Performing Arts at ISOCS

The Nutcracker

2011-11-27T11:21:00.000+01:00

It's that time of year - here are videos from the Royal Opera Ballet about their production of the Nutcracker Ballet.

Text from the YouTube page:

Uploaded by RoyalOperaHouse on Nov 25, 2011

First Artist Leanne Cope talks about what it's like to play the lead role as Clara in The Nutcracker.

Text from the YouTube page:

Uploaded by RoyalOperaHouse on Nov 25, 2011

Senior Stage Manager Johanna Adams tells us what it's like to work behind the scenes on this Christmas classic ballet.

Hallelujah Chorus

2011-11-20T08:33:00.000+01:00

Some of you may remember the Silent Singing Monks performing Handel's Hallelujah Chorus from "The Messiah" which became a hit on YouTube a few years ago.

The Kuinerrarmiut Elitnaurviat 5th Grade in Quinhagak, Alaska has picked up the idea and flown with it:

Watch it with the popup window at http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=LyviyF-N23A
Text from the YouTube page:

Uploaded by jimii3 on Dec 20, 2010

Hallelujah Chorus -Kuinerrarmiut Elitnaurviat 5th Grade - Quinhagak, Alaska

Wow!! Thank you for all for the wonderful comments. The village of Quinhagak is glowing because of them. The amount of views is mind blowing!! Considering this video was intended for an audience of about 200. As many of you have thought, the kids worked very hard on this project. They put in 10 hours of work shooting all the scenes (on a weekend nonetheless!!) I am very proud of them!

Thank you also for pointing out the apostrophes! I now have a very teachable moment once we start school again. One they will never forget!! I'm just glad I spelled "Hallelujah" correct.

Thank you on behalf of Quinhagak, Alaska!! Merry Christmas!!

Watch it a second time, and pay attention to all the people and places involved - the class got the whole community into the video. Also pay attention to the landscape. The class planned the video, filmed it in a week, in early December. They say it was a little cold filming some of the outdoor shots. (link)

Watching this made me want to know more about this place, and these students. After a bit of google searching, I found the school home page, which has pages about the village of Quinhagak, the teacher who's class made the video (he's originally from Nebraska), his blog, and a very interesting page from the Anchorage Daily News - their Rural Blog's post about the making of the video. (Have a look at the whole blog page - it gives a glimpse into what life must be like in rural Alaska.) The post describes how the class made the video, and the town's reaction to it.

I learned a little about the people in the village:

"Quinhagak is a Yup'ik Eskimo community of 550 people on the southwest coast of Alaska. Nearly all residents can communicate in both Yup'ik and English. The K-12 school enrolls about 140 students." (link)

I looked up the town on Google Maps:

View Larger Map

View Larger Map

Here's one of the older versions of the Hallelujah Chorus. I thought it was pretty funny when I saw it - but I think the students in Quinhagak have taken the art form to a new high!

Flash mob at Copenhagen Central Station-Copenhagen Phil playing Ravel's Bolero

2011-11-19T12:48:00.000+01:00

Filed under "Taking Action"

Text from the YouTube page:

Uploaded by CPHPHIL on May 27, 2011

As one of the first professional symphony orchestras ever Copenhagen Phil (Sjællands Symfoniorkester) did a flash mob at Copenhagen Central Station on May 2nd 2011 playing Ravel's Bolero. Conductor is Jesper Nordin.

http://copenhagenphil.dk/

Jewels

2011-10-01T12:49:00.000+02:00

"Jewels is an award-winning ballet in three parts created for New York City Ballet by co-founder and founding choreographer George Balanchine. It premièred on Thursday, April 13th, 1967, at the New York State Theater with sets designed by Peter Harvey and lighting by Ronald Bates.

Jewels has been called the first full-length abstract ballet. It can also be seen as three separate ballets, linked by their jewel-colored costumes. Balanchine commented: "The ballet had nothing to do with jewels. The dancers are just dressed like jewels." Each of the three acts features the music of a different composer: Emeralds is set to the music of Gabriel Fauré, Rubies to the music of Igor Stravinsky and Diamonds to music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky." [Read more details about the performances at the Wikipedia article]. The Balanchine Trust page explains more about the music for each ballet.

