Fab Fridays

A little shout-out to Halloween from our (One Man Disney Movie) friend, Nick Pitera.....and then some fun from Fab Friday. There's a laugh-out-loud (rated PG) clip from Jay Leno and our "Awww" moment of the week with a cutie on the Ellen Show!

General Music Learns to Beatbox

Okay, well we're not on this level. but this is a lengthy clip we watched of an EXTRAORDINARY beatboxer. He can really imitate all sorts of instruments - it's awesome!

And here are the clips we used to learn a few basics. A little dry, but lots to learn!

Fab Friday 8/23

Don't you just love a good flash mob? I was inspired to look for some stand-out flash mobs after some of the 8th grade choir students devised one for the dance last week. Here are some from a blog page entitled, "5 Best Flash Mobs ever".

I told the students - It's hard for me to watch a well-done flash mob and not have a goofy open-mouth grin on my face!

Fab Fridays Return

We're off and running! Here are the some Fab Friday clips I've shared thus far. I will be sharing some repeated clips with 6th graders, so yes, there will be things the older crowd has seen before. Also, I will be sharing differing content with my general music classes. The weekly posts may be a bit more varied this year... Enjoy!

Ready or not...here comes school!!

Lots of new adventures to be had this year...  Are you ready?? My choirs are huge, my rooms are small, and there's more on the schedule! I have been given more duties at the 8th Grade Academy - teaching both choir and general music. With HS choir meeting at the same time, I was "given" a separate classroom next door. It's a very small room for which to fit 47 choir students!! We'll make it work. I will be at the HS building each morning until about 11:30am, so MSers, don't be looking for me before lunch. We have a large group of incoming 6th graders for choir as well - the roster is at 43 members. More chairs please...? So if you're keeping track, I have 3 large choirs and 2 periods of semester-long general music. Busy busy...

I can't wait to hear all about your summers (or that short 8 weeks we called summer). Did anyone else have a busy enough June that it took until July to really feel like summer vacation, and then it was almost too late???

To my high school freshman choir folks: please don't be too hard on me about the director shift. I walked in to work on my new cracker jack box - I mean classroom - in July and found Mrs. Studabaker cleaning out her things. She has made the enviable decision to stay at home with her baby Aria. When the school year ended, all indicators pointed to her returning (and I said that to you)...and now you all are going to think I'm a big fat liar! It was a surprise to me too.  Anyway, the new choir director is Mrs. Anderson. Be good, be kind, be attentive, and be supportive as she steps in to her new home. You will have a great year! Come visit me next door in the mornings!

HERE WE GO MARAUDERS! See you this week :0)  -Mrs. W

Fab Friday Catch-Up

Lots of good ones lately (okay, that's just my opinion!). These are some that were recommended by students and "made the cut".

I think EVERY adolescent girl needs to see this one. I know it's just an ad for more beauty products, but the bottom line is that someone out there hit the nail on the head...

This one's just plain cute!

I feel like I'm missing a recent clip or two that I showed. Help me out if you can remember what I'm forgetting!

Fab Friday 4/19

Pentatonix has done it again! Here's the Evolution of Music (watch what happens in the 60s) and then they team up with dub-step violinist (whom we've featured before) Lindsey Stirling for a cover of "Radioactive", a hit song on the airwaves these days.

Fab Friday 4/12

Here's a clip from a group you can always count on for awesome talent and the ability to put a smile on your face!

...And I have a soft spot for this acappella group from BYU: Vocal Point is their name and they were featured on The Sing Off. I have played a couple of their pieces for SQUILTs this past year. Even if you don't like Bieber, you have to admit they do a good job!

Fab Friday 4/5

The Cup Game is pretty popular around here. Check out these experts: The Harvard Undergraduate Percussion ensemble (THUD). Pretty awesome!!

Fab Fridays

It seems I've got some catch-up to do on these posts...perhaps Spring Break can help with that. Leave it to MSers to remind me when I'm falling behind!
So...apparently the cup game is making it's way back into popularity. Here are some girls who have their own spin on it...

This one didn't get seen by everyone due to time this week, but I said I'd post it. It's pretty neat to hear a live performance of a glass organ/harp. I've never been able to get the vibrations to go my way for pure sound on a glass. It's pretty amazing to see the extent to which these artists master this craft!

Fab Friday 3/1

The CDZA is a group that recruits professional musicians for the purpose of doing "musical experiments". They have tons of really neat mash-ups that I wish I would have known about many years ago! As an entity, they are often commissioned to perform at annual meetings for worldwide arts groups and the like. Here's one we saw Friday. I'll probably show one or two more before the year is over... It sure looks like they have fun!
"An Abridged History of Western Music in 16 Genres"

Fab Friday

A lot to post today...   This semester is all about musical theater in preparation for our spring Scenes and Songs performance on May 14th. In these clips, our familiar friend Nick Patera (a.k.a. SopranoAltoTenorBass Man) does it again with his mash-ups of musical greats. (In the past, I have shown Nick Patera's On Man Disney Medley - it remains my fave) There seem to be a lot of fans of Les Miserables out there (again!). The musical was a big deal when I was in high school, but the recent movie has prompted a whole new generation of followers. Viewer beware!!!  Nick maintains the original lyrics from the show...there is one foul word in the "Master of the House" bit.  Then, he does a medley from the Disney musical Newsies. The 7th graders are singing a tune from it, and the 6th graders have been watching it.  And just to lighten things up a little, I added a classic Muppets clip of "Do Re Mi". I remember this one from the weekly airing of The Muppet Show growing up! Well, I guess I just dated myself again! :0)

Also, a quick shout-out to the MVMS students who went to ISSMA State Solo and Ensemble this weekend:

All of them received a GOLD rating! Isn't that awesome? Congrats to Erica Lohman, Felicity Kratky, Kailee Isham, Tess Barnett, and Makayla White for their efforts!

Fab Friday 2/8

Here are some clips using a little 'science of sound'... I told the students that the bottles reminded me of a demonstration the third graders at FES used to enjoy as part of our Science of Sound Unit. The Pringles cans are reminiscent of the Joia (joy-ah) Tubes I used to have in the elementary classroom (like propped up boomwhackers that you bonk with a paddle!). Finally, using perfectly crafted wooden bars for the right pitches, this Japanese phone commercial goes to great lengths to create Bach's Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring on a mile-long xylophone track through the forest. The connection? All of these clips are advertisements!

Fab Friday 1/18

Thanks to Joan for sharing this one...amazing and smile-worthy!