Chord spelling song David Newman 2020-04-19 | In 2012, I was teaching triad identification, and wrote this song on my way to work, then taught it to my class and recorded it.I actually think this is one of my more pedagogically useful songs. It reinforces solfege, as well as the practice of spelling all of the root position diatonic triads (except viiº). When read as a chord chart, students are reminded of how each chord sounds in context, and what notes to look/listen for. It introduces several concepts that come up later in class, at which point, one can refer back to this song and explain them. It's short, and works as a quick warm up for voice and mind. (And it takes very little skill to play the accompaniment.)Ultimately, though, I created it because I just couldn't imagine spending a class writing each chord on the board and singing through each one out of context. This gives context for triads, and an opportunity to discuss some of the most common chord patterns we see in music, particularly the cadential 64.I had versions posted to my other channel for both classes, but this one had the most views.
Celebrate Pi Day David Newman 2024-03-14 | A quick song to celebrate Pi Day!This was done with the significant help of AI. The song was created with the help of ChatGPT and Suno.ai, and the images were created with the help of Stable Diffusion. The audio and video were edited using Logic Pro and Final Cut Pro.Expect to see me post about AI here in the future. These can be incredibly valuable tools!
Mache dich, mein Herze, rein from Bach St. Matthew Passion David Newman 2022-11-20 | Mache dich, mein Herze, reinfrom Bach St. Matthew PassionJune 2022David Newman, baritoneIllinois Bach Academy
Earthquakes from JMU 2018 Science Camp David Newman 2022-09-24 | Video of campers dancing to "Earthquakes" a song about Plate Tectonics.
German French and Italian augmented sixth chords in 52 seconds. David Newman 2022-01-15 | I wrote an "International Chords Song" that included German, French and Neapolitan chords, but didn't include any help for the Italian augmented 6. This little mnemonic is something I've shared with my students for years to give that one added bit of information.The original "International Chords Song": youtube.com/watch?v=nyTofH5rk78The revised version, in a nicer recording: davidnewmanmusic.bandcamp.com/track/international-chords-song
Earthquakes (acoustic version) David Newman 2021-12-19 | Audaciously recorded in 2018 at the beach in Carmel, California. I think I never uploaded it because of the wind.This was written to help describe and remember principles of tectonic plate interactions. And also to be a dance song that slaps.
How to find my office with scale degrees David Newman 2021-08-27 | A quick little ditty to remind students (and myself) where to find my office.Now that one of my students has replicated the feat with her own song this has become the #MusicOfficeChallenge
Eyes and Ears Sightsinging 246 David Newman 2021-03-03 | Part of a new series of videos going through sight singing exercises in the book "Eyes and Ears," freely downloadable at http://www.lightandmatter.com/sight/sight.html
Eyes and Ears Sightsinging 245 David Newman 2021-03-01 | Part of a new series of videos going through sight singing exercises in the book "Eyes and Ears," freely downloadable at http://www.lightandmatter.com/sight/sight.html
Eyes and Ears Sightsinging 244 David Newman 2021-03-01 | Part of a new series of videos going through sight singing exercises in the book "Eyes and Ears," freely downloadable at http://www.lightandmatter.com/sight/sight.html
Eyes and Ears Sightsinging 242 David Newman 2021-03-01 | Part of a new series of videos going through sight singing exercises in the book "Eyes and Ears," freely downloadable at http://www.lightandmatter.com/sight/sight.html
As now she might have done - from A Winters Tale David Newman 2021-01-14 | Leontes - David Newman, BaritoneFrom the Quantum Theater/Attack Theatre/Chatham Baroque production of "A Winter's Tale." Shakespeare's monumental work was set as a Baroque pastiche opera.
