs include:
Wedding Bells
Lullabies

http://sites.google.com/site/musicbycatherine
www.ShoutLife.com/ClassyKeys
http://catherinesmusicnotes.blogspot.com

Young Children Composing Music


I teach some of my piano students at a preschool. Today I would like to introduce some of them to you. There is Ryan, who is always smiling. He just turned 3 years old. Then there is Wilmans who loves to fish and has a heart of gold. Akshaj loves to laugh. Wilmans and Akshaj are good buddies at school.

I also teach two preschoolers in my studio. Christian is very curious and wants to learn about everything. And Ryan, he is shy and quiet. He observes what is going on around him and thinks about it.

One thing they all share is their love of learning and their love of music. In order to teach them about music I had each one them compose a song. By writing these song they learned about and felt the rhythms of the whole note, half notes, and quarter notes.

You can listen to their first songs by clicking beside the song name:

Akshaj's Song (click here)
Christian's Super Awesome Song (click here)

Macaroni and Cheese (click here)
The Lion's Song (click here)
Wilmans' Song (click here)
Wilmans found the pitch bar and used it as I recorded his song.

If you have a question you would like me to answer about learning music please email me at Catherines.Music.Notes@gmail.com

Happy Holidays!!!

Catherine
"Music lessons should be about the student. Each student learns in different ways, and at different speeds. Music is a journey, and on that journey, we will work and learn together." - Catherine

Books with CDs include:
Impressions Volume One, Two, and Three
Marches

The Frog Prince
CDs include:
Wedding Bells
Lullabies

The Key of C Major

The key of C Major has a happy sound. All major keys are happy in sound. C Major has no sharps or flats in its key signature. C is the root. The C chord is the most important chord in the Key of C Major. Write out the musical notes from C to C: C D E F G A B C. That is the C Major Scale. To play it on the piano with your right hand you would start with your thumb which is called the first finger, D would get your pointer finger, E would get your third (middle) finger, then you would put your thumb under the third finger and F would get your thumb, followed by your second finger on G, third finger on A, fourth finger (ring finger) on B, and your fifth (pinky) finger on high C.

The next more important chord in the Key of C Major is the G chord. That is because it is 5 notes above the root note. If you know the C and G chords only, you can play over 500 songs! A song usually starts on the root and ends on the root.


If you have a question you would like me to answer about learning music please email me at Catherines.Music.Notes@gmail.com

Have A Musical Day!!! *smiles*

Catherine
"Music lessons should be about the student. Each student learns in different ways, and at different speeds. Music is a journey, and on that journey, we will work and learn together." - Catherine

Books with CDs include:
Impressions Volume One, Two, and Three
Marches
The Frog Prince
CDs include:
Wedding Bells
Lullabies

http://sites.google.com/site/musicbycatherine
www.ShoutLife.com/ClassyKeys
http://catherinesmusicnotes.blogspot.com

Questions and Answers

1. Why is it important to learn music?
Learning music along with academics and sports helps to make you a well-rounded individual. Here are a few studies about how music helps:

Young children who take music lessons show different brain development and improved memory over the course of a year, compared to children who do not receive musical training. Musically trained children performed better in a memory test that is correlated with general intelligence skills such as literacy, verbal memory, visiospatial processing, mathematics, and IQ. - Dr. Laurel Trarinor, Prof. of Psychology, Neuroscience, and Behavior at McMaster University, 2006.

Playing a musical instrument significantly enhances the brain stem's sensitivity to speech sounds. This relates to encoding skills involved with music and language. Experience with music at a young age can "fine-tune" the brain's auditory system. - Nature Neuroscience, April 2007.

1997 - Researchers found that children given piano lessons improved much more dramatically in their spatial-temporal IQ scores (important for some types of mathematical reasoning) than children who received computer lessons or no lessons.

1997 - A research team exploring the link between music and intelligence reported that music training is far superior to computer instruction in dramatically enhancing children's abstract reasoning skills, the skills necessary for learning math and science.

A study with 69 children with autism, attention deficit disorder, and epilepsy showed that while they are exposed to music, (and in some cases, for significant periods afterwards), their social skills and concentration improved dramatically in almost all cases. A related study proved that after a year of piano lessons and music therapy, the seizures in 79% of epilepsy patients disappeared completely.

Music students out-perform non-music students on achievement tests in reading and math. Skills such as reading, anticipating, memory, listening, forecasting, recall, and concentration are developed in musical performance and these skills are valuable to students in math, reading, and science. - B. Friedman, "An Evaluation of the Achievement in Reading and Arithmetic of Pupils in Elementary School Instrument Music Classes, "Dissertation Abstracts Internationa."

If you have a question you would like me to answer about learning music please email me at Catherines.Music.Notes@gmail.com

Have a Musical Day!!! *smiles*

Catherine

"Music lessons should be about the student. Each student learns in different ways, and at different speeds. Music is a journey, and on that journey, we will work and learn together." - Catherine

Books with CDs include:
Impressions Volume One, Two, and Three
Marches
The Frog Prince
CDs include:
Wedding Bells
Lullabies

http://sites.google.com/site/musicbycatherine
www.ShoutLife.com/ClassyKeys
http://catherinesmusicnotes.blogspot.com/

Discovery Page


The most accepted story of the first Thanksgiving is that Thanksgiving took place in Plymouth Colony in what is now Massachusetts in 1621.

