Name: Stem Direction-Easy Peasy Music Theory Lesson #15
Uploaded: 2022-09-23T15:55:00.000Z
Duration: 7 min 45 s

In this lesson, you will learn about stem direction in music. Notes with stems can go upward or downward. 

Notes below the middle line have stems that go upward. Notes above the middle line have stems that go downward. 

Notes on the middle line have stems that can go upward or downward. Once you finish watching this video lesson, be sure to download the homework worksheet (see link below). Happy Music Learning!!!

Homework Link:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/16k6bpgEIM-HoDGatTD3inytrXAoqlmrV/view?usp=sharing


Music Theory

"It's not just about creativity. It's about the person you're becoming while creating." This quote epitomizes my teaching philosophy concisely.  My mission is to raise my students’ artistic confidence, grow their skills, and teach them to enjoy the art-making process while building integrity and good character.

I started performing on stage at the age of four years old. I began formal private lessons in voice and acting at the age of 10 at The Newark School of the Arts and at The Children’s Theater Workshop in Essex County, New Jersey. As a young teen, I also began directing and leading the youth and adult choirs in church. As a result of my commitment to my craft, I had numerous opportunities to perform and record as an accomplished artist throughout the United States and abroad.

As an international performer, my credits include touring throughout the country of China as a lead singer for the state of the arts Thai City Theater. Other recent credits include working as a lead production singer for the renowned cruise line, Carnival; sailing the Western and Eastern Caribbean islands performing Las Vegas-style production shows.

I am currently the CEO of my own entertainment company 2-4-1 Entertainment and mobile music school. I perform regularly for various commercial establishments and private venues. I studied Music and Theater at Montclair State University earning a BA degree along with a teaching license in performing arts.

The overall goal of my teaching philosophy is to cultivate independent and critically thinking artists. I want to produce well-rounded individuals, instill a lifelong love of music and theater in every student, and create an effective performance medium in which students will grow not only musically, but also personally and professionally. Through these principles, I strive to become a key mentor in their educational journey.

*** Lesson Details ***

If you love singing, then you should love your lessons. Lessons with me are fun, challenging as well as enriching. 

Instruction will include:

-Light stretching exercises to reduce tension and relax muscles that can block good vocal production and vocal freedom.

-Carefully listen to, accessing and giving you feedback about your vocal potential and growth

-Identifying vocal range and limitations

-Proper vocal techniques with respect to vocal scales, learning to breathe, pitch, tonality, durability, and posture

-Selecting music collaboratively that suits your tastes and ability

-Working with professional backing tracks like many contemporary artists in the industry

-Lyrical interpretation with respect to performance

-Sharing the understanding of vocal anatomy and how it affects singing

-Allowing you to record lessons for practice purposes.

-Comfortable environments where asking questions are encouraged and making mistakes are simply part of the learning process.

-Teaching and practicing good vocal health, including the need to drink water and monitor the speaking voice

-Building confidence as a singer and performer

As much as I love teaching and building relationships with voice students in my studio, I do not believe lessons should be limited to the classroom. The training process may include performing in small venues for family and friends to acquaint the student with performing in front of an audience.

My goal is to teach students who have a desire to perform the necessary rudiments of singing and performing so they can go out into the world and shine as a polished singer!

Stem Direction-Easy Peasy Music Theory Lesson #15

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The National Honor Society (NHS) is the nation's premier organization established to recognize outstanding high school students. More than just an honor roll, NHS serves to honor those students who have demonstrated excellence in the areas of scholarship, leadership, service, and character. These characteristics have been associated with membership in the organization since its beginning in 1921.

Founded in 1907, NAfME is among the world’s largest arts education organizations. NAfME advocates at the local, state, and national levels; provides resources for teachers, parents, and administrators; hosts professional development events; and offers a variety of opportunities for students and teachers.

AWARDS/ DISTINCTIONS

TESOL means Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages,

TESOL

New Jesey Certificate of Eligibility Teaching Certificate

Provide professional development, vocal and music production training for children and adults. Tailor lesson plans and integrate a wide range of activities and materials to accommodate all styles of learners. Offer praise and positive encouragement to keep students motivated and eager to learn and progress vocally.

Private Voice Instructor

Teach general music to elementary students, Grade Pre K-3rd at Stepping Stone Pre/Grade School. Instruction includes hand bell choir, bucket drumming, chorus, recorder, music theory, beginner guitar & keyboard, theater arts and movement.

Music Teacher

Taught senior adults proper vocal techniques to vocal music and working together as a choir. Provided performance selections and vocal warm up exercises to build vocal stamina and self-esteem.

Music Director

Setting up pro audio equipment at the performance locations and making arrangements for appropriate power supply and wiring. Planning the list of songs to be played and arranging for live mixing using music production software programs.

Disc Jockey & Wedding Entertainment Director

Teach Toddlers, Pre K, Kindergarten children creative play using multicultural songs, musical concepts, hand bells and rhythm instruments. Introduce simple rhythm patterns and instrument exploration by teaching children to respond to a variety of musical meters (ex. 2/4, 4/4) and enhance motor skills and cognitive development.

Early Childhood Music & Performing Arts Teacher

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Music. What does it really mean? It's nice to be able to sing songs, but what good is singing if we don't understand music. This course is for the "singer" an individual who is interested in learning how to read and write music. 

Pitch. Rhythm. Scales. Intervals. Chords. Harmony. If you're serious about music, these are fundamental concepts you need to understand and master. 

If you love music, but don't know anything about music theory, you need to take this "one on one" online class. I will start from the very beginning step by step. Hope to see you online. 

Happy learning!!

Enjoyed the first lesson.  Christine figured out quickly my areas of weakness so it went very well.

Loved the lesson. Thank you for making me feel so comfortable.