Text from the YouTube page:

Uploaded by RoyalOperaHouse on Sep 29, 2011

"Mal Barton, Costume Workshop Manager takes us through the costumes from each section of George Balanchine's ballet Jewels; Emeralds, Rubies and Diamonds looking at the intricate detail behind the making of the costumes."

Jewels - http://www.roh.org.uk/whatson/production.aspx?pid=16849

I found another video, showing a different company's production of Jewels - so the costumes are not the ones shown in the video above.

Text from the YouTube page:

Uploaded by pacificnwballet on Feb 3, 2009

Pacific Northwest Ballet performs George Balanchine's JEWELS.
Emeralds: Louise Nadeau and Oliver Wevers
Rubies: Jodie Thomas and Jonathan Porretta
Diamonds: Carla Körbes and Stanko Milov
http://www.pnb.org/

Another view of Diamonds

Text from the YouTube page:

Uploaded by houstonballet on Sep 24, 2010

Diamonds
Choreography by George Balanchine
© The George Balanchine Trust

A ballet in three parts, George Balanchine's Jewels was premiered by New York City Ballet in 1967 and was hailed as the first plotless full-length ballet. The gems in Jewels pay tribute to three golden ages of dance and also to the beauty of the ballerinas Balanchine adored. Diamonds dazzles as Balanchine's tribute to the work of Marius Petipa and evokes the grandeur and precision of the Imperial Ballet of St. Petersburg with each shimmering wave of classical elegance.

Performed by Mireille Hassenboehler and Jun Shuang Huang of Houston Ballet.

What do you think the costumes in the three productions shown in these videos have in common? If you were going to design costumes for a dance or play, what would you take into consideration? Do you think this would be an interesting challenge?

You can shine

2011-09-08T12:34:00.000+02:00

I was made aware of this video by a PYP colleague in Japan.

text from the YouTube page:

Uploaded by s4ur4bh on Sep 11, 2008

"Thai Pantene television commercial. Its simply brilliant. The story of a deaf and mute girl who learns to play the violin against all odds. One of the most touching advertisements I've seen in a long, long time."

Do you know the names of notes?

2011-09-01T10:06:00.000+02:00

Yesterday this blog shared an app for music notation training, called (surprisingly!) Music Notation Training.
The creator, David Filip, writes "Learning to read notes it is quite hard and it needs a lot of practice to become really fluent. I search(ed) the internet and there was no simple app that I like so I've built it by myself."

You can practice treble or bass clef.

Screen shot of http://notationtraining.com/

If you need skill and drill about the names of musical notes on a staff, practice with http://notationtraining.com/

There are other websites that can help you learn the nomenclature of music.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_musical_symbols describes most of the symbols used in writing music.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Note includes a table with many names for notes: English, Northern European, Dutch, Byzantine, Japanese, Latin American, etc.

Screen shot from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Note
Click on the image to see a larger version

http://www.musicards.net/music_flash_cards/music_note_flashcards.html can help you learn the note names on the treble, bass, tenor, and alto clefs, as well as key signatures, intervals, triads, and notes on a guitar fret.

Screen shot of
http://www.musicards.net/music_flash_cards/music_note_flashcards.html

Dance is a language

2011-08-07T08:03:00.000+02:00

When I saw this video about the Trey McIntyre Dance Company, I thought of Central Switzerland. What does the Heartland of American have to do with Zug? (at min 0:49 )"...There is some sense in standing in the space where you are, feeling thee Earth around you, and finding that sense of space..." At ISOCS, we spend a lot of time "finding our sense of spaces."

The text from the YouTube page:
Uploaded by ForaTv on Aug 4, 2011
"Choreographer Trey McIntyre discusses how his dance company, the Trey McIntyre Project, has fostered a growing arts scene in its home of Boise, Idaho. He attributes the success of appealing to larger audiences to his American sensibility and the use of more accessible music. "Someone can come to the show and say, 'Oh wow, I learned a lot from watching how that athlete functions,'" says McIntyre.
Trey McIntyre, choreographer and founder of the Trey McIntyre Project, wants to bring dance to as many people in as many different forms as possible. It's why his company performs spontaneous dance events at restaurants and office sites throughout the Boise area. It's also why the Trey McIntyre Project is one of four companies chosen for DanceMotion USA, a State department cultural diplomacy program that will send the companies all over the world. Listen to an extended interview about his project with PBS NewsHour correspondent Jeff Brown. - MacNeil / Lehrer Productions

"Trey McIntyre is one of the most sought-after choreographers working today. Born in Wichita, KS, McIntyre has created a canon of more than 80 works for companies such as American Ballet Theatre, Stuttgart Ballet, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, New York City Ballet and Ballet de Santiago (Chile).

