The SSLP’s 2020 Autumn Term collaborative experience celebrating #Beethoven250!

Following the success of the Summer Term instrumental project, our celebration of Ludwig van Beethoven’s 250^th anniversary is rounded off with a fun and inclusive collaboration – through singing! We have called it B-B-B-Beethoven! Using the famous theme of the first movement of his 5^th Symphony – a theme that is generated from a motivic cell of just four notes – KS3/KS4/KS5 classes, school choirs (and even teachers!) had an opportunity to contribute tracks to B-B-B-Beethoven which was combined to create a musical montage, rather like a musical meme.

Recordings were invited from groups such as classes and choirs and were submitted by teachers to Mr Gritton, Director of Music at JAGS: peter.gritton@jags.org.uk 

Each recording became a piece of the jigsaw puzzle which has contributed to an overall result.

Happy Anniversary Ludvig!

What is B-B-B-Beethoven?
Highlighting the 4-note motif that holds the work together. The source of the music of B-B-B-Beethoven is the first 43 bars and the last 12 bars of the first movement of the 5th Symphony. Continued restrictions prevent us from holding events, so we have created B-B-B-Beethoven as a fun and inclusive music montage of multiple video clips of music classes contributing a ‘ba ba ba bah’ to the first movement of the 5th Symphony, arranged for voices. B-B-B-Beethoven is SSLP’s final offering that raises awareness of Beethoven’s 250th anniversary.

Background:
B-B-B-Beethoven is an idea sparked by Katie Barretta (SSLP Coordinator) and based on the opening of a barbershop arrangement called Da-Da-Da-Dah! by our colleague Chris Fish (Alleyn’s) but adapted here by Peter Gritton (JAGS) to cater for classroom-singing.

Resources:
HOW TO RECORD A VIDEO SNIPPET: Each track in the green/blue/pink boxes consists of: 3 clicks and a demo, then 3 clicks and a silence in which your class imitates the demo to “ ba ba ba bah!” All you need are the means to play the tracks provided and a video device. Operate video equipment from the front of the class (landscape preferred to portrait).

Below in the coloured boxes are all the resources you need to engage with B-B-B-Beethoven and help you record the 5-second clips. While you won’t necessarily need the score in order to record the snippets, it may help you keep on top of the material. You will find the tracks for recording the snippets on the webpage in the colourful boxes below. There is a coloured box for each of the three student vocal parts (higher, medium, lower ranges) and even an opportunity for you to contribute a track, knowing what fun it is for students to see their teachers getting stuck in too – work out which of the teacher tracks suits your voice range – any contribution to this is really appreciated.

Resources