Quest to Grade 2 Handbook

  Date for Entry: (Thursday 29th October 2015)

Actual Date of Online Entry: (Tuesday 7th September 2021)

Dear Diary,

    Today I got up early-ish and began to gather topics from my ABRSM and Trinity Booklets as content for a Grade 2 Study Guide. This time I made it easier for myself by using a whiteboard I hadn’t used since CXC. There was a question about completing the square on it. It was a topic I liked but would always get wrong. Thank God, I passed my Maths, lolz. 

    I coloured the written areas with a whiteboard marker to get the stained ink out and then passed a wet napkin over the surface. It was long but fun to do. The only music topic that produced difficulty was finding a place for intervals. I know that it is the same thing as Grade 1 and questioned if it was really necessary. This book was completed later over the weekend. No idea about printing was done.

 **Unfortunately, this project was discontinued and late discarded.**

Daryl Zion M. Ali

Revised Grade 1 Book

  Date for Entry: (Tuesday 27th October 2015)

Actual Date of Online Entry: (Tuesday 7th September 2021)

Dear Diary,

    This morning I hurried down to Isa again to make another copy of the Grade 1 Study Guide from my flash drive. This time the MLA was incomplete because I didn’t bother to follow the rules involving spacing. The printing machine took longer this time. 

    I couldn’t wait for Isa to return to the store because I had to get to class. Dad couldn’t believe me when I left a copy there and looking through the book as we waited, he said, “Buh Dar, you are nuh ah teacha.” I know I was not one because I’m not certified and I have no experience but I hope to one day. It did not matter to me it was not a teacher. I knew how to put the book together and so I did.

    Onward from there, we had to go to the Stationary store at the back of Massy’s to get the other document bound. The other place didn’t punch the paper properly. Then when I reached school and sat down, Ms. Neaves told me that she got my text on her phone for being late. But then she said, “You picked a good day to be late.” Apparently, some of the class members from another performance group went on a field trip. 

    At the end of class, I left the book with Mrs. Neaves. I had asked her if she can take a look through it for me until the next Tuesday, just in case she thought that I can add something or change it in a way to suit.

    I rush myself home because none of the group members in my English class had submitted our second credit assignment to Ms. Jesshop for marking and the time had already come to pass the deadline. Many others were in the same situation.

Daryl Zion M. Ali

Wheel of Fifths & Fourths ("Presentation")

  Date for Entry: (Tuesday 29th September 2015)

Actual Date of Online Entry: (Monday 6th September 2021)

Dear Diary,

    Last night I prepared a large wheel to create the circle of fifths and fourths that can show the relative keys between major and minor. I had assistance from the Trinity Guildhall book and some other ideas I had in class to show the Key Signature of each scale in both the treble and bass staves. 

    When I got in class, I told everyone good morning before taking my seat (in the front row as usual near the door's side of the room) and then raised my hands and told miss I had extra homework to show her. She watched me from behind the piano but came up to me and I took the wheel of the plastic Massy's bag I carried it in. I passed it to my friend (Monick; correctly spelt Monique) right next to me and she passed it on. My friend Adam told me by whisper "that looks really nice."

    As soon as class began, miss took down the Projector screen again and turned off the lights.  I had the full score I wanted to sing from but apparently, Mrs. Neaves had forgotten her score so she asked me if she could borrow mine. I gave her my full score to put on the projector and I decided to open the previous copy with all of the errors I inserted into my workbook for the class.

     During break time,  I hurried back to see if Mrs. Neaves was still in class. I shared with her and some of the class members a viewing of my Musical Journal in the large two-inch binder folder that it was in from the beginning (this was from Page 1 – 157). There were a few pages that I left home because I had run out of page protectors. That day was supposed to be my store to the stationery store to have the book fragments spiral bound.

    She had to skip through some pages because I knew it was hard to get a full reading of some. During the middle of the book, she said, “Wow Daryl! This is great. Don’t ever let anyone turn you down....you were meant for greater things in life.” That just made me feel happy and burst out a wide smile. In the end, she gave me back the Book and said, “This is Gold. Thank you for sharing it with me.”

