«Cripple Creek». 2nd Year Class C D

2nd Year Class C D played «Cripple Creek» an Old Time Appalachian folk song (Appalachia is a cultural region in the Eastern United States). This version was arranged by DMS.

Glockenspiels: Lucía Rodríguez Gutiérrez, Fátima Qessouri, Jonathan Cruz Auqui. Soprano metallophone: Lía Rodríguez-Colubi Fernández. Alto metallophones: Adrián Rego Criado, Pablo Rodríguez Bernardo, Rim Bensouda. Soprano xylophones: Daniel Tercero Alustiza, Iván Vizcay Gutiérrez, Carla Agustiño Caveda. Alto xylophones: Anna Sibyriakova, Gael Winberg. Bass xylophone: Raquel Riera Turiel.

It´s raining, it´s pouring. 2nd Year Class A B

It´s raining, it´s pouring is an English nursery rhyme.

Glockenspiels: Beltrán Fernández Rubín, Sergio Estrada Paredes, Julio Díaz Méndez, Alba Gallo Tejón. Soprano metallophones: Sara García Díaz, Victoria Rotela Benítez. Alto metallophones: David Manotoa Garzón, Miguel Fernández Menéndez, Luis Gutiérrez Llamedo. Soprano xylophones: María Martín Alonso, Rosana Mangue Nzang. Alto xylophones: Martín López Fernández, Miguel Galán Fernández, Pablo Menéndez Fernández, Diego de la Vega Cao. Bass xylophone: Miguel Mata Casado.

Nursery rhymes. 1st Year Class E

Now, Lavender´s blue is performed by First year E.

Nursery rhymes. 1st Year Class A C

It´s time to play musical instruments! First Year Class A C played Laverder´s Blue. It's an English nursery rhyme dating to the 17th century.  It has been recorded many times since the 20th century. In 2015 the song was used by Disney in «Cinderella».

Music tastes. 1st Year Class E

This is our last padlet wall about music tastes, made by 1st Year Class E.

Music tastes. 1st Year Class B D

Students by First yeat B and D have created a new Padlet wall to show their music tastes.

Music tastes. 1st Year Class A C

We have create a padlet wall to show the music tastes of our students. Enjoy the wall by first year A C.

Opera houses from all over the world

Second Year. Unit 5. Homework

Complete the chart in your notebook (page 54) surfing the following websites:

Royal Opera House: Il Trovatore. 4 December.
Sidney Opera House: La Traviata. 3 February.
Metropolitan Opera House: Don Giovanni. 19 October.

Overture for the academic year 2016-2017

The academic year 2016-2017 has started. Here we have bilingüal students. Welcome!

1st Year Class  A C

1st Year Class C D

1st Year Class E

2nd Year Class A B

2nd Year Class C D

The twin quavers collection of musical instruments

The twin quavers  collection of musical instruments 2016. Here you can see a selection of the homemade instruments created by the students of First Year classes A to D.

The twin quavers collection of musical instruments 2016

Homemade musical instrument card

Sergio Estrada playing the Waterbottlephone

Donkey, donkey. Second Year DE

Donkey, donkey. Second Year BC

Donkey, donkey. Second Year A

«Donkey, donkey» is a traditional nursery rhyme adapted by Doug Goodkin («Intery Mintery. Nursery rhymes»).

Line-up

Glockenspiels: Carla Balseiros Palacios, Covadonga Balmori Álvarez-Cofiño, Andrés Barajas García, Carlota Rioseco Rodríguez. Soprano metallophone: Óscar Cascudo Alba. Alto metallophones: Luis Eduardo Peña Torres, Elena Fernández Suárez. Soprano xylophones: Pelayo Álvarez Valín, Cristina Barril Fernández, Inés Campo Menes. Alto xylophones: Yanina Sánchez Ortega, Diego Álvarez García, Claudia Álvarez de la Torre.

Bow, Wow, Wow. First Year CD

Bow, Wow, Wow. A nursery rhyme from «Intery Mintery» by Doug Goodkin.

Line-up

Glockenspiels: Carlos González Delgado, Fátima Zahra Qessouri, Pablo Menéndez Fernández, Lucía Rodríguez Gutiérrez. Alto metallophone: Sara García Díaz, Miguel Fernández Menéndez, Diego de la Vega Cao, Rosana Mangue Nzang. Soprano xylophone: Adrián Rego Criado, José David Manotoa Garzón, Gaël Winberg Bajo. Alto xylophone: Jonathan Cruz Auqui, María Cascudo Rubio, Jorge Cué Artime, Rim Bensouda. Bass xylophone: Iván Vizcay Gutiérrez. Finger cymbals: Ignacio Tercero Alustiza.

Bow, Wow, Wow. First Year AB

This term First Year students have played «Bow, Wow, Wow», a nursery rhyme from «Intery Mintery. Nursery rhymes» by Doug Goodkin. Here you can see AB groups.

