Process description PI/BASIS Royal Conservatoire The Hague Academic Year 2015/2016

30 Tuesdays

BASIS 1

11 students: 4 flutes, oboe, 3 clarinets, horn, 2 bassoons

BMO A (Broadly-based Musical Development, level A)   30 minutes, training the inner hearing (ability to imagine sound) by means of singing, musical games involving motor skills, polyphonic skills, solmisation, rhythm language, pre-notation 

Instrumental lesson 50 minutes training instrumental skills using the familiar repertoire/inner hearing from BMO A. 

Attention is given to posture, breathing technique, embouchure, inner hearing, motor skills. These lessons also involve singing, playing musical instrument games, training polyphonic skills, using solmisation and rhythm language. The students take charge of their own learning path and apply creative skills and improvisation, as well as developing self-expression 

BMO B 30 minutes playing in ensembles, using the familiar BMO A repertoire and also instrumental lessons. Attention is given to learning together, group processes, quality of playing in ensembles, improvisation, and being able to communicate with each other musically.

BASIS 2

8 students: flute, 3 oboes, clarinet, 2 horns, bassoon

BMO A   30 minutes, training the inner hearing (ability to imagine sound) by means of singing, musical games involving motor skills, polyphonic skills, solmisation, rhythm language, pre-notation stick notation and notation.

Instrumental lesson 50 minutes training instrumental skills using the familiar repertoire/inner hearing from BMO A. 

Attention is given to posture, breathing technique, embouchure, inner hearing, motor skills. These lessons also involve singing, playing musical instrument games, training polyphonic skills, using solmisation and rhythm language. The students take charge of their own learning path and apply creative skills and improvisation, as well as developing self-expression. They compose their own music and they improvise.

BMO B 30 minutes playing in ensembles, using the familiar BMO A repertoire and also instrumental lessons. Attention is given to learning together, group processes, quality of playing in ensembles, improvisation, and being able to communicate with each other musically.

BASIS 3

7 students: 2 flutes, oboe, clarinet, horn, 2 bassoons

BMO A   30 minutes, training the inner hearing (ability to imagine sound) by means of singing, musical games involving motor skills, polyphonic skills, solmisation, rhythm language, pre-notation, stick notation and notation, sight singing in solfa, rhythm language and text. 

Instrumental lesson 50 minutes training instrumental skills using the familiar repertoire/inner hearing from BMO A. 

Attention is given to posture, breathing technique, embouchure, inner hearing, motor skills. These lessons also involve singing, playing musical instrument games, training polyphonic skills, using solmisation and rhythm language. The students take charge of their own learning path and apply creative skills and improvisation, as well as developing self-expression, composing music and improvising,  and ability to sight-read.

BMO B 30 minutes playing in ensembles, using the familiar BMO A repertoire and also instrumental lessons. Attention is given to learning together, group processes, quality of playing in ensembles, improvisation, and being able to communicate with each other musically.

Ability to play the repertoire at sight.

Description of preparation for CCM* weekend Scholen in de Kunst  6 and 7 February 2016

Saturday 6 February 2016 Day 1

Participants:

-75 students (instrumentalists) divided into two groups, primary education and secondary education, from the School for Talent at Scholen in de Kunst Amersfoort

-12 music teachers 

Teaching team:

-Kodály ‘Prepare session’ led by teachers at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague, Suzanne Konings and Daniël Salbert

-CMM workshops conducted by 6 workshop leaders puntComp, Renee Jonker, Emma Rekers, Jurgen van Harskamp, Maite van der Marel, Martine Belderok, Jelte Althuis

-General organisation, preparation, Hanne van de Vrie, Martine Belderok, Mieke van Dael

-Organisational and practical support Société Gavigniès Foundation, Scholen in de Kunst Amersfoort

10.00-11.00  Kodály ‘Prepare session’ by Suzanne and Daniël, 

Participants: 35 secondary school students from the School for Talent, 12 music teachers at the Scholen in de Kunst and 6 workshop leaders puntComp and 2 organisers.

Singing and movement were used to develop an idea of the Dorian scale as well as to feel and reproduce rhythms in regular and irregular sequences. The “learning process” according to the Kodály method: 

first develop a feeling for the sounds of the materials; the complexity of the activities increases.

Materials used:

-Folk song ‘My paddle keen and bright’, singing and polyphonic skills, the group process, interaction with each other 

-‘Former Friends of Bartok’ (for children), movement, listening, singing, solfa 

-r r r d t l, r d t l s f, l f r f m m, l f r f r r (Dorian Canon) 

in various canon forms, using the rhythms from Clapping Music by Steve Reich

11.00-14.00 

32 secondary school students from the School for Talent together with Workshop Leaders Renee and Emma create their own work using the materials they have prepared aurally

7 flutes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 trumpets, euphonium, trombone, saxophone, 4 guitars, 4 violins, 8 pianos

1 introduction: What are we going to do?