    I went back to my seat and the rest of the class was already back inside. Then she finished a few sentences and called me up to the front of the class. I knew that she told me that she wanted to use it in class earlier on. So then I went ahead and told the class all about it with the easier way to remember the pan. They all watched it in silence and wondered if it was like a hidden message in a poem. I was literally scared if they were not liking it. Then a boy at the back asked if he could get a picture but then Mrs. Neaves said, “Doh ask me. Is the work.” So then he asked me and I said, “Sure.”

    Then Ms. Neaves came back to the front of the class from behind the piano. She said that I can make so much money for it and any teacher could pay me big for it. Then she pokes me about not allowing anyone to bully me for this. And this is where the Class lecture had turned from Musicianship to Bulling. Here are some of the things we spoke about:

    At the end of class, another person came to take a picture of the wheel I made. I asked him to WhatsApp it to me. Then a girl had asked me if I can play the Anthem for her so I gave her my scrap notebook to write down her name and phone number and also what part of the National Anthem she wanted to have. Then another boy asked me for it too. I made sure that by the end of the evening it was sent to them.

Link(s):

1. DCFA Steelpan Exam Book - Grade 4 Tenor (**-***)
2. DCFA Steelpan Exam Book - Grade 4 Tenor (**-***) Receipt & Student Contact.

Daryl Zion M. Ali

Music Class CANCELLED

 Date for Entry: (Saturday 26th September 2015)

Actual Date of Online Entry: (Wednesday 7th July 2021)

Dear Diary,

    Today in the Afternoon was my Youth Group Meeting at the Morton House in the Church Compound. The sad thing was that last Saturday I was supposed to teach the Group a piece on the Pan and also prepare a song or two for Reverend Adrian at his Farewell party.

    On walking to the meeting with my Pan and other musical stuff, Ria told me loudly as I walked up to them that the Church was locked. My face was firing hot inside as I couldn’t believe this but I just sit down and evaporated this whole bad feeling from my mind within.

    While the meeting was over Ria had asked me, “Dars? Was there anything you had planned to teach us any music or something on the pan today?” I said yes and went through some fun rhythmic reading with them.

    I was glad that Ms. Saunders was in school and helped them with a slight foundation to understand music. A few of them clapped it out. I know that Music is not their principal subject but I’m hoping that they can take an interest in this and make the Board and Church proud. 

(Update) 

    I was not surprised the next Saturday before I could realize that they were not serious about having the Youth Steelband but chose to waste time and not tell me anything. I was hoping that we would have been able to use the steelpans in the church that were there alone in the corner. It was since 2013 I was waiting for this so I went home and tried to move my mind away from this. 

    Over the years of my UWI certificate and degree, I choose to leave that alone and stay with the Sunday. If the Youth Group should ever become serious about the steelpan then I will step in and assist however I can.

    The same flashcards that I had made hoping to use with the Youth Group during our practice times were thrown away. I was too angered and it reminded me of what happened that day. All twenty-seven of them are gone. So this will result in n photographs of them for this journal entry. The book I made for the group was not deleted but still saved for the journal.

Link(s):

1.  Aramalaya Presbyterian Youth Group Steelpan Book.

Daryl Zion M. Ali

Homework can "Come Alive"??

 Date for Entry: (Tuesday 22nd September 2015)

Actual Date of Online Entry: (Wednesday 7th July 2021)

Dear Diary,

    Today while singing the National Anthem as a group, Mrs. Neaves told us that we had to sing in parts so she looked at me twice and said, “So we are going to make your work come alive today.” During those two times, they felt nice to hear. This was about the vocal score for the National Anthem of Trinidad and Tobago that I did for homework last week. Not ever before was my work been performed after putting them to music notation. 

    I wanted to do Tenor but the worry was learning the melody line and then being confused by the other groups. Without being able to do Soprano voice, this gave me a big inspiration to sing in Bass but looking back to the score again, I couldn't do it so I stuck with the tenor. This wasn’t bad at all. I still loved it. Overall, we will just see what happens in these weeks to come. Thank you again for this wonderful experience, Mrs. Neaves.

