LISTENING ASSIGNMENT for Spring 2021
As part of my goal to instill the love of music into my students, I have made it a trophy requirement that they experience live music by attending a concert. Obviously we have to find a different way to achieve that goal this year. I have selected several recordings on YouTube and other places for you and your student(s) to expand their music listening experience.
Please listen to #1-3, and then choose any from # 4 and #5 below to make a total of about 45 minutes to an hour. Instead of one long session, such as a concert might be, I would suggest that the student listen in shorter sessions over a period of the next few weeks.
Then complete a Classical Music Listening page for each piece. Set a goal of about one piece per week until finished, so that you don't have to do them all in the same day in April!
- 1) Haydn Piano Sonata in C, Hob. XVI:35.
To avoid repeats, listen from 1:39-5:46.
Students learned this theme in Piano Adventures Performance Book 2B, page 12.
This video shows the music, so students can follow along.
Listen for how Haydn keeps the theme but develops and changes it, sometimes using just small parts of it, sometimes changing to minor, or changing to a different (the dominant) key.
- 2) Bach's Minuet in G, played on the harpsichord with ornamentation typical of the Baroque time period.
This piece was introduced to students as A Minuet for Bach's Children in the Piano Adventures 2A lesson book. The harpischord was the main keyboard in use before the piano was invented in the 1700's.
- 3) Last part of Stravinsky's Firebird, begin at about 36:50
Read the story about this piece in the December 2020 Piano Explorer
Listen and watch for the different instruments as they are featured. You will hear harp, bassoon, oboe, cello, French horn, trumpet, bass drum, tympani (kettle drum) and violins. Try to identify them when you see and hear them on the video.
Listen for the mood changes and mark them on your listening sheet.
Students in Level 4 or higher: Can you hear the 7/4 meter at 48:45? Listen for the chord progression from 45:52 to the end.
- 4) A long list of shorter examples of music by many different composers.
- 5) Classical music organized into many different topics, specifically chosen for young people.
You can download and print as many Classical Music Listening pages as you need.
SHEET MUSIC -- Free music available at most of these
COMPOSERS and COMPOSITIONS
ACTIVITIES, DRILLS and EXERCISES:
Here are lots of fun sites!
ON-LINE MUSIC DICTIONARIES
OTHER GREAT SITES
If you find good sites, please contact me and I'll include them here.