Blog Archives

April 8, 2020: Week 4, Volume 3

4/8/2020

Current Assignment(s)

Students should be working on the Remote Learning Assignment for the week of April 6 (due Monday, 4/13).
Details can be found in Google Classroom.

Updates

- Click here for parent information about the current Remote Learning Assignment (sent 4/6/2020)

- Click here for an update about the Virginia Trip (sent 4/3/2020)

Featured Resource:
Free Online Lessons

Fall River Arts Academy is offering free online lessons via Facebook Live! Voice Lessons are scheduled for TODAY, Wednesday April 8 from 1:00-1:30pm and again on Wednesday April 22 from 1:00-1:30pm. There are also many other free online events coming up, including lessons for guitar, ukulele, piano, drums, as well as online mini-concerts.

Click here for more information.

Weekly Feature: Unique Ensembles

Accordion Bands

Accordion Bands have a long history in the United States. This article from 1940 describes an event that brought 1,500 Accordion players together for The Los Angeles Fiesta Day (click here for more).

In the 1950s, it was common for children to participate in "Accordion Schools," where they took group lessons and even competed in accordion festivals. Click here to read first-hand accounts from people who experienced these Accordion Schools.

Though ensemble accordion playing may not be as common today, it hasn't totally disappeared. From the Guinness World Records website:

"The largest accordion ensemble consists of 2,260 participants and was achieved by Shenzhen Bao'an District People's Government, China Accordion Association of Chinese Musicians and Shenzhen Accordion Association (all China) in Shenzhen, Guangdong, China, on 24 July 2017.

The accordion ensemble lasted for 6 minutes and 5 seconds."

B-block Recommendations

During Monday's Zoom Class with B-block Concert Chorus, we spent some time talking about the Virtual Choir project that you're all currently working on. Some of the singers also shared virtual choir videos that they've particularly enjoyed - take a look at their recommendations!

"You Will Be Found"
from Dear Evan Hansen

(recorded in 2017, including singers from 31 countries around the world)

While not strictly a Virtual Choir video, John Krasinski's "Some Good News" episode 2 includes a Zoom Virtual Choir with Lin-Manuel Miranda and the cast of Hamilton. Watch the whole episode, or skip to 11:30 for the beginning of the song.

Do you have a recommendation/other content to share? Email Ms. Simmonds.

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April 7, 2020: Week 4, Volume 2

4/7/2020

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Current Assignment(s)

Students should be working on the Remote Learning Assignment for the week of April 6 (due Monday, 4/13).
Details can be found in Google Classroom.

Updates

- Click here for parent information about the current Remote Learning Assignment (sent 4/6/2020)

- Click here for an update about the Virginia Trip (sent 4/3/2020)

Weekly Feature: Unique Ensembles

The Vegetable Orchestra

"Worldwide one of a kind, the Vegetable Orchestra performs on instruments made of fresh vegetables. The utilization of various ever refined vegetable instruments creates a musically and aesthetically unique sound universe." (from their website, which you can find here)

Watch this video for more:

The Vegetable Orchestra "Transplants"
Live @ Volkstheater Vienna, TEDxVienna
2.11.2013

Calling all song recommendations!

What are you listening to these days? We want to feature a playlist of song recommendations from Chorus members in a future blog post. Submit your contributions below!

Thanks to Emma Offord for suggesting and organizing this project!

Do you want to get involved with the Daily News? Click here to submit content or ideas, or email Ms. Simmonds.

Nipmuc Singers and Their Pets

Olivia and Raven

Email Ms. Simmonds with a picture of you and your pet (and their name!) so we can continue to feature Nipmuc singers and the pets keeping us sane during social distancing.

Don't have a pet? Send a picture of whatever else you may be doing these days that's helping you relieve stress and stay grounded!

Listening Recommendation:
Etude for Piano and Disinfecting Wipe

(it's worth zooming in on the sheet music to catch all of the "musical directions")

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April 6, 2020: Week 4, Volume 1

4/6/2020

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Current Assignment(s)

Students should be working on the Remote Learning Assignment for the week of April 6 (due Monday, 4/13).
Details can be found in Google Classroom.

