Getting Started
Step 3
Match the composers/titles to the examples located in this Dropbox Link
1. __E. Beethoven Fur Elise
2. __B. Mozart Marriage of Figaro
3. __J. Tchaikovsky 1812 Overture
4. __F. Lieder Schubert the Trout
5. __A. Mozart Eine Kleine Nachtmusik
6. __H. Wagner Ride of the Valkyries
7. __D. Beethoven 9th Symphony
8. ___G. Verdi Anvil Chorus from Il Trovatore
9. __C. Beethoven 5th Symphony
10. __I. Tchaikovsky Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy Nutcracker
Book, Score & CD Tour
Classical Title
Brahms: Ein Deutsches Requiem Auger/Stilwell/Shaw/Atlanta Symphony Orchestra & Chorus CD
Description
The opening of this Requiem is very slow, having a synth-like tone played in the beginning, and is very sorrowful. As the voices join in, there starts to feel like there is some hope as it builds up, but then falls very briefly. I feel as though I am in a church after the death of an individual, which would make sense since this IS a requiem. It almost switches from minor to major in some portions, but does not hang on for long. Although the voices and orchestra build up at times, it still has a sadness to it all. I must say that the oboe solo in the beginning (maybe 2-3 minutes in) was VERY nice. I enjoyed it a lot. Moving on to the second movement, the opening is very similar, but definitely has a different feeling to it after the first few seconds. This one features much higher-ranged instruments earlier on than the first movement did. After a while, this movement does get very intense, with the percussion building up a lot along with the rest of the orchestra. After this build-up, the music sounds much happier (but also has a hint of sadness to it). Moving on to the next movement (I think...?), we hear a soloist and a very sorrowful tone in his voice. It feels very much like a call and response piece, going between the soloist and the choir, with the orchestra supporting both.
Reasons Why
I was very interested in not only Brahms' take on a requiem, but how it compares to other requiems I have listened to. I have listened to a few pieces from Brahms but none of them have been part of his requiem. I was a tad bit disappointed, although I expected it, but Brahms' requiem (from what I listened to) did not have the intensity that Mozart's had. I did some research assuming that maybe Brahms composed his before Mozart (allowing Mozart to take inspiration and intensify it), but Mozart's requiem did in fact come before Brahms'. It was certainly a somewhat-intense and beautiful requiem, but I think I am very biased for Mozart.
Title
The Masterpiece Collection: Chopin Vol. 3 CD
Description
The first piece is one very familiar to me, since it has been performed at Calliope Cafe in the past. I really enjoy it (it is super upbeat, happy, and very speedy) and am happy that I put a name to the piece, but I will move on to others. The second piece is very different from the first, sounding much simpler, soft, and almost sad. I have never heard it before and really liked it. The third piece is another one I have never heard before, and it is also very sad, in the beginning it is very soft, and somewhat relaxing. Eventually it starts to build up, but it doesn't seem to get very intense. The fourth piece was much more intense than the previous pieces, and after a few seconds I recognized it very quickly. I really enjoy how this piece practically speaks when you listen to it, the melody feeling almost vocal, and I was happy to finally know the name of this piece.
Reasons Why
Similar to the reasons I stated for picking the CDs for the Romantic artists (which I worked on before doing the Classical ones), I was interested in seeing which pieces from Chopin are considered his "masterpieces" or best work. Again, like Debussy, I am familiar with a lot of Chopin's pieces, so I was very interested in seeing what would pop up, putting names to the pieces I have heard in passing, and getting a better understanding of his work.