Joves commands shall be obeyd from Dido and Aeneas David Newman 2021-01-04 | As Aeneas in Purcell's Dido and Aeneas with The University of Virginia Chamber Singers and Three Notch'd Road, November 20, 2015
Love Is Here To Stay - David Newman and Mark Shilansky David Newman 2021-01-04 | Love Is Here To Stay, by George and Ira Gershwin.from a live rehearsal in Carmel, CA in 2018.David Newman, BaritoneMark Shilansky, Piano
Changing meters primer David Newman 2020-10-14 | Just a quick introduction to changing meters and how to feel and conduct them using steady note value, and with steady beat value.
Mozarts Hai gia vinta la causa recit, 280 miles apart via Soundjack and Jitsi Meet. David Newman 2020-08-06 | This is a demonstration of the value of Soundjack and Jitsi Meet for physically distanced rehearsal. David Newman, baritone (in Harrisonburg, Virginia) and Luke Housner, piano (in Cherry Hill, NJ.)It is possible to achieve significantly lower latencies than this, especially for people who are local to each other. However, as you can see, there is no difficulty staying together and making real, natural musical decisions on the fly at this latency. (Around 17 milliseconds total one way, when you add the expected latencies of our audio interfaces - the speed of sound equivalent of standing about 16 feet apart.)Both platforms are peer-to-peer, meaning they don't have to route sound or video through a separate server. They are both vastly superior to Zoom both in quality and latency. And both are free.To install Soundjack, go to http://soundjack.eu and register for the site, then download the software. You will need a reasonably fast computer, with an ethernet connection to broadband internet. Macs work particularly well, even without extra equipment. (Luke was on a MacBook Pro and I was on a 2015 iMac.) You will also get better results with a good microphone and a low latency audio interface.Jisti Meet is browser based, so there is nothing to install. Go to http://meet.jit.si and create a room, and then send that link to whomever you want to join you.
Schubert - Der Wanderer - David Newman and David Berry David Newman 2020-06-21 | Recorded with physical distancing during the coronavirus pandemic of 2020 for the Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival.David Newman, BaritoneDavid Berry, PianoWe used standard recording equipment, but used it to space ourselves about 70 feet apart in a large chapel. Headphones and close microphones allowed us to hear each other without the delay and difficulties of coordination that would normally be experienced at that distance. See this video to view our actual separation: youtube.com/watch?v=-4b609RSJG4
Teaser for upcoming video from Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival David Newman 2020-06-16 | On Friday morning, David Berry and I placed ourselves about 70 feet apart, and recorded Schubert's Der Wanderer. This is just a snippet of what it sounded like in the room.You will hear some of the problems that are introduced with this much distance. You'll hear my voice just a little bit late, because there is more than 1/20 of a second of delay for the sound of my voice to travel through the air to the camera.However, because we used a live recording system, and we both wore headphones, we were able to hear each other with almost no latency, and so we were able to be responsive to each other and truly make music together.Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival will be streaming our edited video this weekend, along with David's brilliant performance of Schubert's piano fantasy by the same name, based on one of the sections of the song.
Car Tunes #4 - Locus Iste (Bruckner) David Newman 2020-06-14 | A facilitated physically distant car-sing with Jeremy Nafziger and Cantore.Each of the 8 singers (except Jeremy) sang from their own vehicle, with a wireless microphone, hearing the mixed sound through their car stereos. Jeremy listened through headphones connected to the mixer.This audio was recorded straight from the mixer and reverb added in post production.
Car Tunes #3 Harmonia Sacra David Newman 2020-06-11 | This is the third and largest of the physically distant Car-Sings that I've facilitated. Ten singers gathered from a local Harmonia Sacra group to read through tunes for an hour. For most of the session, I joined as an 11th singer, but for this one, I stepped out of the car to record video.During this session, we had our first instance of feedback, when we were first setting up, but it was never a problem once levels were set.As I watch the video, I wish I had asked people to close their windows. Though the spacing of people observes social distancing guidelines, we also know that singing is particularly risky, and windows closed or mostly closed would further isolate other participants from aerosols. The three singers who came in one car were already isolating together.The response of the singers was overwhelmingly positive. One comment was that "this was much nicer than I expected." Another participant called a friend on speakerphone to listen, and said "this should be on TV!"I agree.Thanks to all the singers for helping show how this can work for larger groups! (The size of the group that can be accommodated is only limited by equipment, especially if corded microphones are included.... however, wireless mics greatly improve the ease of setup and teardown, and allow for better isolation and sanitation.)
