Final Post

Well...

I have come to the end of my Genius Hour project. The end of the 6 weeks is here, and it went by so quickly! When I originally started this project, I thought I had all the time in the world, and that the 6 weeks were going to go by so slowly.

Each week was filled with something new and exciting to learn. Although it wasn't always easy, and there were times when I was quite frustrated with the process and how long it was taking me to learn, it was rewarding nevertheless.

The research process was pretty easy, as the only complicated aspect was finding a YouTube tutorial to best suit my playing needs. Looking up the chords, hand placements, notes and pace were all relatively easy to find and manipulate. Putting the song together wasn't too difficult, once I had all the parts confirmed. Choosing a piano song for genius hour has actually inspired me to begin to play more songs on the piano. I have a desire to search many other tutorials on YouTube, and learn how to play them on my keyboard.

I think that Genius Hour is a great idea to implement in classrooms for any age or grade. It can even be used in university classes, as can be seen with our Genius Hour. Just from this six weeks, I learned so much about myself and what I am able to accomplish in a short timespan. I developed a new love of music and piano, as working so diligently on it gave me a whole new appreciation. I plan to use Genius Hour in my classroom, as it think it drives inquiry based learning and motivation.

HIGH FIVES FOR GENIUS HOUR!!!

Working on both hands and finalizing!

I have spent this past week learning how to play the song on both hands. After reviewing the left hand, and the right hand, I began to mesh the two simultaneously (and it’s a lot harder than it looks)! It took me some time to get to a place where I felt comfortable learning both hands at the same time, but once I got there, it felt great! I can play both hands at varying comfortable paces including fast and slow. I can’t believe I learned a new song, and it didn’t even take me the full 6 weeks as I was expecting either. Learning a song on an instrument doesn’t take too long, as long as you have the determination, passion and drive to do it.

I first practiced the beginning of the song, followed by the middle and finally the end. Each part became progressively more difficult, but with the basis of the previous parts, it was definitely doable. All three sections of the song flowed really nicely together. The beginning part of the song actually leads into the rest of the song.

My final task that I have assigned for myself for this genius hour project, is to record myself playing some of the song on piano, so that I am able to incorporate it into my TED talk. This incorporation will be proof that I have completed the song and am able to play it!

Mastering the left hand!

What a week I've had with the piano!

I finally found an easy beginner version of the song "Someone Like You" after using trial and error on both Google and YouTube. After watching it and following along several times (all while pausing and resuming), I was finally able to learn the left hand of the song. The beginning and chorus parts of the song are relatively the same. The only difference is that some of the notes and octaves change.

A difficult aspect of playing this song, is that you need to be able to hear the original song playing in your head, whilst playing the notes. If you don't have a solid concept of the tempo and pace of the song you are playing, then playing it becomes very difficult. I have begun to break the song up into identifiable parts, in order to sing the song in my head and familiarize myself with the way that it should sound. It didn't take me a very long time to learn the beginning parts of the song. What is causing the most difficulty for me, are the middle and ending parts of the song. I have already consumed so many notes and chords from the beginning, that it feels like my brain doesn't want to absorb any more information! The pace at which I'm playing is very slow as well, so I definitely need to pick up my pace. Playing the piano is the biggest multitasking job I have ever done in my life. It requires a lot more brain power than one would typically assume.

I have learned the left hand part of the song quickly, as it is usually just one or two notes. A, E, G#, E, F#, C#, D, A are the notes that need to be played by the left hand. They are played A,E followed by E,G# followed by F#, C# followed by D,A. Next week I have to incorporate both the left and right hands together, to ensure that they are being played at the same time. A, C#, E, C#, G#, C#, E, C#, F#, C#, F#, C#, A, D, F#, D are the sequence of notes that need to be played by the right hand. The right hand has to move much faster than the left hand, so I have been listening to the song to set the pace.

Before the next Genius Hour, I need to speed up my pace. This will only come with practicing the song, so I will also need to do lots of practicing - not only within my hour of Genius Hour research, but other times too. I don't have any questions except for the fact that I'm wondering if I will be able to also sing along whilst playing the piano, but I'm not including that in my Genius Hour.

Well, where do we go from here? Now I need to practice until the song is perfect!

We've all got to start somewhere...

This week I have chosen the song that I want to play on the piano. I had several ideas in mind for songs, and it was a tough choice, but finally, I have chosen to learn "Someone Like You" by Adele. I was a huge fan of this song when it was first released, and I listen to Adele's music religiously. I have always looked up to her as a musical artist, as I think that her songs are very emotionally touching. Before I started the actual learning process, I needed to get my hands on a piano or keyboard. My brother owned a keyboard when he was younger, so I remembered that my family owned one and that it was somewhere in our basement. Once I got the keyboard, I was ready to go. To kick start my learning, I did some research on the chords and finger positioning of the song, to ensure that I had all the basics before going into it. I found out that A C#m F#m D are the key notes in this song. With these notes, I started experimenting with where to place my fingers on the keyboard.

     To help myself out a bit, I looked up a few tutorials of the song on YouTube. It was here where I found several "how to" channels and videos of individuals teaching others how to play this Adele piece on the piano. This was great - however, the individuals playing the piano made the song look much easier than I suspected it was to play. This discouraged me to some extent, as I watched them play effortlessly, knowing that I would struggle. I was also concerned with the pace in which they were playing. I was worried that I wasn't going to be able to keep up, thus being unable to learn the song.

     Before my next Genius Hour, I need to attempt to play along with the tutorial videos, or I need to find a video that moves at a much slower pace than the ones I've already found. If I can find a video for a beginner level, it might be easier for me to follow along. The question I have now moving forward would be - where do I look for beginner videos and will they be as easy to find? Is there a channel that is specifically geared towards beginners? These are all questions that I hope to have the answer for before next time!