Find out the answer to these questions and then see how many of your family and friends know the answers. (The answers are at the bottom of this blog.)

1. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, what is the largest pumpkin pie ever baked?

2. The first Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade took place in what year and in what city?

3. In what year did Congress (USA) finally make Thanksgiving Day an official national holiday?

Thought for the day: Do you think that music was played at the first Thanksgiving Feast? If so, what musical instruments did they use and what did the music sound like?

If you have a question you would like me to answer about learning music please email me at Catherines.Music.Notes@gmail.com

Have a Musical Day!!!

Catherine
"Music lessons should be about the student. Each student learns in different ways, and at different speeds. Music is a journey, and on that journey, we will work and learn together." - Catherine

Books with CDs include:
Impressions Volume One, Two, and Three
Marches The Frog Prince
CDs include:
Wedding Bells
Lullabies

http://sites.google.com/site/musicbycatherine
www.ShoutLife.com/ClassyKeys
http://catherinesmusicnotes.blogspot.com


Answers:
1. The pumpking pie weighed 2,020 pounds and was just over 12 feet long.
2. The years was 1924 and it took place in New York City.
3. 1941.

Preschoolers, Toddlers, and Babies

Did you walk that steady beat last month? If not, go back and walk to the music that I have posted there for you. That beat that you are walking is the quarter note. It looks like this:

Practice drawing the quarter note and coloring it in.

Here is an art project for you to do. On a plain white piece of paper trace around your hand. If you hold your hand with your thumb out and fingers seperated it looks like a turkey. *smiles* Number your fingers. Your thumb is number one, pointer is number two, tall man is number three, ring man is number four, and pinky is number five. This is the fingering that you use when you play the piano. *smiles* After you have numbered the fingers on the page, color your turkey.

If you have a question about music that you would like to ask me, please email me at Catherines.Music.Notes@gmail.com

Have a Musical Day!!! *smiles*

Catherine
"Music lessons should be about the student. Each student learns in different ways, and at different speeds. Music is a journey, and on that journey, we will work and learn together." - Catherine

Books with CDs include:
Impressions Volume One, Two, and Three
Marches
The Frog Prince
CDs include:
Wedding Bells
Lullabies

http://sites.google.com/site/musicbycatherine
www.ShoutLife.com/ClassyKeys
http://catherinesmusicnotes.blogspot.com

The Fife and Drum

Fifers and drummers were important in the military beginning in the 14th century. Fifers and drummers tended to be boys between the ages of 10 and 18. Fifes and drums served as signal instruments.

There have been times in history when the fife was replaced by similar instruments, but the high shrill sound of the fife carries in the field of battle making it an excellent choice to relay the commanders orders to the soldiers.

The snare drum belongs to the oldest instrumental family. The snare and bass drums were the drums used most often by the militias.

If you have a question you would like me to answer about learning music please email me at Catherines.Music.Notes@gmail.com

Have a Musical Day!!! *smiles*

Catherine
"Music lessons should be about the student. Each student learns in different ways, and at different speeds. Music is a journey, and on that journey, we will work and learn together." - Catherine

Books with CDs include:
Impressions Volume One, Two, and Three
Marches The Frog Prince
CDs include:
Wedding Bells
Lullabies

http://sites.google.com/site/musicbycatherine
www.ShoutLife.com/ClassyKeys
http://catherinesmusicnotes.blogspot.com

Questions and Answers

1. What is important in music lessons?
The student and teacher should have a rapport with each other. It is very important that the teacher teaches note reading, fingering, counting, music theory, and ear training. All these are important basics. Unfortunately, not all teachers teach these things.

2. What make music sound scary?
Most scary music is in a minor key. The next step to making music sound scary is to make sudden changes in the dynamics of the music. Also unusual instruments can be used. Create unfamiliar sounds. This confuses our senses and makes us 'scared'.

Something Musical to do: Write lyrics that would fit the Thanksgiving theme. The lyrics should be sung to a tune everyone know such as, "Mary Had A Little Lamb" or "Row, Row, Row Your Boat". Submit your lyrics to: Catherines.Music.Notes@gmail.com

During the month of November I'll post some of your lyrics on my blog.

If you have a question you would like me to answer about learning music please email me at Catherines.Music.Notes@gmail.com

Have A Musical Day! *smiles*

Catherine

"Music lessons should be about the student. Each student learns in different ways, and at different speeds. Music is a journey, and on that journey, we will work and learn together." - Catherine

Books with CDs include:
Impressions Volume One, Two, and Three
Marches

The Frog Prince
CDs include:
Wedding Bells
Lullabies

http://sites.google.com/site/musicbycatherine
www.ShoutLife.com/ClassyKeys
http://catherinesmusicnotes.blogspot.com

Discovery Page: "Halloween"

Find out the answer to these questions and then see how many of your family and friends know the answers. (The answers are at the bottom of this blog.)

1. The term Halloween is the shortened form of what?

2. True or False. Halloween has its origin in an ancient Celtic Festival.

3. True or False. The Festival of Samhain was a celebration of the end of the harvest.

Discover the Composer In You

Write a SCARY song for Halloween. The musical alphabet is A, B, C, D, E, F, G. So put those letters in any order on a piece of paper. Then decide if they should each be a fast, slow, or an in-between duration. The fast note would be the quarter note, the slow note would be the whole note, and the in-between note would be the half note. Then send your song to me. I'll put a few of the songs up on my blog during the month of October.

