Welcome to Mrs.

Updated 8/31/2010 - - - Come to school next Tuesday. Ring my doorbell to get in. Get plenty of sleep so you can stay on track.
Returning students- you should review your major and minor keys and intervals and interval ear trainer on musictheory.net to counteract 'summer brain melt'. Get your piano chops going and don't tell me you forgot how to play.
NEW THIS YEAR- Your Academy lesson grades will be a part of your Advanced Music grade. Approximately 80 points per marking period will be integrated into the grade for my class.

TO: First year Advanced Music students

I am happy to see that several freshmen have read and responded to my greeting email even though I gave you a misspelled address. Way to go, girls! Where are the freshmen boys, anyway? Let's recruit some guys.

Please click the link to Ricci Adams' musictheory.net for some good practice on music basics.  Go through some of the Lessons, then try some of the first few Exercises.  Note Identification, Keyboard Identification, and Key Signature Identification exercises will help most. Play around and customize the exercises for fun. If you look at the Tools tab, there's a neat little Pop-up piano that actually plays. Get to know this site well because it is an engaging way to learn so much useful stuff.
 
Finale Notepad 2009- follow download instructions on link at left to use this great low-cost resource.  Just hit File- New- Default Document and experiment with note entering.  To hear your creation, choose Window- Playback Controls.

My schedule 2010/2011:
1st   Advanced Music 1
2nd Advanced Music 2
3rd  Independent Study of Piano and Composition 
4th  Advanced Music 3/ Advanced Music 4
5th  Advanced Music 1
6th  AP Music Theory
7th  LUNCH
8th  Advanced Music 2

9th  PREP

NEW THIS YEAR: Students will be allowed 2 minutes after the bell to get to my room, and will be dismissed 2  minutes before bell to get back to HS. This will be tight timing for many of you. You need to plan your day so that you visit your locker some time other than before my class.  Also, because I will lose 4 minutes of every class due to this travel allowance, I will not be inclined to allow restroom visits except for emergencies. You will have to let your other teachers know this so they will be sympathetic when you have to go.
 Grading: Almost every piece of classwork/homework is included in the student's grade, using total points.  In addition to written work, there is a weekly piano playing grade, singing and dictation grades, and occasional quiz and test grades.  Being prepared for class with book and pencil, handing assignments in on time, and keeping track of work following an absence are important for students.  Often, if there are mistakes on homework, I will give the student the opportunity to make corrections for half credit.

 

Absences: When a student misses work because of absence, it is their responsibility to come before or after school to make up the work within a few days of the absence. I will not do make-ups during class time and I will not allow makeups after a week has elapsed.

Food, gum (Christy), cell phones, iPods, drinks other than water are not allowed in my room. Teacher detention will be issued.

Walnut Street Theater in Philadelphia offers free tickets to student reviewers. Click link to see how to apply for your free tickets.

 

Compression makes music louder- so we hear less of the music, more overall sound. Read the article at NPR and see how our ears have been deadened to the nuances in music as sound engineers compress the signals to fit more music in smaller spaces (iPods, etc.)

 

World Science Festival 2009: Bobby McFerrin Demonstrates the Power of the Pentatonic Scale from World Science Festival on Vimeo. Sent by my brother Sid the scientist.

This is a neat video of Bach Toccata and Fugue in D minor with the notes represented by dashes and lines on a black background.

 

Composers check out the link to David Nevue's site on right. He has some good advice.

An Accidental Music Lesson is a blog from a Miami native who tells about his path to becoming a composer. There are video clips from his Gotham project.
 
All Music Academy students have been issued digital recorders (Sony ICD BX700) for use in private music lessons. These will remain the property of PMHS during the summers and when you graduate or leave the Music Academy. They represent a substantial investment and there will be a $50 fine to pay for loss or damage. Students can access the instruction manual online at www.sony.com/recordersupport or by opening this link: Online manual.

♥♥♥♥♥♥WELCOME to all students in September, 2010♥♥♥♥♥♥
                    

Contact me: The best way is through email mframpto@psdnet.org.  Next, phone me at 540-6200 ext 3107 before or after school.

The Voca People- look at this fun video of acappella voices singing a huge variety of song styles. 

A CHANGE OF COURSE- - -  Beginning in September 2010, the third year of Advanced Music will be the completion of the textbook Elementary Harmony which is begun in Advanced Music II.  Students will have the opportunity to sign up for Advanced Music III or AP Music Theory during third year.  If they elect AP Music Theory, they are obligated to take the AP Music Theory exam in May and they will receive 5 honors points for a final grade of 78% or above.  The fourth year Advanced Music IV will be focused primarily on Composition, with the usual piano and ear training exercises.

www.easybib.com is helpful for correctly citing your websites.

Go to Sporcle.com for some mental stimulation.  There are loads of games and quizzes to play.

NEW  link at right: Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians.  Check it out when you need some facts about musicians.

Composers: Check out this New York Times article about the composing process.  It offers some good insights on one man's style of composing.

  
 

Live from the Met- Opera lovers and musicians need to know about this new opportunity.  The Metropolitan Opera in NYC is making live HD broadcasts of operas this season.  I went to see Macbeth at the Voorhees Ritz theater on Jan. 12, 2009 and the lady next to me said it's even better than going to the Met because it's closer to home, the seats are more comfortable, and the view and sound are great from every seat.  Tickets were $22@ and the experience was wonderful.