"He served as Choreographic Associate for Houston Ballet from 1989-2008 and Resident Choreographer for Oregon Ballet Theatre, Ballet Memphis and The Washington Ballet before forming his acclaimed Trey McIntyre Project in 2008 based out of Boise, ID."

I was curious to learn more:

You can see more videos of their work, and cameos of other members of the Project on TreyMcIntyre's YouTube page, and the Project's web page.

They came to play

2011-07-30T08:45:00.000+02:00

They Came to Play
"Sometimes, life comes between us and our dreams. And sometimes, we are fortunate enough to be reunited.

Multi-award winning THEY CAME TO PLAY focuses on the International Piano Competition for Outstanding Amateurs (hosted by the Van Cliburn Foundation), which gathers together 75 of the world s best amateur pianists for one week of intense competition and camaraderie. Candid interviews offer a glimpse into the lives of the competitors, who come from a wide variety of backgrounds and professions. All have struggled to balance their music and their ordinary lives some overcoming extraordinary challenges and now, all hope to make years of dedication pay off in the performance of a lifetime.

Overflowing with the talent and enthusiasm of the competitors and with the sound of their spectacular music, THEY CAME TO PLAY reminds us all of the passion that burns within us." (link)

The DVD is available from iTunes, Amazon.com, etc.

The Real Great Composers - Stravinsky

2011-07-17T08:15:00.001+02:00

New post from the Gramophone Magazine Podcast, in the "Real Great Composers" series:

Text from the YouTube page:

"Uploaded by GramophoneMagazine on Jun 30, 2011

What made Stravinsky's music so intriguing and thrilling - and remain so today? What inspired his works, and what role did both the past and present play in his compositional language? Just how original was he? Forty years since Stravinsky's death, conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen and Gramophone editor-in-chief James Jolly discuss music's great revolutionary - complete with excerpts from Salonen's many recordings of the composer (courtesy of Sony Classical - for full details of music excerpts: http://www.gramophone.co.uk/editorial/the-real-great-composers-stravinsky)."

The August 2011 Podcast episode you can listen to an interview with a 19 year old pianist, who has just signed a contract with Decca.

Text from the YouTube page:
"Uploaded by GramophoneMagazine on Jul 14, 2011

In this month's Gramophone Podcast pianist Benjamin Grosvenor -- aged just 19 but signed to Decca and opening the 2011 BBC Proms -- talks to Martin Cullingford about his new disc of music by Chopin, Liszt and Ravel. Meanwhile, James Jolly travels to Paris to talk to conductor François-Xavier Roth about his new recording of Saint-Saëns. Plus, find out the latest new entries in the Specialist Classical Chart, and listen to music excerpts from some of the chart recordings."

Spectrum Presents: Glen Hansard and Guitar Heroes

2011-07-09T10:35:00.000+02:00

"Spectrum welcomed musician Glen Hansard to the Met on Thursday, May 26, in celebration of the exhibition Guitar Heroes: Legendary Craftsmen from Italy to New York.
"Hansard is a prolific songwriter and charismatic performer, both as the front man for the Irish band The Frames and as one half of the folk-rock duo The Swell Season. As part of the latter group he won the Oscar for best original song for the composition "Falling Slowly," featured in the movie Once.

"After a private viewing of the exhibition and a reception with beer generously donated by Harpoon Brewery, Hansard delighted the crowd with an acoustic solo performance in the magnificent Temple of Dendur in The Sackler Wing." (text on the YouTube page)

8 Pianos

2011-07-02T06:59:00.000+02:00

Do you take piano lessons?

Evgeni Kissin, Lang Lang, Emanuel Ax, Leif Ove Andsnes, Claude Frank, Mikhail Pletnev, Staffan Scheja, and James Levine playing the Ride of the Valkyries. Verbier Festival & Academy 10th Anniversary Piano Extravaganza.

Behind the Scenes: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

2011-06-24T17:51:00.001+02:00

Performance footage courtesy of the Royal Opera House.

