Oral and Aural Assessment

1. E      A.  Mozart Eine Kleine Nachtmusik

2. D      B.  Mozart Marriage of Figaro

3. J       C.  Beethoven 5th Symphony

4. F       D.  Beethoven 9th Symphony

5. A       E.  Beethoven Fur Elise

6. H       F.  Lieder Schubert the Trout

7. B       G.  Verdi Anvil Chorus from Il Trovatore

8. G       H.  Wagner Ride of the Valkyries

9. C        I.  Tchaikovsky Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy Nutcracker

10. I       J.  Tchaikovsky 1812 Overture

 

Oral AssessmentLinks to an external site.

 

Book, Score & CD Tour 

• Comment on 2 favorite resources you found for each period(total of 4 resources)

1. Title 

2. Description

3. Reasons Why

 

Classical Music for Home Improvements 

This is a CD of classical (and some romantic) music that are full of loud bangs, huge crescendos, and marches. Some songs include Beethoven: Symphony No. 5 - movement one; Elgar: Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1; Verdi: Requiem - Dies Irae; Grieg: "Peer Gynt" Suit No. 1 - In the Hall of the Mountain King. This music will definitely help motivate people renovating their homes! 

I thought this was a comical CD full of some incredibly music. The only thing  I didn't like was that it wasn't just classical music, romantic music is included too (misleading title!). 

 

Amadeus (the movie)

This is a movie regarding the life of Amadeus Wolfgang Mozart; mainly, the movie shows his descend in healf due to his composing of his Requiem. Mozart was commissioned to compose it by a mysterious stranger and believed he was composing this Requiem for his own funeral. He died before its completion. 

I love this movie. We watched in on the bus to the airport in Europe and since then I have looooooved it. It is mostly accurate, and shows Mozart's life in a descriptive yet entertaining manner. 

 

Tenors, Tantrums, and Trills - An Opera Dictionary from Aida to Zzzzz

This is an A to Z dictionary about opera! Some of my favorite definitions are "Hell", "Opera Lover", and "Shake". Also the pictures depicting plot scenes, instruments, singers, etc. are hilarious. 

I love this book because it is educational and funny all wrapped up in one. The definitions are all accurate, but some have a comical second definition attached (ie. "belly"). Also, I liked the pictures a lot! Especially the one on page 46 (in the spirit of Christmas, I am enjoying ornaments right now). 

 

Verdi- Requiem 

This is, obviously, a requiem composed by Verdi. It is for four solo voices and a chorus. This score has been marked up by previous performers (or conductors) and is full of notes regarding dynamics, phrasing, annunciation (well, emphasis of syllables) etc. 

I love requiems nonetheless, but this one is so full of dynamic variation that it is enthralling to listen to. When looking through the score, there are pppp and there are ff. There are constant expressive markings, and some crazy countermelodies. I also love the markings I have found within it (my favorite note being massive letters saying "FLOAT"). Overall, romantic music, especially such large compositions such as requiems, are incredibly entertaining, impressive, and overwhelmingly grand. 

Concert Review 

linkLinks to an external site.

Period Projects 

The French Revolution & BeethovenLinks to an external site.

Love Triangle: Johannes Brahms, Robert Schumann & Clara Wieck-SchumannLinks to an external site.

Pianos and Pianists-Steinway CompanyLinks to an external site.

Content & Final Reflection 

Step 1

• How has the music of the Classical and Romantic Periods influenced and inspired contemporary artists?  Provide examples.

  • Billy Joel is a great example of this. Billy Joel and other artist took the style—simplicity of Classical or grandiose of Romantic—, or actual written pieces, and transformed them into something modern. Billy Joel would use a chord progression, one line melody, etc. and then change the instrumentation, speed, and all of a sudden it's a whole new piece. That doesn't change the fact that Classical music was the initial muse. 

 

Step 2

• Provide examples of resources/organizations that provide 'classical' music to consumers and patrons on a local level

Taconic Music, Manchester Music Festival, the VSO, and Tanglewood are all local organizations that provide 'classical' music to consumers and patrons on a local level. 

 

Step 3

• Review the Benchmark Goals you set for yourself in Getting Started: What is it that you hope to know and/or be able to do at the conclusion of the course?  

