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Course Description: The focus this year is on learning about instrument families and individual instruments. Students will learn about how each instrument makes music and will listen to music featuring each instrument. Students will also learn about composition, instrumentation, pitch, and dynamics in music. Finally, students will learn about types of instruments used around the world.
Week 1
Level 1-4
- If you didn’t get here through My EP Assignments, I suggest you go there and create an account.
- This is a once-a-week course. It will appear on your My EP lesson page on days ending in 1 and 6.
- Play the Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra Game. We are going to do this piece by piece. Today, you are going to register and start a new game. Read the two pages on Benjamin Britten and then click to turn the page. You can have it read the pages to you. Click on “quit” (in the corner).
- Listen to part one of the Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra.
Level 5-8
- If you didn’t get here through My EP Assignments, I suggest you go there and create an account.
- This is a once-a-week course. It will appear on your My EP lesson page on days ending in 1 and 6.
- Today you are going to learn about the violin. Click on the strings. Click on the violin. Read and listen.
Week 2
Level 1-4
- Play the Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra Game. Log in. Click to turn the page from the Benjamin Britten page. When you get to the Orchestra page, click on “quit” (in the corner).
- Listen to part two of the Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra.
Level 5-8
- Today you are going to learn about the viola. Click on the strings. Click on the viola. Read and listen.
Week 3
Level 1-4
- Play the Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra Game. Log in. Do the orchestra and woodwinds pages. On the woodwind pages, listen to the different instruments. It shows how low and how high they each can be played. This is called the instrument’s range. Then click on “quit.”
Level 5-8
- Today you are going to learn about the cello. Click on the strings. Click on the cello. Read and listen.
Week 4
Level 1-4
- Play the Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra Game. Log in. Click to turn the page from the woodwinds page. Listen to the brass section and the range of each instrument and then click on “quit.”
Level 5-8
- Today you are going to learn about the double bass. Click on the strings. Click on the double bass. Read and listen.
Week 5
Level 1-4
- Play the Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra Game. Log in. Click to turn the page from the brass page. Listen to the strings section and the range of each instrument and then click on “quit.”
Level 5-8
- Today you are going to learn about the harp. Click on the strings. Click on the harp. Read and listen.
Week 6
Level 1-4
- Play the Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra Game. Log in. Click to turn the page from the strings page. Listen to the percussion section and the range of each instrument and then click on “quit.”
Level 5-8
- Today you are going to learn about woodwinds. Read about the flute. Don’t forget to listen.
Week 7
Level 1-4
- Play the Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra Game. Log in. Click to turn the page from the percussion page. Unlock the garage by matching the instruments to their families. Keep going until it opens the book up to the Flute and Piccolo page at Woodwind pond. Then you can click on “quit.”
Level 5-8
- Today you are going to learn about woodwinds. Learn about the oboe.
Week 8
Level 1-4
- Play the Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra Game. Log in. Read the flute and piccolo page and listen to the variations. Then you can play the game. Continue until the oboe page opens. Then you can click on “quit.”
Level 5-8
- Today you are going to learn about woodwinds. Learn about the clarinet.
Week 9
Level 1-4
- Play the Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra Game. Log in. Read the oboe page and listen to the variations. Then you can play the game. Continue until the clarinet page opens. Then you can click on “quit.”
Level 5-8
- Today you are going to learn about woodwinds. Learn about the bassoon.
Week 10
Level 1-4
- Play the Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra Game. Log in. Read the clarinet page and listen to the variations. Then you can play the game. Continue until the bassoon page opens. Then you can click on “quit.”
Level 5-8
- Today you are going to learn about woodwinds.
- Listen and watch this video. It will introduce some new instruments. Are there some you have never heard of?
Week 11
Level 1-4
- Play the Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra Game. Log in. Read the bassoon page and listen to the variations. Then you can play the game. Continue until the violin page opens. Then you can click on “quit.”
Level 5-8
- Today you are going to learn about brass. Learn about the french horn.
Week 12
Level 1-4
- Play the Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra Game. Log in. Read the violin page and listen to the variations. Then you can play the game. Continue until the viola page opens. Then you can click on “quit.”
Level 5-8
- Today you are going to learn about brass. Learn about the trumpet.
Week 13
Level 1-4
- Play the Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra Game. Log in. Read the viola page and listen to the variations. Then you can play the game. Continue until the cello page opens. Then you can click on “quit.”
Level 5-8
- Today you are going to learn about brass. Learn about the trombone.
Week 14
Level 1-4
- Play the Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra Game. Log in. Read the cello page and listen to the variations. Then you can play the game. Continue until the bass page opens. Then you can click on “quit.”
Level 5-8
- Today you are going to learn about brass. Learn about the tuba.