*CMM means Creative Music Making, a form of working which focuses on the creative component and learning together

2 getting to know each other: warm-up in a groove: What’s your name? Can you say what sort of person you’re NOT?

3 warm-up: throw a ball to someone else and say the name of the one who’ll be catching it 

4 pick up your instrument and try to play on your own instrument what Suzanne and Daniël have taught you

-the tones should be as in tune and as normal as possible 

-the tones should have an interesting colour/sound 

This allows you to build up a ‘sound bank’. You play to each other.

5 take your instrument and try to play on your own instrument the melodies or bits of them that Suzanne and Daniël have taught you, while singing at the same time. We play to each other what has developed from this, preferably in canon.

6 on your own instrument investigate how ‘to build up a bank of expressions’. How can you give the same few tones on your instrument completely different expressions?

7 on your own instrument investigate how to be able to build up a ‘bank of rhythms’. How can we put our instruments to use as part of a rhythm section?

8 Present the results to each other and discuss the programme for Sunday .

11.00-16.00

12 music teachers together with Workshop Leaders Maite and Jurgen create their own work using the aurally prepared material.

2 flutes, 2 guitars, trumpet, horn, 2 violins, 3 pianos, saxophone

Session 1

1 introductions: getting to know each other 

2 warming-up/skills practice: group composition boy-girl clapping 

3 C Dorian descending (everyone starts on C, then does a  descending Dorian scale in pulses, then descends at individually chosen moments)

4 Group 1: produces a long drawn-out melody, using only intervals of a minor second or perfect fourth.

Group 2: provides a rhythmic accompaniment 

Use 1,2, 3 quavers (just as in the composition in a circle), with no more than 1 quaver rest in between, in C Dorian, and no more than two voices (clear rhythmic accompaniment)

Lunch

Kodály session

Session 2 

Learn how to put the material from session 1 together using Kodály techniques

Play ‘Tormis Fog’ melody

12.00-13.00 Kodály ’Prepare session’ Suzanne and Daniël

Participants: 39 primary school students from the School for Talent and 2 workshop leaders puntComp

Programme See first Kodály ‘Prepare session’

13.00-16.00

43 primary school students from the School for Talent together with workshop leaders Martine and Jelte make their own work using the aurally prepared material 

6 flutes, recorder, 3 clarinets, bassoon, 2 saxophones, 2 trumpets, 2 harps, 8 guitars, 3 cellos, 9 violins, 6 pianos

1 ‘Former Friends of Bartok’ is played on the piano. Task: walk the bass line, picking up your instrument on the way. The number of steps you walk should return you to the circle at the precise moment the last note of the piece is played.

2 ‘Bartok’ is played again, with Jelte improvising on the melody in G Dorian. Jelte then allocates ‘notes’. Listen to your note, accept it and keep playing it. A sound cloud develops.

Material consisting of notes in “ My paddle”: l d r m r d l s l

3 Groups are switched on and off (conducted) 

4 Led improvisation, conductor’s hand signs (easier if all the children know the hand signs)

5 Imagine and discuss what we’ve done and what we’re going to do.

6 Set up a Groove, with small rhythmic motifs. Examine effects, sound bank 

*Investigate aim of the note material, start to be a bit creative, experiment with notes, rhythms, improvisation 

7 Study melodies (citation from Bartok), listen, walk, sing, use sol-fa, apply to instrument

8 Split up into 7 groups

Group 1 and 2 Workshop Leader is present.

Study the left hand piano part of the Bartok on your own instrument. What could you do with this material yourself? How does it sound? What is this piece of music asking for, do you think? Can you hear something that is not being played at the moment? Should it sound different? In what way? What would you like to try? Which instruments? Your own melody? Add another voice? 

As soon as the ideas start to come, discuss them as little as possible, just start work immediately and try things out.

Group 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

Investigate the Bartok melody on your instrument, sing it again. Who still knows what the hand signs should be? Help each other.

1x play the tones as in tune and as normal as possible 

1x play the tones with an unusual colour/sound (improper use of your instrument)

1x alter the melody to suit yourself

How does that sound? What do you think this piece of music needs? Do you hear something that’s not being played at the moment? Should it be different? What would you like to try? Which instruments? Your own melody? Add another voice? 

As soon as the ideas start to come, discuss them as little as possible, just start work immediately and try things out.