Behind the Scenes: The Characters of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Behind the Scenes: The Sets and Costumes of Alice

Behind the Scenes: Mad Hatter Tap Rehearsal

Trailer: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Alice in Wonderland - The Caterpillar & The Mushroom

Alice in Wonderland - The Cards

The Queen of Hearts

Spring Concert

2011-06-24T17:48:00.002+02:00

Usman Riaz

2011-05-31T06:17:00.000+02:00

Usman Riaz is a 20 year old, very versatile musician.

EMI Pakistan Presents FLASHES & SPARKS
A FORWARD MEDIA Production
Music By Usman Riaz
Directed by: Bilal Khan & Shayan Agha
Director of Photography: Bilal Khan
Edit & Post: Shayan Agha

"The guidance and encouragement that he has received made him even more conscious and critical of his work. The artiste has done all – composing, mixing, balancing and played all instruments himself except the drums on the track “Clouds Before the Storm”. “I look at my work in a very different way, I want it to be something I can look at five years down the line and not cringe. Hopefully, that will continue to appeal to me as I mature.”
(International Hearld Tribune http://tribune.com.pk/story/127032/i-truly-believe-music-is-magic--usman-riaz/ Published in The Express Tribune, March 4th, 2011)

Part 2 of the Interview is here.

Romeo and Juliet at The O2

2011-05-28T12:53:00.002+02:00

Maurice Ravel string quartet in F major

2011-05-19T21:29:00.000+02:00

The Stradivari Quartett performs the third movement (Très lent) of Ravel's String Quartet in F major the "De klenge Maarnicher Festival" in Luxembourg, 16 April 2011

You can hear more of their beautiful playing on their YouTube channel, and learn more about them on their web page in German or in English, and on their management page.

Quartet members, and the instruments they are playing, are
I. Violin - Xiaoming Wang (Aurea 1715)
II. Violin - Soyoung Yoon (King George 1710)
Viola - Lech Antonio Uszynski (Gibson 1734)
Cello - Maja Weber (Bonamy - Dobree Suggia 1717)

The Quartet plays on instruments made by Antonio Stradivari. "“Our music goes hand-in-hand with a huge thank-you to the Habisreutinger family and the Foundation’s trustees.

We are very fortunate that the St. Gallen textile manufacturer and hobby cellist Rolf Habisreutinger began collecting valuable Stradivari instruments. We are very fortunate that the collection contains four of the most beautiful instruments that a quartet could wish to play on."

Their next public performance in Switzerland is September 11 at Castle Schadau, Thun Chamber Music Festival.

A tour of music history

2011-05-13T18:48:00.000+02:00

Melissa Lesnie, at The Limelight website, has posted an "educational and eclectic tour of music from the middle ages to today illustrated with clips from YouTube" at http://www.limelightmagazine.com.au/Article/254537,classical-music-a-history-according-to-youtube.aspx/1 by .

"Limelight has strung together just 40 of the most informative, representative and entertaining videos we could find to present a selective, chronological history of western classical music from the twelfth century to the modern age. Concert, recording and documentary footage has been assembled to illustrate the most epoch-making moments and innovations in the field. We searched for the highest visual and audio quality as well as the most compelling way to tell the story. We can't possibly cover everything and there are countless composers and clips that deserved to make the cut, so feel free to jump in and suggest inclusions of your own!"

Page 1 The Middle Ages
Page 2 The Renaissance
Page 3 The Baroque
Page 4 The Classical era
Page 5 The Romantics
Page 6 The Birth of Modernism
Page 7 Post-WWII innovators

Jascha Heifetz

2011-05-07T07:07:00.000+02:00

Jascha Heifetz was born in February 1901 and died on December 10, 1987. He was a violinist, born in Vilnius, then Russian Empire, now Lithuania. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest violinists of all time. With his family, he left Russia in 1917, traveling by rail to the Russian far east and then by ship to the United States, arriving in San Francisco. (link)

This is a clip from the 1947 film "Carnegie Hall". Directed by Edgar Ulmer. In this sequence, Jascha Heifetz is playing the first movement of Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35. Heifetz played Carnegie Hall for the first time in 1917, when he was only 16 years old." (link)

Zoe Keating, Avant Cellist

2011-04-24T10:56:00.000+02:00

Text from the YouTube page:

Uploaded by channelintel on Mar 21, 2011

"Professional Cellist Zoe Keating is the Avant Cellist. In this film by Intel, we get to know Zoe and how, through her beautiful cello work intertwined with a foot pedal-controlled laptop, she creates worlds of feeling, motion, and life."