I am enjoying my lessons with Ms. Christine. She is friendly and highly knowledgeable. I appreciate her kindness and the professional manner she uses to teach me. Excellent!

Awesome communicator and wonderful teaching style!! Look forward to learning!

First meeting was easy and comfortable.  Interested in taking more lessons.

Awesome teacher!!!!! Lessons are very in-depth yet understandable for beginners. Great at helping shy singers to build confidence. Loved the homework exercises and outside resources provided to improve students performance. Very professional and I highly recommend!

Christine is a great instructor who explains the material in a way that you can grasp it quickly and understand it.  I highly recommend her for both children and adults.

Christine is an incredible instructor for all ages. I started with no skill at all in matching tone or keeping rhythm, and she balanced honesty with positive encouragement so beautifully. Could not recommend more!!

My first time doing singing lessons. She was firm but patient with me and upbeat.I really appreciate that she took the time to answer the questions that I had. I will definitely come back again!

My partner and I have been taking singing classes with Christine and it has been such an amazing experience. She is such a phenomenal teacher and really takes the time to help you get to the place you'd like to be with whatever you're working on. I highly recommend her as a teacher and will certainly continue lessons with her! Thank you, Christine!

Ms. Christine is amazing! My daughter started lessons online with her during the beginning of the pandemic and she quickly became an extension of our family. Her lessons were always fun and interactive. Miah enjoyed her lessons very much! I’d recommend Ms. Christine to anyone. Five star teacher all the way!

Discover the power of your voice in E Major! Enjoy this vocal exercise using Solfege syllables for a fun vocal workout. It's all about making your singing journey enjoyable and uplifting. Ready to dive in? Let's do this!

Ear Training

E Major Vocal Exercises

A quick explanation of dotted quarter notes.

Dotted Quarter Note Explained

1. Clavicular Breathing:
Basically (your clavicle ) your collarbone which sits just around where your shoulders. So clavicular breathing means a high shallow breath where your shoulders lifting as you take a breath, they short and shallow breaths. Overall it’s difficult to get sufficient breath when you sing!

2. Intercostal Breathing:
Pulls the ribs up and out and that helps to expand the ribcage to allow space for lung expansion.

3. Abdominal Breathing:
This is where you use the diaphragm, allowing you to take a really deep breath. The diaphragm contracts down and flattens out when you breathe in, pushing against your abdominal organs thats opening the chest and allowing for full expansion of your lungs. When you relax and breath OUT the diaphragm returns to its original dome shape. There's a slight pause before the cycle begins again.


Elements of Breathing

In this lesson, you will learn about dynamics in music.

Happy Music Learning!!!

Homework Link: 
https://drive.google.com/file/d/19-O2tuKL9j6Km3RmxQCHxktziEwDSlak/view?usp=share_link

Dynamics In Music-Easy Peasy Music Theory Lesson #20

In this lesson, you will learn about dotted half notes and rests in music.

Happy Music Learning!!!

Homework Link: 
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jukBzRF8kdrTWQ5HBxtWqJbdXjWSr7rs/view?usp=sharing

Dotted Half Notes & Rests-Easy Peasy Music Theory Lesson #19

In this lesson, you will learn about eighth notes and rests in music. 

Happy Music Learning!!!

Homework Link:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1EzllLCPNnrILI_6HrXeysPYk-lyLWbLY/view?usp=sharing

Eighth Notes & Rests-Easy Peasy Music Theory Lesson #18

In this lesson, you will learn about time signatures in music. Distinguish the difference between 4/4, 3/4, and 2/4 in musical pieces and perform basic rhythmic patterns using body percussion (clapping, stomping, snapping, etc). 

Happy Music Learning!!!

Homework Link:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Y0xXVLNf_iZiJTCVHSjWtA_fY4nxF2jl/view?usp=sharing

Time Signature-Easy Peasy Music Theory Lesson #17

In this lesson, you will learn about bar lines, measures, and double bar lines in music. Music is divided into small sections called measures. The time signature tells us how many beats there are in a measure. 

Each measure has a set number of beats based on the time signature. Bar lines divide the staff into measures, and the double bar line indicates the end of the musical piece. Happy Music Learning!!!

Homework Link:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/14jemcBQEq25NUUSv3hPrHWEgeH23bG28/view?usp=sharing

Bar Lines, Measures & Double Bar Lines-Easy Peasy Music Theory Lesson #16

In this lesson, you will learn about the quarter note and the quarter rest in music. Duration is the length of time each note is played, a rest is a silence in music. Music is measured in beats. The quarter note is a sound that is held for 1 beat. The quarter rest is a silence that is held for 1 beat.

Homework Link:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1FCDsk7PGtG6KXvHDSxWOMmBiqpPCaFwF/view?usp=sharing

Quarter Notes & Rests-Easy Peasy Music Theory Lesson #14

In this lesson, you will learn about the half note and the half rest in music. Duration is the length of time each note is played, a rest is a silence in music. Music is measured in beats. The half note is a sound that is held for 2 beats. The half rest is a silence that is held for 2 beats.

Homework Link:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YBgUnl1ot-khAmhbm7YSueLmxEP7-ybl/view?usp=sharing

Half Notes & Rests-Easy Peasy Music Theory Lesson #13

In this lesson, you will learn about the whole note and the whole rest in music. Duration is the length of time each note is played, a rest is a silence in music. Music is measured in beats. The whole note is a sound that is held for 4 beats. The whole rest is a silence that is held for 4 beats.

Once you finish watching this video lesson, be sure to download the homework worksheet (see link below). Happy Music Learning!!!

Homework Link:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/14G4P6BbLbt9Oy18qjv5FMijVAlLi9Uv5/view?usp=sharing

Christine G.