Romantic
Title
Schubert Greatest Hits CD
Description
The first part of the CD is Symphony No. 8 "Unfinished". Interestingly enough, the first solo portion played by the woodwind sounds very reminiscent of Swan Lake. Maybe this inspired Swan Lake, since it was composed almost 50 years beforehand. I have never really heard this piece before, but it definitely feels like some form of ballet and I am very happy that I listened to it. The second piece I did not enjoy as much, and hadn't heard before. The instrumentation of it is very nice, and the balance and melodies aren't that bad, I just didn't find myself intensely attracted to this piece. The third piece was Ave Maria, which was more familiar to me than the others. The singer in this piece really have a beautiful voice and I thoroughly enjoyed listening to it, and I felt very at ease listening to this piece (lullaby!). The fourth piece, Serenade, has the same peacefulness of the previous piece, but in a very sorrowful and minor tone.
Reasons Why
I was really interested in seeing what was/is classified as his greatest hits. Since I was never fully familiarized with specific Classical/Romantic artists (putting names to pieces or styles), I was interested to see what I would learn from listening to this CD. Overall from the pieces I listened to, I am very thankful that I did got to listen to all of them and expand my knowledge of Schubert's musical pieces.
Title
Debussy Greatest Hits CD
Description
The first piece, "Claire De Lune", is one that is far too familiar, so I moved on to the second piece instead. The second piece, "Golliwog's Cakewalk", is something that I have never heard before and is super duper fun. It kind of sounds like something Hayden would play at some point. It has a very fun vibe to it, and makes me think of a bunch of little frogs hopping around in the grass (spring peepers). The third piece, "Reverie", is one of my personal favorites from Debussy. It has a very magical feeling to all of it (very different yet similar to Golliwog). Golliwog has a fantasy feeling to it, meanwhile Reverie feels like I am floating around in the clouds. The fourth piece, "Arabesque No. 1", is a piece that I have always loved and have heard far too many people playing in the Riley Center. This CD did help me finally place the name to this lovely (and dreaded) piece, since I never knew it before.
Reasons Why
Similar to my reasoning for picking is the same as why I picked the Schubert CD, I wanted to expand my knowledge on Debussy's work as well as put names to some pieces that I may already know. I am definitely much more familiar with Debussy's work than Schubert's though. That being said, I still thoroughly enjoyed listening to these pieces and learning what are considered some of his "Greatest Hits".
Concert Review
Link to Presentation
Step 4
Pair and Share Concert Review
1. Who was your partner?
Alex Legrys
2. Describe their concert going experience.
She seemed to have a very good time, and noted that despite the strained voices or difficulty to enunciate at times, the singers did an amazing job and she was blown away by the musicians' performance. She also stated that she really enjoyed the theme of the show.
3. What was their biggest take away from the performance?
Overall, in her eyes, the performance "effectively portrayed the culture of the time" and despite being very different from the subject we studied, it was still in relation to what we have been studying. The audience influenced the performance to an extent, and the emotions portrayed in the songs reflected that of the Romantic period. I believe that she really enjoyed the show, despite it not being as prepared as other Burr and Burton performances (in her eyes).
Period Projects
Link to Presentation
Content & Final Reflection
Step 1
How has the music of the Classical and Romantic Periods influenced and inspired contemporary artists? Provide examples.
We still see lots of students and groups performing pieces from the Classical and Romantic periods. From symphony orchestras to high school groups, everyone performs some of these pieces at some point in their lives. Even Beethoven's Ode To Joy is oftentimes used as a beginner-pianist piece for learning the piano. As we have seen throughout every unit and period, characteristics from one period will carry over to the other. Another common trend we saw was Billy Joel's, a modern artist, constant interest and influence from Classical pieces. He talks about them often and how he is very inspired by artists from that time, clearly showcasing that the music from these periods is still influential today.
Step 2
Provide examples of resources/organizations that provide 'classical' music to consumers and patrons on a local level
Locally, there are still a plethora of options for individuals to enjoy Classical music. The Vermont Symphony Orchestra provides a ton of performances throughout the year, you can see the Taconic Music groups locally perform chamber music and string quartets, and there are even musical workshops offered throughout the state revolving around different time periods. There is the Bennington Baroque group as well (which is a bit earlier than Classical), and if you travel out of state you can find countless options of symphonies, orchestras, and operas in NYC and Boston.
