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?