Updates

- Click here for parent information about the current Remote Learning Assignment (sent 4/6/2020)

- Click here for an update about the Virginia Trip (sent 4/3/2020)

Weekly Feature: Unique Ensembles

Did you know that there's a camel marching band in India? This one-of-a-kind ensemble (literally - it's the only one in the world) is part of India's largest paramilitary force, the Border Secure Force. The Camel Mounted Band and the musical and acrobatic teams of the Camel Contingent perform regularly, and always steal the show. Click here to learn more.

Calling all song recommendations!

What are you listening to these days? We want to feature a playlist of song recommendations from Chorus members in a future blog post. Submit your contributions below!

Thanks to Emma Offord for suggesting and organizing this project!

Do you want to get involved with the Daily News? Click here to submit content or ideas, or email Ms. Simmonds.

Featured Resource: Song Exploder

Quoted from the website:

"Song Exploder is a podcast where musicians take apart their songs, and piece by piece, tell the story of how they were made. Guests include Fleetwood Mac, U2, Metallica, Solange, Lorde, Yo-Yo Ma, Carly Rae Jepsen, and over 150 more."
Click here for a full list of episodes.

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April 3, 2020: Week 3, Volume 5

4/3/2020

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Current Assignment(s)

Students should be working on the Extended Learning Assignment for March 30 (due Friday, 4/3).
Details can be found in Google Classroom.

Updates

- Click here for a NEW update about the Virginia Trip (sent 4/3/2020)

- Click here for a parent update about the current Extended Learning Assignment (sent 3/30/2020).

Calling all song recommendations!

What are you listening to these days? We want to feature a playlist of song recommendations from Chorus members in next week's blog. Submit your contributions below!

Thanks to Emma Offord for suggesting and organizing this project!

Do you want to get involved with the Daily News? Click here to submit content or ideas, or email Ms. Simmonds.

Inspiring Conductors: Friday Fun Edition

Many conductors, like New York Philharmonic Director Alan Gilbert, train extensively. But for some, the idea of expressing music through gesture comes pretty naturally!
Both of these videos of young children conducting went viral several years ago:

Weekend Poll: Internet Time Wasters

According to a recent buzzfeed article, each of the following websites is a "useful and fun websites you can spend literally an entire day on."

Check them out, and vote for your favorite, or contribute something new!

1. The True Size Of...: put in the name of a country and see how its size compares to others.
2. Do Nothing for 2 Minutes: ah, soothing wave sounds...
3. Find the Invisible Cow: as weird as it sounds. but also, fun?
4. Quick, Draw!: help the machines get smarter.
5. Music Map: put in a band/artist that you like, and get recommendations for similar artists.

Happy Friday, everyone!

Have a good weekend, stay safe, and strive to be as calm as my cat enjoying the sunshine.

(Also, keep the pet pictures coming. Looking at pictures of cute and/or weird animals is what's keeping me going these days!)

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April 2, 2020: Week 3, Volume 4

4/2/2020

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Current Assignment(s)

Students should be working on the Extended Learning Assignment for March 30 (due Friday, 4/3).
Details can be found in Google Classroom.

Updates

- Click here for a parent update about the current Extended Learning Assignment (sent 3/30/2020).

- Click here for the most recent update about the Virginia Trip (sent 3/23/2020).

Calling all song recommendations!

What are you listening to these days? We want to feature a playlist of song recommendations from Chorus members in next week's blog. Submit your contributions below!

Thanks to Emma Offord for suggesting and organizing this project!

Do you want to get involved with the Daily News? Click here to submit content or ideas, or email Ms. Simmonds.

Inspiring Conductors

In honor of the conducting video I made of My Very Own, this week I will feature a daily conducting video.

Marin Alsop

Marin Alsop is the first female conductor to lead a major American orchestra - the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. She is celebrated as one of the leading conductors of our time and one who has been a pioneer for greater opportunities for women conductors. Click here to learn more.

