G Major Composition

 

In the spring, actually it tends to fall right around spring break, second-year orchestra students write their second composition of year, this time in the key of G Major.

G Major composition with toolbox:

• Word document
• PDF

sight read a number of pieces in the book in G Major and I ask a series of questions for each one: What is the first note of the piece?  (Ah, it's a note from the G Major arpeggio!)  What is the last note of the piece?  (Oh, a G, or Do?  I bet it will sound finished when we get to the end!)  Do you notice any arpeggios in this piece?  In the Orchestra Expressions book, p. 48, we play "El Charro", "El Tren", and "Happy Birthday."  Sometimes we have to play the piece a couple of times before someone spots the G, B, D or D, B, G, but students very quickly catch on that the last note will be G, Do, and can answer my question before I finish asking it by the time we get to "Happy Birthday" :)

On composing day, I'm also listening to students play their G Major scale playing checkup.

Most students don't finish during their small group that day, so I'll take a picture of compositions still in progress with my iPad (in case students forget to bring their folder the following week when it's due...then they don't have to start from scratch as they finish their composition in class).  If students do finish, I'll collect them to get a head start on typing them up/grading them.  

Students earn a grade (4/3/2/1--exceeds expectations/meets expectations/basic/does not meet expectations) on rhythm (variety of rhythms, correct number of beats per measure), music literacy (using notes from the G Major scale in a way that clearly shows that G = Do), and evaluating (including two or more of the musical tools).  I don't emphasize the graded aspect of this, but if students follow the checklist, they will be fine.

I will type these up so everyone can play their classmates' compositions and see theirs in print.  This year I am trying to save paper, so instead of printing a packet for everyone, I'll share the Google Doc link on our Canvas page for students.  Now that I have a screen/projector at both schools, I'll show the document on the screen in class, and we'll scroll through it and pick one or two to try in class.  It's a little tricky if I have students on different instruments in the same small group--I'll have two windows open, one on the top of the screen and one on the bottom and scroll through both.  Or, if it's one student on a different instrument, I might give that student my iPad and pull up their instrument's document there.  We will play one or two of these for the spring concert, so those I will print out and tape into folders (after checking with the composer to make sure it's okay with them we perform their piece).  I'll improvise a piano accompaniment too.

Template for G Major composition packet (Google Doc):

• Violin
• Viola
• Cello/Bass

Happy composing!

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Links to other composition worksheets: 

• D Major composition

• Composition #1 (open strings, pizzicato)
• Composition #2 (D-string notes, pizzicato)
• Composition #3 (A-string notes, arco)
• Composition #4 (G-string notes, arco)
• Composition #5 (C/E-string notes, with tempo/dynamic)

Link to Templates for composition packets

Scale Warm-up Sheet (D Major, G Major, C Major)

 

In about January of students' second year of string playing, I introduce this D Major scale sheet.  Before then, we often warm up in full orchestra with a D Major scale with different rhythm patterns or adding slurs or as a round.  In small groups, we go through each line and review technique.  The hooked bowing is pretty new for students at this point.  In full orchestra, at first we have to pause and regroup between each bowing, but I tell students our goal will be to play straight through the whole sheet.  Eventually a student leader will stand in front and give the breath to start (I'll call out the next bowing as we get close to the end of a line).  It seems pretty straightforward, but I'm always surprised by how much room for growth is evident the first week we attempt this as a full orchestra--and by how proud the students are when we are able to make it all the way through more-or-less together.  

• D Major scale sheet (PDF)

Pretty soon we move into our unit on G Major, so we transfer this warmup to the new key.  Violins and cellos also learn the upper octave in G Major (starting the G above open G), so I usually have them play the warmup in the upper octave too.  In past years, I haven't made a new scale sheet for the new keys; students just have to play the same bowing patterns but in the new key.  They can look at the scale written out in quarter notes in the book if they want a visual.  This year I've made a new scale sheet for both G and C Major, and I anticipate students will appreciate being able to follow along on the page as they play.  Maybe they will be less likely to forget the line with the single eighth notes exists :)  It's funny how often students just stop playing after the repeated eighth notes scale and we have to restart "the fast one."  Anyway, with our focus on the upper octave scale, that's what I typed out for violin/cello, with the scale starting on open G only included in the first line, as half notes.

• G Major scale sheet (PDF)

In the spring (usually around the time of spring break), we do a playing checkup on all the scale bowings in G Major.  We go through the rubric together the week before, and then during small groups the week of, students play individually for me while the other students in their small group are working on their G Major composition.

• G Major scale checkup rubric (Google Doc)--three per page to cut apart and write on for each student
• G Major scale checkup rubric (Google Form)--for any virtual students (I save the individual scores/comments as a PDF and email to the student afterwards)
• G Major scale checkup rubric (PDF)--one to share with students ahead of time for reference

Our last key of the year is C Major, so we apply these bowing patterns to this key too.  Violas and cellos get the higher octave written out (starting an octave above open C), with the scale starting on open C only included in the first line, as half notes.

• C Major scale sheet (PDF)