Week of November 15th.

This week in MUSIC, my classes will be working on the folowing:

GUITAR ONE:

• Continue to prepare Chanukah Concert Music.
• Work on BLUES PROGRESSIONS in the Key of, D, G, A, and E.
• Conitune working on reading notes in First Position.

GUITAR TWO:

• Continue to work on Chanukah Concert Music
• Work on CLOUDS/Improvisation
• Work on new music

PERCUSSION:

• Prepare Concert Music
• Work on new music
• Work on Major scales

FUSION:

• Work on Concert Music
• Adding vocals to concert music, with the help of a few Drama Students!
• Work on new music, possible to play at the Concert!

Thank you all for your support last week at Fine Arts Night! I am very proud of my FUSION group for performing so well, under "new" experiences!!!!

Week of November 9th...

Good morning Davis Academy Students and Families. This week in class we will be focusing on "run-throughs" of our upcoming December 2nd concert @ 7pm. At the beginning of every class, students are given 5 minutes to"warm-up" and begin our "run-through" with a discussion about concert ediquette.

Concert ediquette is equally as important as being able to play music. They go "hand-in-hand" with eachother. A group that looks professional and mature, will set the tome fow how well they perform in front of their peers.

• Guitar One is working on: Au Claire De La Lune, and Chanuka Song. In addition to their concert music, we have moved ahead, and begun working on new notes and chords. We are learning to play Blues Progressions in different keys.

• Guitar Two is working on In The Hall Of The Mountain King, and Canon in D. As a group, we have come up with an interesting FORM that incorporates all of the players to contribute as an ensemble. In addition, I have given them "new" music to work on. We are working on Taking Care Of Business and La Grange. Both songs encourage students to improvise and to have fun while learning their instrument.

• Advanced Percussion is working very hard on mastering their first ensemble piece, "Mambo Schmambo." I want them to experience what it takes to work hard on a piece of music, and that their teacher will not settle for "average." My enthusiam is paying off, and I get very excited when we play through the piece! In addition, we are sight-reading new music, and working towards "accompanying" FUSION at the December Concert. It should be fun!

• FUSION is working this week on preparing for their first performance at Fine Arts Night this Wednesday evening. Our "first" gig is to support the Fine Arts Department by playing music in between scene changes, as well as when parents, students, faculty, family, and friends are being seated. This "gig" is very challenging for us in that we have to be focused and ready to stop playing at any given moment. The evening is dedicated to the Fine Arts Students, and we are complimenting the evening by providing musical interludes to make the evening seamless! In addition to preparing for Wednesday night, we have been building our repertoire of songs. I'm inpressed with FUSION very much. THis is a new class, and I'm excited with the progress they have made so far this year!

Week of November 2, 2009

We are off to another busy week in Music Class!

Here is a short list of what each of my classes will be covering all week:

Guitar One: Play Test on Friday. We will cover "natural" note reading, and will be tested on songs. New chords will be introduced, as we continue to build our chord vocabulary. We will continue to work on our concert music. We have started working on the "Chanuka Song."

Guitar Two: We are "collectively" working on "In The Hall of The Mountain King." The students and I are incorporating a "surfer-style" genre to this classical piece. We have been working on the FORM, and will continue to "master" this exciting, and eery song! We are also working on Canon in D, and the students are working on the performance aspects of this piece and musicality. We are incorporating "Lead" players, and giving this piece a "new" sound.

Advanced Percussion students have been working hard on their concert music. In addition, we have been taking time out during every class to work on fundamentals. I have seen great advancements in the student's abilities to play our concert music with more accuracy and musicianship after they have warmed up! They should be praciticing at home!!! I have given them music to work on at home.

Fusion continues to improve every week. They are becoming "in tune" with how to work as a group. Their balance as a group has come a long way since the beginning of the year. We continue to try new material, and are now focusing on Performing Arts Night. We have been asked to play songs in between acts. We are working on "cutoffs" so that we can provide Ms. Kendrick with great musical interludes between scenes!

October 26th, 2009

Good morning Davis Academy!



This week, we will be working on our concert music in all classes. We are going to get our hands "dirty" this week. "Dirty" meaning that students will learn how to:

• "isolate" more challenging parts of their music, and how to execute practicing effectively.


