If you haven’t done so already, be sure to return your registration form to your teacher ASAP. You can print off a copy here, if you don’t have a form: Music Olympics Registration Form

Make sure you read the rules on how to compete: the-music-olympics-rules

Use this file: 2008 Summer Music Olympics Game Plan to help you plan which events you will compete in this summer. Look at the calendar and make sure you have time to complete all the events you train for, taking into account any weeks you might be out of town on vacation.

Parents — be sure to read the Letter to Parents.

Use this worksheet to make sure you incorporate all the elements of music into your composition: creative-composers

You can write your own piece from scratch, or you might try a few different other options, too. You could create a theme and variations on a folk song or classic melody, or create your own 20th Century composition with creative sound effects. Here are some ideas for making your own sound effects, thanks to Wendy’s Piano Studio:

sound-effects-1

sound-effects-2

sound-effects-3

Imagine what variations you could do write for “Row Row Row Your Boat” — how would it sound if it were on a calm day at sea? What if the weather turned stormy?

You could also use the words from a favorite poem of yours and compose a melody and chords to go along with it. Can you hear the rhythm of this poem? Can you imagine what the music would sound like at certain points during the poem?

When choosing a poem, make sure the words have a strong rhythm to them. 

You may also want to learn some compositional techniques to help you write your own melody:compositional techniques

Ask your teacher to help you understand different techniques. Here is a list of some more common ones:

Ostinato

Pedal Point

12-Bar Blues

Repetition and Sequence in Altered Forms: Rhythmic or Intervallic Diminution and Augmentation, Fragmentation, Complete Melodic Alteration (rhythm stays the same), Rhythmic Shift, and Octave Displacement.

For more ideas on how to compose your own piece, visit any of the websites in the links for Creative Composers.

You may notate the piece by hand, or download the free notation software Finale Notepad.

You can find free, printable staff paper at many different websites:

This program lets you create your own customized staff paper, using different clefs and different sizes.

This website has many options of different staff paper to print, too.

Here is a fun activity to introduce very young children to writing music and drawing notes on the staff: compositions

Use this worksheet to help you plan your Training Program to complete this event: listen-and-learn

You may choose any piece of classical music and complete a generic listening form. Your teacher will tell you which listening form to complete:

Listening Form A

Listening Form B

Listening Form C

These worksheets ask you to listen and decide which instruments you hear. To help you learn more about different instruments check out these fun websites:

BBC Orchestra Guide

Arts Alive Instrument Lab

DSO Kids Instrument Encyclopedia

NY Philharmonic Instrument Storage Room

SFS Kids Instruments of the Orchestra

Carnegie Hall Back Stage

You may also complete a composer report sheet:

composer-report-1

composer-report-2

composer-report-3

Find information about composers on these websites:

Arts Alive Great Composers

Classics for Kids Composers

DSO Kids Composer’s Corner

NY Philharmonic Composer’s Gallery

On the DSO Kids Listening Library you can choose to listen to different instruments and pieces by different composers.

You can find classical pieces to listen to on the internet and information about different composers on many of the different websites listed under the links for Listen and Learn.

Hear is a list of great classical music to listen to: music-to-listen-to

Thanks to Wendy’s Piano Studio for the great forms!

You can also choose to listen to any of the pieces on the Classics for Kids website and complete the activity sheets that are provided for each specific piece on the website. These are great for younger children and guide the listener to hear specific things in the music.

Carnegie Hall has posted some interesting interactive listening adventures. You can listen to Britten’s A Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra or Dvorak’s New World Symphony.

Here is a list of the rhythms that are used on each level:

Rockin\’ Rhythm Requirements

Use this worksheet to help plan your training program: Rockin\’ Rhythms

The best way to learn rhythms is to learn rhythm patterns. Use these worksheets to help you recognize different rhythm patterns quickly. Say the words to help you feel the rhythms. If you go on to the higher levels, notice how many of the rhythms sound exactly the same, even though they’re written differently.

You can print these out on card stock and use them to practice clapping rhythms. There are four of each pattern; you can cut them all out and rearrange them to make an endless variety of rhythms to clap.

rhythm patterns in 4-4 time

rhythm patterns in 3-4 time

rhythm patterns in 2-4 time and dividing the beat in 2

equal divisions of the beat

dividing the beat in four

dividing the beat in three

more patterns in compound time

Be sure to check out the websites where you can practice rhythms.

the Rhythm Gym and Rhythm Machine are great for working rhythms up to and including eighth notes and dotted quarter notes.

