Grade 9 Music Lesson 1: Popular Music and Technological Influences in Western and Filipino Communities

Practical Applications and Central Objectives of Western Performing Arts Study

• Practical Utility of Knowledge: The insights gained from studying Western communities' performing and visual arts can be applied to several real-world scenarios:

  • Creative Development: Developing music, videos, or visual art pieces that highlight Filipino traditions while incorporating global techniques and trends.

  • Digital Production: Using apps, digital tools, and software to create performances or artworks inspired by both local and global practices.

  • Marketability and Preservation: Producing creative works with consideration for cultural preservation, audience impact, and marketability.

• Central Question for Study: How can emerging global artistic practices and technologies be used to preserve and promote Filipino culture and identity while addressing relevant social and economic issues?

• Learning Targets for Lesson $1$:

  • Analyze the influence of Western popular music’s recording technologies and computer-based music technologies on Filipino music, identifying key techniques and processes.

  • Appreciate cultural exchange by reflecting on the integration of Western singing styles and instruments into Filipino popular music.

  • Create a short music piece using computer-based technologies that fuses Western and Filipino music styles.

Essential Question and Initial Exploration

• Essential Question: How have technological advancements in music impacted its creation, preservation, and cultural identity?

• Activity: Recharge Playlist Analysis:

  • Task: Select $3$ Western popular songs from different genres such as pop, rock, hip-hop, or EDM.

  • Requirement: Write $1$ sentence per song describing lyrics, rhythm, instruments, or emotional impact.

  • Specific Examples of Influential Western Songs:

    • Rock: "Hotel California" by the Eagles. Thematic storytelling is evident in the solo, which mirrors the emotional arc of the song. It begins with controlled, bluesy bends and increases in speed and intensity, capturing a dark, haunting, and claustrophobic atmosphere.

    • Pop: "Believe" by Cher. This was the first commercial hit to use Auto-Tune as a deliberate vocal effect rather than subtle pitch correction. This robotic, stuttering sound is widely known as the "Cher effect," permanently influencing pop, R&B, and hip-hop production.

Vocabulary and Terminology in Music Technology

• Audio Interface: A device that converts analog sound (from a microphone or instrument) into digital data for computer-based recording.

• Digital Audio Workstation (DAW): A software application used for recording, editing, mixing, and producing music digitally.

• Neumes: Symbols used in medieval music notation to guide melodies, serving as a precursor to modern musical notes.

• Notation: A system of writing music using symbols to represent pitch, rhythm, and dynamics to allow for performance by others.

• Sampling: The technique of taking a portion of a sound recording and reusing it in a new musical creation.

• Synthesizer: An electronic instrument that generates sound by combining different frequencies, common in EDM and pop.

Early Notation and Recording Technologies

• Medieval Notation System:

  • Used neumes as symbols above text to indicate melodic direction, though they lacked precision in pitch and rhythm.

  • Primarily used in Gregorian chant.

  • In the $11^{th}$ century, the Italian monk Guido of Arezzo created the $4$-line staff.

  • Guido pioneered solmization syllables (precursors to solfège) like "Ut, Re, Mi" to teach pitch relationships.

• Renaissance Mensural Notation:

  • Notation expanded to include symbols indicating rhythm and meter.

  • Provided composers with more expressive tools for complex works.

• Baroque Tablature:

  • Widely used for string instruments like the lute.

  • Used numbers or letters to indicate finger placements instead of traditional notation.

  • Made music more accessible to amateur musicians.

• Key Discoveries in Recording Technology:

  • The Phonograph ($1877$): Invented by Thomas Edison. It was the first device capable of both recording and reproducing sound. Main components include the reproducer, sound box, recording needle, recording sound box, and a tinfoil-covered cylinder turned by a hand crank.

  • Gramophone and Vinyl Records ($1887$): Invented by Emile Berliner, replacing cylinders with flat discs (vinyl records).

  • Magnetic Tape Recording ($1930s$): Developed by German engineer Fritz Pfleumer. Allowed for higher fidelity and the ability to edit recordings, which was impossible with cylinders or discs.

