Words for the CD's

Here are words for two of the songs. I'll post the other two tomorrow. Also, please, please, PLEASE, do the breathing exercises every day!!!

Thanks!



'Cross the Wide Missouri

Away, I'm bound away 'cross the wide Missouri.

The water is wide, I cannot get o'er.
Give me a boat to take me home.
My true love waits on yonder shore,
So far away, so long alone.

But love is gentle, and love is kind;
and love can soothe a lonely heart.
The more we seek, the more we find,
Love keeps us strong though we're apart.

For it's many long years since last I saw you,
Away, you rollin' river.
And still I know I have not lost you.
Away, I'm bound away 'cross the wide Missouri.

The water is wide, but I must cross o'er.
Bo more can I be all alone.
My future waits on yonder shore.
Send me a boat to take me home
'cross the wide Missouri.


Cold and Fugue Season

We just want to sing this classy fugue for you.
But I keep on sneezing and sneezing,
and my neighbor's coughing and wheezing,
And I don't think Bach wrote sneezes in this fugue.

I don't think we'll ever make it through this song
Without Kleenex, coughdrops, and NyQuil
Hot tea and a heating pad and Vicks and a doctor bill
and anyway I think it's much too long!

Please pass the kleenex.
Hand out the coughdrops.
Turn on the vaporizer.
Call for the flu shots.

Dish out the chicken soup.
Hand out the crackers.
Please call my mother,
I'm feeling sick!

Mom, please take me home.
(Put me to bed)
I have this cold
(My aching head)
I should have stayed
(home like you said)
but here I am instead,

Oh, I don't want to sing this classy fugue for you,
'Cause we keep on sneezing and sneezing,
and my neighbor's coughing and wheezing,
And I don't think Bach wrote sneezes in this fugue.

Listening Exercise!!!

Okay everybody - remember this week at practice when I played two notes on the piano, and it was really hard to hear and sing the bottom note, but super easy to sing the top note? I want to teach you how to find the bottom notes - and not just that, but how to hear and sing middle notes.

So, here is a link to a Wikepedia page about a very famous Symphony - this is Symphony No. 5, movement 1 by Beethoven. I am sure you will recognize the beginning of it.

What I want you to do is listen to this and list all the instruments you hear. There are a lot! I especially want you to listen to the lower instruments - tuba, cello, and double bass. Hear how they repeat things that the higher instruments play? After you listen to it once, listen again, and see if you can pick out something you didn't hear before. Maybe another instrument. Also, listen for short notes and long notes. Does one instrument hold a long note while another instrument plays short notes?

So. here is the website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beethoven%27s_5th

Click on that link and scroll down until you see this on the right side of the screen:

You can see there are two recordings here. Both are the same music, but one is a college orchestra, and the other is a professional orchestra. Start with the second one - the Fulda Symphony. Then, listen to the other one. See if you can hear differences in the way they perform the music.

Have fun and listen away!!!

CD's and missing practice

Hi, everyone! We gave out CD's last night, so for those of you who missed practice, I put CD's on my front porch, right by the door.

My address is 1821 S Demetro Dr. (900 E) Clearfield, UT 84015. If your parents want directions, they can call me at (801) 784-0106.

***** If you missed practice, it is really important that you come get a CD because we learned a lot of the music on it at practice, so you need to get busy! *******

I will post some words for the songs up here tonight, so come back to have words to help you as you practice with your CD's.

Rhythm Pattern Videos

Okay, get ready to have some serious rhythm pattern fun! I made videos of the rhythm patterns. Have fun practicing!

Videos!!!

Well, still having trouble with recordings, but I can do videos, which are even cooler!!! So here are two videos. The first is the solfege scale to practice. The second is the same, except you can hear the scale sung as an echo, just like we did in practice this week. So watch these and sing along!

This Week's Assignments

Great practice last night! You guys are amazing!!! I am working to get everything up here today, but having some delays. So if you are reading this Thursday after school - thank you so much for checking!!! I'm going to work on this some more this afternoon, so please check back tomorrow for more information. For now:

- Practice your new rhythm sheet - #'s 6-8
- Try to write in more solfege of the new song I gave you.
- Also practice singing the solfege for "Shenandoah"

I'll also try to have a new extra credit assignment up later today or tomorrow.

EXTRA CREDIT

I gave this assignment at practice this week. It's extra, so anyone who does it will get a little treat.

NOTE: You also have to do all the other assignments to get the treat; you can't only do this one and none of the other assignments. Good luck!!!

EXTRA CREDIT ASSIGNMENT:
Look on the internet for information about folk songs and/or the song "Shenandoah". What is a folk song? Who wrote "Shenandoah", and what is it about? Can you find a recording of it?

Please bring something in writing, whether you write it down yourself or print it off. I'll bring a little treat for those who complete this.

Spring 2010: Rehearsal #1 - BREATHING

Last night was full of new and exciting things. Thanks to everyone who came; you all worked really hard, and I felt like we accomplished a lot. You are already amazing singers, and I am excited to help you become absolutely phenomenal!!!

As we discussed last night, there are going to be assignments to be done during the week. The first assignment was to come here, so if you are reading this, than you have already started. Way to go! The second assignment is to do your breathing exercises every day. As a reminder, and for those of you who weren't there, here are some directions:

BREATHING:
1) Lie down flat on your back on the floor. Bend your knees up in the air a bit.


(You can also use a small pillow under your head to be more comfortable.) Put your hands on your tummy, and take several deep breaths in and out. You should feel your tummy going up and down as you breath.

Next, count to three while you breath in and then again as you breath out. Try to use the entire three seconds to draw in and let out the air. It may help to purse your lips like you are sucking through a straw.

Once you have successfully drawn your breathing out across 3 counts, try doing it again, but this time go for four and then five counts.

2) Sit on the edge of a chair. A kitchen chair is ideal. Now bend over just a bit and rest your forearms on your legs. Now do the exact same breathing exercise you did lying down, but this time do it in this sitting position.

TIPS FOR BREATHING:
1) Breathing should make your tummy move, but never your shoulders.


2) Breathing should be silent. A deep breath that makes a lot of noise means your throat is tight, and you can't get as much air that way. Practice taking silent breaths by letting your tummy pop out. This makes room for your lungs to expand, and the air can just rush in and fill up the empty space.


WORKSHEETS: There were two worksheet given out at practice. These should be completed and/or practiced thoroughly by next week. I will try to have these posted here as well, but am having trouble today. So, do your breathing, work on the worksheets on you own if you have them, and come back again tomorrow for more help!