You can make your own rhythm cards to practice with, too. Print these out on cardstock and you can create an endless variety of rhythm patterns to practice.

These cards just have individual notes and rests.

You can combine them to create your own measures: note-value-cards-6-to-a-page

These cards also have just individual notes, but are sized according to beat (the whole notes are 4 times as long as the quarter notes).

set 1 has quarter, half, dotted half, whole, and eighth note pairs, as well as basic time signatures: rhythm-cards-notes-primer

set 2 also includes quarter, half, and whole rests and bar lines: rhythm-cards-notes-rests

These cards have 4-beat patterns (1 measure in 4/4 time) on each card:

Set one uses only quarter notes and rests and eighth note pairs: rhythm-cards-set-1-q-e-qr

Set two uses quarter, half, and whole ntoes and rests as well as dotted half ntoes: rhythm-cards-set-2-q-h-dh-w-notes-q-h-w-rests

Set three includes all the notes and rest of set two, but every card also has eighth note pairs: rhythm-cards-set-3-e-q-h-dh-notes-q-h-rests

Set four uses sixteenth notes, eight notes, dotted eighth notes, and quarter notes: rhythm-card-set-4-16th-combos

These cards practice hands together patterns of basic note values (quarter, half, dotted half, and whole ntoes) in 4/4 and 3/4 time: rhythm-cards-ht-patterns

Thanks to John Bisceglia and Layton Music for these great rhythm cards!

These cards do not use any ties — you can practice rhythms with ties on the Rhythm Gym and Rhythm Machine websites above. They also do not use compound time, dotted quarter note, single eighth note, or 3/4 time rhythms — but you can creat your own with the individual note cards above, too.

Good luck training!

Use this worksheet to help develop your training program: musical-masterminds

To help train for this event, the Just the Facts theory books are excellent practice. There are also many websites that help drill different concepts. Be sure to check out the links. More to come soon . . .

Use this worksheet to help you develop your training plan: nimble-note-namers

To train for this event, you can use any of the websites listed in the previous post. Or, you can print out your own flash cards on card stock to practice with.

There is a separate file for each level of flash cards. The notes are on the odd numbered pages, and answers are on the even numbered pages. Print front to back for a complete set of flahs cards!

Flashcards level 1

Flashcards level 2

Flashcards level 3

Flashcards level 4

Flashcards level 5

These Landmark Interval Cards are an alternative to traditional flash cards, and a great way to learn the notes on the staff. Each card contains two notes: the first note is a landmark note, and the second note is either the same or a step or skip above or below the landmark note. Thanks to Layton Music for these great cards!

For beginners — these websites let you limit the note range to drill.

 Note Trainer allows you to choose which staff to drill and the note range; you can also toggle on/off helpers that name the lines and spaces on the staff.

This Note-Naming Video Game is very good for kids — you can choose which staff to drill and the note range, and the video game format is fun to play!

This downloadable game starts very simple — only identifying middle C and D, and gradually adds more notes into the range. You can choose to name notes on just one clef or the grand staff, and you can give your answer by letter name, keys on the piano, or frets on the guitar.  When you go to the website, scroll down to the very bottom of the page — the game is called Notecard.

More advanced — these websites drill a wider note range.

Note Names Click on-screen buttons with your mouse or use the computer keyboard to identify notes that appear on the grand staff.

Note Naming choose clefs, lines, spaces, and ledger lines, how many notes to show at a time, answer with letter or on keyboard.

Paced Note Names Identify the notes sliding across the staff before they disappear into oblivion! This is a very effective way to quickly learn the grand staff once you have gained a general familiarity with it. 

Note Flash Cards online flash cards to test yourself at naming notes, using letters or finding them on the keyboard or guitar.

More Flash Cards choose to name with letter names or keys on the piano.

Notereading Wizard pick which note is the correct one.

Flash Games drill treble, bass, or grand staff, varying levels. Timed. 

Keyboard to staff  Identify the notes on the staff by clicking the proper key on a piano keyboard pictured on the screen. You can also play the keyboard before running the tutorial. 

Guitar to staff Identify the notes on the staff by clicking the proper fret on a guitar fretboard pictured on the screen. You can also play the on-screen guitar before running the tutorial. 

Printable worksheets — all levels of note-naming.

Fun worksheets of all levels — color, name notes. 

Treble/Bass/Grand Staff worksheets — from just C position to all lines and spaces. Scroll down to Teaching Materials. There are worksheets for “all ages” and for children.

LOTS of worksheets – choose from a variety of formats and levels.