Car Tunes #2 Purcell - In The Black Dismal Dungeon of Despair David Newman 2020-05-31 | This is the fourth in a series of experiments in using live sound equipment to enable safe, physically distant ensemble rehearsals.Bradley Lehman and I rehearsed the Purcell song "In The Black Dismal Dungeon of Despair." transposed down to D minor, with Bradley improvising the realization of the basso continuo line on harpsichord as we went. We had never done this piece of music together, but you will hear in the recording that we were able to follow each other's musical cues to maintain incredible flexibility.Though I brought my own sound equipment to this party, it would be easier for many collaborative pianists to be the host with the equipment, and have a wireless microphone or two that could be set out for their partners to use in their vehicles, as long as they could be parked within range of the transmitter. (Though Bradley and I were only perhaps 20 feet apart, we had no visual connection. The sound, though, has less latency than we might experience in a normal live rehearsal.) This would be one safe way for singers and probably many instrumentalists to collaboratively rehearse with pianists during this COVID crisis. The cost for a minimal setup for this sort of rehearsal could easily be under $200, though I'd be careful not to spend too little and wind up with truly low quality gear. Do a search for wireless microphones on Amazon and you'll see that the cost per mic ranges from as low as $20 to as high as $800. The ones I'm using were in the $75 per microphone range, and I have been very happy with their performance so far.I did use some onboard reverb when we were rehearsing, but the signal to the recorder was dry. I added a more sophisticated reverb in post processing to try and emulate the sort of space we'd normally perform this in.
In The Beginning David Newman 2020-05-30 | This is a poem I wrote about understanding pulse and rhythm. Casey Cangelosi added percussion.Choreography: Anya NewmanDancers: Anya, Erin and Kira Newman
Car-tunes #1 - Lassus: Ad te perenne gaudium David Newman 2020-05-22 | First person view/audio of a physically distant rehearsal of this Lassus piece for three voices, with Bryce Hayes and Nathan May. This was the third video in a series of experiments with using standard audio equipment to facilitate ensemble music making while remaining safely sequestered in our own vehicles.I tried to record sound straight from the mixer, but the output was too hot and I got clipping. So, instead, you get my perspective, and what it might sound like for a participant in such a group.By actually holding a rehearsal of serious music and trying to make it good, we did encounter a number of issues.First, you really need someone to be running sound for serious music making. Levels can vary, and balance is hard to perceive. (Note, my voice is more prominent on this recording, but in the mix, I had been singing too softly.) This will become even more true with more participants.Second, singing seriously while sitting in a car seat really messes with your breath management! (It's not insurmountable, but it definitely introduces some challenges!)EQ of car stereos tends to balance toward the bass end, and proximity effect of cardioid microphones does the same... some EQ at the mixing end may help with tonal balance. Also, any group working like this will want to learn and experiment with microphone technique.For this rehearsal, I used a wired microphone, thinking it would match better with the two handheld wireless mics I had. I'm not sure how well it matched their signal, but someone running sound would probably be able to solve balance issues from different equipment. It does, though, point out that one solution to frequency spectrum crowding for a larger ensemble would be to use wired microphones or some combination of wired and wireless. Wired microphones would still be able to be passed through a very small window opening, without introducing significant risk to the process, and there are several ways contact could be reduced. (For example, if each person in an ensemble was assigned their own microphone to take care of and a short XLR cable, they could place the female end of the XLR cable out of their mostly rolled up window, and the sound person could come and connect the system XLR cables to theirs.)Also, though we parked facing each other so that we might have some visual connection, we couldn't really see each other, as you can probably tell from the video.