Speaking to a New York Times reporter in 2019, Alsop said, "I’ve been the first woman to do a lot of things, and I’m really proud, but I also think it’s absolutely pathetic.” Click here to read the full article, and watch the interview below to learn more about how Alsop is working to make orchestral music more socially relevant today.

Recent Interview (Feb. 26, 2020)

Alsop conducts the National Youth Orchestra in 2017

Featured Resource: VoiceScienceWorks

Taken from the VoiceScienceWorks website:
"Welcome to everything your voice can do - Welcome to VoiceScienceWorks!
We take contemporary research on the voice and translate it into directly applicable information so that you, the voice user, can immediately apply it in your practice. Our website is free, accessible and friendly to all voice users who wish to deepen their understanding and empower their learning process!"

The VoiceScienceWorks website is a great resource to learn more about vocal technique and improve your singing. There are videos, explanations, and exercises, and everything is broken down in a user-friendly format.

This video, also found here on the VoiceScienceWorks website, shows an MRI of the vocal tract while the participants are singing. Check out the difference between and operatic soprano and a beatboxer. Then check out the VoiceScienceWorks website for more!

Decade of Pop Mashup

We've had collaborations and covers, now we've got mashups.
100 Pop songs from the last 10 years, combined into 3 minutes.
Want more? Check out DJ Earworm's youtube channel for more mashups.

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April 1, 2020: Week 3, Volume 3

4/1/2020

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Current Assignment(s):

Students should be working on the Extended Learning Assignment for March 30 (due Friday, 4/3).
Details can be found in Google Classroom.

Updates:

- Click here for a parent update about the current Extended Learning Assignment (sent 3/30/2020).

- Click here for the most recent update about the Virginia Trip (sent 3/23/2020).

April Birthdays!

Wish these Chorus singers a Happy Birthday, and thanks to Morgann for keeping the monthly birthdays going!

Inspiring Conductors:

In honor of the conducting video I made of My Very Own, this week I will feature a daily conducting video.

Leopold Stokowski

Leopold Stokowski was one of the first conductors who became famous outside the orchestra world. Most famously, he appeared in Disney's 1940 Fantasia alongside The Philadelphia Orchestra.

Click here to learn more about Leopold Stokowski, and enjoy this clip of Stokowski conducting Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor.

Are These Covers Better than the Originals?

Yesterday we featured surprising collaborations. Today: cover songs. Enjoy this reimagining of Toto's Africa, and then click here for more covers that people think may be better than the original.

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Forward>>

April 8, 2020: Week 4, Volume 3

Current Assignment(s)

Updates

Featured Resource: ​Free Online Lessons

Weekly Feature: Unique Ensembles

Accordion Bands

B-block Recommendations

April 7, 2020: Week 4, Volume 2

Current Assignment(s)

Updates

​Weekly Feature: Unique Ensembles

​Calling all song recommendations!

Nipmuc Singers and Their Pets

Listening Recommendation:​Etude for Piano and Disinfecting Wipe

April 6, 2020: Week 4, Volume 1

Current Assignment(s)

Updates

Weekly Feature: Unique Ensembles

Calling all song recommendations!

Featured Resource: Song Exploder

April 3, 2020: Week 3, Volume 5

Current Assignment(s)

Updates

Calling all song recommendations!

Inspiring Conductors: Friday Fun Edition

Weekend Poll: Internet Time Wasters

Happy Friday, everyone!

April 2, 2020: Week 3, Volume 4

Current Assignment(s)

Updates

Calling all song recommendations!

Inspiring Conductors

Featured Resource: VoiceScienceWorks

Decade of Pop Mashup

April 1, 2020: Week 3, Volume 3

Current Assignment(s):

Updates:

April Birthdays!

Inspiring Conductors:

Are These Covers Better than the Originals?

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Featured Resource:
Free Online Lessons

Weekly Feature: Unique Ensembles

Calling all song recommendations!

Listening Recommendation:
Etude for Piano and Disinfecting Wipe