Daryl Zion M. Ali

Extra Homework Is Great

 Date for Entry: (Tuesday 15th September 2015)

Actual Date of Online Entry: (Wednesday 7th July 2021)

Dear Diary,

    Today in General Musicianship we did some rhythmic writing where Mrs. Neaves played a rhythm either by a melody or by using one note until the end. We had to write them down in the workbook's manuscript. At one random time during a period of silence my friend, Moonick (Monique) said she got one right. I knew that what Ms. Neaves had said when we burst out was true that within time, practice makes perfect.

    At the end of class, I was a bit sad because my favourite class of music had come to an end for the week but then it was the beginning of another interesting piece. When some of the students had already left the classroom I when to show missed my homework, which she had forgotten to pick up. I was happy to include the part where Miss asked us to find the members of Mr. Patrick Castagne’s Bandmates because one of the members had answered her question about who had originally written the National Anthem.

    It was the second name on my list, Curtis Pierre, I saw she smiled and said, “Yes! That’s him.” So I was glad then, Lolz. Then I took out my copy of the National Anthem to show her the extra homework I did for fun on Saturday. Something told me to give it to her so I asked her if she would have liked it and she said yes. She gave me her red pen to sign it just like the one below on this very same page but the space it had was not enough for me and it came out too squeezed up. I was given a copy of "For unto us a Child is born" SATB.

    I also showed Natasha the music and she looked amazed with the smile I saw on her face. Then she looked at Harmonizing and I could really understand what she and Ms. Neaves was talking about how beautiful the Double Tenor can sound in the Mezzo-soprano voice. She then said, “Thanks for sharing” before she left. I was hoping that Natasha would have been able to notice anything that needed fixing or something to change.

 

Link(s):

1. National Anthem of Trinidad and Tobago Homework.

Daryl Zion M. Ali

Hillview College (SONG)

 Date for Entry: (Thursday 16th September 2010)

Actual Date of Online Entry: (Monday 19th December 2022)

Dear Diary,

    The following sections are my trials and attempts at completing music notation for Hillview’s College Song.

 

LEARNING THE MELODY & WORDS.

** Thursday 16th September 2010 **

Today during the last three periods, every Form 1 student was sent over to the School Auditorium to sit and practice the School Song. My English Teacher, Miss Charis Sieunarine – Thompson, who sang on the first day of school was there. I was amazed at the way this lady could sing. I listened closely for that “Here every creed” part of the National Anthem and she nailed it.

    The four boys from the first day on the steelpans were there too. The music was fairly okay but if the rest of the pans were used the effect would have been better. But Miss Sieunarine made up the rest with her voice. 

    I'm glad that at the end of the evening I was able to keep the melody in my mind. Around ten o'clock in the night, I was able to play the melody easily on the keyboard at Tunapuna’s home. I did not write it out on manuscript paper but I kept it in memory. 

    During lunchtime in school, I would take my pan sticks and try to figure out the same melody on a Tenor pan. Somewhere around that time, I was acquainted with Ifeaye not formally but we would have spoken before I was about to enter the Steel Ensemble by his invitation.

 

FIRST NOTATION OF MELODY.

** Unknown/Forgotten: Form 2 (2011) **

Today after Hillview and pan practice, I tried searching for music notation software that could help me to write music professionally. I was feeling a bit disadvantaged because I saw musicians being able to do this and not me. I had tried Finale, but they would only give me a thirty-day trial and then either I pay for it or have none.

    Finally, I found something at www.Sheetmusiceditor.com. I found a place where could write music. It was very difficult and too troublesome to use. But I had a lot of patience and do-overs to overcome. I so wanted to have a copy of the college song but there was a strong feeling that the school did not have it. There must have been someone who at least attempted transcribing the thing.  

    With one wrong little click, I lost all the hard work I did. There was no way to save it because that was only on a website. It was very hard to do over that short melody. I rewrote it and saw how simple a song can be.

    All my life I saw people with scores, and it made me constantly wonder how they managed to have the pieces written over the computer. What program did they use? Even if they had arranged music, it is something I wish I could do too, but I do not have the feeling that many books can teach you steelpan arranging.