Text from the YouTube page:

Uploaded by seanyama on Aug 20, 2008

Avant-garde cellist Zoe Keating (zoekeating.com) covers "Time Is Running Out" by Muse in the pre-security concourse area of the international terminal at San Francisco International Airport (flysfo.com). This concert was part of the inaugural You Are Hear music festival at the airport. Video: Canon VIXIA HF10 HD camcorder, 0.7x wide converter, Audio-Technica ATR55 monoaural shotgun microphone, tripod, high-definition (1080p30) recording.

Water Rites/Rights

2011-04-23T10:24:00.000+02:00

"The water rites performance must be a process of putting flesh onto the issues of water. We are performing embodied knowledges about water." (Dr. D. Soyini Madison)

Step into a lecture room at Carnegie Mellon University and listen to Dr. D. Soyini Madison present an hour and a half lecture about her work in "Staging Water Rites".

The first 5 minutes of the video is introduction. Then, listen carefully as Dr. Madison reads her lecture - she includes information the Middle Primary Class is very familiar with from their inquiry into water (listen for the facts she enumerates at minute 11 of the video).

At minute 14, she speaks what the performance process needed to mean to the performers, her students - what they must believe about water. Beginning at minute 15.30, we see scenes from the performance, interwoven with scenes from Dr. Madison's field research in Ghana.

Text from the YouTube page:

Uploaded by CarnegieMellonU on Apr 18, 2011

"D. Soyini Madison, Professor of Performance Studies at Northwestern University, argues water is a human right and examines "acts of activism" by water democracy advocates in Ghana, West Africa and their struggle to protect public water systems from corporate privatization.

Woven throughout the presentation are excerpts from a staged performance in 2006 at UNC Chapel Hill, entitled "Water Rites" that dramatized the politics and poetics of water. Through digital imagery, comic satire, dramatic monologue and theories of performance, the talk will explore ethnographic fieldwork on water activism as well as our human relationship with water."

At Cambridge Books Online, you can read an extract from the ebook version (or download the pdf file) of Act II - Water rites/rights pp. 97-156 from Dr. Madison's book, Acts of Activism

Kevin Olusola

2011-04-20T08:35:00.000+02:00

Text from the YouTube Page:

Uploaded by kolusola on Apr 14, 2011

Hey, everyone.

This is a piece called Julie-O by Mark Summer. I took it and made an arrangement for cello and beatbox. I hope you all enjoy it!

Follow Me, Peoples!!

Website: http://kevinolusola.com

Click through to Kevin' Os web page, and read about his musical career - it will inspire you!

Spike Jonze Presents: Lil Buck and Yo-Yo Ma!

2011-04-19T08:17:00.000+02:00

Text from YouTube page:

Uploaded by OpeningCeremonyNY on Apr 11, 2011

"The other day, I was lucky enough to be at an event to bring the arts back into schools and got to see an amazing collaboration between Yo-Yo Ma and a young dancer in LA, Lil Buck. Someone who knows Yo-Yo Ma had seen Lil Buck on YouTube and put them together. The dancing is Lil Buck's own creation and unlike anything I've seen. Hope you enjoy. --Spike Jonze,http://www.openingceremony.us/entry.asp?pid=3238"

Gramophone Podcast May 2011 issue

2011-04-18T13:06:00.000+02:00

There's no video on this "video" - is an audio podcast, posted to YouTube. Lots of good stuff to hear!

Text from the YouTube page:

Uploaded by GramophoneMagazine on Apr 18, 2011

Gramophone Online's Editor Martin Cullingford introduces the latest Gramophone podcast, in which Editor-in-Chief James Jolly talks to composer John Rutter about the new recording of his music on Naxos records, as well as to its conductor, St Albans Cathedral's Master of Music, Andrew Lucas. He also talks to pianist Alexandra Silocea about her first disc of Prokofiev Piano sonatas for Avie records, and Martin discusses this year's summer festival season with Gramophone Staff Writer Charlotte Smith.

Curious about Ballet?

2011-04-16T09:54:00.001+02:00

Do you love ballet? Do you want to know more about this classic form of dance? Investigate this web page: http://www.roh.org.uk/discover/ballet/glossary.aspx "A guide to basic ballet terms for the uninitiated", from the Royal Opera House.

