Hymn to Freedom

We will be learning this historic song, by Canadian composer, Oscar Peterson.  Here is Hymn to Freedom.

Here's a more recent version performed with Oliver Jones in 2004.

Here is some more information on the song, Hymn to Freedom by Oscar Peterson.  Click here for more on Hymn to Freedom

Here is a recording of the song with the lyrics:

Muted Trumpet

As we were listening to the opening of White in the Moon the Long Road Lies by the amazing Sri Lankan/Canadian composer, Dinuk Wijeratne, we were wondering what instrument was playing during the introduction.

We discovered it was a mute or plunger or stopper that is placed in the bell of a trumpet that created that buzzy, hazy sound.

We have been learning about East Indian music and the tabla drums in White in the Moon the Long Road Lies.  Several students have a connection with these drums in their culture and we are going to attempt to learn a 14 beat rhythmic cycle called Deepchandi and see if we can incorporate some of the drumming techniques (which are VERY difficult!).

Our Song

The Grade 4/5's are learning about the true stories behind our national anthem, "O Canada."  They were shocked!

This is the person who wrote the melody for O Canada.  His name is Calixa Lavallee.  He was a composer but also an adventurer.  The story goes that while at his Quebec home in St. Hyacinthe to give a concert in 1880, he was resting by the Yamaska waterfall when he heard the song in the pounding water.  The melody swept throughout Canada and was played in music halls, theatres, churches, and various festivities, capturing the heart of many.

Adolphe-Basile Routhier

The French words of the song then came from Adolphe-Basile Routhier who wrote the words for a Quebec city festival in 1880.  The French lyrics have never been altered!

Robert Stanley Weir

There have been several versions of the English words altered throughout the years, but the one that has stuck the most was by a Montreal judge, Robert Stanley Weir, who wrote a poem in 1908 to commemorate the 300th year anniversary of Quebec City.  He wrote 3 additional verses and made some changes to the poem along the way.  His version of the English lyrics were sung up until 1980.

See the song sung below with words from Weir's poem.  This recording was from 1914!

Youtube: O Canada 1908 lyrics by Weir

In 1980, the 100th birthday of O Canada, there was yet again disagreement about the English words and they were altered yet again to what we sing today.  The song officially became Canada's anthem in 1980 through the National Anthem Act.

To read more about the history and changes, check out this link.

Throughout Canada's history, there has been various important songs of the people of the land.  Check out this compilation of the historical anthems of Canada and other countries and colonies that are now part of Canada. 

Another interesting tidbit about our anthem is that it has a very similar resemblance to the "March of the Priests" from the opera the Magic Flute, composed in 1791 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

Check this out!

Sing It Together

Coming soon - May 1, 2017!

Music Monday celebrates Canada 150 with a new anthem, commissioned by the Coalition for Music Education. The new anthem 'Sing It Together' is co-written by Juno-award winning songwriters Marc Jordan and Ian Thomas.   Check it out on the Music Monday website.

Focusing on the power of voices, Sing It Together asks us to sing for joy, for truth, for healing and for freedom. The recording and video feature Inuit throat singing, Métis fiddling, indigenous drumming, and children’s choirs in celebration of Canadian musical heritages. Creating Sing It Together was a journey of discovery and the songwriters encourage music makers to continue this discovery where music lives in their schools and communities.

The 2017 hash tags are #MMC2C2C in English and #LEMCAC in French.

Songs that Tickle Your Funny Bone

The other day I was driving to work and heard this song, La Danza by Gioachino Rossini on CBC Classic radio.

La Danza by Rossini

Presumably in Latin, I had no idea what the man was singing, but it made me laugh.  It sounded silly and playful.  The melody was memorable and brought me back to Bugs Bunny's operatic cartoons, like Figaro.  Love it when songs jump out at you.  Upon a little research, La Danza is a patter song which uses a fast tongue-twister of words to create a humorous effect.  Patter songs are commonly used in comic opera and operetta.  A few years back my students studied a patter song from the opera The Pirates of Penzance.  It was Gillbert and Sullivan's Major-General Stanley's song, I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major General. Check it out and have a good laugh.

Rap Concert Coming Soon

Welcome with me to Winnipeg for the first time, Kansas City hip-hop/rapper, Ryeon McClenton.  He's putting on a concert for us at 1:00 pm and then will be working with the older kids on songwriting.

Check out some of Ryeon's music from his new album "A Language Called Love"

CDs will be on sale for $15.00.  Album soon to be out on Itunes.

Kids Can Compose!

Today our Grade 1 classes were busy writing their own music on the instruments.  Stay tuned for our creations.

This past week we created a body percussion pattern to accompany the poem:

RAIN ON THE GREEN GRASS

RAIN ON THE TREES

RAIN ON THE HOUSETOP BUT

NOT ON ME!

Art is Music - Music is Art

Listening to the following musical selection.  Imagine this song is a picture.  What do you think this song is about?  How would you draw this music using lines, shapes and colours?  How does this song show contrasts?

The following are some initial markings of Grade 4/5 students as they listened to this piece.  Where do you see the music in these pictures?  How do they show contrasts, interest, energy and excitement of this musical piece?

Art-astic!

 The Grade 4/5 classes have started their exploration of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra (WSO) songs they will be hearing on the music field trip to the Concert Hall on Tuesday, March 10.  We've been exploring the 'mystery art contest song' and how musical elements can be translated into feeling and messages through art.  We look forward to sharing our art pieces and interpretations of the song in the near future.

Group discussions on how this art piece shows contrast through lines, shapes and colours.

When these students were asked to think of words that would describe this work of art, these were the words that came to mind: wacky, math, school stuff, geometric, outrageous, volume, surreal (Picasso), colourful buildings, war, nighttime