06 January 2016

Primary Days of Music 2016 Intra District Memo for Music Teachers

We are looking forward to this year’s Primary Days of Music! This festival, a long--- running Burnaby tradition, provides primary students with the experience and joy of singing together. This year it will be held on March 7-10, 2016.

Schools have not yet been confirmed as host sites for the programs, but will be determined in mid-January after which performances will be scheduled through an on–line request process in addition to balancing the number and location of schools wishing to participate.

Bussing is provided by the Burnaby School Board and because of the cost of bussing, only grade 2 and 3 English stream students may participate. We are also hoping that more choirs will be able to walk to the event – this may require that you be flexible with your date selection. We will be using an on-line process for scheduling and registration this year. We will also have an opportunity to discuss scheduling for this event at the February 1st Elementary Teachers’ Meeting. Schools are responsible for completing and collecting all paperwork including the District Field Trip Form. A mock permission letter will be available on the VPA blog: http://blogs.sd41.bc.ca/vpa/ Look under the District Event Menu for the page on Primary Days of Music.

A reminder that this event is unfortunately not open to parents or the public because there is simply not enough room. The gym is full of young singers!

Goals for Primary Days of Music: • To model good choral singing at

the primary level • To promote the joy of singing• To foster vocabulary

development• To help preserve the

knowledge of many “folk” andtraditional songs which are nolonger as commonly known bychildren

• To provide an opportunity forteachers and children to sharewhat they have learned anddevelop camaraderie asmembers of choral ensembles

• To provide professionaldevelopment for teachers

• To develop a sequence ofopportunities for trainingand involvement that may becarried forth in choirs at theintermediate level

• To provide “built in” repertoirefor school-based concerts andNights of Music

• To provide an opportunity tohear new repertoire performed

• To provide an opportunity toshowcase and developcontinued support forschool music programs

-John White

Key Information • Four or five schools participating at each concert.• Only English stream students in Grades 2 & 3 may participate.• Each school prepares two selections to share with other

choirs on the same program.

• Each school may attend only one performance.• Participating schools will learn the selections

indicated for massed singing.• Selections are either from the Share the Music

program or music will be available on VPA blog.

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06 January 2016

List of 2016 Repertoire for Massed Selections

Advanced from 2015O Canada (French version). We will continue to begin each session of Primary Days with O Canada sung in English and French. As a bilingual country, we envision that singing O Canada in both languages will become part of our district culture. If learning O Canada in French is too time consuming or difficult for your group, it is always acceptable to sing the English and simply stand without singing during the French version of O Canada. The French words are posted on the VPA blog at www.blogs.sd41.bc.ca/vpa/ under District Festivals.

Key 2016 Dates January 13 – Initial Registration Form Due

January 29 – Scheduling Request Form Due

February 10 – Program Information Form Due March 7-10 Primary Days of Music 2016!!!

Hava Nagila. Musicanada 6, p 118. This Hebrew folk song is a Hora or circle dance. We will perform the traditional version which can be found on the recording on the VPA blog. The form is ABA with a gradual accelerando. The lyrics and a pronunciation guide can also be found on the VPA blog. This song is an opportunity for dancing! There are many examples of dance to Hava Nagila on youtube. The common component of a Hora is a circle of dancers moving clockwise. It would be great fun to several choirs each dancing to this song! If you do not have Musicanada 6, please email me and I will send you a copy of the music.

Auld Lang Syne. Share the Music 6, p 319. This is a Scottish air traditionally sung to bring in the New Year. It is often used as a farewell song. The words “auld lang syne” can be translated as “days gone by”. We will sing both verses as they are in Share the Music. There will be an interlude between verses as it is in the recording in Share the Music. You can find the lyrics on the VPA blog. Some versions of the song do not have the high f at measure 12. If you prefer to repeat the d and not sing the high f, bothversions work equally well.

Four White Horses. Share the Music 4, p 46. In Share the Music, this Caribbean song is an intermediate clapping game for groups of 4. A primary version of the clapping game done in groups of two is:First two measures; 1-clap 2-clap right hands 3-clap 4-clap left hands. Measure three: On the words “hey, hey, hey” stomp the same rhythm as the words. Measure four: Partners right hands touch palm-to-palm, back-to-back, palm-to-palm. Measure five and six: “up tomorrow is a rainy day” link right arms and circle. For the rest of the song, repeat the clapping pattern until the last two bars, “up tomorrow is a rainy day” link left arms and circle. To make the game simpler, the stomping or the circling may be omitted. We will perform the song the same as it is on the CD with 3 repetitions and an interlude between the verses. There is also the opportunity for the students to create their own variations of the clapping game.

The Happy Wanderer. This is Music 3, p 94. This song was written in Germany in the 1950s. It is included here because it is fun to sing and has the feel of a folk song. We will do four verses. The fourth verse is not the same as the one in This is Music 3.You will find the lyrics and a recording of the piano accompaniment on the VPA blog. If you do not have This is Music 3, email me and I will send you a copy of the music.

People to Know Faith Veikle, PDM Coordinator Reg LaPlante, Program Consultant, VPA Diane Maher, VPA Administrative Assistant (604-296-6900 ext. 661023)

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New For 2016Un Canadien Errant. The words to this song were written in 1842 to a familiar folk melody, after the Lower Canada Rebellion of 1837. The rebellion was suppressed and many of the French who had taken part in the fighting were forced into exile to escape punishment. Over time this song became an anthem for displaced French-Canadians and also for exiled Acadians. This song is still popular today. We will sing verse one in French and verses two and three in English as they are found on the blog. The tempo will be 50 bpm (dotted half note beat).

Rattlin’ Bog. This Irish folk song is a cumulative song. ‘Rattling’ means extraordinarily good or splendid. There are different versions of Rattlin’ Bog. We will do the version found on the VPA blog. Often this song increases in speed when it is sung. We will NOT accelerate as we sing. We will keep a steady tempo of 88 bpm (half-note beat). The fun in this song is to have students create actions to go with the words.

You Gotta Sing. This is our new spiritual. The words and a music can be found on the VPA blog.

Dona Nobis Pacem. This is a three-part round that replaces Oh Be Joyful. The translation of the Latin is ‘Grant us peace’. Tempo will be important to the success of this round. Our speed will be 112 bpm (quarter note beat). It is often performed more slowly, but it would be too difficult for young singers at a slow tempo. We will sing it once in unison and once as a round.