• Memorization: We will cover "how to" memorize music this week. There are many ways to go about memorizing one's music. In the defense of all of my Learners, I will introduce a simple, and effective way to memorize music for all to understand and appreciate.


• We will continue to work as "Ensembles."

There are THREE parts to preparing for a concert:

1. Learning the melodic notes, rhythmic patterns, and dynamics (3 parts to this one!)


2. PRACTICE! PRACTICE! PRACTICE!


3. Preparing as an ensemble. Balance of sound between all players.

It is a true ART to be able to take a group of musicians, and produce a "harmonious "
blend" of sound. It takes a lot of patience, and focus for both Teacher and Student to be successful.

I am very proud of my students' accomplishments this year. I see, and hear a lot of growth since August. I am excited to showcase all of our talents in December. Have a great week!

Concert Dates for 2009

Students and Parents:

We have two events coming up at Davis Academy.

The first event (Fine Arts Night) takes place on November 11th, 2009 at 7pm. I am currently working with Ms. Kendrick on a possible performance by one or two groups. I will know more by the end of this week. Stay tuned!

On December 2nd, 2009, we will perform our Chanukah concert at 7pm. I will inform you as to what time your child will need to be at school, prior to the performance that evening. This concert is mandatory, and is part of their 2nd quarter grade.

Thank you!

Mr. Michek

Week of October 19th, 2009

Good morning students and families of Davis Academy.

This week, we will be covering the following material during this "short" week of school!

Guitar One:

1. Introduction to Tablature notation
2. Continued Chord Studies
3. C Scale

Guitar Two:

1. Work on Hall Of The Mountain King for December Concert. Now, that everybody has learned it, we are putting it all together, assigning different parts and working on playing as an ensemble.
2. We will resume working on Blues scales today as well.

Advanced Percussion:

1. We are working on learning notes on the marimba. Last Friday, we took a break from our music, and began reading the melodic staff! Everybody has been given practice sheets to work on for this quarter. They will be tested on their skills throughout the quarter.
2. We will continue to work on our percussion ensemble music. We have recently started working on a new piece.
3. In addition, everybody has been given copies of their concert music to work on at home. They are responsible for practicing at home. I am only asking that they spend about 10 minutes/day reviewing it.

Fusion:

1. We have started a new piece last week. We are now working on "Baba O'Riley" by The Who. In addition, we recently started working on "Brown Eyed Girl." Last Friday, we had the opportunity to have a student vocalist work with us! We are making strides everyday, and can't wait for our concert!

Week 10 in Music!

This week in all of my Music Classes, we will continue to have "play tests" for every class. My Advanced Percussion group has been working hard on their first ensemble piece. It is time to test them on their music!!!!!

Guitar One will be getting back into the groove from being out of school last week. We will be reviewing our notes and learning new ones this week!

Guitar Two will be tested on Peer Gynt. The "complete" song! In addition, we are continuing to work hammer-on and pull-off techniques as well. If all goes well, we will begin our chapter on note bending!

Fusion will be working on Holiday music and tested on their current music. We are going to "sit down" and work on some Music Theory this week!!!!!

Have a great week!!!!!

Week 9

The first quarter is coming to a close! This week, the 6th Graders are going on a field trip to Jacksonville, Florida. I wish them a great trip. Last Friday, they had a playing exam on the A minor and D minor chords. Everybody did very well! Have fun in Florida this week!

Guitar Two will be working on improvisation this week. I will be testing them on their concert music for note accuracy and rhythmic accuracy. We ended last week with pairing up students. They were given a 12-bar blues progression. Everybody had an opportunity to play the accompaniment, and the lead. This week, we will continue to work on reading TAB and work on chord spelling.

Advanced Percussion had a great week 8! We have begun working on an ensemble piece called, "Mambo Schmambo." We have been able to play through the entire piece as an ensemble. This is the first piece that we have been able to complete. We are going to work on dynamics and balance this week.

This week in Fusion, we will be working on new music for our December concert. I will also be testing students on their music.

Here is a link to a site called Jam Studio. It allows you to create your own music, using chords and choosing instruments. It has limited "free" access. Students can have fun with this application! http://www.jamstudio.com/Studio/index.htm

Week 8

Good morning Davis Academy Families!

This week, we will be working on the following:

Guitar One:

- Review all chords to date.
- Work on Concert music for December.
- Review and prepare for Test on Friday!

