The Year 5s at Gallions were the last group to visit the CLC. They brought instruments with them so that we could mix the 'loops' of music on GarageBand with some real recordings.
Adam and Lubona wrote a rap about modern day slavery after working with a rapper on how to write lyrics. Here is their finished song:
Adam and Lubona's rap
The children wrote blues backing tracks but this one is a little bit different as it features Caleb plucking a bass line on his cello. Check it out:
Caleb and Connor's blues song featuring live cello
Here is some music composed to accompany the scene in the performance where Amelia escapes from the Birds and Beasts show:
George and Spencer's soundtrack music
Thanks to the Gallions teachers and children for producing such fabulous music!
Tuesday, 29 May 2007
Manor Primary at the CLC
Manor Primary also came to the CLC. They enjoyed using the first 'getting to know Garageband' session to record their own voices and so we had some budding pop singers with their versions of current chart hits!
Here is a lively song composed by Stacey and Fardus:
Stacey and Fardus' song
They went through the same learning process as Essex to create their backing tracks for the blues. Here is Jack and Farhad's blues song. I particularly like their walking bass line.
Farhad and Jack's blues song
Finally, the children created soundtrack music for the rest of the Wednesday night performance. Here is some music composed by Mecah and Tahsin who really captured the feel for Amelia escaping from the Birds and Beasts Fair:
Mecah and Tahsin's 'Amelia Escapes' music
Well done Manor and thanks to your teacher Ms. Collins for working so hard with you!
Here is a lively song composed by Stacey and Fardus:
Stacey and Fardus' song
They went through the same learning process as Essex to create their backing tracks for the blues. Here is Jack and Farhad's blues song. I particularly like their walking bass line.
Farhad and Jack's blues song
Finally, the children created soundtrack music for the rest of the Wednesday night performance. Here is some music composed by Mecah and Tahsin who really captured the feel for Amelia escaping from the Birds and Beasts Fair:
Mecah and Tahsin's 'Amelia Escapes' music
Well done Manor and thanks to your teacher Ms. Collins for working so hard with you!
Friday, 25 May 2007
Essex Primary at the Forest Gate City Learning Centre
Essex Primary followed up their blues workshop by coming to the Forest Gate City Learning Centre in April/May to record their own backing track for their class-composed blues song.
On their first visit, they learned how to use GarageBand, a music composition programme on the Mac which allows users to choose from a bank of readymade loops, or samples, to create pieces of music. In the afternoon they learnt how to transfer their knowledge of the 12-bar blues onto GarageBand.
After selecting a drum track with a bluesy feel, they used keyboards and composed their own walking bass lines. Getting into the more complex elements of Garageband, they learnt how to change the pitch to make their bass line follow the pattern of the 12-bar blues.
On their second visit to the CLC, they added tracks to create a harmony for their blues song and then used keyboards to compose melodic introductions and 'breaks' based on improvisations on the blues scale.
Click here to listen to one of their finished blues backing tracks:
Sana and Nujmin's Blues backing track
Listen to the children singing with one of their own backing tracks:
Essex Primary children singing their blues song at the CLC
Later on, the children composed pieces of 'ambient' music as the soundtrack for the Wednesday night performance of the Freedom Project. Fawjia and Mary composed a piece for a scene in which an albino slave is being shown off at a 'Birds and Beasts' show.
Soundtrack music for the Birds and Beasts show
Thank you Essex children and teachers for your hard work.
On their first visit, they learned how to use GarageBand, a music composition programme on the Mac which allows users to choose from a bank of readymade loops, or samples, to create pieces of music. In the afternoon they learnt how to transfer their knowledge of the 12-bar blues onto GarageBand.
After selecting a drum track with a bluesy feel, they used keyboards and composed their own walking bass lines. Getting into the more complex elements of Garageband, they learnt how to change the pitch to make their bass line follow the pattern of the 12-bar blues.
On their second visit to the CLC, they added tracks to create a harmony for their blues song and then used keyboards to compose melodic introductions and 'breaks' based on improvisations on the blues scale.
Click here to listen to one of their finished blues backing tracks:
Sana and Nujmin's Blues backing track
Listen to the children singing with one of their own backing tracks:
Essex Primary children singing their blues song at the CLC
Later on, the children composed pieces of 'ambient' music as the soundtrack for the Wednesday night performance of the Freedom Project. Fawjia and Mary composed a piece for a scene in which an albino slave is being shown off at a 'Birds and Beasts' show.
