Film Music

The Snowman and the Snow Dog

Did you still understand the story with our dialogue?
-Yes, I did. The emotions that are shown on their face is a big impact on making me understand the story. And also the movements, settings, and especially the music background that creates a connection with the emotions.

How did the music add to telling the story?
-As what I've said in the first question, it builds a big effect on giving the feels mainly to express the situation and the character's feelings. It helps us to give a hint on what's happening in the story. The music bonds with the elements in the story ( actions, movements, settings, characters and etc) and made me feel what's the story is giving me information.

Write about a scene that you found particularly interesting?
- There's a lot of scenes that I liked but I think I'll choose the part where the main character, the boy, and the dog went outside in the morning after their adventure in the evening and saw the iceman melted. I was left unanswered with the question "why didn't the snowman became real?", "Why the dog kept alive?". It is mysterious but I came up with the thought that because maybe the dogs really have life in this world but snowmen just keep on being in the snowmen and will be disappeared after they get showered in the rays of the sun.

Evaluating our Performance in Music

   Last week 6 we had our performance for the term 2. For about 5 weeks which we have 2 music periods per week, we exerted effort and those 5 five weeks ( about 8 periods of music, just 8 because sometimes something came up and we didn't have our music) served as our practice periods and preparation. 

Mrs. Beer made us some questions to evaluate ourselves about our performance. Below are the questions and my feedback:


Our song piece: Take it eas by Stan Walker

• Were you happy with your performance? Why? '

- Yes. It was not a perfect performance actually. I was happy because our hard work paid off and unity which was our weapon as a group worked!

• How did you feel performing in front of an audience? Explain.

-It has always nerve-wracking. There are no performances in my life that I felt comfortable for the first time.But as long as I keep playing and singing, I just go with it and give my best performance.

• What was your final grade and were you happy with it?

-Of course. Who doesn't want excellent in their grade?. After all the nervousness that I felt, the voice cracks that I committed when we are practicing are just worth it. The joy that my classmates gave us after we finished performing is such an overwhelming feeling.

• How could you have improved your performance?

-When we performed, I did a mistake while playing the piano. If I were given a chance, I would give attention to my hands playing the piano. But overall, it was awesome! 

Listening Skill pt.2

Song: Avalanche City- Love love love

Listening Questions:

Genre: Alternative, Pop, Folk (calm)

Tempo: Medium

Dynamics: Medium


What do you like/ dislike?
-I love how cheerful song it is and how can you hate it if it is about love?! Obviously, I love the message of the song. It suits for everybody and will really move you. I do love the music video too and I don't have anything to dislike.

Listening Skill Test in Music

Song: Green Lights by Lorde

Listening Questions:

Tempo: Fast

Dynamics: Loud

Genre: Pop, Alternative, Indie, Electronics

Maori Music for a Modern Audience

            We've been researching about Maori's music this week. I am happy to present you a Maori song that really is a great one. Māreikura, a song that sang by New Zealand singers MMQ featuring Awhimai Fraser. This song is relaxing but with a strong music aspect that is soothing to the ears together with a traditional chant and played by a contemporary guitar rhythmic.

            MMQ wrote and created this song being inspired and giving admiration to the women in the world which they say 'pilllars that provide foundation to the world'.

            Since then when I hear my Maori schoolmates singing, I am always amazed how they harmonize their voice and that's what I also really liked about the song Māreikura.  The song feels like it's not complete with the delightful voices of the singers. Their harmonized voice gives color to the song and it really is wonderful.

          I love how simple the video was made. It is filmed in a studio where you can see the singers sing with their hearts. I love how one by one the singers are being shown. The song was delivered very well even though two only instruments are used. Their vocals are their strength to convey the song. 

          Māreikura is the Maoris best way to celebrate Matariki. Māreikura literally means the supreme Goddesses of the Twelfth Heaven. They treat women as the doorway to life and they cherish women as they are the heartbeat of the Maori culture.
         

            On the other side, Kirsten Te Rito is also a great New Zealand artists. She is an award-winning from Wellington, New Zealand. One of her songs is the  'Oranga'. Check her out here and discover things about her more.

What is Matariki?

                Matariki. It is the given Maori name for the cluster of the seven sister stars or also known as the Pleiades. This cluster of stars is the sign of the New Year's celebration of Maoris.

               Most people celebrate the Matariki by:

•  Completing the storing of food for the upcoming winter.
• Weave clothes and baskets.
• Storytelling to old tribal stories and reminiscing the ancestors.
• Discover and learn about nature.
• Have fun to learn string games.
• Make your own, decorate and fly kites.

              There are different stories about Matariki and its origins. The following is one of them that comes from Māori Astronomer Dr. Rangi Matamua.

               Not all the children of Ranginui (Sky) and Papatūānuku (Earth) supported their parents being separated. Tawhirimātea, the God of Wind had strongly opposed the separation but had been overruled by his siblings. In return, Tāwhirimātea waged war against his siblings defeating them all except Tūmātauenga, the God of War. Tū was angry with Tāwhiri for what he had done, so to punish him he tore his eyes out, smashed them and threw them into the sky. They remain there to this day as the star cluster Matariki. Thus, this is why the wind is so changeable as he is stumbling around blind.

Other cultures also have their own stories about these stars. 

Resources: https://my.christchurchcitylibraries.com/matariki/ 

I'd created a poster about Matariki and here's more information about Matariki!

Changed Our Minds

                    Welcome to my blog again my dear readers!. I think you're intrigued about what am I going to talk about today because of the title of this blog post.Don't worry it's not something serious it's just that we change our minds in our Music presentation.

