Recycled Orchestra

"The world sends us garbage.  We send back music." 
                                          -Favio Chavez, Recycled Orchestra director

Imagine if your home was in the city landfill, where all the garbage from everyone else's homes is dumped. In Paraguay, some children and their families do live in landfills. They and their parents work in the landfill, trying to earn money by recycling materials that other people have thrown away. These children do not have the opportunity to take piano or violin lessons because the cost of a violin is worth more than what their house costs. 

However, some very smart and caring people have come up with a way for these children to have a chance to play musical instruments. They build instruments out of recycled materials from the landfill!

Watch this video to see how the gift of music has been given to these children. They find joy in the beautiful music they make.

Composing Vocabulary

This week we began our composing adventure! Here is a review of some of the vocabulary and ideas we talked about in group classes:

Phrase: A musical phrase is like a sentence written with notes. 
    You can create a complete musical phrase by writing a "question" and an "answer." 
    In the key of C, I told you to make the question end on G so that it sounds like we need to keep going.
    The answer will end on C, which will make it sound like a finished phrase (or sentence).

Word painting: Word painting (sometimes called tone painting) is when you write music that makes a sound to describe what the words are saying. 
   For example, if the words talk about going up, you can make the notes go up higher on the piano.  Or, if the words are about a bouncy ball, you could choose to write some staccato notes to create the sound of the bounces.

ABA form: This is called ternary form. There are three sections to the song and the first and last sections are very similar. The middle section can sound quite different; it contrasts with the A section.
   Two examples of Suzuki songs with this form are Chant Arabe in Book 1 and Ecossaise in Book 2.
   You can create a simple ABA song in the following way:

1. Write a phrase (question and answer). This is the A section.
2. Write a different phrase (different question and answer). This is the B section.
3. Repeat the A section.

You can make the song longer by putting more than one phrase in a section.

Time signature: This sign is placed at the beginning of the song, next to the clefs. It tells us how many beats are in a measure and what note gets 1 beat. 

Enjoy creating your own music!

Composing Online

   This spring we are going to compose our own music. We are composing music when we choose the notes, rhythms and dynamics (how loud and soft) to make a song. A person who composes music is called a composer.

   You can look in your Suzuki music book for the names of some composers whose songs you know how to play. Look at the right side of the page underneath the title. 
     What is the name of the composer who wrote the song you are learning right now? 

(Sometimes it will say "Folk Song" or "Anonymous". This means we don't know who the composer is.)

    People share the music they composed in different ways. One way is to play the song for another person. They can also teach another person how to play their song by showing them how to do it. One of the main ways people share the music they have composed is by writing it down using notes on the staff. That way, anyone who knows how to read music can learn to play their song, even if they never meet the composer!

   The link below leads to a fun game to play online that lets you compose a very short song. All you have to do is drag notes onto the staff. When the note turns green, you can let go and it will be written on the staff. Once you fill the measures with notes, you can have the computer play your song. 

   Compose some music on this game. Pick your favorite song and click "Send to my friend". Send it to me at laura@kautzstudio.com and I will be able to hear your song too!

(If you are in book 2 or 3, be sure to click on the "Advanced" button so that you have more note choices.)

Compose Your Own Music Here at Classics for Kids