Step 3
Review the Benchmark Goals you set for yourself in Getting Started: What is it that you hope to know and/or be able to do at the conclusion of the course?
I was very determined to finish the course early and accomplish other things in this time. I did not get to this at all (in some ways I did, but not entirely). I stated that my goals were to: "I hope to have a better understanding of classical music history and be able to transfer this knowledge into my knowledge of contemporary music history. I also hope that by the end of this class I will have spent some time practicing clarinet, singing, and film scoring."
A. Comment on your semester achievements in relation to your initial goals
I believe that I did develop a decent understanding of classical music history's ties into the modern world. It was interesting going in reverse (somewhat), but it almost made it more interesting and entertaining to me. The musical elements developed in this period are ones that I learned about in a more modern-manner in the other course, and I can distinctly see the transition from the end of this course to the beginning of the next.
B. How well did you achieve your goal? What goals were met? What goals were not met?
I did achieve one of my goals (and half of the other), but failed to really push myself much further than that. I do have a better understanding of classical music history and can transfer it to modern music history as well as have a stronger understanding of the music that I am currently/previously performing. I did not exactly get to practice the clarinet during my C block time, but I did sacrifice some of my at-home time (that I could have spent on coursework) playing instead. So that is like a half-accomplishment (but not really). I never really got to work ahead to try and spend some time learning vocal music with either lessons or my friends, and I never really got to glance at film scoring. I did not perform the best time management, but I am proud of myself for providing such good-quality work.
C. What has been the greatest benefit/most rewarding aspect of your learning experience?
I think there were 2 very rewarding experiences from this course. I believe that in taking this course and studying this genres/periods in more depth than usual, I have developed a stronger understanding of the music I currently perform. Secondly, I think it was very rewarding seeing such good quality work come out of myself, especially in comparison to the previous courses I have taken.
D. How well did you avoid sources of interference to stay on task?
I don't believe I avoided it as well as I could all of the time. Sometimes I was very good at pushing individuals away and staying on task, but other times it was very easy to get invested in the topics or things everyone else in the room was doing. I did manage my distractions on my computer pretty well, the majority of things I watched or listened to were from that specific unit's work. Occasionally I would watch other music-related videos or listen to music while I was working, which did distract me sometimes, but not entirely. I think my biggest issue overall was just not working from home as much as I should have.
Step 4
Review your Unit 1 Self Regulation Inventory
A. Comment on how you addressed the weaknesses you identified and/or how you overcame challenges in regards to achieving success this semester
I don't believe I fully addressed them to the best of my ability, but I definitely did start doing more work at home around Unit 6-9 and the final. I did get distracted easily from time to time, but also did prevent myself from being distracted by others in certain occasions. I did not turn things in on time most of the time (my biggest weakness!), and it did not help that I put a little too much effort into every question and step of the work. I did achieve a great deal of good quality work though, which makes me proud.
B. Reassess the 30 true/false statements for the Self Regulation Inventory. Compare your current ratio to your initial one.
BOLD - True ITALICS - False
CURRENT RATIO: 22 True, 8 False
INITIAL RATIO: 21 True, 9 False
I am aware of my intellectual strengths and weaknesses.
I am able to know what kind of information is most important to learn.
I am good at organizing information.
I know what the teacher expects me to learn.
I am good at remembering information.
I have control over how well I learn.
I am a good judge of how well I understand something.
I learn more when I am interested in the topic.
I try to use strategies or learning techniques that have worked for me in the past.
I am aware of the methods that I am using when I study.
I use different learning strategies depending on the situation.
I use my intellectual strengths to compensate for my weaknesses.
I know when each strategy I use will be most effective.
I slow down when I encounter important information.
I draw pictures, diagrams and take notes to help me understand while learning.
I try to translate new information into my own words.
I ask myself if what I’m reading is related to what I already know.
I try to break studying down into smaller steps.
I ask myself periodically if I am meeting my goals.
