Today, Becky’s classroom offers the gift of “The Anthem” by one of her 5th grade students. It is a perfect example of the pilot requirements! Watch it on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgMVEgU81BE&list=UUSccCX2HRqavoJ5-yvUI6qA&index=31
Rhythm, Melody, Harmony and Dynamics Requirements
“The Anthem: includes one or more Rhythm Sketch Windows (yellow and orange), one or more Melody Sketch Windows (light blue and dark blue) and a Harmony Sketch Window that combines all of the previous windows. The dark blue window is sophisticated, including 3- to 4-note chord stacks creating polyphony. Typically, students at this age are not yet able to successfully create polyphony. In the Harmony Sketch Window, we see that the student chose the “Classic” button which would adjust any potential dissonance in the chord stacks. I always called that button the “Mozart” button! To their credit, the chord stacks sounded beautiful together–maybe a piano player with some training with chords?!
It does not appear that the student chose to change the default mezzo forte dynamic setting as the lines are all the same thickness (lines that are thin are soft and lines that are wider are louder)–as the composer they would, of course, have that privilege!
Tone Color and Form Requirements
This student composer did a wonderful job of choosing multiple tone colors in this piece. The melodies both use the piano (see the piano icon in the light and dark blue windows). The yellow and orange rhythms feature bass drum, snare, Tom, triangle and woodblock.
Finally, the visual shows a perfect introduction (light blue) followed by a statement of the A theme
and then a B section (which would technically be A1 because they continued the ostinato in the lower notes) and then an exact repeat of A with no coda (optional).
A+ for “The Anthem”!! Thanks for sharing your work with New Harmony Line!