Review of Music Appreciation

     Going into this class I knew I would like it because I went in loving music. Sometimes they were long nights but they were all worth it! I loved learning about the music aspects I did not previously know before because it made me really appreciate it that much more. I loved having Mrs. Mills because the passion she has for music really shows through and it makes the class even more fun. It also helped me understand the new material! I liked the music journals every week because I liked to listen to what other students in the class listen to and I liked to hear what they thought of my music choices. Most of the other music from other students in the class I have not heard of before and now I appreciate those bands as well too. This was a very fun summer class and I am glad it was with this group of people. I hope you all have fun during the rest of this summer!!

Week 7 Music Journal

     For my week 7 familiar music I chose to do "DNA" "Move" and "Wings" by Little Mix, "On My Way Up" by Drew Chadwick, and "Believe" by Shawn Mendes. "DNA" was one of the first songs I heard from Little Mix. At the beginning the musicians use a music box sounding technology and they use this sound to incorporate it in with the song. They make it sound like a heart beat with is one of the main ideas of the music video. The first singer to come in is the British singer, Perrie, who has a wide range. She can sing relatively low like her solo part in this part of the song and sing very high later. The singer's melody has a background sound that is used again by technology to make sounds. They use some drums to make the beats during this point. The next singer Jade has a solo and her voice has a middle range sound, she does not usually sing too high or too low. The chorus is then sung. After the chorus, Jesy comes in with her solo. Personally, I do not like the tone color of her voice. The sound is not easy for my ears to listen to. She is probably the weakest singer of the group. I do not like the vibrato that she does with her voice, it sounds disgusting to me. The next singer is Jade again who leads into the chorus again. This time, the chorus sounds louder adding to the variation of the song. They also add more bass sounding instrument or technology to build on top of the original sound. The next singer is Leigh-Ann, she also has a middle range voice but she can sing relatively low and high, not as high as Perrie's voice though. At 3:11, the girls each sing a different note and build on top of each other to produce chords. The highest singer is Perrie. At 3:24 the listener can really hear Perrie's voice and how it has a wide range. Little Mix like to use technology instruments to enhance their sound. In "Move" they use a technology instrument to start or to introduce the voices. The chorus in this song is catchy and I like the upbeat and bass of the song. The song has a lot of little instruments to make it sound better. This song has a lot of variation and I like it a lot. "Wings" is the first song I have ever heard from them. They use a bass instrument to keep the beat while they sing the introduction. This song has a fun upbeat as well. They also add in clapping to make the song sound different. They also sing different notes and build on top of a bass note in this song too. Perrie takes the top note again because her voice range is so wide.

"DNA" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3h-lLj3xv4
"Move" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwD4eJGxPc4
"Wings" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOQDsmEqVt8
"On My Way Up" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_g5NA_5TnQ
"Believe" -  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZMYO_iT-r0

     For my week 7 unfamiliar music I chose a song that was suggested on YouTube. I only listened to the first three songs. The title of the first is "Sonata in F ." The song starts with a simple piano melody accompanied by a string instrument, maybe a violin. The piano melody is relatively simple with a few ornaments such as grace notes. The tempo picks up speed at :55. A new melody is played accompanied by the piano and the melody is played by the violin. Then the melody is given back to the piano and they repeat the first section or the first melody. At 1:55 a third melody is played. This one is more busy and a repeated note is played while the other hand has the melody, the violin is still accompanying. Grace notes are still being used as ornaments. The piano melody is pretty and simple here. A scale is played then a chromatic scale to transition to the next section which is the reoccurring melody by the piano, the violin still accompanying. The piano plays a melody imitated by the violin right after. The piano then sound like it is almost in a minor key in a little part of this section. The dynamic level here is soft. The second movement is then started after a short pause. This movement is raised up a dynamic level and the piano has a faster tempo as well. The violin plays increasing speed and volume notes to increase the intensity of this section. The next melody played has notes being played on different octaves. Then the melody is softer but still has a faster tempo. The melody is passed between the bass and treble clefs. This melody is still at a fast tempo and at 6:00 the dynamic is loud then gradually decrescendos. This piano part is really busy. The single note melody is played again. The second song of the collection is " Andante & Allegretto in C." This song has the same instruments being used, the piano has the melody and the violin accompanies nicely. The two instruments sound good together and make the song sound classical. The piano's melody is soft but decrescendos even more then crescendos again in the next few measures. The melody is busy and at a fast tempo and slowed down immediately. The violin and piano pass the melody and accompaniment to each other. The next section is set at a faster tempo. The third song is called " Andante in A & Fugue in A minor." The beginning of the song is slow yet has increasing speed in a few parts. The piano has the melody with no accompaniment to start. The violin comes in as the accompaniment. The melody is passed to the string instrument and the piano plays the accompaniment. The piano plays a section and the violin imitates the melody. The piano player adds ornaments such as grace notes and trills again to make variation and a more interesting sound. Scales are used a lot to transition to a new section.

