Kebo Giro: Gamelan music from Java - arranged for tuned classroom percussion Kecak - an excerpt from the famous Balinese Men's Chant Keyboard Chords Keyboard Instruments, harpsichords, pianos, organs and synthesizers Here is another way of classifying and grouping musical instruments. When we talk about ‘keyboard’ instruments could we also be including the ‘keyboard’ of a computer? Perhaps this is topical! Looking into the origins of keyboard instruments is an engrossing topic on its own. Students could investigate stringed keyboard instruments, keyboard instruments driven by ‘wind’, percussive keyboard instruments and contemporary electronic keyboard instruments. Classroom musicians who already play a keyboard instruments might demonstrate, for example, how contrasted are the sounds they produce. Perhaps students could write or arrange music for a keyboard instrument. They could learn to play one, using the classroom band charts elsewhere at this web-site. Language, Music and Dance in Bali Many New Zealanders and Australian visit Bali for economy holidays despite the variables of politics. Bali fascinates people from the outside – the Balinese are very sociable and engaging people who continue to present their culture as one to share. A number of significant artists, both Asian and European are inspired by Bali. A project might be presented not only about the music and culture of Bali, but also in Indonesian the primary language of Indonesia. However we need to be sensitive to the fact that the Balinese continue to communicate to each other in their own Balinese language. Learning Model, A   An example of a teaching and learning model for planning short and long term music programs. Loose Canon - more original music for recorder Lyrics and Poetry Lyrics are the ‘poetry’ that travel with music. There are many examples on the site and vast numbers more out in the real world. A project focussed on lyrics ought to have a strongly creative element at its core. Check this site Making Instruments Projects growing out of the manufacture of musical instruments range from the simplest – eg plastic bottle maracas – to highly complex instrument manufacture of pitched and electronic musical instruments such as those made from plastic piping. I suggest a few of the simpler instruments on this CD but there is a plethora of instrument making sites on the internet and large numbers of books and manuals published which should be accessible in school and public libraries. 'Making Music Matters' for a Capella Choir & Recorder Ensemble Melody Membranophones - musical instruments with 'skins' More Gamelan Music Music and Dance in a History of China Another vast topic that ought to suggest a diversity of projects. Check libraries, the internet and this page. Music and Dance in Asian Settings Given our proximity to Asia and the increasing numbers of Australians and New Zealanders who trace their origins to Asia – and in a sense this includes Indigenous Australians and New Zealanders – the significance of studies relating music and dance from Asia to our own settings is considerable. The possibilities and opportunities for performance will be supported, no doubt, by requesting support from those with the expertise and experience in these fields, musicians and dancers from Asian nations. Music and Dance in Japan Another vast topic that ought to suggest a diversity of projects. Check libraries, the internet and this page. Music and Dance in Korea Another vast topic that ought to suggest a diversity of projects. Check libraries, the internet and this page. Music and Dance in North America This could be introduced with a geographical survey of North American peoples. How many countries are found in North America? How many cultures are represented within these nations? What is their history? What roles have and do music and dance play in these cultures? In what ways have they impacted on our own music and dance? Music and Dance in South America Precisely the same questions could be discussed for South American music and dance. Then the outcomes of both discussions might be compared and contrasted. Of course performance ought to be part of the final product of these processes. Music and Dance in Sri Lanka Sri Lanka is an island physically approximately the size of Tasmania, but with a population roughly equivalent to that of the whole island continent of Australia. It has a very long human history with its original people possibly related to Australia’s Indigenous population. In contemporary times music and dance owe varying origins to ancient Indian traditions, Indigenous music and dance inspired by the rhythms of percussive ensembles, the music and dance of various European colonisers including the Portuguese, Dutch and British. High Country and Low Country Folk music would make an interesting study, particularly perhaps looking at the exorcising of demons and devils. I’m sure modern teenagers would enjoy that focus! Music and Dance in the Middle East Music and Girls Music and Literature Music and Maths Check this website for ideas: Music and Maths Music and Mobile Phones Ring tones offer an opportunity for a creative approach to working with mobile phones. Of course, no doubt, your school will have rulings about mobile phone use in place and you may need to negotiate their use in a classroom. Many phones come, these days, with download facilities for computer and armed with programs for composing original ringtones. These programs are generally not difficult to work with. A presentation might centre around the ringtones created by members of a project group. Music and Poetry A little research will soon show the powerful relationship between these two art forms. They share a lot in common. Projects could take many forms: students might explore poetry and its forms in a Western or non-Western setting. They might be encouraged to write their own poetry. They could seek out well-known poems that have been set to music or they might choose to set their own to music. The possibilities are again limitless. As always there ought to be a musical outcome for such projects – performances with or without documentation, multi-media presentations and the like. Poetry figures in many instances at this site. Review, for example, the section that presents Asian genres of poetry and literature integrated with music. Music and Science Check out this website for some ideas – Music and Science Music and Technology Music and the Sea There is a multitude of ways in which your students could approach this. They might look at music that is associated with sailing, such as Sea Chanteys and Hornpipes. A number of composers have written music inspired by the sea including Vaughan Williams, Wagner and Debussy. There is folk music associated with the sea and some magnificent hymns – if your school system doesn’t discourage surveying these. Check out too my recordings of sea sounds. These might suggest soundscapes inspired by the sea. Do these ideas suggest others? Musical & Related Games Check these out. Music I enjoy, The I’ve suggested a focus – why not talk about this topic with the class, and carry out a survey based on internet and library searches. Any project you and your students come up with ought to conclude with a performance based on the focus. Music in Time:  'Time' - as beat, rhythm, metre and tempo, is a critical component of engagement with music. Music Literacy Musical Notation - ways in which music can be written and read Musical Sounds in Nature Musical Theatre Narrative Music New Zealand Composers Noodle Sticks - an Outline North Eastern Asia, Music and Dance Numeracy, Literacy and Music Oceanic Music and Dance: Music and Dance in Polynesian Island nations 'Ode to Joy': An arrangement for classroom band 'One Up Blues': An arrangement for classroom band Opera Many cultures have their own equivalent of Western ‘opera’ and a project could easily focus on one or more of these equivalents. However students might decide they’d like to pursue a focus based on the classical opera. Obviously though this is not going to appeal to all students but knowing what opera is about and why people might enjoy it is helpful in learning understanding and even tolerance! There are many resources to access and, as always with such a people-oriented topic, the best resources are those engaged with opera, such as singer-actors, producers, stage managers and so on. An approach might even look at opera as a musical career option. Check this informative website: Opera Oral Music - an outline Orchestra, The Much has been documented about orchestras and their enormous variety. The modern orchestra may be somewhat at risk as live performances by large bodies of musician are expensive to present, and the orchestras themselves are financially prohibitive to run. Consequently it’s important to recognise their enormous worth in maintaining traditions and the evolution of new music. A project might ask ‘Why?’ There will be plenty of documented material but again the best resources are the people involved. Most larger centres have an orchestral ensemble at some level. Other Music Notations Outlines: Abbreviated Notes Related to Music in Education: The outlines in this directory, starting with 'Chants and Part Songs' are mostly a result of requests from teachers with whom I have worked in schools. Each is presented as an outline which teachers might 'unpack' to create their own more detailed programs.