Year 8 Music: Postmodernism

Year 8 have looked at the Music of Steve Reich, John Cage and Arnold Schoenburg. 

We discuss how the composers use post modern musical techniques to have an impact upon the audience.

Using the idea of John Cage's Prepared Pianos, we composed our own postmodern music sequences using prepared instruments.

Prepare your ears for some crazy experimental noise!

Year 8 Drama: Expression

In Drama, Year 8 have been working on expressing emotions. We have been studying the concept of war. Each of the students composed and performed their own monologue, from the point of view of a Prisoner of War or Army Soldier. We had to exercise great self control, and try to lose our inhibitions in order to give a moving, emotional dramatic performance. This was new experience for everyone. We learned a lot, and hope we can try out these new skills in the next drama topic.

TenBeats Line-up 2013

 

Check out the new line up for the TenBeats this term.

We will be performing at the Piasau Boat Club very soon! Watch this space!

 

TenBeats

Year 9 get devising....

For their first assessed performance, Year 9 will devise a short combined arts piece which demonstrates skills which have been worked on in lesson time.

 

Today is their first independently led planning and preparation session and they've started with dance : choreographing a dance sequence which will take place as part of their performance narrative.

 

 

Their performance will take place on the evening of 7th December as part of the main School Concert. Looking forward to seeing you there!

Year 7 Conducting

In Year 7, we look at the elements of music, learn the basic rules and key terminology and then have a go putting all this into practice.

To test out our new knowledge and understanding, we became conductors. We learned about time signatures, what a downbeat or upbeat is, and the directions a conductor should move their arm(s) on each beat of the bar. Once our conducting skills were polished, we had a go a conducting the rest of the group whilst singing or using percussion. 

We quickly found that the conductor has control of everything. When leading the group could control the tempo, dynamics, texture, on/offset of the music. We could get the music to start and stop with just one movement, and could instruct individual musicians to join or drop out through simple eye contact. 

The key to being a successful musical leader was confidence and authority. We discussed body language and what kind of stance/presence means that a person might be a successful leader or conductor.

Here's some pictures of our budding conductors...

'Gamelan' Style

Year 8 are taking a musical trip around the World. Today we stopped in Indonesia (Bali) where we learned about Gamelan music. After seeing a Gamelan performance on YouTube, we took off our shoes and stepped into the Drama Room where Miss Emma had assembled Tenby's very own make-shift gamelan.

We considered the musical techniques we had observed in the YouTube video (ostinato/ antiphony/ slendro scale/ unison/ polyrhythms/ motif) and composed our own gamelan piece of music to reflect the Great Storm of Miri which swept through school yesterday.

Movement 1 - The Calm Before The Storm

Movement 2 - The Elements Rage

Here's the YouTube video that inspired our performance:

Where next on our Musical World Tour??

IGCSEs...

 

Year 9:

This year you will select which subjects to study at IGCSE level.

Speak to Miss Emma if you are interested in either Music, Drama or both!

What goes on in Performing Arts?

A busy first year in Performing Arts at Tenby, Miri.

See the kind of things our students have been doing here...

Superheroes!

Year 8 Drama students have been working tableaux (still images) and how we can manipulate pictures to depict a narrative.

Lessons have been spent using our superpowers to fight evil and bring down the villains! All in a day's work at Tenby!

School of Rock

This term Year 7 and 8 will study Rock and Pop Music of the 20th and 21st Centuries.

In this project we'll listen to and discuss different rock and pop music from the last 60 years, examine how it has developed and the impact of culture, politics, technology on music and vise versa.

Students will form their own bands, performing and recording their own rock/pop compositions and covers of existing songs. They'll learn the basics on typical band instruments (guitar, bass guitar, keyboard, drums) and everyone will sing lead and backing.

Looking forward to hearing what they come up with! Watch this space!

Year 7 and 8 - if you play any band instruments outside of school, feel free to bring them into school on the day of your lesson!

If you want a little preview of what we'll be listening to, google/youtube;

• The Beatles
• The Beach Boys
• Queen
• Pink Floyd
• Green Day
• Nirvana
• Don McLean
• Abba
• Beyonce
• Moby
• Adele
• Coldplay
 
....and have a listen to any related bands recommended by YouTube

Rock on.