Marie Murphy Music Update

At the start of our Blues Composition, we traced different types of notes in a packet so we could learn how to write them. After that, we all chose what notes/letters to use in our compositions. We started writing all of the notes in the appropriate spots and with the correct stems. Once we were done writing all the correct notes in the appropriate spots, we went to the computers and opened Sibelius. On Sibelius, we put all of the notes in correctly and made a tune. My favorite part was the end results. After all of the hard work, it paid off. The tunes were very good.

In music we started a fun project called the blues composition. We had partners and we worked together to basically make a fun short music piece. First we practiced writing/drawing our notes on a packet Mr. Hammond gave us. We traced, drew, and colored in our notes. After everyone learned and got used to drawing these notes, we all got small sheets where we drew our notes. We used the slides that Mr. Hammond made to see what options we had for notes. After we did measures 1-12, we went on the computer to actually make music with them. We put all the notes together and it turned out we made a beautiful piece. At the end we all shared our music!

We started by learning how to draw notes on a staff. Then, we chose note cards. We then cut them out and gave the rhythms pitches. Once we gave the rhythms different pitches, we wrote out our notes on the staff. Then, we checked the notes with Mr. Hammond and got assigned to a computer. Once we were at a computer, we used this app called Sibelius. We entered our notes that we wrote down into Sibelius. After we entered all of our notes, we got to listen to our song. My favorite part was when we were listening to everyone’s Blues Composition. It was nice to hear what everyone created and also the one that I created.

In our study of Film Scores, we analyzed different pieces and scenes written by different composers. In this unit, we learned about referencing, tone painting, mickey mousing, diegetic and non-diegetic music, motifs, leitmotifs, and many other musical techniques used in film scores. For my film score project, I was assigned the composer Danny Elfman. Me and my group chose a piece from The Grinch called “Stealing Christmas” as our film score piece. We had to analyze and compose a presentation about this piece. My favorite part of learning about film scores was this presentation since I got to analyze and study this piece with my group and gain a deeper understanding of the musical techniques that are used in film scores.

Some things that we learned about in the film score unit was that film music is used to set the mood of each scene, and it helps with foreshadowing and symbolizes characters or events. We also learned about the four main functions of music in films, which are to create a sense of time or place, convey or describe characters and ideas, create a mood or atmosphere, and finally it also expresses emotions. My composer that I was assigned to was John Williams. The piece and scene that I analyzed was Star Wars: The Last Jedi in “The Battle of Crait.” My favorite part of learning about film scores was watching and analyzing movies.

My favorite style of music from our quarter three History of Rock and Roll unit was definitely the Doo Wop genre. This was my favorite style of music from our unit because of the vocal harmonies and impersonating the instruments with their voices. I think that it’s very creative and it really makes the songs sound much better. My favorite Doo Wop song is the “Life Could Be a Dream” one that you showed us from the Cars movie. I really enjoy its lyrics and also the general sound of the song. I don’t know how to describe it, but it just makes my ears feel good.

My favorite musical artist from our Quarter 3 History of Rock and Roll unit was Elvis Presley. Something I learned about Elvis was how Chuck Berry, who was another musical artist we learned about in this unit, was a big influence on Elvis’ performance style and showmanship. My favorite song that Elvis wrote was “Hound Dog.” I liked how exciting and upbeat it was and how the performance style was well-received by the teenage audience.

My favorite music style from our Quarter Three History of Rock and Roll unit was Surf Rock. I really liked the various moods throughout the different songs. I learned that some have a very sad and nostalgic tone, such as “The Things We Did Last Summer” by The Beach Boys, while others were lively, energetic, and groovy, like “Wipeout” by the Surfaris. My favorite song from the Surf Rock style was “Fun, Fun, Fun” by The Beach Boys. I liked the guitar, and it was really interesting how the drums almost “cued” the bass to join in. Overall, I really enjoyed this part of the History of Rock and Roll unit and it has taught me several things I would not have known, or expected, at all.