◄UNIT 5:MODELLING SIMPLE CLAY OBJECTS AND FIGURESUNIT 2: SIMPLE TIME SIGNATURES►

(PART TWO: MUSIC)UNIT 1: BASIC MUSICAL SYMBOLS

  • (PART TWO: MUSIC)UNIT 1: BASIC MUSICAL SYMBOLS

    Key Unit Competence: Be able to sight sing using three notes

    (Do-Mi-Sol).

    Introductory Activity


    1. Using the written music above, observe and imitate the signs
    used when writing music
    2. Draw five parallel and equidistant lines, then put the signs in
    your own way
    3. Among those signs, what do you think is a staff, a key, notes and
    rests?

    4. Write and sing notes in the staff

    1.1 Importance of music


    Activity 1.1
    Choose a song to be performed during the following ceremonies:
    1. Birthday
    2. Itorero
    3. Marriage
    4. Death

    1.1.1 The role of Music in the society


    Every society can be said to have some types of Music which like language
    identifies the particular community. Music plays an important role in the
    society. This includes:
    a. Music is a major component in religious services.
    b. Music is used as an important symbol of identity of a given cultural
    group.
    c. Music is used as medium for transmission of knowledge and values.
    In this case, it holds History and is a tool for disseminating new ideas.
    d. Music is used for enjoyment and leisure
    e. For physical development through dancing and children’s play songs
    f. Music enhances positive attitudes like co-operation and respect
    others
    g. Music is used for therapeutically services because of its ability to
    soothe (to make someone feel calmer and lesser anxious, upset or
    angry) or relax.
    h. Music is used for celebrating important events and occasions. In
    African societies, the important stages of person’s life are marked
    with Music.
    i. In early childhood years, it enhances memory in numeracy and
    literacy.
    j. In film making and social events, it creates or enhances desired
    moods.

    1.1.2 The role of Music in education


    a. Music is integrated in the teaching of other subjects. For example, in
    Religious education, a memorable song may be used to emphasize
    the moral objectives of a lesson. In Mathematics, songs can be used
    to teach young children certain topics such as numbers.
    b. Singing enriches a person’s vocabulary
    c. Music enhances creative thinking.
    d. Sight singing, playing of instruments and music analysis enhances
    logical reasoning and stretches the capabilities of the brain
    e. Singing provides a break from monotony of the lectures. The variety
    helps sustain concentration.
    f. Music contributes to the achievements of the national goal of
    education. It promotes national unity and nationalism through the
    performance of cultural pieces from different communities.
    g. Music contributes towards individual expression and self-fulfillment.
    It provides an opportunity for talent development, enjoyment as well
    as for sharing experiences with others
    h. Learning to play musical instruments trains an individual to be
    patient, disciplined and self-motivated. In the end, mastering these
    skills brings about a sense of satisfaction and self-confidence. This
    leads to be familiar with the desired values.

    1.1.3 Role of Music in national ceremonies


    In modern society, Music is still used in most of the occasions mentioned
    above. However, it is now also used in national ceremonies like Liberation
    day, Hero’s day, Women day, Labor Day, etc. During these occasions, Music
    is used for the following purposes:
    • To promote patriotism,
    • To praise the country, the government and its people.
    • To give thanks to God and worshiping God.
    • To make the occasions colorful.
    • As a tool for communicating and educating people on emerging some
    issues like HIV and AIDS, Malaria, malnutrition, etc.
    • To honor those considered to be heroes of the nation
    • For entertainment purposes
    • To review political or development achievements
    • To remind of a people national history.