A.  Comment on your semester achievements in relation to your initial goals

I have achieved my exact goal. Although I have a ways to go until I am any sort of master at this, I have learned how to assess what style/form/era my piece is from/in, and then make phrasing and ornamental decisions based on this knowledge. I am very happy in what I know now. 

B.   How well did you achieve your goal?  What goals were met?  What goals were not met?

All three of my baseline goals were met (to an extent— I don't think you are every truly done with phrasing and background knowledge because it can only improve). I believe I have achieved my goal quite well! 

C.  What has been the greatest benefit/most rewarding aspect of your learning experience?

The most rewarding aspect is being able to get a new piece of music, seeing the year/composer, recognizing the style, and then knowing exactly how that grace note should be played. I love it. 

D.  How well did you avoid sources of interference to stay on task?

I started working in the other room in order to avoid my sources of interference— other people. It has worked pretty well!

 

Step 4

• Review your Unit 1 Self Regulation Inventory

A.  Comment on how you addressed the weaknesses you identified and/or how you overcame challenges in regards to achieving success this semester

I got rid of my college stress quickly but submitting my applications. I didn't always set mini-goals for myself, but I handled distraction in the best way I could. 

B.  Reassess the 30 true/false statements for the Self Regulation Inventory.  Compare your current ratio to your initial one.

 I am aware of my intellectual strengths and weaknesses. True

I am able to know what kind of information is most important to learn.  True

I am good at organizing information.  True

I know what the teacher expects me to learn.  True

I am good at remembering information.  True

I have control over how well I learn.  True

I am a good judge of how well I understand something.  True

I learn more when I am interested in the topic.  True

I try to use strategies or learning techniques that have worked for me in the past.  True

I am aware of the methods that I am using when I study.  True

 I use different learning strategies depending on the situation.  True

I use my intellectual strengths to compensate for my weaknesses.  True

I know when each strategy I use will be most effective.  True

I slow down when I encounter important information. True

I draw pictures, diagrams and take notes to help me understand while learning. True

I try to translate new information into my own words. True

I ask myself if what I’m reading is related to what I already know. True

I try to break studying down into smaller steps.  True

I ask myself periodically if I am meeting my goals.  True

I consider several alternatives to a problem before I answer.  False

I find myself analyzing the usefulness of strategies while I study.  True

 I ask myself questions about how well I am doing while learning something new. True

I ask others for help when I don’t understand something.  True

I am persistent when working on a challenging problem.  True

I re-evaluate my assumptions when I get confused.  True

I stop and reread or re-view material when I get confused.  True

I know how well I did once I finish a test.  False

I ask myself if there was an easier way to do things after I finish a task.  True

I ask myself how well I accomplish my goals once I’m finished.  True

I ask myself if I learned as much as I could have once I finish a task. True

True:False

WAS 25:5 IS NOW 28:2

C.  How would you approach the process differently if you had another opportunity to learn in this manner?

I would have begun the semester with a bit more drive; I would have appreciated the extra time on certain units. 

D.  What have you learned about learning?

I have learned that I can learn around noise, but not around people who I know and talk to often. My source of distraction is strange. 

E.  How does what you learned relate to other things you have been learning or have experienced?

I feel like everything I've been learning lately is about music, so this fits right in! Lessons about phrasing always remind me of music history.

F.  How has your thinking about your thinking(metacognition)changed?

I have become better at recognizing when I'm burnt out and need a break; I do poor work when I'm exhausted and a short break and get my head back into place. 

 

Step 5

• Use the following Rubric to guide your responses regarding your semester achievements

A.  Identify areas of strengths

I have been staying on task and avoiding distraction quite well.

B.  Identify areas of needed improvement

I don't push myself as far as I could go (or sometimes as far as I'd like to go).

C.  What strategies might you use in the future to overcome these challenges?

If I organize my time from the beginning, I will have more time at the end to delve deeper into topics I desire. 

 

Step 6

• Briefly review the assignments you have submitted for Units 6-9

A.  Comment on the quality of work reflected in your ePortfolio as well as the content of your manilla folder

I feel that my test scores and my listening responses have improved greatly. I think I am beginning to expand my musical vocabulary and understanding, allowing to respond more by instinct (I know how to articulate my thought and have more background to draw from). 

B.  Did you modify your portfolio approach for the second part of the semester or repeat your approach from the first part?

I repeated from the first part. 