There are links to other interesting sites and pages, and a score of videos each illustrating the classic ballet alignments, attitudes, poses, steps, etc., which a informed balletomane needs to know.

Screen shot from roh.org.uk

Lang Lang and Guo Gan -- The Horse Race

2011-04-14T15:37:00.000+02:00

Lang Lang, piano
Guo Gan, erhu
Huang Huai-Hai, The Horse Race
The Piano By Lang Lang, filmed at the Cité de la Musique in Paris on March 30, 2011
Broadcast live on medici.tv

Flute duet in space

2011-04-13T08:36:00.000+02:00

Text from the YouTube page:
Uploaded by tullmanagement on Apr 8, 2011
NASA Astronaut Cady Coleman, Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson Perform First Space-Earth Duet. NASA Astronaut Cady Coleman, circling Earth aboard the International Space Station, and musician Ian Anderson, founder of the rock band Jethro Tull, joined together for the first space-Earth duet.

Could you practice/play music with a friend over Skype?

The Piano, by Lang Lang

2011-04-10T12:41:00.001+02:00

The piano according to Lang Lang on medici.tv.

"What child hasn't dreamt of playing piano? Along with the violin, it is without a doubt the most emblematic instrument of the classical repertoire. The world renowned pianist virtuoso, Lang Lang galvanizes the crowd with his brillant performance which is carried through his warmth and generosity.

Lang Lang illustrates with the sensitivity of a great artist what moves him in the music he performs. Perparing ourselves for an emotional excursion into his realm, sprawling from his intimacy to more flamboyant moments, we discover masterpieces and for the rest... surprise." Read more, and watch other videos on Medici TV (search for Lang Lang to find this page).

Recorded at the Cité de la musique in Paris on March 30, 2011, at 3 p.m

FOLI "RHYTHM" THERE IS NO MOVEMENT WITHOUT RHYTHM

2011-04-07T09:46:00.001+02:00

"This short film portrays the people of Baro, a small town in eastern-central Guinea, and gives you a glimpse inside their culture of rhythm. As the Malinke man says, “Tous les choses, c’est du rythme.” (“Everything is rhythm.”)" (link)

The text on YouTube:
"dedicated to the people of Baro.

"Life has a rhythm, it's constantly moving.
The word for rhythm ( used by the Malinke tribes ) is FOLI.
It is a word that encompasses so much more than drumming, dancing or sound.
It's found in every part of daily life.
In this film you not only hear and feel rhythm but you see it.
It's an extraordinary blend of image and sound that
feeds the senses and reminds us all
how essential it is.

"By the brothers Thomas Roebers
en Floris Leeuwenberg

"Film crew during one month in Baro, Guinee Afrika.

"Beutifull sound recording and sound design Bjorn Warning
Translator and Rhythm specialist Thomas Bonenkamp

"With special thanks to the chief: DJEMBEFOLA |: Mansa Camio"

Thanks to Open Culture for the link

2011-04-07T08:07:00.000+02:00

Sempé and Hantaï perform Rameau on medici.tv.

Skip Sempö and Pierre Hantaï perform Rameau's "Suite des Indes Galantes", transcription for two harpsichords, on Medici TV. The concert was recorded at Cité de la musique, in Paris, on 25 March 211.

Encouraging Creativity

2011-03-28T05:12:00.000+02:00

Encouraging Creativity from Samuel Harding on Vimeo.

Menahem Pressler - Chopin, Mazurka Op. 17 No. 4

2011-03-27T06:58:00.001+02:00

Frederic Chopin, Mazurka Op. 17 No. 4

Menahem Pressler Recital on medici.tv.

Menahem Pressler Recital
Watch the full live performance free of charge on medici.tv or on YouTube
Piano recital at the Cité de la musique, Paris.
Broadcast live on medici.tv on March 23, 2011

Online Guitar Lesson

2011-03-25T11:13:00.000+01:00

This is one sample lesson from Berkleemusic, the online school of the Berklee College of Music. Taught by award-winning guitar player Steve Vai, the class achieved the largest live-streamed music lesson yet. 7000 people in all watched the lesson, and Berkleemusic contributed one US$ per student to the Steve Vai Online Scholarship Fund at Berkleemusic.

Watch live streaming video from berkleemusic at livestream.com

The World in Six Songs: How the Musical Brain Created Human Nature.