    1.1.4 Role of Music in different occasions and ceremonies



    In traditional African societies, a person goes through four rites of passages:
    birth, initiation, marriage and funeral. Each of these rites was marked by
    ceremony in which Music played an integral part. These rites of passage are
    a. In birth occasion, the community mainly represented by the
    womenfolk, welcomed the baby with gifts and adornment and lots
    of music. The role of Music was simply to mark the occasion as well
    congratulate the parents for adding a “gift “to the community.
    b. For initiation, song and dance was regarded highly in the period
    prior to, during and after the ceremony. The role of Music was to
    mark the occasion with songs that were only specific to this period.
    c. The marriage rite of passage was marked by cultural ceremony.
    Music was used to celebrate the occasion and entertain all those
    presents. The couple would also receive advice in form of song and
    dance about the customs and expectations of community.
    d. The final rite of passage was marked with certain songs and dance
    specific only to this period.
    e. Certain other occasions were also marked with song and dance. Such
    occasions include war, beer drinking parties, during work occasions
    like milking, hunting, jogging in group.
    1.1.5 Music is also used for commercial purposes
    For examples:
    a. In advertisement to capture people’s attention;
    b. To highlight the worth of a product or service for purposes of marketing.
    Application activity 1.1
    1. Create and sing at least 4 songs used in Rwandan society in the
    following occasions:
    a. Birth
    b. Marriage
    c. Jogging
    d. Liberation day
    2. Discuss the importance of Music to people with concrete
    examples.
    3. Explain roles Music in teaching and learning.
    1.2 Musical staff
    Activity 1.2

    Study the following figure and answer the questions below:


    1. How many lines are there in the figure?
    2. Draw your own figure based on the model observed and count the
    spaces between the lines
    In musical notation, the staff or stave is a set of five horizontal lines and four
    spaces on which musical notes symbols and musical symbols are placed.

    1.2.1 Lines and spaces of the staff



    This collection of five (5) lines and four (4) spaces is called a staff. We can
    refer to each line and each space by its number and we count them from the
    bottom. The lines of the staff have the same distance between them.

    1.2.1 Ledger lines


    A ledger line is a short line placed above or below a staff to accommodate
    notes higher or lower than the range of the staff. Ledger lines are used when
    notes are too high or too low for the staff. They work like staff extenders.
    As you can see they are small lines, and the notes are written either in the
    space above the lines or on the lines.
    Application activity 1.2
    1. Draw a musical staff and indicate the order of lines and spaces
    2. Explain the importance of a musical staff in Music
    3. Where are ledger lines located and why?
    1.3 Musical notes and rests
    Activity 1.3

    Observe the following forms and describe the difference between them


    In music, the term note has two primary meanings: a sign used in musical
    notation to represent the relative duration and pitch of a sound; a pitched
    sound itself.
    1.3.1 The shapes and duration of notes symbols

    a. Semibreve (whole note)


    The longest note in common use today is a semibreve represented by the
    symbol O. The note has the shape of an egg or letter O. We must remember
    that the lines of the staff must pass in the center of the note if it is on the line.
    When it is in space it must be exactly between the lines. The semibreve has
    four (4) beats or times long.

    b. Minim (half note)


    It has a head that is not shaded and a stem. The minim has two (2) beats.

    c. Crotchet (a quarter note)


    It has a head which is shaded with a stem. The crotchet has one (1) beat.

    d. Quaver (an eighth note)


    The parts of quaver:


    A quaver has the value of a half (1/2) beat.

    e. Semiquaver (a sixteenth)


    It has an oval note head, a stem, and two hooks (flags or tails)
    Notice:
    i. If a note is placed above the third line of the staff, the stem faces
    downwards. When it is below the third line of the staff, the stem
    faces upwards. If it is on the third line, the stem may face downward

    or upwards


    ii. The oval part of a note is called the note head. Notes shorter than
    Semibreve have a stem attached to the note head. Notes shorter
    than crotchet have flags or beams, depending on the rhythmic
    context. Quaver has one flag (or beam), Semiquaver notes have
    two flags (or two beams), and so on. The position of the note head

    on the staff indicates the pitch of the note.

    Rhythmic values indicate relative duration, not absolute duration. Each

    rhythmic value is half the duration of the next longer value.