Physically distant drive in singing demo #2 David Newman 2020-05-20 | Adding an FM transmitter to improve drive-in rehearsal process I demonstrated on Sunday.That video is here: youtube.com/watch?v=CPD7kxrO03wThis video demonstrates that you can clearly hear and perform with near zero latency with a group of people tuned to the same inexpensive, FCC approved FM transmitter.I will do more testing to show how this can be used with a larger group.
Physically distant drive-in ensemble rehearsal David Newman 2020-05-17 | Please note the follow-up video with improved technology: youtube.com/watch?v=HtI5auroYqM (you should still watch this one first.)A demonstration of a physically distant "drive-in" choral rehearsal. Participants were Bryce Hayes, Josh Fisher-Cox, Cecilia Apperson and Emily Swett, to all of whom I am grateful for coming and doing this on much less than 24 hours notice. Nothing in this video is revolutionary, and most high schools and universities will already own equipment of this nature. (Probably better than what I have.)Ideally, one would also use wireless headphones, or run a wired headphone jack to each participant. (I intended to do this, but didn't have enough of the right cables on hand.)Also, I am not an epidemiologist or an infectious disease specialist. Anyone trying to use or extend this method of rehearsing should consult an expert about exactly what steps should be taken and what risks are involved.Here are some steps we took:• participants stayed in the cars in which they arrived for the duration of the rehearsal.• microphones were disinfected with a clorox wipe before and after use.• cloth covers were secured over the handheld microphones, and washed after use.• the equipment manager (me) washed hands before and after handling equipment.• distance was maintained during all interactions, including exchange of microphones.Additional steps that seem wise, either for safety or effectiveness:• use of headphones would allow car windows to be completely or almost completely rolled up• additionally, analog wireless headphones or wired headphones would reduce latency to almost zero.• use of a parking lot would allow better lines of sight (and less traffic!)Mostly this is no different than the setup often used in Broadway musicals, where each participant is wearing a wireless mic, and everything happens in (perceptually) real time. The only difference is that we are using it to maintain safe spaces while still being able to sing together.
“Be the change” 2020 graduation anthem David Newman 2020-05-06 | A song for the graduating class of 2020, built around the traditional processional music “Pomp and Circumstance #1” by Elgar.
Identification of triads using natural triad quality David Newman 2020-04-24 | How to identify triads using your knowledge of natural triad qualities.
Explainer video for the chord spelling song David Newman 2020-04-24 | This video gives a quick introduction to triads in a major key, and talks through the chord spelling song, which can be found here:youtube.com/watch?v=1lRgneZeFGk
SOL TI RE FA Dominant 7 Song David Newman 2020-04-18 | There is now a full studio recording! Please buy the album on Bandcamp! http://bit.ly/Well_Trained_EarThis song is meant to reinforce hearing the sound of the V7 chord, and remember which notes to listen for in identifying it. Meanwhile it explores several other concepts, including hearing the I, IV and vi chords, and recognizing a deceptive cadence.The line about V7/V is not meant to be cryptic. It's just that in our old curriculum, we didn't cover that until the Spring semester.Be sure to listen through a stereo or good headphones to hear the bass, if you really want to hear the inversions.Hat-Tip to Matthew Griset for the idea of including the deceptive cadence!At the end of the song, I took advantage of the opportunity to show smooth voice leading from V7 to I.Originally posted on my dedicated music theory channel in 2011, this had almost 56k views, but I needed to consolidate my videos into one channel.
Metric modulation with simple and compound meters David Newman 2020-04-13 | Quick guide to metric modulation with simple and compound meters
Deriving intervals using natural intervals David Newman 2020-04-09 | This is a quick kinesthetic way of deriving intervals that have sharps and flats from natural intervals.
Using inversions to name intervals David Newman 2020-04-08 | If you know your inversions, then you can quickly name any interval by only knowing half of them at sight.
