Performer of the Month: Hilary Hahn

If you remember my post from the summer, I said that I had a few surprises up my sleeve. Well, here's one of them- fifth grade gets to tag along with the Elkins Pointe Middle School Orchestra group for the opportunity to go to the symphony at a really reduced ticket price. I've done this before when I taught orchestra, but I wanted to give all the fifth grade students the chance to go if you want to go.

I'll give you more information about it in class, but the major details are that this is not a field trip (you need to bring your own adult and pay for the tickets), and if you do go, you will get to see the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra with violin soloist Hilary Hahn performing that night.

Hilary was three when she started playing the violin, and went to the Curtis Institute at age 10. The Curtis Institute is a school for very talented musicians. She was eligible to graduate at 16, but she wanted to learn more things, so she did not graduate until she was 19.

By the time Hilary graduated from the Curtis Institute, she was already traveling and performing the violin around the world.

She is known for trying new works and introducing people to the music of new composers.

She plays in two alternative rock bands.

You really can find everything on the internet

Well, not really. But I did manage to find a copy of "What Does the Fox Say" arranged for recorder. It was a good thing, too, since I needed something fun for fifth grade to do the week before winter break!

So, good behavior the next two weeks in fifth grade will get you the opportunity to learn it on the recorder.

Now I need to look and see what other fun songs I can find!

Swahili

Fifth graders are working hard learning our songs for the Breakfast with Santa in a few weeks. One of the songs is "Heri Za Kwanzaa." It contains a lot of Swahili words. Since international night is coming up, this is the perfect time to talk a little about this language from Africa.

Swahili is the primary language in the countries of Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It can be written with Arabic or Roman (English) letters.

In our song, we sing about character traits:
Umoja- unity
Kujichagulia- self-determination
Ujima- work responsibility
Ujama- cooperative economics
Nia- purpose
Kuumba- creativy
Imani- faith

Other words in Swahili:
Jambo- hello
Asante- thank you
Hakuna Matata- no worries
Kwaheri- goodbye
Simba- lion

If you've ever watched "The Lion King," you probably already knew simba and hakuna matata. Now you can impress people by telling them what language those words are spoken in. 

Performer of the Month- Bobby McFerrin

I know we always talk about our composer of the month, but I've really wanted to also teach you about some performers as well. I just have not figured out a good way to do it without confusing some of the younger students.

I think this will work out. So, I'll tell you about a new performer each month. We'll call it the Performer of the Month. I'll try to find some unusual information for you.

This month, let's start out with one of my absolute favorite performers- Bobby McFerrin.

Bobby McFerrin

Bobby McFerrin is probably best known for a song he wrote and performed called "Don't Worry, Be Happy." If you listen to the song, it sounds like there are percussion instruments in the background, but there are no instrments. He is actually using his voice in different ways. That's called beat-boxing.

 Bobby came from a very musical family. Both of his parents were trained singers, and his dad sang opera. Bobby plays the piano, bass guitar, and clarinet in addition to singing.

His main genres of music are jazz and reggae.

One of the things I love about Bobby McFerrin is that he plays all different styles of music. He sings Bach, collaborates with cellist Yo-yo Ma in folk music performances, sings reggae, and he's not afraid to try new styles of music.

Another really cool thing he does is he gives lectures about how music is good for the brain. He has worked with neuroscientists (people who study how your brain works) and shows people how science is showing the good effects music has on your brain and how people are naturally musical.

As you can see, he's a pretty neat musician who is also very smart.


Who else are you interested in learning about this year?