    1.3.2 Symbol of the musical rests
    Music consists of silences as well as sounds. In any pieces of Music, one or
    more players or singers may be silent for few times. The silences are called
    “rests”. We can have rests anywhere in music, at the beginning, in the
    middle or at the end of a piece of music. In staff notation, rests are shown
    differently. Each note has its equivalent rest sign. Rest is a period of silence

    of a particular length in Music and shown by the signs.

    a. Semibreve rest


    The semibreve rest indicates a silence for the same duration as the
    Semibreve note. Semibreve rests are drawn as filled-in rectangles hanging
    under the fourth line.

    b. Minim rest


    The minim rest indicates a silence for the same duration as the Minim.
    Minim rests are drawn as filled-in rectangles placed on the third line.

    c. Crotchet rest


    A crotchet rest indicates a silence of the same duration as a crotchet note. It
    appears as the symbol and occasionally as the older symbol .
    d. Quaver rest
    A quaver rest indicates a silence for the same duration as a quaver note. It

    appears as the number 7


    e. Semiquaver rest
    Semiquaver rest indicates a silence for the same duration as a semiquaver

    note. It looks like the quaver rest with 2 tails on the top left side.

    The place of the rests written on the staff


    f. Duration and value of the rests
    The crotchet has a value of one time. Then the crotchet rest has the same
    value. All the other rests have the same value as the correspondent note.
    About the value, normally each of these rests is half as long as the rest

    above it.


    1.3.3 The Summary table of figures duration of notes and rest



    The semibreve rest is written under the 4th line of the staff while the minim
    rest is on the 3rd line of the staff.
    But the crotchet rest, the quaver rest, and the semiquaver are placed in the

    middle of the staff (it means between the 2nd line the 4th line of the staff).


    Application activity 1.3
    How are musical notes different?

    Complete the following table

    1.4. Musical clef
    Activity 1.4
    1. Using various resources, find the definition of a musical clef
    2. Where is a clef placed and why?
    3. Draw different musical clefs.
    A clef (French: clef “key”) is a musical symbol used to indicate the pitch
    of written notes placed on one of the lines at the beginning of the staff,
    it indicates the name and pitch of the notes on that line. The three clefs
    used are G, F, and C. Since about 1750 the G- and F-clefs have assumed
    a standard position. The C clef is still used on different lines for different
    instruments (See the illustration in 1.2. Each type of clef assigns a different
    reference note to the line on which it is placed. This line serves as a reference
    point by which the names of the notes on any other line or space of the staff
    may be determined.

    1.4.1 Treble Clef /G clef


    It is a clef used for the high voices. It establishes the second line of the staff
    and fixes the line as G. Let’s learn how to draw it:

    Take a close look at the treble clef:


    Step 1: Start with the dot on the 2nd line at the bottom, and begin to draw the

    line upward:

    Step 2: Continue upward until you pass the top line of the staff by a short

    distance:

    Step 3: Swoop to the right and head downward, crossing the first line you

    drew at the 4th staff line:

    Step 4: Continue the line downward, slowly curving to the right, so that it

    eventually “sits” on the bottom line:

    Step 5: Finish your treble clef with a curl that brushes the 3rd line, and then

    crosses the 2nd line:

    Practice drawing some treble clefs:

    1.4.2 Bass clef


    It is a clef used for the high voices. It establishes the second line of the staff
    and fixes the line as G. Let’s learn how to draw it:
    Let’s learn how to draw it:

    The bass clef is quite a bit easier to draw:


    Step 1: Start by drawing a dot on the 4th line, then swoop upward and

    toward the right, brushing the top line:

    Step 2: Continue downward and to the left until you just graze the 2nd line:

    Step 3: Place two dots that straddle the 4th line, fairly close to the clef:

    Practice drawing some bass clefs:

    1.4.3 The C clef

    The C clef is still used on different lines for different instruments.

    Application activity 1.4
    1. Explain the types of musical clefs
    2. Using illustrations, describe the difference between G and F clefs

    1.5 Sol-fa notation


    Activity 1.5
    1. Using various resources, describe the origin of musical notes.

    2. Basing on G clef, show the relationship between notes.

    Sol-fa notation is a pedagogical technique for teaching sight-singing, invented
    by Sarah Ann Glover (1785–1867) of Norwich, England and popularized
    by John Curwen who adapted it from a number of earlier musical systems. It
    uses a system of musical notation based on moveable Do solfège, whereby
    every tone is given a name according to its relationship with other tones in
    the key: the usual staff notation is replaced with Anglicized solfège syllables
    (e.g. do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, ti, do) or their abbreviations (d, r, m, f, s, l, t,
    d). “Do” is chosen to be the tonic of whatever key is being used (thus the
    terminology moveable Do). The original solfège sequence started with “Ut”
    which later became “Do”.
    1.5.1 Origin of the musical notes
    The origin of the name of the notes is in a Gregorian song: the hymn of the
    feast of Saint John the Baptist. This hymn, written in Latin, presents the
    following particularity. Every verse begins on one degree higher than the
    precedent. So the corresponding notes were named according to the first

    syllable of each of the verses.