Here is a not so scary Halloween song to listen to. (click here to listen) This song is played on a pipe organ.

If you have a question you would like me to answer about learning music please email me at Catherines.Music.Notes@gmail.com

Have A Musical Day! *smiles*

Catherine
"Music lessons should be about the student. Each student learns in different ways, and at different speeds. Music is a journey, and on that journey, we will work and learn together." - Catherine

Books with CDs include:
Impressions Volume One, Two, and Three
Marches

The Frog Prince

CDs include:
Wedding Bells
Lullabies

http://sites.google.com/site/musicbycatherine
www.ShoutLife.com/ClassyKeys
http://catherinesmusicnotes.blogspot.com

Answers:
1. All Hallow's evening or the eve of All Hallow's Day, which is also known as the eve of All Saint's Day.
2. True. The festival is Samhain.
3. True.

Preschoolers, Toddlers, and Babies

This week, walk the steady beat. Remember in most songs the steady beat is the quarter note.
You can also get out your pots and pans band out and play the steady beat with that.

Clap the steady beat.

Click here for a song I wrote for you so that you can clap, play, or walk along with.

If you have a question you would like me to answer about learning music please email me at Catherines.Music.Notes@gmail.com

Have a Musical Day! *smiles*

Catherine
"Music lessons should be about the student. Each student learns in different ways, and at different speeds. Music is a journey, and on that journey, we will work and learn together." - Catherine

Books with CDs include:
Impressions Volume One and Two
Marches
The Frog Prince
CDs include:
Wedding Bells
Lullabies

http://sites.google.com/site/musicbycatherine
www.ShoutLife.com/ClassyKeys
http://catherinesmusicnotes.blogspot.com

A Bit About the History of:
Musical Instruments

Listen to a variety of different types of music from different eras of time and from different countries. Keep notes so that you can compare the music as you take this journey through music.

Even back in the prehistoric times people had music. It was very simple and had many uses. Early instruments were made from materials readily availabe in nature. Can you think of any instruments you could make that might have been used by prehistoric people?

In tombs in Persia, China, the pryamids or Egypt and other places, musical instruments were buried with the dead. Some of these instruments can still be played. We can actually hear the sounds that were made as long ago as 4,000 years.

Don't harps look a lot like bows? At first harps were made from bows by adding strings.

Pythagoras, a famous Greek scientist, related the pitch of a note to the length of the string.

Find other instrument families that started with early mankind. Write about them and send your writing to me. You might find your article on my blog or website. Wouldn't that be fun to see your name in print?

Have a musical day!
Catherine
"Music lessons should be about the student. Each student learns in different ways, and at different speeds. Music is a journey, and on that journey, we will work and learn together." - Catherine

Books with CDs include:
Impressions Volume One and Two
Marches
The Frog Prince - NEW
CDs include:
Wedding Bells
Lullabies

Questions and Answers

1. What is important in music lessons?
The student and teacher should have a rapport with each other. It is very important that the teacher teaches note reading, fingering, counting, music theory, and ear training. All these are important basics. Unfortunately not all teachers teach these things.

2. What makes music sound scary?
Most scary music is in a minor key. The next stop to making music sound scary is to make sudden changes in the dynamics of the music. Also unusual musical instruments can be used. Create unfamiliar sounds. This confuses our senses and makes us 'scared'.

Something musical to do:
Any age can enter. Write a scary Halloween Song. Email your song to me. We'll put it on the blog as an mp3 for the month of October. If you can't make an mp3, I'll make it for you.

Have a Musical Day!!! *smiles*

Catherine
"Music lessons should be about the student. Each student learns in different ways, and at different speeds. Music is a journey, and on the journey we will work and learn together." - Catherine

Books and CDs include:
Impressions One and Two
Marches
The Frog Prince

CDs include:
Wedding Bells
Lullabies

Website: http://sites.google.com/site/musicbycatherine
Blog: http://catherinesmusicnotes.blogspot.com
Profile: http://www.ShoutLife.com/ClassyKeys

Discovery Page

Composers Births

September 1, 1653: Composer Johann Pachelbel was born.

September 26, 1898: George Gershwin is born.

September 13, 1819: Composer Clara Schumann was born. Listen to Clara Schumann's composition Opus 10, Scherzo. (Click here to listen)

Enjoy listening to Clara Schumann composition.

"Clara Schumann, wife of Robert, was a child prodigy who, after her husband's death, became one of the most famous performers and teachers in the 19th century. Her compositions are extremely well crafted and show great individuality as well as the influence of her husband Robert and friend Johannes Brahms". ~ Mary K. Scanlan, All Music Guide
Thank you Mary K. Scanlan for that information.

Topping the Charts

September 19, 1960: Today the song "The Twist" by Chubby Checker topped the charts and stayed there for a week. (1960)

Find the song "The Twist" and twist to it. Enjoy!!!

September 19, 1970: Today the song "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" by Diana Ross topped the charts and stayed there for 3 weeks. (1970)


Events from past Septembers

1908: The first stereo advertisement, for an Edison Phonograph, appears in the Saturday Evening Post.

Enjoy drawing a picture of the first phonograph!!!

1957: The musical "West Side Story", debuts on Broadway. This is the story of "Romeo and Juliet" but set in New York City with gang members.

