Noise vs. Music

Homework: all instrument making materials due Thursday.

Today's classwork: What's the difference between music and noise?

We started by listening to a mysterious recording. Some students thought it was pots and pans blowing in the wind, some thought they heard wind chimes. Actually, it was the Thai Elephant Orchestra! The photos above are of the elephants in action. From the album website: "The elephants improvise the music themselves. The Thai Elephant Orchestra was co-founded by Richard Lair of the Thai Elephant Conservation Center in Lampang and performer/composer Dave Soldier."

After listening, students shared their responses to the question of noise vs. music and discussed where we can draw the line. One class ended up inventing new words: noisic (closer to noise) and moise (closer to music). Another section just had a category in the middle for both. I don't think we've nailed down a shared definition of either, but we're getting to understand our thinking a little better.

After discussion, the classes took a listening walk around the school. Each person wrote down all the sounds they heard and tried to put them in either the noise or music category on their paper.

Back in the room, we discussed what we had heard and came up with a more refined group list on the board. It seems like we can somewhat agree that music is characterized by repetition of sounds (rhythm), intention (somebody meant to make it, or at least meant for it to be heard as music), and organization (not just random sounds).

Finally, we tried out some group music-making, using a rhythm grid to clap together.

Tomorrow: more music making! I'll be bringing in some unusual instruments to play. Students will get their own blank rhythm grids to fill out and the whole group will try out their rhythms.

More Ways to Talk About Music

This is an image from the original manuscript of Beethoven's Symphony #7. Wow!

Homework: In journal, answer the question: How do I know that I'm getting better at talking about music? Journals with all the warmups and homework from this week are due tomorrow.

Today's warmup: Look at "Ways we can talk about music" chart from yesterday and write down a question for today's discussion.

Classwork:

1. The classes watched a segment of the "Music From the Inside Out" dvd in which symphony musicians listened to their rehearsal of a Stravinsky piece and commented on it. We listed some of the ways those musicians discussed music on chart paper on the wall, to help add to our musical language.

2. After introducing a new way to chart responses to music, by listing "words that describe the music" and "what this makes you think of; how it makes you feel," in separate columns, the classes listened twice to a selection from Beethoven's Symphony #7.

3. Class discussion started with each person sharing their question from either the warmup or the previous night's homework. In no particular order, and from no particular section, are some of the questions that came up:

- where does the inspiration for making music come from?

- what's the difference between noise and music?

- how does music tell a story?

- why does music make us feel emotions?

- where do the different instruments and their names come from?

- why does mood matter when we're listening to music?

- what kind of an instrument is the piano and who invented it?

- what did the first music sound like?

- how does music make you want to move?

- how does music bring up memories?

- what is your favorite genre of music and why?

- how does music help us think?

- what does music have to do with color?