                    Today we decided to finalize our decision about our presentation. So we tried different piece of songs to practice and chose one song at the end. Last time we said that I'm going to do the piano, Devie's part is playing the guitar and Tyrepa's managing the drums but the we altered the parts. Now me and Devie's going to sing and Tyrepa's going to play the guitar. And also we said 'See you again' is our presentation but we found it hard and we don't have much to practice it and we even changed it to 'A Thousand Years' but it didn't work. Our decision about our song is just to sing 'I'm Yours' by Jason Mraz which is happy and good to sing.

                                                                Here's the song:

                     I hope we're going to perform this song well. I know to myself that it will hard to stay in front of many people and be confident but I'll try to stay positive to perform on Thursday. Goodluck to us three! 

Music's Presentation Preparation

        Last week Ms. Beer assigned us to prepare for our last practicum for the term 1. It is a group presentation wherein everyone should have their own instruments (piano, guitar or drums).She let us decide who are teams we will pick and what song we are going to present. Then she also these questions:

1. Who is in your group and what is each person doing?
- Me, Devie and Tyrepa. I'm going to play the piano, Devie's will play the guitar and Tyrepa chooses the drums.

2. What is the song you are working on? ( add a youtube link)
-We are working on See you again by Wiz Khalifa ft. Charlie Puth

3. Why did you choose that song?

- We choose the song See you again because it's a good song to play piano together with the guitar and drums. It has also a great melody and tune which is more likely make us sing and present it well.

4. What is the song about?
- It is about friendship. Actually, we all know that the song See you again was dedicated by Paul Walker who died years ago because of a car crash. It tells about longing for the friend who made memories together. The trials and journey which made their relationship strong.

5. What is going to be the challenging part of the song?
- The part that is challenging for as playing the piano is the chorus where I need to play two keys at the same time with my right fingers.

6. What are you rehearsing this week?
- The chords of the song and how are we going to play at the same time with the accuracy use of the instruments.

Guitar Skills

        My blog for today is about my guitar skills in music. We've been practicing and learning how to play and use the guitar. Here are the assigned questions for us to answer about our guitar skills:

1. What did you find challenging about Guitar skills?

- I find strumming and alternating the fingers to form a chord challenging about skills. I admit that I am a beginner in learning the guitar and I am glad that I am experiencing challenges in this skills which proves that I am eager to learn :)

2. How did you feel about your skills test?

- I feel satisfied with our skills test because my hard work paid off. I learned hard to play our song for the presentation and I am so happy when I managed to use what I've done in my practice. Thanks to Devie. She guided me to how to do the right thing in using the guitar.

3. Which instrument would you like to focus on next term and why? ( This will be your solo instrument and your voice is your instrument if you want to sing! )

- If I am going to choose what I am going to focus on next term is my voice. I know that I am still lacking skills in piano and guitar but I think and I feel to focus on my voice now. For me, my voice is the best and powerful instrument of all. I am not boasting and saying that my voice is the most beautiful melody of all but I am saying that voice is the most crucial of all ( I hope you understand :) ). Well, I can use an actual instrument while using my voice too!

Guitar vs Bass

                     Hi dear readers! today we are going to discuss whare the difference between Guitar and Bass which are:

Guitar is commonly used with 6 strings and Bass is usually 4 strings.

Their pitch range is also different.

The Bass's pitch is lower than a Guitar's.

The similarities between Guitar and Bass:

They both have strings. They have some same body parts. Like fret, pick guard, bridge and etc.

Guitar Skills

 Guitars were discovered in the 15th century at the Malaga, Spain.The guitar is an ancient and noble instrument, whose history can be traced back over 4000 years. Many theories have been advanced about the instrument's ancestry. It has often been claimed that the guitar is a development of the lute, or even of the ancient Greek kithara. Research done by Dr. Michael Kasha in the 1960's showed these claims to be without merit. He showed that the lute is a result of a separate line of development, sharing common ancestors with the guitar, but having had no influence on its evolution. The influence in the opposite direction is undeniable, however - the guitar's immediate forefathers were a major influence on the development of the fretted lute from the fretless oud which the Moors brought with them to to Spain. 

But then the modern guitar was invented by George Beauchamp and corporate in 1931 Ro-Pat-In.

Keyboard Skills Performance

                        This blog is about my performance in Music. Hope you enjoy it!

What song did you choose to perform and why?                                                                      

  I chose the song Despacito to perform because it's the song that I know out of the choices.  I also enjoyed playing Despacito why practicing and mastering it.

How did you feel about your performance?                                                                       

When I was performing my piece, I was absolutely nervous. I choose the keyboard over the piano because I'm more comfortable with it. Actually, while I was playing the song, I didn't even expect to finish it with any mistake but I was fortunate and I finalized it like I was just practicing. That time my smile was ear to ear. 

What would improve if you did it again?                                                                               

  If I would have the chance to do improve it, I would give attention to the left-hand notes. I didn't do complete left-hand keys in my performance so I will practice doing left-hand keys.

Keyboard Skills

Today's blog is all about keyboard skills. Below are the questions about what's happening in my ability in playing the keyboard.

Which song did chose to work and why?
         I used the song Despacito because I am more familiar with the song than the other options. Also, Despacito is kinda fun for me to play.

Which parts have you found challenging?
         The parts that I found challenging was the repeating notes. It was like sometimes I lack one note then sometimes I tap more than it should be. The finger positioning was challenging for me too.I don't know what fingers to use to play in the first note but no worries because I've managed to finish the parts.

How are you feeling about the skills test and performance?
          With a little more practice, I can be satisfied if I'll do it more correctly and precisely.The skill test was great because I somehow now learn a new song to play.