If you have a question you would like me to answer about learning music please email me at Catherines.Music.Notes@gmail.com

Have a Musical Day! *smiles*

Catherine

"Music lessons should be about the student. Each student learns in different ways, and at different speeds. Music is a journey, and on that journey, we will work and learn together." - Catherine

Books with CDs include:
Impressions Volume One and Two
Marches

CDs include:
Wedding Bells
Lullabies

Website: http://sites.google.com/site/musicbycatherine
Blog: http://catherinesmusicnotes.blogspot.com
Profile: http://www.shoutlife.com/ClassyKeys

Preschoolers, Toddlers, and Babies

Remember the quarter note? It's usually that steady beat that we hear in music and dance to. It looks like this:

It gets one count or beat. We are using the words count or beat interchangeably here. Remember to count steady. Don't change the speed of your counting once you start.

Click here to count with me, then we will clap as we count, then we will add a rhythm to clap and count with.

Practice counting and clapping during the week. You can come back here and clap and count with me or you can clap to music you have at home. Also practice drawing quarter notes on black white paper.

Enjoy and have a Musical Week! *smiles*

If you have a question you would like me to answer about learning music please email me at Catherines.Music.Notes@gmail.com

Catherine
"Music lessons should be about the student. Each student learns in different ways, and at different speeds. Music is a journey, and on that journey, we will work and learn together." - Catherine

Books with CDs include:
Impressions Volume One and Two
Marches
CDs include:
Wedding Bells
Lullabies

http://sites.google.com/site/musicbycatherine
www.ShoutLife.com/ClassyKeys
http://catherinesmusicnotes.blogspot.com

This week I'm interviewing

Will Angelo

of Rebel Rock

Will's Short Bio:

I was born in Greensboro, NC, raised in Daytona Beach, Florida. I have four generations of my family in Daytona Beach. I went to South Daytona Elementary where I would meet friends I would know all of my life. Middle school I went to Campbell whereI was introduced to freestyle hip hop and the rest is history. I went to Atlantic High for High School, Novell for college. Shortly after I met my beautiful wife, Michelle. She's a big support for my music and now I work at a music store where we talk music all day. I get new inspirations that way.

I asked Will some questions that I thought you would want to know the answers to. Here's our interview:

1. Did you write and play music as a child? I played drums and guitar.

2. What musical instrument do you currently play? I play drums.

3. Please tell us what got you started doing artwork and music both. My dad got me started in music and my brother got me started in art.

4. Please walk me through your song writing process. Everyone has a different way of doing it. It starts with poetry and a love for music lyrics. So I start with a topic and maybe one or two words, then let my mind go blank. Then start writing (editing after) there has to be a strong passion, or you're wasting your time, it also doesn't hurt for outside influence (never turn down a good idea).

5. What is your favorite song that you have written and why is it your favorite? Honestly I don't have a favorite song that I've written but if I had to pick it would be a breakup song called "Holding On". Mainly because it flows nicely and it is very emotionally true.

6. What is your favorite artwork you have done and why is it your favorite? Anything with skulls in it or graffitti, I go into great detail with them and it's fun for me.

7. Tell us about your most memorable stage moment. The very first show I did in a small coffee/bar on an open mic. I was asked to perform, I was very nervous but after I got on stage nerves went away and I had a great time. After everyone came and shook my hand in congrats, then on I knew it was offical.

8. Do you have advice for others who perform? Yes, know your song, no matter how routine, do it live in front of family/friends to build confidence. As a friend told me, "Have fun with it".

9. What are you working on right now? Rebel Rock is my new group. We just got a real studio thanks to JG Productions. We are working our first album. It should be out in the fall.

10. Do you belong to a band? Yes.

11. Please tell us about what it is like to play in a band. Well it can be difficult everyone has an opinion and you know what they say it's best to keep your mind open and respect everyone.

12. What do you do for fun? Hang with friends, family, and also my music and art which are a release from this world.

13. What is the most important thing to you? Family and my music.

Thank You Will! Keep on making music!

A Bit About Band

In middle school, high school, and sometimes elementary school a student gets the opportunity to sing in a chorus or learn a band instrument. Many schools work with local music stores to bring rental instruments to students wanting to learn about musical instruments.

Your parents should expect you to learn the basic elements of music. This includes the how to read, write, and interpret music. Listen to all types of music. This way you get an appreciation for the qualities of music. This will also make you better at your chosen musical instrument.

In June we talked about the woodwind family. Today we'll talk about the brass family.

Brass instruments are lip-vibrated instruments. Sound is produced by vibrations of air in a resonator and the vibration of the player's lips.

Brass instruments generally come in one of two groups: Valved and Slide. There are other groups in the brass instruments but they are not used much anymore.

Instruments in the Brass Family are Trumpet, French Horn, Trombone, and Tuba. Can you think of any other brass instrument?

Which brass instrument is this?

Thank you KarensWhimsy for the use of thispicture. http://karenswhimsy.com/public-domain-images/

If you have a question you would like me to answer about learning music please email me at Catherines.Music.Notes.@gmail.com

Have a Musical Day! *smiles*

Catherine

"Music lessons should be about the student. Each student learns in different ways, and at different speeds. Music is a journey, and on that journey, we will work and learn together." - Catherine

Books with CDs include:
Impressions Volume One and Two
Marches
CDs include:
Wedding Bells
Lullabies

http://sites.google.com/site/musicbycatherine
www.ShoutLife.com/ClassyKeys
http://catherinesmusicnotes.blogspot.com/

Questions and Answers

1. What is music?
This sounds like a question that would be easily answered. But what really distingushes music from sound?