Guitar Two:

- Review all concert music.
- Continue improvisation in Blues for concert.
- Scale review.

Percussion:

- Work on sight-reading fundamentals.
- Work on concert music.
- Scale review.

Fusion:

- Warmups.
- Concert Music.
- Dynamic exercises.

Have a great "short" week!!!!!

Guitar One, Week Seven

This week in Guitar One, we will continue to work on our basic skills and resume learning "traditional" songs like: "Twinkle Twinkle," Ode To Joy," "Tom Dooley," and "Lightly Row."

Our "first" ensemble piece, "Au Clair De La Lune" is coming along very well. Students are excited about the upcoming concert in December.

As the week progresses, we will continue to build our library of major and minor chords.

Advanced Percussion, Week Seven

This week in Advanced Percussion, we are working on our "first" percussion ensemble piece. The piece is the 1812 Overture, by Peter Tschaikowsky. It is an "intermediate" piece, and the students will be challenged greatly. In addition to working on this piece, we will continue to work on sight-reading, learning new notes on the keyboard instruments, and playing as an ensemble.

Guitar Two, Week Seven

This week in Guitar Two, we will be working on learning new Major scales. Last week, students were tested on C, D, G, and A Major scales. Everybody is doing very well. This week, we will add another group of scales to our list.

We are preparing for the December concert, and I am very pleased with the progress of my Guitar Two class. They are very excited and come to class ready to work! They are looking forward to showing their stuff in December!

Fusion, Week Seven

This week in Fusion, we will continue to work on our concert music. In addition, we will take time to work on reading rhythms in different meters. New music will be introduced as students will be exposed to "sight-reading."

Link to JOURNEY video

Here is the link to watch and study "Don't Stop Believin'" by Journey. Fusion will be performing this song at our December concert! Good luck!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUkksIV8dC8

Advanced Percussion Week 6/7 Pass Offs

Students will be tested from the Standards of Excellence Book One for Percussion on the following exercises: 7, 12, 14, 17, 22, 23, 29.

The same exercise numbers will be required for mallet percussion as well.

Snare Drum exercises will be tested on Thursday, September 17th.
Mallet exercises will be tested on Thursday, September 24th.

Guitar Two Assignment - Week Six

Guitar Two Class Assignment:

Play the following Major scales in ascending and descending order: C Major, G Major, D Major, A Major.... Assignment is due 09/17/09. Students are working on the scales today in class, and are expected to work on them at home provided they have an instrument at home.

I allocated time during class (every day) for them to review the scales.

In addition, they can come during lunch and work on them.

Guitar One - Week Six

This week in Guitar One, we will continue to work on our first composition for the December concert. We are continuing to learn new notes on the staff each week, and learn new chords as well. The students have been playing for me in class individually, in small groups, and as a class. Everybody is contributing!

They are a great bunch of kids and I look forward to working closely with them this week!

Advanced Percussion - Week Six

This week in Advanced Percussion, we will continue to work on short "ensemble-type" pieces, that incorporate snare drum, cymbals, bass drum, xylophone, marimba, and bells. I have picked a few pieces for our concert in December, and I am preparing the ensemble for the next level.

We will continue to work on major and minor scales this week. I am excited about the upcoming concert as I am working on having the Percussion Ensemble perform with the Guitar Two class for the concert!

Guitar Two - Week Six

This week in Guitar Two, we will continue to work on our concert music. We have been working on two Classical pieces - In The Hall of The Mountain King, and Canon in D. The students are enjoying the "Classical" genre, but, are more eager to learn Blues and Rock! We have been working on improvising and Blues Scales. Hammer-on and pull-off technique is being worked on as well.

We will continue to work on fundamentals, as each student in this class is doing very well!

I can't wait for our December concert! We have alot of surprises, and we are not going to hold back!

Fusion - Week Six

This week in Fusion, we will continue to work on our Concert Music for December. In addition, we will be working on Scales, Balance, and Sight-Reading. As of week six, we have made great strides in learning a few songs already! Our goal is to build a repertoire of songs that cover many musical genres.

This past week was our most productive week since our first day of school. I am very excited!!!

Guitar One - Week Five

This week in Guitar One, we will be working on our first "song." We will continue to review our chords, and add to the "library" of chords that we are memorizing.