2011-03-19T08:40:00.000+01:00

From the Library of Congress YouTube Channel: Daniel Levitin, "Director of McGill University's Laboratory for Musical Perception, Cognition and Expertise and best-selling author of 'This is Your Brain on Music,' blends cutting-edge scientific findings with his own experiences as a former record producer and still-active musician."

Listen for these interesting statements: "In most of the world's languages today, the word for 'music' and the word for 'dance' are the same word." (min. 4:54); "You can't make music without movement" (min 5:30); "It takes a great act of will to hold the body still when there's music playing." (minn 8:24)

Playing Recorders

2011-03-13T10:17:00.001+01:00

Middle Primary Class students at ISOCS

How much do you know about your recorder? Which one of these do you play?

Recorders are made in several sizes. "The largest is the great bass (lowest note c) and the smallest the sopranino (lowest note f2), the most commonly played being the soprano and the alto. There are also even larger instruments, the sub-bass in F and the sub contra bass in C as well as an even smaller one than the sopranino, the so-called "Gar Klein Flötlein" based on c3." Read more about the sizes on this web page.

You can hearThe Flanders Recorder Quartet playing many different sizes in the videos below.

Flanders Recorder Quartet, Bach Concerto BWV 596, part 1 (after Vivaldi). Recorded live in Seoul 2008
www.flanders-recorder-quartet.be

Flanders Recorder Quartet, Schein - Suite from Banchetto Musicale 1617. Recorded live in Taiwan 2006

How's your recorder trivia knowledge ? Take this quiz and find out!

The pentatonic scale

2011-03-12T07:30:00.001+01:00

Bobby McFerrin demonstrates the power of the pentatonic scale, using audience participation, at the event "Notes & Neurons: In Search of the Common Chorus", from the 2009 World Science Festival, June 12, 2009.

For related content, please view the full "Notes & Neurons: In Search of the Common Chorus" program at our website:

http://www.worldsciencefestival.com/video/notes-neurons-full

Bill Bailey's Remarkable Guide to the Orchestra

2011-03-08T08:13:00.000+01:00

"Bill Bailey joins forces with Anne Dudley and the BBC Concert Orchestra for an evening of his music and comedy.

"Using both contemporary and classical references, Bill Bailey explains, in his unique and hilarious way, the nuances of how the orchestra works and the lesser-known influences of various classical composers.

"Also included are some of his own original works, rearranged and performed by himself and the orchestra under the guidance of musical maestro Anne Dudley." BBC

"Bill Bailey has won a prestigious international television award for his Remarkable Guide to the Orchestra.

"The full-scale production, filmed with the BBC Concert Orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall in 2008, has not only won 'Best Musical Variety Programme or Series', but also the award for 'Best Entertainment' in Best of Show across all festival genres.

"Bill says: 'We are delighted to receive this award, which is fantastic and deserved recognition for all the people who were involved. The programme was a huge, collaborative effort and my thanks are extended to all who took part in its production, in particular Anne Dudley and the BBC Concert Orchestra.'" BBC Concert Orchestra

Orchestras on the web

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San Francisco Symphony's Keeping Score
This "is a comprehensive website full of educational materials about composers, scores, musical techniques, and symphonies. There are two elements of Keeping Score that should be of particular interest to educators. The most immediately accessible section of Keeping Score is the interactive education elements that contain videos, images, and texts that tell the stories of composers. The interactive section also features explanations of musical techniques, the history of notable events and themes in the symphonic world, and analysis of various scores." (Free Tech for Teachers)

Screen shot of Keeping Score

The BBC Orchestra and Singers web site is full of interesting things to learn and experiment with: a Guide to the Orchestra, Discovering Music, a Listening Library, and links out to other good BBC music sites, like Maestro: Try conducting a film score

Screen shot of http://www.bbc.co.uk/orchestras/learn/

The Dallas Symphony Orchestra's web page for kids includes a listening library of music from different periods and a games section where you can learn about music in very novel ways.

Screen shot of http://www.dsokids.com/

Music Games on the Internet

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Try out these music games on the Internet:

Incredibox (does not work on Chrome) Free, online sound mixer with drag-and-drop creation.

Photo by Luke Dorny (luxuryluke)

My Bytes Music Mixer

Create a five track composition

Classics for Kids
Four music games based on music theory

Monkey Machine
Experiment with drum beats and rhythm