Today

I thought you all rocked today! All of you showed great courage by getting up and sharing your rhymes and your beats. I'm beginning to see the concert take shape.

See you next week!
Charity

Graffiti Comp

I think we can put up some serious competition ...

http://www.sk.johnhoward.ca/

What do you think?

Graffiti

This week students worked with Def3 on graffiti. Below is some of the work they completed:

Rhyme Schemes

On Wednesday, Mr. Riley, an intern from the university, taught the class about different rhyme schemes employed in Hip Hop music. He outlined five types of rhyme:

End Rhyme - when the last words in lines rhyme
Ex) "I sit on my bed and weep
While I still have eyes to see
When thing is true, you I will never keep
A heart to weep for thee"

Assonance - repetition of vowel sounds to create internal rhyme
Ex) "Dead in the middle of little Italy, little did we know that we riddled two middle men who didn't do diddly" - Big Pun

Half Rhyme - rhymes that aren't perfect - sometimes called crap rhyme, near rhyme, off rhyme, or imperfect rhyme.
Ex) Ill/shell or dropped/wept

Internal Rhyme - rhyme that occurs within a single line of verse - sometimes called middle rhyme.
Ex) While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping.

Multisyallabic Rhyme - rhyme with two or more syllables
Ex) "Praying for sleep, dreaming with a watering mouth, wishing for a better life for my daughter and spouse, in this slaughtering house, caught up in bouts with the root of all evil. I've seen beautiful people cruel and deceitful." - Eminem

How do we talk about music?

The first week of the Hip Hop Project, students learned terms we use when talking about music. They will continue to use these terms throughout the whole project, as we learn to describe what we hear and create. Below are their initial attempts at using some of the specialized vocabulary to describe a song they like.

First Week Reflection

We are one week into the HHPv2, and the first week was a busy one! See the student comment section for a sense of how our students feel about the HHP so far...

1. What was your favourite part of week 1? Why?
2. What were you excited to learn? Why?
3. How does project-based learning compare to what you normally do in school? Which do you like better? Why?

Here is Farley talking with us about the business side of music, and how we might be able to use our skills and talents to give back to the elementary schools in our neighbourhood.



Here we are at the University of Regina, working with Dr. Charity Marsh in the IMP Labs.

HHP v2.0

We're about to embark on the Scott Collegiate Hip Hop Project v2.0 - bigger and better than ever! The project will be offered mornings from January 27, 2009, to April 8, 2009, culminating in three different shows in March and April. Stay tuned for more information!

Performance!

On November 6th, the final performance of the Hip Hop Project v1 took place at the Mackenzie Art Gallery. Below are links to some video from the night. They are very large, so be patient as they download - they're worth the wait!

Breaking, Avanna and Shone rapping
Freestyle Breaking

If you're a bit impatient as the videos load, click here to see some photos from final performance, and the rest of the project.

Graffiti Styles

As part of their Arts Education 20 credit, students had the opportunity to work with a local graffiti artist to create their own style.  Below are some of the completed works!

Beats...

Part of the time we spend at the University of Regina is working in the Interactive Media and Performance Labs where students have been learning how to use the MPC2500 and MPC 1000 to make beats. Below are some that the students have made so far:

Rena
Raven
Kashayla
Little Mic
Shone
Jordan
Chris

Farley's Hip Hop Chellenge

Hey guys, props on all the hard work you've been doing so far on the Hip Hop project. I'm seriously lookin' forward to hearing your beats, and checking out the breakers, graffiti and rhymes. Here's the deal - I've got a few challenges I'm putting forth as part of your presentations for next week. You will have to submit your assignments to Mr. Beingessner by Wednesday afternoon at 2pm. Here Goes!

Breakers: 1)What are the the three elements of Bboy dancing?
2)Name a minimum of two movies about break dancing.

Graffiti: 1) What city is credited with the first incidence of graffiti?
2) What public property was used as the principle canvas for taggers in New York City

Beatmaking: 1) What borough in New York City is credited with the birth of Hip Hop?
2) What famous beatmaker redefined himself as a composer after producing a
number one selling CD for Justin Timberlake, and what is his real name?

MC: 1) Who is credited as being the very first rapper
2) Who is Canada's first platinum selling rapper and what is his real name?

Word of Mouth Hip Hop Clothing Store

Here is where we are visiting on Wednesday. See the comment section for student thoughts about the tour of the store!

Midterm Reflection

As the first incarnation of the Hip Hop Project nears the midpoint, we took some time to reflect on what we've done and learned so far. The comments below are from the students in response to one or more of the following questions:


What has been the most exciting part of the HHP?
How would you describe the HHP to someone from another school?
What is one interesting thing you learned about Hip Hop so far?
Who are some people involved in Hip Hop who you admire?
Who are some of the Hip Hop pioneers?
Who are some prominent Saskatchewan-based Hip Hop artists?
What is your favourite piece of technology you've worked with?
What are you good at doing? Not so good at?
What would you like to do more of in the second half of the project?
What would you like to say about the HHP?

Podcasts in Response to Songs

Students in the HHP are examining the power of music to share messages and enact social change. Below are podcast responses to songs that the students chose as significant to them in their lives.

Avanna
Mike T.

A Beat Box Video

Click here for a video of a sweet beat-boxing chef. All of the sounds we're learning how to make on MPCs, he makes with his mouth!

Album Review Assignment

As part of their project, the students at Scott Collegiate were asked to pick an album to review as a music journalist. After listening to the album from start to finish, developing their opinion, and creating their own reviews, they post them here as comments to add to the universe of internet album reviews!