From the Author rs: Hello fellow music teache rstand d to help my students unde ate cre s wa ok bo ing low fol The t osing, and that it s not jus a little bit more about comp ss per. Just as there is a proce pa on tes no of h nc bu a writing there is s in constructing a house, ng thi of g din an rst de un d an ate g of musical elements to cre a process and understandin er ord a simple four-measure rec is g son t tha er eth wh g, a son nt. g, or a symphonic moveme song, a five-minute pop son straightforward and can be The composing activities are h the dents abilities. Even thoug easily modified for your stu course, recorder, the songs can, of for d de en int are s on cti instru free to y pitched instrument. Feel be played on just about an the and note values to adjust es ch pit ed ow all e ov rem add or time for m. And make sure you allow difficulty for your classroo y can songs for each other so the your students to play their tions! enjoy each other s composi D. Brian Weese
Table of Contents Recorder Fingering Chart... 4 Beat Box Draft Page... 5 Notation Practice... 6 More Notation Practice... 8 Composition #1... 10 Melodic Repetition #1... 11 Melodic Repetition #2... 13 Composition #2... 15 Melodic Direction #1... 16 Melodic Direction #2... 17 Composition #3... 18 Musical Cadence #1... 19 Musical Cadence #2... 21 Composition #4... 23 Home Base Note #1... 24 Home Base Note #2... 25 Composition #5... 26 Time Signatures #1... 27 Time Signatures #2... 28 Composition #6... 29 Composing Glossary... 30
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Notation Practice %-fa=-@dq Space "Space" notes touch the line above and the line below. To To draw a a line "line" note, center the the note note head on on the line. Notes have 3 basic parts: flag stem q note head e q Some notes do not have a stem. Some note heads are not filled in. And some notes have more than 1 flag. Copy the given quarter note into the measures below. Make sure each measure has exactly 4 quarter notes. 1 2 3 4 5 q q q When drawing line notes, the note head should be centered on the line, NOT touching the line above or below. %=g=====(=======(=======) %=b=====(=======(=======) %=a=====(=======(=======) When drawing space notes, the note head should be in the space between the lines, just touching the line above and below. %=C=====(=======(=======) If a note head is above the 3 rd line (middle line), draw the stem pointing down. Notice the stem is on the other side (left side). %=r=====(=======(=======) To draw a rest draw a z with a c tail. 6
Pitches: Rhythm Values: Song Title Composer Name Required: 1. Use at least one of each pitch given. 2. Use at least one of each rhythm value given. 3. Use at least one Q but no more than eight. Use them wisely! 4. Follow the time signature. The top number ( 4 ) tells how many beats each measure must have no more, no less. 5. CADENCE: Your song must end with a G. 6. Play test your song and change anything you don t like. 7. Give your song a title. Optional: 1. Use beat boxes to draft your song. 2. Add lyrics to your song. 10
Hot Cross Buns & # 4 4 ΠΠEnglish Street Cry Π& & # 4 4 2 ΠBabylon's See Saw Falling Button, & b & # 4 You Must Wander 2 & # & b 4 ΠTraditional Traditional Hop Old & # Squirrel 4 American Folk Song & & # 4 2 Hammer Ring & # 4 2 American Folk Song & # 11
R = Repeat S = Step-wise motion - exactly 1 note up or down K = Skip - exactly 2 notes up or down L = Leap - more than 2 notes up or down Hot Cross Buns English Street Cry & # 4 ΠΠΠR S Babylon's Falling & # 4 Traditional Spiritual ΠVolga Boat Song Russian Folk Song 4 ΠΠΠ& # w Westminster Chimes J j j & # 4 5 15 Minute Chime 30 minute Chime U U j Grandma Grundt & # 4 U North Carolina Mountain Song & # 16 #
Bow, & # Wow, 4 Wow Œ Children's Rhyme Œ Œ Volga Page s Boat Train Song & # 4 Œ Œ Œ Russian Folk Song Grandma Grundt # J j & b 4 j j North Carolina Mountain Song & b Œ Œ Lightly Row # 4 & 4 Traditional &. 24 & 4. Œ.
Melody This is a set of combined pitches and rhythms that make up a pleasing musical phrase or sentence. Melody, Phrase Structure, Cadence, Repetition Ex2 & # 4 4 & # w Pitch This is the low or high of a note. There are only 7 letter names given to pitches: A, B, C, D, E, F, or G. Rhythm This is the short and long sounds and silences in music, such as & # 4 3 Pitch & # 4 G G A B G B A D & b e q h w d Q Eighth Quarter Half Whole Dotted Quarter Note Note Note Note Note Rest Melodic Contour This is the shape of a melody as if you were playing connect the dots with the note heads of the melody. & # 4 3 There's a hole in my buc - ket, dear & # 30