B3 Easy Literature

Name: Charles Moe

Competency: B3

Artifact Title: Easy Literature

Artifact Type: "In the Bleak Midwinter" arr. by Brad Printz. This is an example of easy literature

Rationale for Inclusion: Competency B3 requires that a teacher of vocal music be able to interpret choral music scores with an understanding of range, tessitura, phrasing, diction, and articulation. The main thing to work for in this arrangement of "In the Bleak Midwinter" is diction, specifically vowel unification; this will help keep the music in tune. The arranger did not put in many instructions pertaining to phrasing, so the conductor has to get creative. A good tip is to look for the important words in the textual phrases, that way you will be able to give those words greater emphasis. Knowing which beats are weak and which beats are strong is also extremely helpful. What makes this piece "easy" is that the harmonies are limited and there are not more than two vocal parts at any given time. Therefore the arranger has to fill out the harmonies with an interesting accompaniment.This particular piece is one I have conducted myself with a church choir I direct in Milaca, MN.

B3 Intermediate Literature

Name: Charles Moe

Competency: B3

Artifact Title: Intermediate Literature

Artifact Type: "Little David Play On Your Harp" arr. by Paul J. Christiansen. This is an example of "Intermediate" literature.

Rationale for Inclusion: Competency B3 requires that a teacher of vocal music be able to interpret choral music scores with an understanding of range, tessitura, phrasing, diction, and articulation. It is important to consider "style" when performing a spiritual such as "Little David Play On Your Harp." As far as diction goes, vowels still need to be unified for purposes of tuning but ending consonants need not be as "crisp." The nice thing about the phrasing is that Dr. Christiansen has given plenty of instruction when it comes to accents and dynamics. This can be a handy guide. As always however it is important as a conductor to look for the important words and follow their natural syllabic emphasis. This will give the music better musical "flow."

B4 Instrument Transposition Chart (Concert Pitch, Bb, Eb, and F Instruments)

Name: Charles Moe

Competency: B4

Artifact Title: Instrument Transposition Chart (Concert Pitch, Bb, Eb, and F instruments)

Artifact Type: Charts that show the instrument transpositions for Concert, Bb, Eb, and F pitched instruments

Rationale for Inclusion: Competency B4 states that a teacher of vocal music must interpret vocal and instrumental scores and understand percussion, string, or wind instrument requirements necessary for interpreting and producing music from scores. These transposition charts are helpful tools for the interpretation of wind instruments typically seen in wind band scores. With wind instruments, we find that they are "pitched" in different keys. That means that if a wind band is playing the same scale tonally, those notes are written differently depending on what instrument is being played. It is important that a conductor of vocal music have a basic understanding of this and a conductor of instrumental music have a thorough understanding.

B4 Percussion

Name: Charles Moe

Competency: B4

Artifact Title: Percussion

Artifact Type: An excerpt from the book Instrumentation/Orchestration by Alfred Blatter, published by Schirmer Books, New York, that gives the categories of percussion instruments, symbols used in percussion scores, and the musical ranges of some pitched percussion instruments.

Rationale for Inclusion: Competency B4 states that a teacher of vocal music must interpret vocal and instrumental scores and understand percussion, string, or wind instrument requirements necessary for interpreting and producing music from scores. The excerpt from Instrumentation/Orchestration explains the four categories of the percussion family, pictograms that represent definite-pitched percussion instruments (as well as their names in other languages), and the musical ranges of some pitched percussion instruments. These topics provide the reader with a greater understanding of percussion instruments.

B5 Kodaly 1st Grade

Name: Charles Moe

Competency: B5

Artifact Title: Kodaly 1st Grade

Artifact Type: Monthly melodic and rhythmic Kodaly teaching subjects for 1st graders.

Rationale for Inclusion: Competency B5 states that a teacher of vocal music must know vocal and choral instructional materials and solo and ensemble repertoire, representing diverse periods and culture, and beginning, intermediate and advanced levels from kindergarten through grade 12. What you see here is a teacher's guide to educational methods for teaching rhythmic and melodic concepts to 1st grade music students. Each concept is split up on a monthly basis and the headings of "Prepare the new learning," "Make the children consciously aware of the new learning," and "Reinforce the new learning through practice" aid the teacher in relaying the new material to the students. At this level the students begin to learn simple melodic and rhythmic concepts. During my student teaching at the elementary level (Kindergarten through 2nd grade) I concentrated on the solfege pitches of Sol, La, and Mi and concentrated on quarter and eighth notes with the occasional quarter rest.

B5 Kodaly 2nd Grade

Name: Charles Moe

Competency: B5

Artifact Title: Kodaly 2nd Grade

Artifact Type: A monthly teacher's guide to teaching melodic and rhythmic concepts through the Kodaly method for 2nd grade.

Rationale for Inclusion: Competency B5 states that a teacher of vocal music must know vocal and choral instructional materials and solo and ensemble repertoire, representing diverse periods and cultures, and beginning, intermediate and advanced levels from kindergarten through grade 12. What we see here is a monthly guide to aid teachers in using the Kodaly approach to music education. This particular guide is designed to fit into the 2nd grade musical curriculum. During my time student teaching I focused on the Half note as it appears in the 4/4 time signature. This can be found highlighted in the September section of Rhythmic learning. I also focused on using the pitches of Do and Re along with the pitches of La, Mi, and Sol that were learned in first grade. This can be found in the September and October sections of melodic learning. Once again these concepts were my primary focus for 2nd grade during my elementary placement.

B5 Kodaly 3rd Grade

Name: Charles Moe

Competency: B5

Artifact Title: Kodaly 3rd Grade

Artifact Type: A monthly teacher's guide to teaching melodic and rhythmic concepts through the Kodaly method for 3rd grade

Rationale for Inclusion: Competency B5 states that a teacher of vocal music must know vocal and choral instructional materials and solo and ensemble repertoire, representing diverse periods and cultures, and beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels from kindergarten through grade 12. What we see here is a monthly guide to aid teacher in using the Kodaly approach to music education. This particular guide is designed to fit into the 3rd grade musical curriculum. As it can be seen, this guide looks a little more sophisticated than its 1st and 2nd grade counterparts. Instead of graphics such as hearts or stems without note-heads we start to see actual notes. More complex ideas such as syncopation are also introduced. After teaching 1st and 2nd grade students in this fashion I would not hesitate to use this method for teaching 3rd graders as well.