Here is what some people in the past have said:

"Music gives sound to the universe." - Plato
"The food of love." - Shakespeare
"I would almost say it is a miracle." - Heinrich Heine
"There are only two kinds of music: good music and bad music." - Duke Ellington

Please let me know what you think music is. Think about different sounds and decide if that sound is noise, music, or something else.

Example: The sound of a jack hammer cutting up a sidewalk. It is rhythm, it is a sound. Is it music?

Music is the art of thinking (creating and feeling) with sound. There is a saying that is popular but I don't remember who originally said it, "When words fail, music speaks."

If you have a questions you would like me to answer about learning music please email me at Catherines.Music.Notes@gmail.com


Have a musical day!
Catherine
"Music lessons should be about the student. Each student learns in different ways, and at different speeds. Music is a journey, and on that journey, we will work and learn together." - Catherine

Visit me at:

http://sites.google.com/site/musicbycatherine
www.ShoutLife.com/ClassyKeys
http://catherinesmusicnotes.blogspot.com/

Discovery:

The month of August was named by the Romans. It was named after their Emperor Augustus Caesar. This took place eight years before Jesus was born.


1. Francis Scott Key was born August 1, 1770. What famous song did he write?

2. The phonograph was invented August 12, 1877. Who was the inventor?

3. Leonard Bernstein, American composer, conductor, and pianist was born in August. What was the date?

(The answers are at the bottom of the page)

Interesting fact: Virgina Dare, first English child born in America, born August 18, 1587.
Interesting fact: Annie Oakley, sharpshooter, born August 13, 1860.


Take time to look up more about Francis Scott Key, the first phonographs, or Leonard Bernstein. You'll find some very interesting facts.

If you have a question you would like me to answer about learning music please email me at Catherines.Music.Notes@gmail.com

Have a musical day! *Smiles*

Catherine
"Music lessons should be about the student. Each student learns in different ways, and at different speeds. Music is a journey, and on that journey, we will work and learn together." - Catherine

Books with CDs include:
Impressions Volume One and Two
Marches
CDs include:
Wedding Bells
Lullabies

http://sites.google.com/site/musicbycatherine
www.ShoutLife.com/ClassyKeys
http://catherinesmusicnotes.blogspot.com


Answers:
1. The Star Bangled Banner
2. Thomas Edison
3. August 25, 1918

Babies, Toddlers, and Preschoolers

Music can be loud (f) or quiet (p). Have your young one tell you some things that are quiet and some things that are loud. Example: a baby sleeping would be something quiet. A drum being hit hard would be loud. Talk a little each day about loud and quiet. Remember this is not to be confused with high and low pitches in music.

Here is a drum that your young one can color:

My thanks to coloring-pages-kids.com This is a wonderful drum to color.

If you have a question you would like answered about music please email me at: Catherines.Music.Notes@gmail.com

Please visit me at: http://sites.google.com/site/musicbycatherine

Have a musical day! *smiles*

Catherine
"Music lessons should be about the student. Each student learns in different ways, and at different speeds. Music is a journey, and on that journey, we will work and learn together." - Catherine

Books with CDs include:
Impressions Volume One and Two
Marches

CDs include:
Wedding Bells
Lullabies

The Elements of Music

In music there are 3 basic elements. They are melody, rhythm, and harmony.

The melody is that part of the song that people will usually sing. Some call it the tune or the song.

The melody needs the rhythm to be recognized. When you move to the music, you are moving to the beat, or rhythm of the song.

The harmony is all the musical notes that you are hearing around the melody. Sometimes this part is also sung.

All music regardless of the style is based on these three elements. Think about pop, rock, hip-hop, and heavy metal. What do they all have in common? They all have a melody, rhythm, and harmony. Listen to your favorite song. Hear where the three basic elements of music are found in that song.

Enjoy!!! *smiles*

If you have a question you would like me to answer about learning music please email me at Catherines.Music.Notes@gmail.com

Catherine
"Music lessons should be about the student. Each student learns in different ways, and at different speeds. Music is a journey, and on that journey, we will work and learn together." - Catherine

Books with CDs include:
Impressions Volume One and Two
Marches

CDs include:
Wedding Bells
Lullabies

http://sites.google.com/site/musicbycatherine
www.ShoutLife.com/ClassyKeys
http://catherinesmusicnotes.blogspot.com/

Questions and Answers


1. What do you think is important for music teachers to teach?
Whether it be in a classroom or in individual private lessons, it is important for the students to learn how to hear the music (ear training), see the music (learn to read music), and feel the music (dynamics) and compose music. It is also important to learn how to count the music, because without counting others will not recognize the song and also you can not play with a group. And correct fingering on any musical instrument gives control, easy movement, smoothness of sound, and confidence in the students playing of the musical instrument.

2. Where did country music come from, what started it?
Country Music came from what was called Old Time Music. Over 300 years ago, immigrants brought their musical instruments to the New World. The Irish brought their fiddles, the Germans the dulcimer, the Italians the mandolin, the Spanish the guitar, and the West Africans brought the banjo. These were the most common instruments in the original Old Time Music. Country Music is considered a southern music movement, but it was a combination musical traditions of all the different ethnic groups playing together.

