Term 2, Lessons 2-7

We rehearsed our songs for the recital, we've done breathing and warm up exercises for our voices and then everyone had the chance to rehearse on the stage and to receive a feedback from the teacher and the class, I singed 'Love yourself' by Justin Bieber, Philip said that the song it is suitable with my voice but my timing  wasn't right, my classmates said that I need to rehearse more.

Term 2, Lesson 1 - Wednesday 11 January

At the recital I am going to sing:

1. Duffy - Mercy

2. Justin Bieber - Love yourself

3. Dolly Parton - Jolene

4. The weeknd - shameless

5. Shawn Mendes - stitches

Lesson 12 - Wednesday 14th December

I think that the recital went well, I was nervous at the beginning but I tried to make it to the end, Philip said that it was a good songs for me, I will try to be more confident on the stage next time and to rehearse more at home, I am going to sing these songs in my actual recital.

Lesson 10 - 23rd November

Today in music lesson we studied classical songs and arias, I had to choose a classical song and to sing it on the stage, I've chosen the song "Historia de un Amor" by Laura Fygi because I find it easy to sing, compared to other classical songs. I received a feedback from Philip, he said that I should've chosen another song, this one wasn't really like a classical song, though Google says that it is one.

We learnt that classical music was produced in the traditions of western music, including both liturgical and secular music. Classical music has been noted for its development of highly sophisticated forms of instrumental music such as the concerto,symphony,sonata and mixed vocal and instrumental styles such as opera. The instruments currently used in most classical music were instruments found in an orchestra or in a concert band, together with several other solo instruments (piano, harpsichord, organ).

In my recital, I'll need to provide programme notes, which will explain my choices of songs and give to the reader some information about the songs that I am singing. I will try to have a good communication with my audience and to be confident on the stage. 

Lesson 9 - 16th November

Folk music

 -is an oral tradition, most of the songs are catchy, repetitive, melodic and simple, they tell a story
 -it can be music transmitted orally,  music with unknown composers or music performed by custom over a long period of time

Today in music lesson, I've learnt new things about folk music, how it sounds like and how we can recognise a folk song, some of my classmates singed folk songs so we can figure out how people should sing them. I received a feedback for the song that I'm going to sing for the Mock Recital, Philip said that it suits me but I have to rehearse it more at home.

Lesson 8 - 9th November

1. Latin music

Language

• This is the one characteristic that is shared among nearly all Latin American musical styles. Spanish and Portuguese are the two main languages found in the majority of this music, though Spanish-based Creole is also used in some music coming out of Haiti.

African Rhythm

• African music has a distinct rhythmic sound that is a major influence on many Latin American styles of music. Those included are the Dominican-Merengue, Bomba, Cuban Rumba, Puerto Rican Salsa, and the Columbian Cumbia.

Spanish Decima

• The Spanish decima is a song form that consists of 10 lines, each with eight syllables in them. This is a characteristic of more traditional Latin American music, though it is still seen in some of the modern pop music in the genre today.
  2.
  I didn't received any feedback today.
  3.
  Christmas song: Jingle bells
  Mock recital: We will rock you - Queen  , Mercy - Duffy
  4. What is a diphthong?
  
  
  A diphthong is a sound made by combining two vowels, specifically when it starts as one vowel sound and goes to another, like the oy sound in oil.
• The sounds of “ou” in “out” and of “oy” in “boy” are diphthongs.
  
  

Lesson 7 - 2nd November

1.
Over this half term, I practised the vocal warming and breathing exercises, I rehearsed the song that I'm working at. In my room, I always sing in front of the mirror so I can see if I'm breathing correctly. I also practised some tongue twisters, my favourite is the one where you have to say "comical economist" on scales, I'm using this exercise because it gets my brain thinking about the technique and it loosens up my muscles. Before I start practising I'm setting a target so I can finish when I accomplish it.

2. Blues music

Melody and Harmony

The harmony of blues music mainly focuses on the first, fourth and fifth chords of a combination. So, if the musical piece starts in the A chord, next chords will be fourth 'D' and fifth 'E' chords. And for G as the starting chord, the following chords would be C and D. This is exactly similar to the standard relative chord combinations. When it comes to melody, blues music also consists of an emphasis on the flattened third, fifth and seventh notes of a major scale. These notes are traditionally played in a blues scale.


Rhythm

The rhythm is also a unique characteristic of blues music. The rhythm is based on the 12-bar and 48-beat repetitive pattern. The three above-mentioned chords are played for 12 bars. Normally, the bar is divided into certain numbers of beats for different chords. 

Lyrics

Lyrics are also to be placed in blues music in a different manner. The verse of a conventional blues song comprises three lines. The first two lines are more or less the same, followed by the third. Most of the time, the first two lines are the same, and have question-like lyrics. The third line, is the response to the first two lines. So, the lyrical structure becomes in the AAB pattern. Singing first two lines is divided among eight measures in a 12-bar, whereas the rest four measures consist of singing the third line. Thematically, blues lyrics concentrate more on sadness and disappointing stories; such as poverty, lost relationships, death, violence, racism, and so on. Hence, verses are in a question-answer format.

Musical Instrument Sounds

Earlier, the banjo was prominently used as the main instrument for blues music. However, in the early 1900s, guitar and piano were added. Nowadays, as this music has become so innovative, many other instruments have been added as a standard. Basses, drums, and harmonica are included in the blues scene today. Using various instruments is the chief reason why there are many branches in blues music found today.

3.
My allotted style was classical, I can't sing classical songs.