Music is a crucial part of human life. It is a profound way of communication that can touch the hearts of many and affect them in interesting ways. At Hope Christian High School, students are also being taught this special language. In the Junior High School Division, students have even begun composing their own unique pieces of music.
Students in Grade 8 were taught how to form a pentatonic scale and how that specific scale could sound “Japanese”. Students needed to follow a particular musical formula to be able to produce a Japanese themed melody. The application’s interface (Chromelab Songmaker) was also introduced to students prior to the activity. Students were instructed to compose their own Japanese Pentatonic Scale; they were allowed to choose between the Hirajoushi, In, Insen, Iwato, and Yo Scale.
Here’s an example of Leannsei Lyn V. Gabucan’s output, feel free to give it a listen!
Meanwhile, students in Grade 9 are also composing their own pieces of music. Students were taught how to produce the correct harmony in order to create the proper chords and triads of a song. Chromelab was also introduced in the earlier weeks of the term. Their task was to use the given melody (Chromelab Songmaker) to provide the appropriate Triads/ Chords that would
complete the song. Chords must be written in the major key and have correct harmonization.
Here is an example of Rafiel Isaiah Chan’s output, please feel free to listen to it!
In Grade 10, students were tasked to create jazz based compositions. These rely heavily on a composer’s knowledge and understanding of rhythm. In this activity, students had to explore the different patterns of Rhythm to be able to produce and come up with a musical piece that shows Jazz styles. They used a Music Notation Application Software and supplied a Jazz inspired bass accompaniment for Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.
Here is an example of Kandy C. Ty’s output, feel free to listen to it!