Just a reminder that you are never too old to learn a musical instrument. Here is a blog about the Good Samaritan Handbell Choir that I teach:

Good Samaritan Handbell Choir Show
July 15, 2010.

What an awesome group of people that are learning to play the handbells! Eunice plays middle "C" with a lot of heart. She can even play it as she scratches her ankle. Wilma May works very hard making "D" ring loud an clear. Mrs C. plays "E". She speaks no English, yet she knows when it is her turn to play. Bessie plays "F". Bessie has always wanted to play music and learn to read music. The group agrees they should learn to read music, so they are learning the note names and the values of each note.

Katherine is our very solid "G". It is very important to her to be at every practice. She is very diligent. "A" is what Delia plays. She brings smiles with her to class. Erlene plays "B". She loves music, she loves learning, and she thinks being in the handbell choir is very interesting. Fay plays "C" or whatever other bell we need. She is our pinch hitter for the bell choir. Fred reminds me he is hard of hearing, but he never misses when it is time to play the high "D". Clem was born in Milan, Italy. He loves music. He plays high "E". Donald, who was not feeling well enough to perform is usually our high "F". Ada played the high "D" for the show. She is another one of our pinch hitters.

I am very proud of this group. The youngest is 67 years old and the oldest is 99 years old. Listen to a part of their show by clicking here. This show was called "America".

If you have a question you would like me to answer about learning music please email me at Catherines.Music.Notes@gmail.com or Music.By.Catherine@gmail.com

Have a Musical Day! *smiles*

Catherine

"Music lessons should be about the student. Each student learns in different ways, and at different speeds. Music is a journey, and on that journey, we will work and learn together." - Catherine

Books with CDs include:
Impressions Volume One and Two
Marches

CDs include:
Wedding Bells
Lullabies

http://sites.google.com/site/musicbycatherine
www.ShoutLife.com/ClassyKeys
http://catherinesmusicnotes.blogspot.com

Discovery Page:

A percussion instrument produces sound (music) when hit, shaken, rubbed, scraped, or by an action which causes vibration.

Answer the Questions:

1. The word percussion comes from which language?
2. True or False. Percussion instruments were the first musical instruments.
3. Can percussion instruments have pitch?
4. Is the piano a percussion instrument?

More Discovery:

Name several percussion instruments. After you have done this, then draw pictures or craft percussion instruments. Another activity would be to write a poem that can be said to a rhythm.

Send your poems with rhythm, and your drawings to me at Music.By.Catherine@gmail.com
I'll put some of them on my blog.

Answers:
1. Latin. Percussio is to beat or strike to produce music.
2. False. The voice was the first musical instrument. The first hand-made musical instruments were probably percussion instruments.
3. Yes.
4. Yes, watch the action inside a piano. A hammer strikes the strings to produce the musical sounds.

If you have a question you would like me to answer about learning music please email me at Catherines.Music.Notes@gmail.com or Music.By.Catherine@gmail.com

Catherine

"Music lessons should be about the student. Each student learns in different ways, and at different speeds. Music is a journey, and on that journey, we will work and learn together." - Catherine

Books with CDs include:
Impressions Volume One and Two
Marches
CDs include:
Wedding Bells
Lullabies

http://sites.google.com/site/musicbycatherine
www.ShoutLife.com/ClassyKeys
http://catherinesmusicnotes.blogspot.com

Babies, Toddlers, and Preschoolers

"Music helps with self esteem and self discipline as well as school subjects."

Listen to music with your child everyday!!!

Young children who take music lessons show different brain development and improved memory over the course of a year, compared to children who do not receive musical training. Musically trained children performed better in a memory test that is correlated with general intelligence skills such as literacy, verbal memory, visiospatial processing, mathematics, and IQ. - Dr. Laurel Trarinor, Prof. of Psychology, Neuroscience, and Behavior at McMaster University, 2006.

Playing a musical instrument significantly enhances the brain stem's sensitivity to speech sounds. This relates to encoding skills involved with music and language. Experience with music at a young age can "fine-tune" the brain's auditory system. - Nature Neuroscience, April 2007.

For musical activities to do with your young child go to my website, find the preschool page. http://sites.google.com/site/musicbycatherine

Don't forget about your pots and pans band. If your young one holds their ears and cries, it is probably hurting their ears. Many young children with a good ear for music do not like loud sounds.

If you have a question or questions you would like me to answer please email me at: Catherines.Music.Notes@gmail.com or Music.By.Catherine@gmail.com


Have a musical day!

Catherine
"Music lessons should be about the student. Each student learns in different ways, and at different speeds. Music is a journey, and on that journey, we will work and learn together." - Catherine

Books with CDs include:
Impressions Volume One and Two
Marches
CDs include:
Wedding Bells
Lullabies

http://sites.google.com/site/musicbycatherine
www.ShoutLife.com/ClassyKeys
http://catherinesmusicnotes.blogspot.com

The Woodwind Family

There are four families of instruments in the orchestra. Today we will talk about the woodwind family. This family includes the flute, piccolo, clarinet, oboe and bassoon. Originally these instruments were made of wood. Today they are made of wood, plastic, or metal. You play them by blowing air through them. That is how the family got it's name, woodwind.