  • Compact Cassette ($1960s$): Introduced by Philips. Focused on portability and ease of use, allowing for the creation of personal mixtapes and shared music.

Modern Music Notation and Recording

• Digital Notation Software:

  • Finale: Robust tools for composition and arrangement; input via keyboard, MIDI, or mouse.

  • MuseScore: A free, open-source notation software providing professional-quality scores.

  • Sibelius: Intuitive interface widely used in professional and educational settings, especially for complex orchestral scoring.

• Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs):

  • GarageBand (Mac/iOS): Beginner-friendly with virtual instruments, loops, and effects. Pre-installed on Apple devices.

  • Logic Pro (Mac): Professional-grade with MIDI editing and "Flex Time" for timing adjustments; extensive sound library.

  • Ableton Live (Mac/Windows): Focused on live performance, real-time recording, and looping; features a "session view" ideal for EDM.

  • FL Studio (Windows/Mac): Popular for hip-hop and EDM; features a step sequencer for beat-making and offers lifetime free updates.

Singing Styles in Popular Music

• Pop: Smooth, melodic, and polished vocals. Focuses on catchy hooks and emotional delivery. Techniques include controlled vibrato and vocal runs. Example: Ariana Grande (vocal runs and whistle tones).

• Rock: Raw, energetic, and dynamic. Often raspy or powered by strong projection. Techniques include belting, growling, and falsetto. Example: Freddie Mercury of Queen.

• Hip-Hop and Rap: Emphasis on rhythm, flow, and lyrical delivery over melody. Rapping involves rhythmic speech, wordplay, and intricate rhyme schemes. Example: Eminem.

• R&B: Soulful and expressive with emotive quality. Techniques include vocal melisma (ornamentation of notes), falsetto, and head voice. Example: Beyoncé.

• EDM: Vocals are often processed with effects like auto-tune and vocoders for futuristic, robotic tones. Uses layered vocals and pitch-shifting. Example: Daft Punk.

• Country: Storytelling-driven with a twangy, nasal tone and clear enunciation. Uses vocal inflections and sustained notes. Example: Early Taylor Swift.

Computer-Based Music Technology Workflow

• Step $1$: Recording: Captures sound and converts it to digital data via an audio interface. Producers use DAWs to create separate tracks for layering (e.g., vocals on one track, percussion on another). Metronomes help maintain consistent timing.

• Step $2$: Editing: Refinement of raw tracks. Includes pitch correction (Auto-Tune/Melodyne), timing adjustments (aligning beats), and adding effects (reverb for space, EQ, compression). Loops and samples from libraries like Splice are incorporated here.

• Step $3$: Arranging: Organizing tracks into cohesive song structures (verses, choruses, bridges). In EDM, this involves building tension leading to "drops."

• Step $4$: Mixing: Balancing elements for clarity. Includes balancing levels, panning (placing sounds in the stereo field), and effects automation for emotional impact.

• Step $5$: Mastering: The final polish. Involves EQ for frequency balance, compression for smooth volume, and loudness optimization for platforms like Spotify ($MP3$ or $WAV$ formats).

Artsy Corner: Leonardo da Vinci

• Leonardo da Vinci was an accomplished musician in addition to being a painter.

• He played the lira da braccio, a Renaissance bowed string instrument.

• In $1482$, he crafted a silver lyre shaped like a horse's head for Ludovico Sforza, the Duke of Milan.

• He was celebrated for his improvisational skills at the Milanese court.

Questions & Discussion

• Recharge Processing:

  1. What Western technologies or styles did you notice in the song?

  2. How does the song show its Filipino identity?

  3. Do you think the song leans more toward Western or Filipino identity? Why?

• Activity Processing (Music Track Creation):

  1. What Western elements did your group include in the track?

  2. What Filipino melodic elements were incorporated into your piece (e.g., kundiman-inspired tune, traditional instruments, or pentatonic melodies)?

  3. What challenges did your group encounter while creating the track, and how did you overcome them?

  4. What did you learn from listening to the tracks of other groups?

  5. Why is it important to understand the process of creating music?