I consider several alternatives to a problem before I answer.
I find myself analyzing the usefulness of strategies while I study.
I ask myself questions about how well I am doing while learning something new.
I ask others for help when I don’t understand something.
I am persistent when working on a challenging problem.
I re-evaluate my assumptions when I get confused.
I stop and re-read or re-view material when I get confused.
I know how well I did once I finish a test.
I ask myself if there was an easier way to do things after I finish a task.
I ask myself how well I accomplish my goals once I’m finished.
I ask myself if I learned as much as I could have once I finish a task.
C. How would you approach the process differently if you had another opportunity to learn in this manner?
I would have definitely done a lot more work at home and probably have not put in too much effort into my notes. As much as they were very useful and helped me learn and maintain a lot of knowledge, it was very time-consuming and postponed the date I turned things in on. Less notes and doing more work at home would've certainly been very beneficial.
D. What have you learned about learning?
You need to dedicate yourself to learning inside and outside of school. You shouldn't avoid doing work because you're not at school; taking some time every day outside of school time certainly helps you keep everything on top of deadlines (and relieves a boatload of stress).
E. How does what you learned relate to other things you have been learning or have experienced?
Since I thoroughly enjoy and plan on continuing to perform music from this era, I believe that learning about these topics definitely related and helped me with my performances and knowledge. Besides that, I think this process has helped me realize that maybe I should be focusing more on deadlines rather than quality every single time.
F. How has your thinking about your thinking(metacognition)changed?
It hasn't changed terribly much, I don't exactly focus on my thinking. I personally believe that I need to reevaluate my thinking in terms of what is the most important information to focus on. My brain naturally assumes that all information is important because I want to learn as much as possible, so I hope that eventually I can figure out how to evaluate the importance of information. That would definitely benefit my timing and management of coursework in the future.
Step 5
A. Identify areas of strengths
I believe one of my greatest strengths influences my weaknesses. The notes that I took for every chapter were very in-depth and helped me maintain a great deal of knowledge throughout the course, but it also took a LOT of time to gather all of these notes. I also believe that the quality of my work was very nice, although it did oftentimes push me back past the due date.
B. Identify areas of needed improvement
I basically listed my weaknesses above, but I will reiterate them here. My time management isn't the best in this scenario because I put a lot of time into every part of each unit, making my quality of work great but the time in which I turn everything in not so great. I believe either I should back off on the quality of work I produce a tiny bit or just spend even more time than before working on things.
C. What strategies might you use in the future to overcome these challenges?
Like stated above, either I should lower the quality of work I produce slightly or I should develop better time management skills. I think I should have followed the idea of micro-planning, although it definitely does make me feel comfortable or fit into the style of my work (since I oftentimes enjoy jumping around between each step and section). It definitely would've helped lessen the lateness of all of my work.
Step 6
Briefly review the assignments you have submitted for Units 6-9
A. Comment on the quality of work reflected in your ePortfolio as well as the content of your manilla folder
My manilla folder had no paperwork in it really so I will primarily reflect on the quality of work in my ePortfolio. I believe the quality of my power points and notes were very high quality. Everything else I did seemed to be good too, but I believe that my best work was my notes and power points. The notes were very helpful and very detailed, and my power points looked very clean (in my opinion).
B. Did you modify your portfolio approach for the second part of the semester or repeat your approach from the first part?
I did not really modify my approach for the second part of the semester compared to the first semester. The only thing I did differently was work ahead a tiny bit more earlier on (Unit 6 and 7), but I quickly fell behind again. I almost went into this with the same mentality with little to no changes at all.
Step 7
Answer the following questions regarding the future use of the course material
Identify 3 of the most important concepts or skills you learned in this course
1. Good note-taking that benefits later for test-taking
2. Efficient/nice power points
3. Ability to differentiate between different eras/periods of music
Explain why you perceive these concepts or skills to be important
1. I am very happy/satisfied with the quality of the notes that I took throughout this semester. After taking my notes, I went to take the test and noticed that all of my notes significantly help me pass the tests almost immediately.