Soundtrack music for the Birds and Beasts show
Thank you Essex children and teachers for your hard work.
Thursday, 29 March 2007
Ranelagh Primary School - Thursday 29th March 2007
Class 5T6 created a blues song about Arcos, a girl from Africa who was sold several times and separated from her family. Their lyrics came about as the result of some really thoughtful drama.
Listen here:
"If I refuse now"
Class 5T9 created a class Indian Raga about Iqbal, a boy who made carpets in India. They learnt all about the hot, cramped conditions in which he must work for long hours each day. Some of the children already knew about aspects of Indian music which was great. The class were split into 3 parts: the drone section, the tabla section (playing the Tintal Tala pattern on their hands) and the melody section who improvised up and down the raga scale with their voices and then sang lyrics about Iqbal.
Listen here:
"Iqbal's Raga"
Listen here:
"If I refuse now"
Class 5T9 created a class Indian Raga about Iqbal, a boy who made carpets in India. They learnt all about the hot, cramped conditions in which he must work for long hours each day. Some of the children already knew about aspects of Indian music which was great. The class were split into 3 parts: the drone section, the tabla section (playing the Tintal Tala pattern on their hands) and the melody section who improvised up and down the raga scale with their voices and then sang lyrics about Iqbal.
Listen here:
"Iqbal's Raga"
Wednesday, 28 March 2007
Southern Road Primary School - 28th March 2007
The children at Southern Road had been working on a choreographed dance for a scene onboard the slave ship.
After some body percussion warm-up games, the children took part in drama to brainstorm some word phrases that they could use to turn into musical phrases. They then developed these in groups, transferring their spoken phrases onto a variety of percussion instruments. They also learnt about the names and techniques used to play classroom percussion. At the end of the session, each group performed their piece, using my djembe pulse to link each group. They hope to develop their group piece and perform it live.
Listen here:
"Southern Road Percussion"
After some body percussion warm-up games, the children took part in drama to brainstorm some word phrases that they could use to turn into musical phrases. They then developed these in groups, transferring their spoken phrases onto a variety of percussion instruments. They also learnt about the names and techniques used to play classroom percussion. At the end of the session, each group performed their piece, using my djembe pulse to link each group. They hope to develop their group piece and perform it live.
Listen here:
"Southern Road Percussion"
Gainsborough Primary School - 28th March 2007
The children at Gainsborough produced a great Blues song. They had worked so hard that there was plenty of time left over to develop their improvisation skills. Using their voices, they made up their own on-the-spot melodies and took turns to sing these bravely on their own, in between the lyrics of the song. They supported each other wonderfully - what a great session!
Listen here:
"Will I be a chief?"
Listen here:
"Will I be a chief?"
Tuesday, 27 March 2007
Tollgate Primary School - Tuesday 27th March 2007
With some help from Ms. Wellburn, children in 4W learnt about Sabina (12) and Rupchan (8) who work in a brickfield factory in Bangladesh. The children composed Indian Ragas in small groups on the theme of 'Seven days a week, twelve hours a day' - the working hours of the children.
Listen here:
"Tollgate Raga"
Lyrics:
Seven days a Week
Seven days a week, twelve hours a day
Seven days a week, I'm starving
Seven days a week, we are only children
Seven days a week, we are hungry children
They forced me, we're hungry
Seven days a week, they forced me
Seven days a week, twelve hours a day
In the afternoon, the children of 4M wrote an amazing blues song about Olaudah Equiano. The children used their voices to improvise and with one excellent musician playing her trumpet, everyone enjoyed themselves.
Listen here:
"Tollgate Blues"
Listen here:
"Tollgate Raga"
Lyrics:
Seven days a Week
Seven days a week, twelve hours a day
Seven days a week, I'm starving
Seven days a week, we are only children
Seven days a week, we are hungry children
They forced me, we're hungry
Seven days a week, they forced me
Seven days a week, twelve hours a day
In the afternoon, the children of 4M wrote an amazing blues song about Olaudah Equiano. The children used their voices to improvise and with one excellent musician playing her trumpet, everyone enjoyed themselves.
Listen here:
"Tollgate Blues"
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