 

Step 7

Answer the following questions regarding the future use of the course material

• Identify 3 of the most important concepts or skills you learned in this course

  • I learned the basic differences between the styles of the major music eras. 
  • I learned vocabulary involving forms, styles, ornamentals, etc.
  • I learned how to differentiate different forms, styles, etc. by looking for aural clues (ear training). 

• Explain why you perceive these concepts or skills to be important

  • Not only did I expand my basic understanding of Music history and music components, I grew my ability to hear these differences. This has helped me a great deal when decided phrasing and ornamental styling in my audition pieces. 

• How do you anticipate using these concepts or skills in the future?

  • Music school! If I go to Ithaca I bet this will be a great help in Styles. 

 

Step 8

• Please provide some advice and words of wisdom for students taking this course in the future

  • Get your work done in class, I mean it. You have all of this time, why would you waste it? If you need to separate yourself from friends to get some work done, just do it; don't make life more stressful for yourself. 

 

Step 9

• Please help us sculpt the future of the course by providing feedback, suggestions, etc. related to Unit Content, Listen, Launchpad, Wix, On-Campus, ePortfolio, Workflow, etc. 

  • NO MORE CANVAS. or at least until it gets all of its bugs worked out. 

HONORS TRACK

Book Review

Step 1

    •    Please submit the following

1.  Title & Author

The World in Six Songs by Daniel Levitin. 

2.  Brief Summary of the Reading Material to include 3-5 quotes/passages(including page #) 

Daniel Levitin explained the evolution, use, and purpose of the six main types of songs: friendship, joy, comfort, knowledge, religion, and love. Some had evolutionary purposes, such as friendship and knowledge. On friendship Levitin says he "believe[s] that synchronous, coordinated song and movement were what created the strongest bonds between early humans, or protohumans, and these allowed for the formation of larger living grounds, and eventually society as we know it" (50). On the topic of knowledge, Levitin had a different idea: he believed knowledge songs are used as tools rather than entertainment (eg. singing abc's help children learn). Other types of songs don't have as a profound beginning, but share an important roll today. On the topic of comfort songs, Levitin states, "After the attacks of September 11, 2001, Americans were in need of comfort... a song written by an immigrant in 1918, near the end of World War I, Irving Berlin's "God Bless America" ... [had the capacity] to unite the country in a way that was both comforting and brought strength" (131). Levitin goes on to compare them to joy songs: "You might expect that sad people would be uplifted by happy music... happy music can be especially irritating because it makes them feel even more alone, less understood" (133).  Other types of songs he included were quite clear in their purpose (love and religion) and although were given hefty explanations, I don't believe they need to be restated. 

3.  Please answer the following

    •    Describe your thoughts, feelings and/or emotional response to the reading

While this is an interesting take on music (and definitely had some points that made me think) I think David Levitin over simplified the "types of songs". For example, friendship songs (and especially the origins) can have completely different connotations. War songs and passing the time songs are quite different in my mind. I also didn't enjoy the lack of consideration for instrumental and classical vocal music. Finally, he was quite long winded in some explanations that I believe didn't need to be included (ie. religion and love songs are intuitive in purpose). Overall, I enjoyed the concepts Levitin was explaining but the overall writing in the book was not my favorite. 

    •    What was the most important insight you gained from the reading?

I believe the most important insight I gained is that each type of song stemmed from an evolutionary aspect of human society. Music was part of survival, and you cannon separate the two. When performing a song it can be vital to consider it's initial purpose to society (and how that may affect the way it is played, listened to, etc).

    •    What surprised you the most in the reading?

I think the most surprising part of the reading was about comfort music. I was interested about why we enjoy sad/comforting music instead of happy tunes when we're sad. I didn't know there was a scientific reason behind it due to the hormones we produce in response to certain music. 

    •    What did you already know?

I think a lot of what was in the book I didn't exactly know but it was intuitive. Like I mentioned before, love songs and religious songs aren't hard to pin down the purpose for. Especially in the religious section of the book I already knew quite a lot due to our work about sacred music in this class. 

    •    In what ways might you be able to apply the reading material to your musical interests?

I enjoy the idea of connecting the type of song you are playing/hearing to its evolutionary origin. For example, if I am playing a song intended to represent togetherness (or was used as a means of gathering), my phrasing can be improved by knowing that this type of song stemmed from war (intimidation), passing time during work, and enjoying the time away from it.