2. Being able to have very clean and efficient power points are nice because you can display information to an audience in a very visual manner. If you have a disorganized or confusing power point, you may even accomplish the opposite of what you expect to teach your audience.
3. This is just personally very important to me because I have always felt awkward not being able to differentiate between the different eras/periods of music that we're playing or if I go to see a concert. Now that I have this knowledge, I think having a stronger understanding of this music and knowing the changes it went through will enhance these experiences.
How do you anticipate using these concepts or skills in the future?
1. I plan on continuing to take notes relatively as good as the ones I took throughout this semester. I saw that they helped me greatly with my tests, but were also very time consuming. If I have enough time to take notes like these in the future, I'd like to continue doing them, but if not I hope to try and tone them down.
2. I think building off of what I learned and made this semester will be very helpful, especially if I have any presentations that I have to show in college.
3. Since I have learned so much about these periods and how they developed, I think I will probably attend more concerts. Having an enhanced understanding of the music will probably make the experience even more enjoyable, so I think attending more events may be very nice.
Step 8
Please provide some advice and words of wisdom for students taking this course in the future
Do your homework! Just because there isn't a difference between what work should be done in class vs. at home doesn't mean you can't make that difference. Spend some time working on your assignments at home so that you can accomplish even more in your class time. Doing parts of the assignment that could be done at home makes it easier to spend more time on parts that require the resources that are at school.
Step 9
Please help us sculpt the future of the course by providing feedback, suggestions, etc. related to Unit Content, Listen, Launchpad, Wix, On-Campus, ePortfolio, Work Flow, etc.
I don't believe there is much feedback or suggestions I can provide to "make this class better". The only suggestion I have (although it may be difficult) is potentially switching everyone over to Wix (although it may be difficult). I just have a very strong bias towards it and enjoy it a lot more (even though I used Jimdo yet again. I was just too lazy to make a new website).
HONORS TRACK
Book Review
Step 1
1. Title & Author
This Is Your Brain On Music by Daniel Levitin
2. Brief Summary of the Reading Material to include 3-5 quotes/passages(including page #)
"This Is Your Brain On Music" is a book written by producer Daniel Levitin about the ties between science and music, such as "Artists' studios and scientists' laboratories share similarities as well, with a large number of projects going at once, in various stages of incompletion." (pg. 5). He adventures into this idea because there is a fascination with music, "whenever humans come together for any reason, music is there", and it has been with our species for a long period of time (pg. 6). We use music as a way to express ourselves, communicate ideas or emotions, entertain, and so much more. As people become more advanced or knowledgable in the field, they find themselves worrying it may take away from the pleasure, but Levitin states that as he discovers more he has not lost enjoyment and has a new-found appreciation for those that are advanced in the fields of science and music. As I read this piece, I was absolutely fascinated to see connections that I have made in the past, things I have heard stated around me or learned recently, as well as learning new pieces of information from this. I believe the author greatly summarizes the ideas in this book in the introduction: "This is the story of how brains and music coevolved - what music can teach us about the brain, what the brain can teach us about music, and what both can teach us about ourselves." (pg. 12).
3. Please answer the following
• Describe your thoughts, feelings and/or emotional response to the reading
At first I wasn't that interested, the first chapter or two took away from all the hype I had from reading the book. As I kept reading though, I really enjoyed learning about all of the different things he discussed in the book. Ideas such as our "appreciation we have for music is intimately related to our ability to learn the underlying structure of the music we like" (pg 109). This book certainly didn't live up to the expectations that others had set for it for me, but I believe that may be because they oftentimes told me about things that were inside of it already, lessening the experience. That being said, I still heavily enjoyed reading this book and am thankful that I had the opportunity to read it. If I hadn't taken this course, I never would have even touched this book.
• What was the most important insight you gained from the reading?
