Year 10 Hispanic/Latinos Music: Activity 3

Performance Activity:

Now that you’ve created your own melodic motif to follow the original, it’s time to put theory into practice! Provided is an mp3 file (this can be imported into GarageBand as a backing track or just played and record to as it is) of the same accompanying chords (Am Gmaj Cmaj Emaj) in the style of the original ‘Tacamun’ piece. Use this as an accompaniment to you melodic phrase and practice, practice, practice! your composition with the backing track as you will be providing a recorded (either audio or video) performance. This recording is to be uploaded to your online blog as evidence of your musical journey and material for peer feedback.

Gifted and Talented Extension:

Gifted and talented students (or those looking for an additional challenge) may use the additional mp3 backing file provided that accompany the introduction and ‘hook’ riffs. You may choose to either perform your composed melodic phrase, or, after performing the introduction and ‘hook’ riffs, choose to perform an improvised solo. This performance must include the incorporation of technology. For example, in this case, performing on the guitar, sound effects may be incorporated as well as musical techniques that can be associated with them, such as wah-wah pedal and distortion with palm muting. 

Special Needs Extension (Intellectual Difficulty):

Students with intellectual difficulties may use assistive technology, such as banana keyboards or Soundbeam, to incorporate movement and gestures as the source of musical creation and performance. These programs provide a variety of sound sources for students to experience. The slower GarageBand backing track can be played whilst the student performs along with it. It's all about creating music!

Here is an example of Soundbeam being used in music performance.

Year 10 Hispanic/Latinos Music: Activity 2

Composition Activity:

Now that you have an understanding of the defining musical features of Hispanic/Latinos music, it’s now time to put that understanding to the test! Below, I have provided links to files that can be downloaded. Listen and watch the piece ‘Tamacun’ by Rodrigo y Gabriela (2006). 

Tamacun mp3

Now take a look at the melodic PDF sample that has the ‘hook’ line notated. Take the time to learn this motif on your chosen instrument in order to gain an understanding of the scale being used (A harmonic minor). Also below there is a Finale file containing this melodic ‘hook’. In the blank bars provided, students are to compose their own melodic extension with relation to the chord progression being used (Am Gmaj Cmaj Emaj), with one chord allocated per bar. Try to compose at least another 4 bars. This may be allocated or composed for an instrument of your own choosing, it does not have to be guitar. Now it’s time for you to learn your own creations!

Tip: Try to use notes within the A minor (or A Harmonic minor) scale. Also, have a look at the notes being used in the sample. Try to incorporate these types of notes and rhythms into your own melody.

Gifted and Talented Extension:

Gifted and talented students (or those looking for an additional challenge) may use the extended Finale file and PDF file provided. This file has the original melodic ‘hook’ as the performers play it as well as the introduction riff. In addition to composing your own melodic motif, you must identify and incorporate the following musical techniques, evident in this example, into your score: hammer-ons/trills and modulation (key change).

Special Needs Extension (Intellectual Difficulty):

Students with intellectual difficulties are able to us MIDI keyboards (or Banana keyboards if available) to record sound sources into accompaniment in the mp3 file provided. This mp3 file can be imported into GarageBand and used as a backing track. At present I am experiencing difficulties in uploading GarageBand files. The tempo is at a slower rate to decrease the difficulty. Programs, such as Finale and Sibelius, require fine motor skills. Therefore, these programs should be avoided in this aspect. 

Year 10 Hispanic/Latinos Music: Activity 1

Listening Activity:

Watch and listen to the following examples of Hispanic/Latinos music. Consider these questions whilst listening:

1. Do you agree that they are adequate examples of the genre? Why or why not?

2. What musical concepts define/or are common in these videos? Eg rhythm, texture, instrumentation.

3. What countries do you consider to be Hispanic/Latinos?

4. How have these examples been incorporated into modern music culture?

Please produce your answers and findings in your weekly online blog to keep as a record of your musical journey. 

1. 'Chan Chan' by Buena Vista Social Club (1997)

2. 'Llego la Banda' by Spanish Harlem Orchestra (2007)

3. 'Smooth' by Santana feat. Rob Thomas (1999)

4. 'She Bangs' by Ricky Martin (2000)

5. 'I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho)/Hotel Room by Pitbull (2009)

Year 10 (Stage 5) Elective Music - Music of a Culture (Hispanic/Latinos Music): ‘Tacamun’

Topic: ‘Tacamun’ (2006), composed and performed by Rodrigo Sanchez and Gabriela Quintero. For Music of a Culture (Hispanic/Latinos), Stage 5 Year 10.

Prior learning: Students should have a sound understanding of the 6 musical concepts (pitch, duration, texture, tone colour, and dynamics and expressive techniques), explored in the stage 4 mandatory music course. The piece introduces more complex expansions of stage 4 musical concepts, such as rhythmic patterns: triplets, dotted notes, tied notes, off-beat accents, anacrusis, modulation. Students should have a general understanding of how to incorporate their chosen instrument into a variety of styles or genres. Students should have some acquired understanding of major and minor chord structure and their relationship to melodic phrasing.

In this online lesson, students shall address the following outcomes/objectives as a result of the Listening, Composition and Performance tasks provided:

1.     Improvise and arrange both individually and in groups in the styles of the compulsory and additional topics studied.

2.     Experiment and improvise both individually and in groups using stimulus characteristics of Music of a Culture (Hispanic/Latinos Music).

3.     Hurdle Task: Identify similarities/relationships between a chord progression and a melody.

Introduction

Music is a diverse and variable phenomenon that has been implemented into world cultures as an essential aspect of traditional identity. The focus of Music of a Culture, and the skills acquired from studying this unit, enable students to have a greater understanding and appreciation of music as a universal experience, regardless of which culture is involved. By studying Hispanic/Latinos music, as well as the examples and source material provided, students shall identify and recognise the style/genre as an influential element in modern society and the array of emerging popular music styles.

In this lesson, students shall learn how to implement their own individual approaches to the subject genre through composition and performance. As previously explored, students are familiar with the musical style and the relationships between the musical concepts that shape and define this genre from other forms of music. This lesson is designed to challenge students to apply musical techniques in order to overcome the designated hurdle task:

'What are the similarities/relationships between a chord progression and a melody?'

By using this as a focal point in the lesson structure, students are able to develop further compositional understanding from an individualized viewpoint, rather than the teachers.