Violin Sonatas Playlist Mix

Week 6 Music Journal

     For my week six familiar music I chose "Black Magic" by a British group called Little Mix, "Wild Heart" by another British group called the Vamps, "Gotta Be Me" by Ross Lynch and Maia Mitchell, "I Knew You Were Trouble" and "22" both by Taylor Swift. "Black Magic" starts with the four girls singing together for an introduction. They use claps and a bass kind of instrument to hold the beat for the introduction. The next section is a solo by a girl named Perrie. She is singing at a middle range during this section but she can sing very high sometimes, she has a wide range of a singing voice. The next solo singer is a girl named Jade. She usually sings the middle range in their songs. Next, a girl named Leigh-Anne has a lead in to the chorus. The sound of the song is a kind of light hearted song and has a positive message. The girls use their magic to help a nerd to get some girls. After the chorus, the last singer in the group named Jesy has a solo. She also has a middle range voice, maybe an alto. They sing the chorus again after her solo. Around 2:34 the song has a different sound where all the background music is taken out except the percussion and claps again. A guitar is added soon after that. Around 2:50 it almost sounds a cappella but it is not because I think that I hear a light guitar instrument in there somewhere. After this section they use the percussion to transition to the next section which is the chorus again, but they change it a little bit for a little bit of variation. The very last thing the listener hears at the end of the song is one of the singers singing a cappella because there is no accompaniment behind the singer's voice. "Wild Heart" starts with a guitar playing the main melody throughout the whole song. The lead singer comes in with the first verse of the song. He has a sort of raspy quality to his voice. At :24, a guitar plays soft chords to transition to the chorus. The chorus is a little louder than the previous section. The guitar and drums are accompaniment for the singers. At :52, a guitar is used to transition to the next section which is another verse. The percussion is used throughout the whole song to keep the tempo steady and upbeat. Around 1:56, the backup singer comes in with a little section of the song. Although he can sing relatively high, around 2:04, the listener can tell that the backup singer has a sort of strained sound to his voice from his solo. At 2:09 the singers sing a cappella while they are clapping to keep the tempo steady or the same. The guitar comes in again around 2:15. Then the drums come in joining the guitar at 2:23. The chorus is repeated again. After the singer sings the last verse, a guitar chord is played and the song is over.

"Black Magic" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkElfR_NPBI
"Wild Heart" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aPxHpcP66s
"Gotta Be Me" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WU2QMdYnUfY
"I Knew You Were Trouble" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNoKguSdy4Y
"22" -  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgFeZr5ptV8

     For my week six unfamiliar music I typed in classical music on YouTube and a fifteen minute song came up titled "Piano Sonata No. 11 in A Major, K. 331: I. Andante grazioso" by Dubravka Tomšič. The beginning of this song is simple and sounds familiar to something I have heard before, but I have never heard this song before. The simple piano melody is repeated many times in the beginning of the song. A new lighthearted melody is played after the first melody is repeated twice. Then the first melody is played again accompanied by lower chords. Another quicker section is played, using some chromatics. The tempo is sped up in the next section. Then, a right hand melody is played accompanied by left hand chords. This song is pretty. A section is played with one note played over and over as other notes are being played around the note being repeated. After a pause, a faster tempo is played with a right hand melody again with the left hand accompanying the melody. The melody is at a quick pace and the right hand moves quickly playing fast notes. Grace notes are added to the melody to make it sound more pretty and full. Trills and grace notes are both used a lot in this piece to enhance the sound. A different sound is played at 4:10. The same melody is played by both hands, one octave higher and the other an octave below the other one. This part almost has a minor sound to it. To transition to the next section, staccato notes are played in the bass clef. The next part sounds similar to the part before. Next, the first section of the group is repeated. Around 5:19 a pretty melody is played on the treble clef. The left hand accompanies the melody with the same note being played at equal time intervals. The pretty melody is played again this time accompanied by left hand chords instead of a single note being played over and over. I really enjoy this melody, it is simple and pretty at the same time. It is calming to listen to. The next section sounds a little different than the previous section. Some chromatics are used again. Staccato notes are played and then a repeated high note. A chromatic is used to run smoothly from one measure to the next measure. Bass clef chords are used to accompany the right hand melody. Trills are used again to make the song more pretty. A high note is a reoccurring motif throughout the entire song. As are trills and chromatics. A dissonance is played followed by a consonance or a resolution. The next section is much faster and more involved. The tempo is picking up speed as this part is being played. Scales are used to move the song along. The song sounds much more busy than the previous sections. It is almost a relief to have some variation in the tempos. There were more slow sections than the last fast one. After the piano song is over, a trumpet song is next. The song is introduced by a regal sound of triads with the different parts of the trumpets. The percussion accompanies the trumpets. Then, the French horns play the melody accompanied by the percussion. Then the trumpets take the same melody very grand sounding. The percussion are used to emphasize different beats. The woodwinds take the melody next accompanied by trombones and other low brass and the percussion. Then the bells play accompany with the other percussion while the trumpets play the melody again. The brass plays another triad from the lowest note piling on higher notes. The trumpets play really high notes accompanied by the percussion. The French horns have a beautiful line through the trumpets melody and come through very nicely. The ascending triad is used again with percussion accompanying.

"Piano Sonata No. 11 in A Major, K. 331: I. Andante grazioso" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpS51wFRmaM