The most important insight is the ideas I described in the last question. Since I went into much detail below, I will leave it brief here. One of the most powerful quotes, that I have even heard millions of times myself, is this: "on average, successful people had had many more failures than unsuccessful people." (pg. 202). Teachers, and more importantly the role models I have worked with over the past 4 years, have constantly stated this to me, and I feel as if seeing it in another context made me realize I should hold this closer to heart than in the past. In the introduction, there was the description of one of the author's close friends stating that he could not sing. Levitin stated that "he was an excellent oboe player, he couldn't carry a tune in a bucket." (pg. 6). That rang true to myself in a way, but I believe that it is because I belittle myself due to the ideas our Western society has put into place. I should follow the ideas of other societies and broaden my horizons, allowing myself to make mistakes and sound terrible so that I can improve. Before, I often felt as if I could never do anything else and I was stuck playing oboe, and that I would never be able to be as good as the others, but this is due to the fact that I have never allowed myself to truly 100% fail. Everyone around me has been stating it, and I think it's time that I take it to heart and act on it.
• What surprised you the most in the reading?
One of the things that I found interesting was his response to the "If a tree falls in a forest and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound?" question. He stated that it does not: "sound is a mental image created by the brain in response to vibrating molecules. Similarly, there can be no pitch without a human or animal present." (pg. 22). It makes me almost uncomfortable hearing that response, I can see how he may be right but at the same time I do not want to believe it. It should still make a sound, but no one is around to perceive it, but I guess in a way he is right. It just feels weird! Another thing that absolutely blew my mind was the explanation for why and how a glass breaks when a singer hits a specific pitch. Levitin stated that "The sound that a singer hits when she causes a glass to break might be 1000 Hx. The glass breaks because it, like all physical objects, has a natural and inherent vibration frequency," "When the singer hits just the right frequency- the resonant frequency of the glass- it causes the molecules of the glass to vibrate at their natural rate, and they vibrate themselves apart." (pg. 24). I feel as though these are very obvious and simplistic answers to these problems that I should have been able to draw to conclusion, but they really just baffled me beyond belief.
• What did you already know?
A lot of the concepts in this book I already had a basic understanding of: melody in different pitches, semitones, etc. I also knew some of the concepts that were discussed due to individuals that had already read the book speaking about it to me. There were large portions of Chapter 1 that I already knew, but as we read on later we got to parts that I have naturally assumed before but it was interesting to see someone else state it written out in paper. An example of this is "One of the reasons that we're willing to make ourselves vulnerable to our favorite musicians is that they often make themselves vulnerable to us." (pg. 238). This idea is one that I have relatively had an understanding to, making yourself vulnerable to those that make themselves vulnerable to you, and have even experienced in the past. That being said, I have never really fully thought out the concept before until I saw it on paper.
• In what ways might you be able to apply the reading material to your musical interests?
I think one of the most influential chapters for me was "What Makes a Musician?". I personally have always had a discomfort with not being the most "perfect" individual when it comes to music; everything I have wanted to do I have had a perfectionist mindset in terms of the standard crowd of people. I then started reading that famous/professional musicians oftentimes have not had professional training, sometimes use alternative methods such as alternative tunings, and "on average, successful people had had many more failures than unsuccessful people." (pg. 202). Levitin states that "The chasm between musical experts and everyday musicians has grown so wide in our culture makes people feel discouraged, and for some reason this is uniquely so with music." (pg. 190). I had never really considered this before, and it is very true that we don't do this with any other topic and it is very strictly within our culture. Even the science behind it (neurologists) states that the smallest exposure of music impacts our music processing compared to others who have had no training. As someone who has never had private lessons, but in a way has had musical training (music theory), I feel as though I should take these concepts and not be as hard on myself as I used to be. I don't need to be a professional in order to enjoy myself, and I can still be as talented if I fail or experiment (maybe even become more successful than I was prior). Although I will not be as heavily continuing my musical career, I know that it will still have an impact in my life, and I want that impact to be positive rather than negative.