Line-up

Glockenspiels: María Martín Alonso, Lía Rodríguez-Colubi Fernández, Jairo Domínguez Liboreiro, Miguel Ángel Mata Casado. Soprano metallophone: Anna Sibiryakova. Alto metallophones: Luis Gutiérrez Llamedo, Sara Vega González, Carla Agustiño Caveda. Soprano xylophones: Martín López Fernández, Miguel Galán Fernández. Alto xylophones: Julio Díaz Méndez, Beltrán Fernández Rubín, Noelia González Pérez.

The twin quavers exhibition of CD sleeves

This term, Second Year students had to design a CD sleeve. Every student had a specific musical work. Before making the sleeve they had to get information about the work and  the composer and complete a card. Here you have some examples (click on the picture).

After researching they were each inspired to create a CD sleeve, which was a great challenge for them. In the album below  you can see the exhibition of CD sleeves. Congratulations! Good job!

A traditional music concert

Last Friday, January 22,  we walked to the Filarmónica theatre to see a live concert of tradtional Asturian music. We met students from other high schools. At the beginning, a presenter was speaking about traditional music in Asturias. Some teachers of the Traditional Music School were seated in chairs. They showed us  instruments such as castanets, rattles, the bass drum, the drum, the tambourine; different types of flutes, accordion, bagpipes, the guitar or the hurdy-gurdy. They explained things about them, for example how they are made. There was a singer, Anabel Santiago who sung some giraldillas, jotas and asturianada. We had a very good time. We think that it was a great school trip and we are looking forward to going to a live concert again.

María Cascudo Rubio, Raquel Riera Turiel, 1º ESO C, Mateo de la Vega Cao, Pablo Rodríguez Bernardo, 1º ESO D.

Anabel Santiago performed a giraldilla entitled «Alparagatas» 

Live traditional Asturian music

Last Friday, January 22, first year students went to the Filarmónica Theatre to see a concert of traditional Asturian music. When we arrived to the theatre there were children from other high schools. There were eight musicians who are teachers at the Traditional School of Music. They played different types of instruments. They started talking about percussion instruments especially the rattle, an instrument that consists of  a board made of wood which is beaten with one or more hammers. They also played instruments such as castanets, drums and tambourines. They continued playing wind instruments such as flutes, the canaveira, the accordion and the most important in Asturias, the bagpipe. Then, they talked about string instruments and we listened the bandurria, the guitar and the hurdy-gurdy. We think that this instrument is quite funny and we haven´t seen it before. There was a girl, Anabel Santiago, who is a very famous singer in Asturias, and sung very well. They played lot of songs, for example «Dame un besu», «Alparagatas», «Xiringüelu», jotas and asturianadas. At the end of the show, the Oviedo bagpipes band came into the theatre and played the Asturian national anthem. In our opinion the concert was interesting and we liked that they spent a little part of the time telling us about the human voice. We enjoyed the concert very much.

Julio Díaz Méndez, Sergio Estrada Paredes, Sara Vega González (1º ESO A), Miguel Galán Fernández, Martín López Fernández, Lía Rodríguez-Colubi Fernández (1º ESO B).

The Oviedo bagpipes band

Teranga: the legacy of the griots of Senegal

Last Wednesday, the 20 of January, all of the second year students attendded  the show «Teranga: the legacy of the Griots of Senegal» by the hand of six young men from Senegal who want to keep the cultural tradition of their country alive. At the beginning of the performance the original dresses and the peculiar dances caught our attention. During the concert, the group played some interesting pieces using typical instruments from Senegal, such as the balafon, a sort of marimba, the tama, the «talking drum» and djembes. Drums were played with hands and drumsticks. We also saw the kora, a mix of a harp and a lute. Everything was accompanied by a lot of imagery and traditional dances. They showed that music has a specific function in Senegal, for working and praying, also for getting married and as well as rain dances and songs. The concert was very fun and now we know a little bit more about Senegal, and we would like to go there sometime.

Lucía Morán Cimadevilla (2 ESO D), Javier Pañeda Valderrábano (2º ESO D), Laura San Martín Sánchez (2º ESO E).

The musicians playing drums

Music from Senegal: Teranga

Last wednesday, the 20th of January, we went to the Filarmonica theatre to see «Teranga», a traditional music group from Senegal. There were six people, five men and one woman. The woman danced and sang and the five men played instruments and accompanied her singing. They played a lot of strange instruments such as the «tama» (drum) or the kora (string instrument). They taught us many interesting things about their culture and traditions. For example, how to ask for rain. We also remember when the girl said: «If you want to marry me, you have to have cows». For us it was very funny, but she described a real situation which wasn´t so funny. We had a good time because it was something different and we learned a lot  about traditions and music from Senegal.

