Holiday Theme and Variation Project

Due: Wednesday, December 21, 2011

This is a composition and performance project. You will have two weeks to complete it.

PART 1: Theme
In Finale Notepad or Noteflight, write out the theme for Good King Wenceslas for your instrument. Follow these guidelines:
• The piece is in G Major; (10 points)
• The time signature is 4/4; (10 points)
• The piece should begin and end on G. (5 points)
• The theme consists of quarter notes and half notes. (10 points)
• It should be a minimum of 16 measures. (10 points)

PART 2: Variation
In Finale Notepad or Noteflight, write out a variation for Good King Wenceslas for your instrument. Follow these guidelines:
• The key signature can stay the same, or change to a minor key. (10 points)
• The time signature can stay the same, or change to 3/4 or 6/8. (10 points)
• You can use any combination of notes and rests. (10 points)

PART 3: Performance
For this part, you must record your Theme and Variation in GarageBand on the Mac. After doing that, you will need to add additional instruments---drums, auxiliary percussion, guitar, bass---to enhance your recording. These can be loops found in Garageband, or can be added using the keyboard. Follow these guidelines:
• There should be a small pause added between your theme and variation.
• Your piece should have a drum loop for both the theme and variation. When you add a drum beat to your piece, add that loop first so you have a steady tempo to play with. (10 pts)
• Add guitar and bass after you have played so you can hear the chord change (this is advanced, so if you need help, let me know). (5 pts for each)
• You can add sleigh bells or other auxiliary percussion using the keyboard. (5 pts)

This project will be worth 100 points and will be graded using the guidelines outlined above. 5 points will be deducted for each day it is late. No submissions will be accepted after December 23.