Week 9/21-9/25 Jeopardy, Unit 1 Test, 3/4 strum patterns, Guest Artists!

A Jeopardy Game Review started out our week on Monday, followed by the Unit 1 Test.

Most students did well on the test, but some who have had no previous music experience struggled.  **If you were one of those students, please come see me and I will work with you on it and permit you to retake the test if you wish.  If I don't have time in class, I am available during lunch or right after school to help you until at least 2:30.  (Just Remember I am only in on A days).

On Wednesday we learned some the 3/4 patterns on the blue sheet I handed out earlier and received some new songs:

Pattern 2 - Amazing Grace  (down, down up, down) ( 1 2 & 3)

Pattern 3 - I Won't Give Up by Jason Mraz  (down, down up, down up) (1 2 & 3 &)

Pattern 4 - Clementine (down, down, down up)

We also learned another chord for the song Clementine, a D7



Students were paired up and passed each other off on the 9 chords we have learned so far. Make sure you get passed off on these chords, you need to have them memorized in order to keep up with what we are learning.

Friday we handed back the tests and enjoyed some Awesome Guest Artists:  Isaac and Kimball from RED YETI, a rock band out of Provo.  They sang and talked about the sound recording process -  the "why and how"s of the process. Kimball gave a great example of using "harmonics" in a song and told briefly how to do that.  They also told their stories of what inspired them to go into music.

  

9/17 Music Theory and The New Guitar Books Came in at last!!

The Guitar Books we have had on order finally arrived!!  This year we will be studying out of Jerry Snyder's Guitar School Book.  It is the first time I have taught out of this course study and I will be supplementing with lots of other songs and materials as well.  We are grateful to the Lone Peak High School for covering the cost of the books.  Each student received one and may keep it if they wish or turn it in at the end of the term.

We finished up worksheets 2,3,4 and went over them in class.  The Unit 1 test will be over the information in these worksheet and cover basic music terminology such as the names of the lines and spaces on a staff, time signature, repeat signs, types of notes and how you draw them and the counting of each kind of note.  It also contained basic knowledge of how to read guitar tablature and what the lines and numbers mean.

We reviewed several of the songs we have learned up to this point - mainly our new pattern with Firework and The Worried Man Blues.

Tuesday, 9/15 Music Theory Worksheets, New chords, strum pattern, and song

Three worksheets were handed out today with music and guitar theory information that we are learning in class. The packet will be due on Monday, 9/21.  These will be study guides for the Unit 1 test that will be given at the end of the Unit.

We learned three new chords:

  

And a new strum pattern that is commonly used on both guitar and ukulele:

Down Down Up Up Down Up  (1  2  &  & 4 &)

The Song we handed out to practice this pattern to is "Firework" by Katy Parry.  It also works great with lots of songs from Jingle Bells and Somewhere over the Rainbow to most popular songs.

**Parent Teacher Conferences are tomorrow (9/16) from 3-7pm.  I will be there and am looking forward to discussing the success of your child in my class!

9/9 - 9/11 Quiz and Assessments

This week we reviewed our songs and spent time on individual assessments. Students chose one of the songs to play either individually or in a group in front of me so that I could evaluate them.  Since this is our first evaluation, they received full credit just for doing it and extra credit if they sang to the songs.  In the future I will be looking for progress in their playing ability.

I also handed out a short quiz (Quiz #2) to direct the students to the website and all of the materials available to help them learn and practice the guitar.

Additional Song using the chords they know:  Three Little Birds  (Video)

Intro: A A A A


Chorus:

A
Don't worry, about a thing

       D                              A 
Cause' every little thing, gonna be alright

       (A)
Singin' don't worry, about a thing

       D                              A
Cause' every little thing, gonna be alright


Verse:

A
Rise up this mornin'

               E
Smile with the rising sun

             D                 A
three little birds pirch by my doorstep

       (A)
Singin' sweet songs

           E
of melodys pure and true

       D                   A
sayin', this my message to you-oo-oo


Chorus:

        A
Singin' don't worry, about a thing

       D                                   A
Cause' every little thing, (is) gonna be alright

       (A)
Singin' don't worry, (don't worry) about a thing

       D                              A
Cause' every little thing, gonna be alright


(Verse)

(Chorus)

Bonus Song

Friday 9/4 Chord Charts, Strumming Patterns and Aspartame Sunshine

Today I handed out two more handouts -

1. A blank chord chart for each student to keep of log of the 6 chords we have learned so far.  We'll be adding to that in the future.