Thalía Devesa Fernández, Mateo Fernández Alonso (2º ESO B) and Nicolás González Fernández (2º ESO C).

Second year students in the Filarmónica Theatre.

Live music: Teranga, el legado de los griots de Senegal

Last Wednesday, January 20, second year students  went to the Filarmonica theatre to see «Teranga, el legado de los griots de Senegal». The show started with a presentation of the group and then the lights turned off and two people entered to the stage from side doors. On the stage the other three musicians were singing and dancing.

They taught us typical dances and songs from Senegal, for example, a ritual song that they sing when it doesn't rain. Sometimes there was an alternation of singers. This style is called «call and response» and it is a very important characteristic of African music. About instruments, they used a lot of percussion instruments and some unusual instruments, for example the «tama» that means «talking drum». We also saw the «balafón», a percusssion instrument that can play melodys (pitched instrument). The only string instrument we listened was the «kora». In this show the rhythm, the percussion and the dance were very important.

We think that Senegalese music is very different from  Spanish music because they use different instruments and they use their voices differently, for example they use call and response. We didn´t ’t like the music from Senegal so much because it's so strange.

Diego Álvarez García and Cristina Barril Fernández, 2º ESO A

Second year students walking to the Filarmónica theatre.

Harmony and texture test

Do you remember everything about harmony and texture? Check by doing this test.

Types of texture

Monophonic music has only one melodic line.


Polyphonic music has several melodic lines. Types of polyphony:

Drone: The melody is played along with a note fixed in pitch.

Heterophonic texture. Two or more voices simultaneously performing variations of the same melody.

Contrapuntal texture. Two or more independent melodies played at the same time. The parts move with rhythmic independence.

Homophonic texture. Two or more parts move at the same time, together in harmony. A homophonic texture is also homorhythmic.

Melody-dominated texture. It has one clearly melodic line (it's the line that naturally draws your attention) and all other parts provide accompaniment for the lead voice

Texture

Musical texture is the way musical lines interact in a piece of music. You know that there are different types of musical texture. Below you can find links to helpful videos related to texture and types of texture.  

Texture and voice in music

What is musical texture?

Music texture

Texture in 2,5 minutes

Musical textures

Texturas musicales

What´s a cadence?

A cadence is a progression of chords used to finish off a musical phrase. It creates a sense of finality or repose.

Types of cadences

Harmony

Harmony is the use of different notes (pitches) simultaneously. Melodic music consists of notes played one after another while harmonic music consists of two or more notes played simultaneously.

Most harmony is based on chords. A chord is a group of notes played simultaneously (at the same time). The basic chord is named a triad. It consists of three notes: the root (any note you like) together with the third and the fifth above the root. When the notes of a musical chord are played separately, one after the other instead of together, we use the term arpeggio.

Chords can be majors and minors. The third above the root is major (two tones) in major chords, the third above the root is minor (one tone, one semitone) in minor chords. This is the reason why major chords sound bright and happy and minor chords sound sad and mournful.

Concord, or consonance, is a nice and pleasant sound that you get when some notes are played together, such as harmonic intervals of 3th, 6th, and 5th , 8th ones.

Discord, or dissonance, is an awful and unpleasant sound that you get when some notes are played together, such as harmonic intervals of 2nd and 7th  ones.

Tonic triads

Chords

Arpeggios

How to identify major and minor chords

Diference between consonance and disonance

Rhythm test

Revise what you have learnt about rhythm in this unit

Time listening

Ear training-types of time.

Simple duple, triple and quadruple meter

Duple time

Turkish march. W.A. Mozart

This old man

Early one morning

Triple time

Oranges and lemons

Lavender´s blue

Pirates of the caribbean

Quadruple time

London bridge is falling down

Merrily we roll along

The muffin man

Time

Time signature types. The basics.

Here you have some exercises to practise time signatures

Time signature

Music Basics: Notes and Rhythm. Lesson 1: Note Values, Duration, and Time Signatures.

Teaching music with rhythmic clapping

Note values

Don't forget note values. Remember that their names change depending on American or British English.

 British English on the right,  American English on the left

Note-values tree

Music Basics: Notes and Rhythm. Lesson 1: Note Values, Duration, and Time Signatures.

Music Theory: Note Names, Rests & Dotted Notes

Beat and tempo

You know that beat is the internal pulse of a piece of music.

What is beat?

Tempo is the speed of the beat.

Beat and tempo

Tempo

Tempo markings

Types of tempo

Rhythm

Learning rhythm is not difficult. Pay careful attention to the following videos, they can help you to understand the basics of rhythm.

Basics of rhythm

What is beat?

What is the difference between Rhythm and beat?

Music Basics: Notes and Rhythm. Lesson 1: Note Values, Duration, and Time Signatures.

Music Theory: Note Names, Rests & Dotted Notes

Teaching music with rhythmic clapping