    Ut queant laxis, Resonare fibris, Mira gestorum, Famuli tuorum, Solve
    polluti, Labii reatum, Sancte Iohannes(Ut became Do)
    Therefore, we have seven names of notes: Do – Re – Mi – Fa – Sol – La - Si
    (French version), or C – D – E – F – G –A –B (English version).

    The names of the notes on the musical staff

    Reference taken from the paragraph 2.3, the treble clef called G clef is
    placed on the second line of the staff, and so it gives its name to the note
    that is on that line. Hence, the note on the second line is called G. According
    to the series of notes, C will be found on the first ledger line below the staff.
    Therefore, the names of notes on the lines of the treble staff are Mi, Sol, Si,

    Re and Fa.

    The names of notes in the spaces of the treble staff are Fa (F), La (A), Do(C)

    and Mi (E).

    In English tradition, they are some of the most popular mnemonics used on

    spaces: Every Good Boy Does Fine.

    Or else of spaces: FACE

    From this, C scale can be defined as a set of seven notes from Do (C) to Si

    (B)

    On the key board, it is:

    From the keyboard, the distance between two nearest keys is a semi tone
    (Half step or half tone). So the series of tones and semi tones in C scale will

    be as follows:

    Using manual signs of tone in key, note are presented in the following way:

    Application activity 1.5

    1. Sing the following notes:

    2. Draw a musical staff and place on it the following notes using a
    quaver as note value:
    Mi, Re, Fa, Sol, La, Si, Doh.
    3. Place the following notes on ledger lines
    Below the staff: Doh, La
    Above the staff: La Si, Doh
    4. Sight sing the following notes musical phrases with and without

    manual signs of tones.

    1.6 Grand staff


    Activity 1.6
    On a musical sheet, you have seen two staves combined together with the
    1st written using G clef and the 2nd with F clef.
    1. Why are those staves combined?
    2. What is the relationship between them?
    When writing music, notes are either below or beyond the staff. In order to
    avoid many notes on ledger lines, musicians use the combined treble and

    Bass staves. This form is called “Grand Staff.”


    By comparing the names of lines and spaces in both the treble clef (G clef)
    and the bass clef (F clef). One may notice that while the note C is on the
    ledger line bellow the staff with the G clef, it is on a ledger line above the staff

    with F clef. If both staffs are combined, the following diagram is obtained.

    The great staff or Grand staff combines both the G clef and the F clef and
    consists of 11 lines. The line C in the ledger line between the treble staff and
    the bass staff is called MIDDLE C.
    When notes are in the treble and bass staves, the performers are supposed
    to sing all the notes in the treble and bass staves. Most of the time, notes in
    G staff are sung by Soprano and Alto voices while those in F staff are sung
    by Tenor and Bass voices.
    Application activity 1.6
    1. Using examples explain the difference between short and grand
    staves.

    2. Sing the following melody

    End unit assessment 1
    1. Describe the importance of Music and its implication in daily life
    2. Compare and contrast the musical notes and rests
    3. G and F clefs have a close relationship. Discuss
    4. Describe the origin of musical notes that are used when writing
    Music
    5. You are going to teach musical notes to a person with deaf and/or
    dumb impairment. How will you proceed?
    6. Indicate the beats that are in the following notes:
    a. A minim and two quavers
    b. Five whole rests and two crotchet notes

    7. Sight sing the following piece of Music

    8. Write the following notes in the staff using a crotchet as note value:

    Sol-Sol-Mi-Sol-Mi-Mi-Doh-Doh

    ◄UNIT 5:MODELLING SIMPLE CLAY OBJECTS AND FIGURESUNIT 2: SIMPLE TIME SIGNATURES►