Band and choir practices are leaving Hapnot Collegiate students with a better understanding of the music they hear, play and make.
And it’s all thanks to the Musical Futures movement.
Having originated in England, the Musical Futures movement sees teachers as facilitators and encourages more student involvement, discovery and self-thinking.
“Basically we set up the project and give them the idea and what their end goal is that we have in mind, and then we let them go,” says Hapnot band teacher Kim Jones.
The students were able to put their ear to the test by devising their own musical arrangements earlier this year.
They split into their own groups and created their own music with plenty of experimentation along the way.
“They had to take a song and figure it out entirely by ear,” says Jones. “It was really exciting for the kids. They got to play some brand new instruments they hadn’t played before.
“They got to do what any other band would do if they were trying to figure out a song.”
Hapnot’s senior band students took the project one step further and performed their songs in public.
Groups performed at the NorVA Centre and the Personal Care Home, busked in the school’s hallways and played at a junior varsity volleyball tournament as a pep rally.
By performing their 15- to 20-minute sets in public, Jones says the students were able to learn about musical volunteerism.
“That’s a huge thing in our community because there is so much…talent everywhere in Flin Flon,” she says. “It was nice to get the students involved in doing that.”
Mashups
Students further developed their talents as Jones taught choir members the art of mashups.
Two songs with the same four chords as essentially mashed together to create one new song.
“I taught them four chords and [they] looped them over and over again,” says Jones. “From those four chords, hundreds and hundreds of pop songs come up.”
The choir students formed groups and picked from a list of songs to create their own piece with the help of an app called Loopy.
Along with their mashups, the students were required to perform accompanying body percussion or beatboxing.
“We got some really interesting songs put together,” says Jones. “All of them had interesting results.”
Similar to the band students, the choir students worked on their ear training with the mashup exercise.
Jazz Night
Hapnot’s annual Jazz Night will be held this coming Wednesday, May 20 in the school gymnasium.
Though the mashups and music created won’t be part of the concert, Jones says the hard work all of the students have put in this year will be showcased.
The school’s two jazz bands and choir will perform, as will Anna Jardine’s Grade 7 and 8 jazz band, made up of students from École McIsaac School and Ruth Betts Community School.
The night will also feature soloists, small groups and local talent, including Sam Dufour-Jarvis in the house band.
Tickets for Jazz Night will be available at Hapnot for $10. The evening will begin at 7 pm with dessert and beverages available.