One of our goals is to learn all "natural" notes on the guitar in "first position." "Natural" notes are defined as the "white" notes on the piano. (C,D,E,F,G,A, and B.) "First position" on the guitar is defined as the index finger placed over the first fret of the guitar. The first fret is located below the head of the guitar.

Guitar Two - Week Five

This week in Guitar Two, we will continue to work on "In The Hall Of The Mountain King" from "Peer Gynt." Last week, students were tested on playing the piece. We will also be working on "Canon in D." The students have embraced Classical music, and are working hard to learn the pieces for the December concert.

We will resume working on 12-Bar Blues progressions, and improvisation.

We will continue to work on playing chords and learning new positions on the guitar.

Advanced Percussion - Week Five

This week in Advanced Percussion, we will continue to work on pitched percussion instruments. Pitched percussion instruments include: Marimba, Xylophone, and Bells. We are currently working out of the "Standards of Excellence" book. We have been working hard on learning to read the staff, and playing as an ensemble. In addition, we have been working on playing Snare Drum, Triangle, Sleigh Bells, Suspended Cymbal, Woodblocks, and Bass Drum.

We are starting to work on concert music for December.

Fusion - Week Five

This week in Fusion, we will continue to review our music for the December concert. Our focus is on learning how to "blend" as an ensemble. We are working on a wide variety of musical styles, such as Classic rock, British rock, and Blues. In addition, we will continue to work on sight-reading, playing major scales, and playing blues scales.

Playing Tests - Week Four

Playing Tests will be given to the following classes on Friday, September 4th, 2009:

Guitar II: "In The Hall of the Mountain King" from Peer Gynt Suite.

Guitar I: Chord test on the following: C / G7 /G / D7 / D / A7 / Aminor / D minor / E7.

Fusion, Week Four

This week in Fusion, we will be covering the following:

• Major/Minor scales.
• 12-Bar Blues Progressions in all Natural keys.
• Continue working on Concert Music.
• New concert music to be introduced.
• Improvisation
• Chord Study:Major and Minor

Advanced Percussion: Week Four

This week in Advanced Percussion, we will be working on the following material:

• Standards of Excellence Book: Continue working on mallet percussion, sight-reading, and note striking.
• Continue to work with metronome - building a solid, steady rhythmic foundation.
• Continue working as an "Ensemble," listening to eachother and "blending" as a group.
• Begin major scale studys. Learning the Standard "middle school" scale patterns.
• Pass offs: Each student will prepare a piece for me this week to be critiqued on. They will be judged on Rhythmic accuracy, pitch accuracy, and dynamics.

Guitar II: Week Four

This week in Guitar II, we will be covering the following material:

• Review "Clouds," which is a version of Jimi Hendrix's song "Little Wing."
• Continue working on A minor Pentatonic soloing.
• Continue to work on Jump Blues, opening up improvisation for every student.
• Major Scales/Minor scales.
• Hammer on technique/Pull off technique.
• String bending technique.

Guitar I: Week Four

This week in Guitar I, we will be covering the following material:

• Week Three review.
• Introduce new chords: Dminor, E7, Aminor, and E.
• Learn new notes on guitar: G, A, D, E, F.
• Learn to play songs using notes: E, F, G, A, B, C, D, lower G.

Fusion, Week III

This week in Fusion we will be working on the following:

• 12-Bar Blues warmups.
• Dynamics.
• Tempo

We are working on songs for the first concert. To date, we are already making music! I have a great group of students, and hopefully, this year will be one of the best in Davis Academy history!

We are building a repertoire of songs over the next two months. We will have songs to choose from when the concert date arrives.

Have a great week!

Advanced Percussion, Week III

This week in Advanced Percussion, we will review the following material:

• 1/4 notes and 1/8 note solo pieces.
• Using a metronome.
• Open Roll/Closed Roll exercises.
• Basic drumming fundamentals.
• Major Scales on Marimba.

We will continue to review fundamental skills to ensure that all students are on the same page. As individuals grow, additional, more challenging skills will be addressed.

One goal in Advanced Percussion is to be exposed to as many percussion instruments during the 2009-2010 school year. We will learn how to play many orchestral instruments the "correct" way.

Have a great week!