9 Back in large group, play for the others, feedback. Using the tips, do more work on your piece

10 Think about the beginning-middle-end 

Work in groups independently once more.

11 Discuss various musical parameters, various sound colours, and increase the palette of possibilities.

Optional follow-up: investigate sound colours and use them in your piece.

Day 2

1 Reminder of material covered on Day 1, make adjustments if necessary (reallocate parts if some students are absent)

2 Add a ‘happening’

Sunday 7 February 2016 Day 2

13.00-15.00 follow-up to CMM workshops

teaching team led by Maite and Jurgen

primary school students led by Martine and Jelte

secondary school students led by Emma and Renee

15.00-15.30 transfer to the Flint

15.30-16.45 Go through the whole performance, integrate all the material

17.00 Present to the audience

Workshop bassoon class Royal Conservatoire The Hague 15 March 2016       13.00-15.00

Aural preparation 1st movement Mozart’s Bassoon Concerto 

Those present:

8 students majoring in bassoon

1 bassoon teacher (bassoon as major), observing

Arranged in a circle, icebreaker/getting to know each another 

- give your name and say something about what you did yesterday; the teacher goes first

- give your name and say something about yourself that is completely untrue; the teacher goes first 

Learning Folksong Attakattamoeva

Prepare

-aural, teacher sings, then students sing along “emisa, demisa, doelamisadee”.

Continue learning with both ‘caught and taught’

- sing the whole thing with text and dance, ABA form

- sing in rhythm language (Takadimi), with dance

Present

• show on the board with rhythm language in stick notation 

Practice

- show flashcards (in stick notation) and say rhythms on flashcards, with heartbeat. These flashcards also have the Folksong rhythms. Also Prepare various rhythms from the first movement of Mozart’s concerto 

- play on bassoon from the flashcards. Students can choose from a B-flat major triad which note they will use to play the rhythms on the flashcards. First with one note, and then with other notes from the triad for each card. Allow some improvisation within the given limitations. 

- Divide into two groups. Each group has one person who turns over the flashcards, one player plays the heartbeat in a B-flat major triad, and one or two people play the rhythms on the flashcards in B-flat major. The room is continuously filled with the B-flat major triad.  (Prepare for opening of first movement from Mozart’s bassoon concerto)

- Sing from Attakattamoeva in solfa, learn the hand signs.

- Sing from bass part of Attakattamoeva, reading from the hand signs the teacher gives. Split the group into two, so that one half sings the melody and the other half the bass line. The two halves then switch.

-Try Attakattamoeva out on instruments, in B-flat major. Play at different tempi (Prepare how to play staccato in first movement of Mozart)

-Play in two voices – one group the bass part and the other group the melody.

-Walk through the room and if you come across someone playing the same part as you, make a bow. 

- Play Attakattamoeva in various keys 

Learn body percussion for the rhythm of opening to first movement Mozart

- teacher demonstrates, students repeat 

- first rhythm, then with the bass line of the accompaniment 

- walk the bass line and reproduce the rhythm with body percussion 

- teacher plays bass line on the piano. You hum along while at the same time performing body percussion 

- work out the solfa of the bass line 

- sing the solfa, while walking the bass line and performing body percussion 

 - sing the body percussion in rhythm language 

- walk the bass line, perform body percussion and sing rhythm language 

- play the body percussion rhythm on the bassoon, choosing notes from the B-flat major triad 

- walk the bass line and play the body percussion rhythm, choosing notes from the B-flat major triad

- work out how to play the bass line on the bassoon 

- split group into two halves; one half plays the bass line, the other half improvises with B-flat major triad in the body percussion rhythm 

- walk through the room and bow to anyone you come across who is playing the same part as yourself. Then switch around.

- Sing the real theme from the first movement of Mozart in solfa

- play the real theme from the opening of the first movement 

- in 2 groups; one group plays the bass line, the other the real theme, again walking through the room and bowing to anyone who’s playing the same part as you. Then switch groups again 

- stand in a circle, play the Mozart theme in twos, with the bass line. Then a second round, switching functions.

Learning new body percussion (bass line) and melody from the end of the connecting phrase, first movement Mozart 

- teacher demonstrates, students repeat, practise 

- students do body percussion, teacher hums main structure of the end of the connecting phrase 

- students perform body percussion, teacher sings main structure in solfa 

- students sing the main structure, humming or in solfa

- hum main structure and perform body percussion

- learn solfa of the body percussion, which is the bass line from the accompaniment in Mozart

- sing the bass line and perform body percussion    

- try bass line out on bassoon 

- try melody of the main structure out on bassoon 

- 2 groups, one half plays the bass line, the other half the melody. Then switch.