Week 15
Level 1-4
- Play the Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra Game. Log in. Read the bass page and listen to the variations. Then you can play the game. Continue until the harp page opens. Then you can click on “quit.”
Level 5-8
- Listen to the brass instruments.
- Can you close your eyes and figure out which instrument is which?
Week 16
Level 1-4
- Play the Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra Game. Log in. Read the harp page and listen to the variations. Then you can play the game. Continue until the french horn page opens. Then you can click on “quit.”
Level 5-8
- Today you are going to learn about percussion. Learn about the snare drum.
Week 17
Level 1-4
- Play the Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra Game. Log in. Read the french horn page and listen to the variations. Then you can play the game. Continue until the trumpet page opens. Then you can click on “quit.”
Level 5-8
- Today you are going to learn about percussion. Learn about the cymbals.
Week 18
Level 1-4
- Play the Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra Game. Log in. Read the trumpet page and listen to the variations. Then you can play the game. Continue until the trombone page opens. Then you can click on “quit.”
Level 5-8
- Today you are going to learn about percussion. Learn about the bass drum.
Week 19
Level 1-4
- Play the Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra Game. Log in. Read the trombone page and listen to the variations. Then you can play the game. Continue until the tuba page opens. Then you can click on “quit.”
Level 5-8
- Today you are going to learn about percussion. Learn about the piano.
Week 20
Level 1-4
- Play the Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra Game. Log in. Read the tuba page and listen to the variations. Then you can play the game. Continue until the percussion 1 page opens. Then you can click on “quit.”
Level 5-8
- Listen to the percussion instruments.
Week 21
Level 1-4
- Play the Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra Game. Log in. Read the percussion 1 page and listen to the variations. Then you can play the game. Continue until the percussion 2 page opens. Then you can click on “quit.”
Level 5-8
- Listen to this percussion ensemble.
Week 22
Level 1-4
- Play the Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra Game. Log in. Read the percussion 2 page and listen to the variations. Then you can play the game. Continue until the percussion 3 page opens. Then you can click on “quit.”
Level 5-8
- Can you name the different instruments being played?
Week 23
Level 1-4
- Play the Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra Game. Log in. Read the percussion 3 page and listen to the variations. Then you can play the game. Continue until the game ends.
Level 5-8
- Listen to a piece of music from 1986, Short Ride in a Fast Machine.
- Now here is one from 100 years earlier. (You don’t have to listen to the whole thing; maybe you can listen while you work on something else. Click the corner of the video to make it full screen.)
- And here is another from 100 years earlier than that. (Click the corner of the video to make it full screen.)
- What differences can you describe between them?
Week 24
Level 1-4
- Play an instrument. Choose an instrument and play. Create music.
Level 5-8
- Listen to part one of the Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra. Listen/watch for instruments you recognize.
Week 25
Level 1-4
- Play Star Catcher and listen to the rhythm of the music of your choice.
Level 5-8
- Listen to part two of the Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra. Listen/watch for instruments you recognize.
Week 26
Level 1-4/5-8
- Play an instrument. Choose an instrument and play. Create music.
Week 27
Level 1-4/5-8
- Choose several pieces of music to listen to.
Week 28
Level 1-4/5-8
- Play an instrument. Choose an instrument and play. Create music.
Week 29
Level 1-4/5-8
- Conduct the orchestra. You can choose to learn first and then follow. See how many points you can earn. (Leading wasn’t working the last we checked.)
Week 30
Level 1-4/5-8
- Compose music. Choose “music lessons” from the top of the list, and then “pitches.” Click on the boxes to move through the lesson and the play button to listen to the notes. At the end of the lesson, move the notes around to make a song and use the play button to listen to it.
Week 31
Level 1-4/5-8
- Compose music. Choose “music lessons” from the top of the list, and then “instrumentation,” and move through the lesson, and then practice.
Week 32
Level 1-4/5-8
- Compose music. Choose “music lessons” from the top of the list, and then “dynamics,” and move through the lesson, and then practice.
- NOTE! We’ve had trouble with that lesson. If it’s not working, here’s an old version of it. Choose symbols.
Week 33
Level 1-4/5-8
- Compose music. Choose “music lessons” from the top of the list, and then “more dynamics,” and move through the lesson, and then practice.
- NOTE! We’ve been having trouble with that lesson. If it’s not working, play in the music lab.
Week 34
Level 1-4/5-8
- Compose music. Choose “build a staff.”
Week 35
Level 1-4/5-8
- Click on a string instrument. Click on the little tab with people on it. Read about how that type of instrument is used around the world.
- Now do it with a woodwind instrument.
Week 36
Level 1-4/5-8
- Click on a brass instrument. Click on the little tab with people on it. Read about how that type of instrument is used around the world.
- Now do it with a percussion instrument.