Guitar II, Week 3

This week in Guitar II, we will be reviewing the following materials:

• "Clouds" - Jimi Hendrix chord progression.
• Blues Form.
• Review following scales: E Blues, Aminor pentatonic, Gminor pentatonic scales.
• Hammer-on technique, and pull-off technique.
• "Rock A Billy" Blues feel/12-Bar Blues Pattern review.

This week, students will audition to play a guitar solo for the first concert this year. The solo is written. It is based on the Rock A Billy style, using 12-Bar Blues form. This is the first major audition for a solo part.

We will continue to work on new scales, songs and styles. We will also incorporate Bass guitar accompaniment as well.

Have a great week!

Guitar I Week 3

This week in Guitar I, we will be reviewing the following subject matter:

• Review notes: E, B, G, and F.
• Review chords: C, G, D7, D and A7
• Review accompaniment songs, using chords.

New material this week:

• Learn new notes: C, D, and A.
• Learn new chords: E7, E, D minor and Eminor
• Learn first song.

In addition, we will have our first play test. Last week, each student played a short song, which will give them an idea of how a play test will occur.

Have a great week!

Fusion, Week Two

Good morning from The Davis Academy Music Department! Fusion will be working on the following applications and skills this week:

• Review 12-Bar Blues Form.
• Begin working on Major Scales.
• Review new music for first concert.
• Introduction to Music Theory.

There is an interesting mix of instruments in Fusion this year. Our group consists of the following:

• Drums
• Bass
• Guitar I
• Guitar II
• Tenor Sax
• Three Piano Players

Last week, I introduced the Xylophone to class. Our Piano students have taken a liking to the instrument, and we will be incorporating this "voice" to our group!

Advanced Percussion, Week Two

Good morning from The Davis Academy Music Department! This week in Advanced Percussion, we will be working on the following:

• Review Jazz Drumset patterns.
• Review Fundamental Rhythmic Patterns.
• Begin studying and playing duets
• Work in Orchestral Drum Roll.
• Playing in 2/4 Time.
• Playing in 3/4 Time.

This week, we will have our first "play test." Students will be graded on note accuracy and rhythmic accuracy.

Have a great week!

Guitar Two, Week Two

Good morning from The Davis Academy Music Department! This week in Guitar Two, we will be covering the following:

• Review Power Chords learned from last week. (E5, A5, and D5).
• Review chord progression titled, "Clouds."
• Review new chords learned (Bm and Bm7).
• Review 12-Bar Blues Form.
• Begin working on moveable pentatonic scales.
• Work on Blues/Rock progressions.

Have a great week!

Guitar One, Week Two

Good morning from The Davis Academy Music Department! This week in Guitar One, we will be covering the following material:

• Revieving notes learned (E and B) in first position.
• Review chords learned (EZ-C, EZ G, and G7).
• Learn new notes, G and F in first position.
• Learn new chords, D7 and D Major.

The students have been doing great so far! In addition to playing guitar, they have been singing along and playing!

Fusion, Week One

Fusion class will focus on 12-Bar Blues all week.
We are going to develop a "natural feel" for 12-Bar Blues, by playing in unison, and introducing Improvisation as well! We will also be reviewing our "counting" and "note/chord reading...

Advanced Percussion, Week One

Students in Advanced Percussion will begin studying Jazz Drumming today, and all week. We are going to focus on developing the basic "swing pattern" using the Ride cymbal and Hi Hat foot. We will be adding snare drum patterns to the "swing pattern" starting today!

Guitar Two Class, Week One

Guitar Two Class got off to a great start today! We are going to be working on chords, and 12-Bar Blues Form this week. We will also begin a year-long study focusing on Improvisation!

Guitar One, Week One

Welcome to the first day of Guitar One! This week, we will begin working on the following subject matter:

1. Classrom Rules
2. Parts of the guitar
3. Posture
4. Rhythmic notation
5. Melodic notation

Thank you for visiting my Blog today, and look forward to seeing what we are covering every week in class!!!!!

Welcome!

Welcome Davis Academy Families and Staff!

My name is Robert Michek. I am the new MS Music Director at Davis Academy. The 2009-2010 school year is going to be very exciting for everybody! This year, we are offering four classes at Davis Academy. They are:

Guitar One
Guitar Two
Advanced Percussion
Fusion

Be on the look out for more posts!!!!!

Good luck this year!!!!!

Mr. Michek