    A copy of the music was made to save. I knew the website would not save my transcription. This was shared with Miss Saunders at some point, and she verified it making sure it was correct. I recall the stained patterns that came on the paper.

Link(s):

• Hillview College Song (Melody) –First Attempt.

 

FIRST STEELPAN ARRANGEMENT.

** Form 2 (2011) – From 5 (2015) **

It took me from the end of Form Two until the end of the first term in Form Five to complete music notation for the college song. I had to beg the boys one at a time to write out their parts on the separate steelpan instruments. I knew that most of the boys did not know how to write music notation properly, so I asked them to write out the pitch letters instead.

    Once the letters were written, I asked them to show me the rhythm that was given to them to play. The difference between this section entry and reality is that it took me a great amount of time in between asking each member playing a different steelpan instrument to write out their parts.

    All the sheets were compiled in a folder until Form 5 where Ifeaye gave me the pitches and rhythm for ‘his’ three cellos. I did appreciate that he told me about the rhythms for all the parts grouped within the bars of a common time meter. I had my transcription from Form 1 as the tenor pan part. I did meet one of the Double Tenor players and he said that it played the same as the tenor pan.

    At some point, I opened up Musescore (which I discovered in Form 3) and began to transcribe all the different parts that were given to me. Playing it back on the program was special. It felt like for once I had something close to what the document should have been. Most likely, it may have been the only one that exists.

    The full notation was not printed in a rush. I had it saved at home. Only a small portion of this college song was used during my difficult trials of CXC Music. I am still not sure I there were others before my time that had continued to do CXC Music through Hillview.  

 

STEELPAN ARRANGEMENT (V1) – FOR YOUTUBE.

** From 5 (2015) **

First YouTube Video Attempt

At this point in my life, I was having my first experience with an electronic tablet. There was a time during the summer vacation I recorded the transcription that I did to playback. I was about to set up my YouTube channel after discovering how to obtain it by listening to a passerby in Tobago.

    At that time also I had to wait some three days for such a channel to be prepared and created. This was my first channel before I lost the account. Having that wild idea, I made the first post about the college song. The tablet was not able to record the entire video clearly so it would have been a bit too dark and blurry in some parts. I hoped that it would have served well on that platform.

 

STEELPAN ARRANGEMENT (V3).

** Friday 28th April 2017 **

I was in the final semester of my Music Certificate at UWI. I had a trip up to Hillview in the morning to play the anthem and college song with the steel ensemble. We all planned to play at the prayer service for the final time as an ensemble. It was only we who created that ensemble from Form 1 and the others who did Form 6 remained. I had brought copies of the full score for the college song to share with a view of them.

    One copy was for Miss Saunders along with copies of parts for all the steelpan instruments. I had the Fundamentals of Pan Arranging course in session at the time and I took the opportunity to revise what I had done in 2015. This time around chord symbols were inserted into the full score when I added a line to make a lead sheet. Other people again from the past might tell me that it isn’t needed but I personally believe it is necessary.

Link(s):

• Journal Entry: “Hillview Surprise Visit & Performance.”

 

STEELPAN ARRANGEMENT (V4) – FOR YOUTUBE.

** Friday 11th February 2022 **

On Monday of this week, I was contacted by Miss and she said that my YouTube video for Hillview’s College song was used to teach the students. This period was the COVID-19 lockdown and schools were opening back after two years. I had completely forgotten about the first video I made.

    I decided to take the third version of the transcription I had and have a final review. I found out how to video record a score being played from Musescore and began working on a proper video that would be friendly towards a student now starting to learn the song.

    In this same process, the third version becoming version four was now a “short version”. This one was used as parts and sent to miss by email to give to the school. I’m not sure if all the several parts made it. There was another one created as a “long sore” that was used for making the actual video presently created. 

    On Monday 12th December 2022, the first video of the college song was deleted. The updated video is provided in the link below.

Link(s):

• Hillview College Song – YouTube Link.

x

Daryl Zion M. Ali