The Caribbean!

I SO wish! As I type this, the view out of the music office window is rain, that and mud. Not a great day and summer seems so far away, let alone the Caribbean. However as I type this, I can hear the sounds of the steel pans being played by 5L and I can almost feel the sand beneath my feet and the sounds of the waves lapping against the shore! It is a really beautiful sound! Thank you to 5L for a stunning accompaniment to my mundane admin session.

The Underground

This morning 4c produced some excellent compositions using the underground map as their only resource. 

The class were divided into groups of four where their task was to produce a composition using stations, each station with a different number of syllables in. One member of each group had to provide the ostinato or repeating rhythm whilst the others started repeating the name of their chosen stations at regular intervals. They received minimal assistance from me so I was really thrilled at the high standard of compositions they produced. Stars to the best group: Tatyana, Claudia, Hermione and Hugh. Well done to all of the others! 

Saturday lessons

I like Saturdays at work! No, really I do! Generally it is fairly quiet - although as I type this a Drama lesson is going on in the theatre and it sounds as though they may all fall into the music store room! - but there are no instrumental lessons, and I only teach two lessons! Both Year 4 classes. This morning, my resource for their lessons were...copies of the London tube map! An obvious choice for a music lesson I am sure that you will agree! The children are working on compositions involving OSTINATOS - today we were composing an unpitched ostinato involving the names of stations!
What is an ostinato? An ostinato is either a repeating rhythm or a repeating melody or, in the case of the opening to Ravel's infamous piece, Bolero both! Think of the opening to Bolero...snare drum playing the repeating rhythm, whilst the lower strings play the same three note motif all of the way through for 15 minutes!!!! I know, because I have played it! Today Year 4 were composing train pieces, involving the names of stations, an ostinato using the only station (on our map!) with a one syllable name ....can you name it? - and incorporating both a crescendo and a diminuendo!
Can you see why I love my Saturdays at work?!

Monday is always a busy day in the Brambletye Music Department: lots of class music lessons occur today, three rehearsals, various peripatetic music teachers are in and then we also teach games! The Year 7s are currently working on 'film music', which along with watching lots of extracts from films also requires the children to identify the various elements of music required to make the music scary, funny, action based. Ask the children what a leitmotif is and see if they can tell you! The Year 3s are learning to read music in the treble clef and using this information to play on the pitched instruments such as the xylophones and glockenspiels. The Chamber Orchestra are working on 'Can you feel the love tonight? from the Lion King, as well as I vow to thee my country and Polovtsian Dances...wide and varied! As for the Bramble Babies, they are working on a piece called Leaving Blues!
Dates for your diaries: Chamber Concert on Sat 1st March in Walnut.

Thursday is a busy day

Today is a busy day. All three music teachers are involved in teaching class music lessons and in addition, we have six Visiting Music Teachers present: 2 singing, 2 piano, cello and flute! The cacophony of sound I can hear as I type this is fabulous! 5L have just worked on a music from the Renaissance Period, whilst Ms Taylor is putting Blaize through her paces in 'Beauty and the beast'! One of the many things I love about teaching music at Brambletye is the breadth of music available to all children! The quantity of resources available to us is so vast and it is gratifying to hear the Year 8s refer to Mozart and Barry Manilow within the same lesson! In addition, the department seems to thrive on providing all children with a sense of fulfilment.  Even children who profess to not enjoying music very much come to this department and generally, not always, but generally, leave with a smile on their faces and a sense of having achieved something worthwhile.
This afternoon will involve rehearsals for the Junior Chapel Choir, Concert band and Swing Choir - not at the same time! - and also a session for the Grade V theory candidates, whose exam is on March 5th at 5pm.
Other dates for your diary: Sat 1st March - Chamber Concert in Walnut featuring our more advanced musicians and Friday 27th June for everyone (tutti!).

First rehearsals

End of our first full Monday of the Spring term 2014 and I feel quite optimistic! The chamber orchestra have sight read 'I vow to thee my country' and also the main theme from 'Polovtsian Dances' from Prince Igor by Borodin superbly well! Their other material includes 'Can you feel the love tonight?' from 'The Lion King' and 'Adiemus' where they will be accompanying the swing choir in this fabulous piece by Karl Jenkins.

Bramble Babies are playing together as an ensemble and really starting to show their full potential. Many children are attempting their first Associated Board music exams in March this term and I am really excited about the future of the Music Department here at Brambletye.
Tonight I have been rehearsing with our potential music scholars, who are working towards awards for Benenden, Brighton College and Sevenoaks. We are really proud of their tenacity and wish them every success in their endeavours.

Music lessons for tomorrow include Mr Nunn, Mrs Price, Mr Mcewen, Mr Sonneveld and Mr Stenner.
Rehearsals tomorrow; Bramble Bows at 1.45pm. PA

My first blog!

Welcome! This is the music department's first ever blog! Today is the start of instrumental lessons: teachers in today are Mrs Rabagliati, Mrs Pye and Ms Wilcox. In addition, Chamber orchestra starts rehearsing at 1.45pm, Bramble Babies at 5.10pm and the Music Scholars' Group at 7pm.
Tomorrow: Brambletye Brass and Bramble Bows begin their rehearsals- please could all children have their instruments in school? Music lessons tomorrow (Tuesday) include Mr Nunn, Mr McEwen and Mr Sonneveld.
7G: an excellent first music lesson today with 7G! Well done. Parents - please ask your children what LEITMOTIF means!