Intervals - The Second David Newman 2020-03-27 | A short video to clarify how to name and identify intervals of a second.
Solfege exercise - Diatonic Intervals from Do David Newman 2020-03-26 | This is just an easy exercise to practice and memorize the diatonic intervals from Do, both ascending and descending.
Intervals in Inversion Song David Newman 2020-03-26 | The original, homemade version of the Intervals in Inversion song. I originally posted this on Oct 19, 2011 on my old channel. It was my most popular aural skills song, with over 64k views when I moved it here.There is also a professional recording available which you can buy on Bandcamp! http://bit.ly/Well_Trained_EarThis song describes and demonstrates each interval and its inversion.Lyrics seem redundant with videos like this, but here they are anyway:A minor third is a major sixth in inversion.A major third is a minor sixth in inversion.A perfect fourth is a perfect fifth in inversion.Oh...A minor second's a major seventh.A major second's a minor seventh.And oh...A perfect unison's an octave in this game.But what we call a tritone stays the same.[Note that the final line is not true if we identify that interval as an augmented fourth, in which case its inversion is a diminished fifth, and vice versa. Hence "what we call a tritone."]
Changes coming and a lot more content David Newman 2020-03-26 | I’m consolidating my multiple YouTube channels here. Be prepared to see many videos added. I’ll do my best to separate the different kinds of content with playlists.
Jump Math Multiplication Game David Newman 2019-01-22 | I just rediscovered this video from many years ago, even before the popular "Multiplication Memorization" video. This was one of our multiplication table learning games.
Hes So Metal (Ive got my ionic bonds) David Newman 2019-01-15 | Anya's extra credit project for Honors Chemistry about metals and non-metals. Produced entirely on her iPhone with a little help from dad. Shared with her permission.I just feel the need to note that malleable has a double l, but Anya says it's supposed to look like a diary entry, and therefore needs misspellings. Same goes for grammar...Lyrics:I've got my eye on Nick Bonds (ionic bonds) for quite a whileHe's a little bit dense, but I like his style.Malleable, shape him any way I want...And he's ductile, I can string him along He's so metal...He's conductive, if you know what I mean...The chemistry between us is unreal...We can make the sparks fly...I don't want a guy that's dull and brittleI don't want a guy that's full of gas.I want a guy that's full of Luster.I want a guy with lots of class. He's so metal...He's a pretty solid guy...Unless I'm too hot for him...Then he'll just melt into my arms...So I was walking up the staircase, and I saw a bunch of metalloids.What the heck, man, just pick a side already, amiright?
Earthquakes (Song about Plate Tectonics) David Newman 2018-06-25 | A song about Plate Tectonics as a metaphor for human interactions. Designed to be less didactic, while still reinforcing previously learned concepts. There are movements that students can perform with the song that will help reinforce the concepts.
The Reason for the Seasons (Lyric Video) David Newman 2016-07-09 | Lyric video and revised version of the song I wrote for the 2015 Space Camp, about the reason we have seasons.
Lunar Phases Song David Newman 2016-07-08 | A song about the lunar phases. But instead of teaching them in order, it tries to help the listener understand WHY there are phases, through the moons relationship with the position of the sun from an earth centric perspective. There are movements that students can perform with the song that will help reinforce the concepts.