Woodwinds are either blown as flutes or reeds. With reeds when you blow air through the reed it vibrates, that starts the air in the instruments moving, which creates the sound. Flutes have a hole that the player blows across. The air inside the flute vibrating creates the sound.

Take time to listen to the instruments in this family and decide which sound you like the the best. Also, I have left out a few of the instruments in this family. Can you figure out which ones they are?

This is a bassoon.

If you have a question or questions you would like me to answer please email me at: Catherines.Music.Notes@gmail.com or Music.By.Catherine@gmail.com

Have a musical day! *smiles*

Catherine
"Music lessons should be about the student. Each student learns in different ways, and at different speeds. Music is a journey, and on that journey, we will work and learn together." - Catherine

Books with CDs include:
Impressions Volume One and Two
Marches
CDs include:
Wedding Bells
Lullabies

http://sites.google.com/site/musicbycatherine
www.ShoutLife.com/ClassyKeys
http://catherinesmusicnotes.blogspot.com

Questions and Answers

1. I hear parents say "belt it out", or "sing louder". Is that good or bad?

It is bad for a voice. If you push from your throat you cause stress on your vocal cords. A voice that pushes from the throat does not last very long, and will have medical problems. Please don't let anyone tell your child to sing louder, or "belt it out". A voice should develop through training and will get stronger that way. And in time with training and practice and singing from the diaphragm the voice will get louder and stronger.

If you have a question you would like me to answer please email me at: Catherines.Music.Notes@gmail.com or Music.By.Catherine@gmail.com

Have a musical day! *smiles*

Catherine
"Music lessons should be about the student. Each student learns in different ways, and at different speeds. Music is a journey, and on that journey, we will work and learn together." - Catherine

Books with CDs include:
Impressions Volume One and Two
Marches

CDs include:
Wedding Bells
Lullabies

http://sites.google.com/site/musicbycatherine
www.ShoutLife.com/ClassyKeys
http://catherinesmusicnotes.blogspot.com/

Discovering Tempo

The definition of tempo is the speed of a given piece. The speed that a song goes is important because it can affect the mood of the song.

In some music a word is used to tell you how slow or fast to play the song. Some common tempo words are:

Adagio - slow and stately
Allegretto - moderately fast
Allegro - fast and bright, a march tempo
Andante - at a walking pace
Andanate Moderato - a bit faster than andanate
Grave - slow and solemn
Larghetto - rather broadly
Largo - very slow
Lento - very slow
Moderato expressivo - moderately with expression
Prestissimo - extremely fast
Presto - very fast
Sostenuto - sustained, prolonged
Tranquillo - tranquil, calm
Vivace - lively and fast
Vivo - lively and alive

You may also see at the beginning of a song a tempo marking such as a quarter note then the equal sign and a number such as 120. This is telling you that the quarter notes speed is 120 on your metronome.

1. In modern music, what does BPM mean?

2. In Renaissance music it was understood that the music flowed at a tempo about the rate of a human heartbeat. The word used was tactus. Which note value was the tactus was shown by the what?

The answers to the two above questions are at the bottom of this blog.

More Discovery:

1. Is your summer a fast paced summer or a slow and relaxed one? What would the 'time signature' of your summer be? What above tempo word would you use to describe your summer? Would you have several tempo markings or words for your summer?

2. Summer vacation is relaxing. Summer vacation is also happy times of swimming at the beach, or taking vacations to different places. What is your summer like? Write a poem about your summer or a part of your summer. What would the tempo of your poem be?

If you have a question you would like me to answer about learning music please email me at Catherines.Music.Notes@gmail.com or Music.By.Catherine@gmail.com

Catherine
"Music lessons should be about the student. Each student learns in different ways, and at different speeds. Music is a journey, and on that journey, we will work and learn together." - Catherine

Books with CDs include:
Impressions Volume One and Two
Marches

CDs include:
Wedding Bells
Lullabies

http://sites.google.com/site/musicbycatherine
www.ShoutLife.com/ClassyKeys
http://catherinesmusicnotes.blogspot.com


Answers
1. Beats per minute
2. time signature

For Preschoolers, Toddlers, and Babies

Clapping to a Rhythm

Today I'd like you to clap evenly as we count the numbers 1 -2 -3 - 4 evenly. Ready? Clap and count 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 1- 2 - 3 - 4 - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4.

Now stomp evenly while we count evenly. Ready? Stomp and count 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4. Very Good!!! These are our quarter notes. Can you say 'quarter note'?

Here is a picture of a quarter note.


Practice drawing the quarter note. Does your heartbeat sound like a quarter note walking along? Do you hear quarter notes when you are listening to a march? Clap and stomp to the march below. Remember, this is a quarter note march.

Here's a march for you to clap and stomp to. Click here to play march.

Enjoy!!! *smiles*

This week I am interviewing Sylvia Thomasson.

Sylvia is a songwriter and musician.

Click here to listen to Sylvia's song: "God Knows It All"

Sylvia's Biography:

I am a true native of North Carolina. I was born in 1962 to my parents Betty and Shelton Bunn. I was raised on a farm right outside of Zebulon, NC. My family was a poor family. We did not have a lot of money when I was growing up. I may not have had everything I wanted, but I had what I needed. I have one sibling and his name is Douglas. In the Summer I worked in Tobacco. Farm work was not easy, because at the time I was growing up a lot of things were not automated like it is now. I sure did enjoy driving that ole Farmall tractor in the Summer time.