2. I also handed out a sheet of Strumming patterns.  We have covered some of the patterns in class and will be covering the rest over the next few weeks

Our Guest Artists this week was a Group called:  Aspartame Sunshine with LPHS graduate, Austi Stenson

They talked about songwriting skills and how they formed as a group and their experience breaking into the music industry.

Aspartame Sunshine

Link to their Music Video

Wednesday 9/2 Improving skills

Today we focused on improving the skills we have been learning!

The songs we have been learning have all been in the key of D.

I checked each student individually on their tuning and while a student lead the warm-exercises, I corrected technique.

We practiced each of the songs that I have previously given and they were assigned to choose one for the Assesment starting on Wednesday (9/9) that they may do individually or in groups of 5 or less.

In 4th period I introduced a new song by Imagine Dragons called "Demons"  and they learned one more chord, the Bm to do as well as a simple fingerpick for the advanced players and a muted strum for the chorus.  Beginners should focus on chord changes and simple strums.

Demons (Video)

Capo on 1st fret

B:  Straight Strum
A:  P I P I P I P I  (Base  1st)

             

       D
When the days are cold
                       D
And the cards all fold
                   Bm
And the saints we see
               G
Are all made of gold

                    D
When your dreams all fail
                  D
And the ones we hail
               Bm
Are the worst of all
                G
And the blood’s run stale

D                               A
   I want to hide the truth
                            Bm
I want to shelter you
                                       G
But with the beast inside
                                                  D
There’s nowhere we can hide
                                        A
  No matter what we breed
                                    Bm
We still are made of greed
                                    G
This is my kingdom come
                                       D
This is my kingdom come

[CHORUS]

                                      A
   When you feel my heat
                     Bm
Look into my eyes
                                         G
It’s where my demons hide
                                              D
It’s where my demons hide
                             A
  Don’t get too close
                 Bm
It’s dark inside
                                           G                                                                   
It’s where my demons hide
                                                D
It’s where my demons hide

      D
When the curtain’s call
                D
Is the last of all
                    Bm
When the lights fade out
             G
All the sinners crawl

                D
So they dug your grave
                  D
And the masquerade
                   Bm
Will come calling out
             G
At the mess you made

D                                  A
  Don’t want to let you down
                         Bm
But I am hell bound
                                      G
Though this is all for you
                                                D
Don’t want to hide the truth

                                       A
  No matter what we breed
                                  Bm
We still are made of greed
                                 G
This is my kingdom come
                                         D
This is my kingdom come

[CHORUS]

                                             A
  They say it's what you make
                        Bm
I say it's up to fate
                           G
It's woven in my soul
                                 D
I need to let you go

                                         A
  Your eyes, they shine so bright
                                   Bm
I want to save their light
                                   G
I can't escape this now
                                        D
Unless you show me how

[CHORUS]

Monday 8/31

Today we checked each student to make sure they had three main things:  Guitar, Capo Bar, and a 3-ring binder or folder to keep their handouts in.

I also handed back the Quizzes they took on Friday

We warmed up and continued to go over the songs from last week.

Practicing - charts

We have decided to experiment and not do the traditional Practice Charts - practicing (in my book) should be fun and not a chore!

Students will practice as much as they want to at home. (I recommend at least an hour per week). At the end of each week  they will mark the chart with a YES or a NO - to say if they practiced that week or not. We are going on the Honor Code - a parental signature is not required.

I will collect the charts at the beginning of each month and give them points accordingly.

Thursday, 8/27 (Quiz and Songs)

Today we started working on several songs using the following Chords: D, A7, G, A, E

He's Got the Whole World  (Video)

If You're Happy and You Know It

It Takes a Worried Man   (Video) (Another Video)

When the Saints

Amazing Grace  (Video)

Johnny B. Goode ( for the Back to the Future 30 year anniversary!) (Video)  (Video lesson to Intro)  (Chuck Berry Version)

We also began individual assessments - a starting point.

Quiz!

Today was our first quiz over the Parts of the Guitar.  If a student misses the quiz he may come and take it at lunch or after school.

Tuesday 8/25 (tuning and reading chord charts)

Today was our first day bringing guitars!  

We worked on tuning the guitar.  There are three ways we learned: to an electric tuner or app, to the guitar itself using the 5th fret method, and to the piano.


We also practiced doing the warm-up exercises together  - Walk the Board, Jumping Jack (described in the earlier lesson)

We learned to read a chord chart:

And learned how to play the chords:  D, A7, G