Planet Rock, as performed by Space Camp 2015 at JMU David Newman 2015-08-08 | Buy it on iTunes: itunes.apple.com/us/album/planet-rock/id904432149?i=904432257This is the 2015 take on the song. Lyric video available here: youtube.com/watch?v=greRscZEsEo
Reason for the Seasons (dance video) (old key) David Newman 2015-08-08 | Have you ever wondered why we have seasons? Hint: It's not because of the earth's distance to the sun.Based on ideas from JMU's star professor Shanil Virani (pun intended), this song attempts to harness students' existing knowledge about their world to understand why we have seasons.Lyrics:At the start of SummerThe sun soars highAnd days are longerSo temperatures riseWe've soaked up more energyWhen day is doneAnd so the reason for the season is our angle to the sun.And in the WinterThe sun lays lowDays are shorterSo it gets coldThe South Pole gets sunshineWhile the North Pole gets none.And so the reason for the season is our angle to the sun.Since the latitude we live in's in the Northern Hemisphere,Then the angle of Earth's axis to the plane of its orbitMeans it's Summer in Australia when it's Winter over here.So every season is definedBy the way the Earth's inclined.And we can calculate the start of each oneBecause the reason for the season is our angle to the sun.Yes, the reason for the season is our angle to the sun.Yes, the reason for the season is our angle to the sun.Nota Bene: It is easy to retrofit the lyrics for use in the southern hemisphere. Just reverse all south and north references, and substitute Seattle for Australia. And for what it's worth, I'd really like an excuse to visit Australia, so someone please invite me...
Pi Song David Newman 2015-03-13 | Memorize pi to 39 decimal places with this little ditty.3.141592653589793238462643383279502884197You could keep going with the same tune, or invent new ones...Why would anyone want to do this? There is no really practical reason to know pi to this level of accuracy. But it's a fun bit of trivia to pull out and impress your friends. (However, if you want to break any records, you'll have to memorize it to a lot more decimal places than this. The official world record set in 2005 was 67,890 decimal places.)Happy pi day!
Planet Rock (Lyric video) David Newman 2014-12-08 | Buy it on iTunes! itunes.apple.com/us/album/planet-rock/id904432149?i=904432257Or get the mp3 on Amazon! http://amzn.to/1pJLExvYou can see this song in use in the classroom at JMU's 2014 Space Camp here: youtube.com/watch?v=fyKzc1yFQLQKeep an eye out for more videos that will teach you the movements!
Planet Rock performed by the 2014 Space Explorers Camp at JMU David Newman 2014-07-31 | Buy it on iTunes! itunes.apple.com/us/album/planet-rock/id904432149?i=904432257Or get the mp3 on Amazon! http://amzn.to/1pJLExvVisit the JMU Planetarium! http://www.jmu.edu/planetarium/Note: there were further lyric revisions between the Space Camp performance and the iTunes release. One was made during the rehearsals. "Pluto and Charon" was revised to "Pluto and Ceres." If you listen carefully, you can hear some people singing the older lyric. Also, we fixed the line "The reason they are planets is..." to "They qualify as planets with..." which makes it both more grammatically correct and more scientifically correct. (Though the IAU adds that a planet must control its orbit, this is essentially a function of its orbit and mass.)I will also post, when ready, a version of the song with lyrics for classroom use, as well as supplemental materials explaining the content and teaching the kinesthetic component.I am also considering putting together a whole package with lesson plans. Please let me know if this would be a valuable addition...
Distance, Slope and Midpoint Song David Newman 2013-09-25 | Buy this on iTunes! itunes.apple.com/us/album/distance-midpoint-slope-song/id891951088Or on CD Baby! http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/davidnewman24(The version for sale includes a new intro that defines the three terms.)Song to help remember formulas for Distance, Midpoint and Slope.Lyrics:CHORUSDistance; it may look like a square root Slope; it may look like a fraction, but aMidpoint is gonna be expressed as an ordered pair.The formula for distance comes from the Pythagorean Theorem for the length of the hypotenuse. So "c squared equals a squared plus b squared" is pretty much the formula we're going to use. You square the difference of x1 and x2, and square the difference of the y's Add 'em up and you'll have D squared and then find its root to reveal your prize! remember: CHORUS The formula for slope is going to look like a fraction that shows the slant using rise over run it says "m equals y2 minus y1 over x2 minus x1." ["wise up and get your y's up!"] The formula for midpoint is the one where you add, and gives a point as an ordered pair Just add the x's over 2 and do the same with the y's and you will know the midpoint is there! remember: CHORUS