I sung in the school chorus all the way through school. I graduated from Zebulon High School in 1980. I also attended Johnston Community College. I have been singing ever since I was a child. I have sung in a couple of choirs. I can not remember a time that I did not enjoy music. I took up learning guitar two years ago, so I guess the saying, “A person is never too old to learn”, is true. I enjoy writing music and playing the guitar. I have sung at festivals, churches, nursing homes and other events.

My mom is probably my biggest influence about gospel music. She would take me and my brother to gospel singings with her. There use to be a big Eastern Carolina singing in Zebulon every year. We would not miss it. It was fantastic, because so many gospel groups came to sing each year. Another lady that I consider a mentor is Janie Strickland. She would play the piano for me at church when I sung. She has a natural talent of playing by ear and also has a wonderful singing voice. My husband, Larry is really a big supporter to me. He is always there to help me. I have to say, I can not ask for a better man to help me.

I enjoy helping people. I have had two dreams in my life and that is being a nurse and singing. Well, I am not a nurse, but I am a singer for God. The closest thing that I have done to becoming a nurse is being a nursing assistant. I work for the State of NC full time and when I am not working, I am singing. I also enjoy making jewelry and have recently taken on a new hobby of painting things. I enjoy painting things like t-shirts and can huggers. I also love pictures and photos. I like taking pictures of the sky. I also like reading quotes. I have a quote hanging in my office that says, “You don’t have to be crazy to be my friend, but it sure helps”. My favorite Bible verse is Isaiah 40:31 – But They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as Eagles. I read that verse and think no matter what I have been through or is going through, God is going to renew my strength.

I asked Sylvia some questions that I thought you would want to know the answers to. Here is our interview:

1. Did you write and play music as a child?
I did not write as a child. I did not start writing songs until I was an adult. I have been singing ever since I was a child.

2. What made you start writing music?
One day I just started putting my thoughts on paper. When tunes pop into my head I try to remember what I am singing so that I can put the words on paper. I also listen to guidance from God and HE gives me my songs. I have written personal songs for people and even one about my mom. When I am writing about someone personal, I really have to know them. I can not just put a bunch of words on paper. The words have to have meaning. The song I wrote about my mom is about her life.

3. Why do you write songs and play guitar and sing?
I write songs so that I have my own originals. I play the guitar, because all my life I wanted to learn a musical instrument to accompany myself when I sing gospel music. I learned how to play guitar a little over 2 years ago. I sing, because I enjoy it. Singing is a way of life to me. I sing in the mornings, on the drive to work and off and on during the day. I love singing most of all for God. I feel it is a calling from God for me to sing gospel music. I feel the music and I feel God when I sing. I probably am at my happiest when I am singing. Now, don’t get me wrong, I like all types of music, but I feel that God gave me the special talent of singing to use for HIM.

4. Please walk me through your song process. Everyone has a different way of doing it.
It is funny that you ask me about how I do this process, because it seems songs come to me at the oddest times. I can be in a restaurant drive-thru or driving down the road and words just start popping into my head and I start singing them. I try to grab something to write on, it can be a napkin, receipt or if I am lucky, I will have a piece of paper nearby to write on. I also have a small tape recorder and sometimes I use that to record the words, so I don’t forget what I sung. Sometimes a whole song has come to me and other times, I receive a song in bits and pieces. The gospel songs that I have written definitely come from God.

5. What is your favorite song that you have written and why is it your favorite?
I think that “God Knows it All” is probably my favorite. I think it is my favorite, because the words are so true. We really do not know a woman at a drive-thru, a man on the street, the neighbor or coworker. Only God knows us through and through and that is what the words mean in this song.

6. Tell us about your most memorable stage moment.
The most memorable stage moment happened at a church near my home. I was telling the church about how much I appreciated them having me there when all of a sudden the piece on the podium that holds books fell. The sound echoed all over the church and scared me to death. After the piece fell, I looked out into the audience and said, well, I guess this will be the last time you will have me, because I just tore up your church furniture. The whole church broke out in laughter. I really did not break it, because they fixed it immediately. Even the preacher came up to me at break and joked with me about it. It is definitely something that I will not forget anytime soon.

7. Do you have advice for others who want to write music or perform?
I think the best advice for anyone is if you enjoy music or writing, go for it. You will never regret tapping into a talent that involves music. It is very fulfilling in so many ways. Music makes me very happy and when I am feeling down it uplifts me. I can not imagine my life without music. It can not hurt to venture out on a talent in music.

8. What are you working on right now?
I have not written anything new lately. I would like to write a song about my life. The most recent thing I have worked on is with my nephew, Dylan, we put the chords to a song I wrote titled “God in Your Heart”. It was very exciting to have someone else work with me on making my song come to life.

9. What do you do for fun?
I love spending time with my family. I like playing with my animals. I enjoy going to the beach. I love this time of the year, because of the warm weather. I enjoy sitting outside on the swing. I enjoy cookouts with family and friends. I like making jewelry and taking pictures. I enjoy taking pictures of the sky. I like making people laugh.

10. What is the most important thing to you?
The number one thing is my relationship with God. The next things are my family, friends and my animals.

Thank you Sylvia, I enjoyed interviewing you. Keep on writing and singing.