VOCABULARY

SONGS

INSTRUMENTS

Here's a list of music words your students will encounter when playing the various activities.
tremolo, double stop, arpeggio, trill, glissando, muting (used for shortening the sound on the piano), chord, pitch shifting (as an effect on a guitar), improvisation, arrangements, style, melody, harmony, bass, percussion, tempo intensity (used interchangeably with dynamics), accent, pitch, maestro (used to describe a conductor), volume (described unfortunately as higher or lower)

  There are 5 songs available
for the "maestro" to conduct
and for "handchimes" to play.
Mii Maestro:
Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star
Carmen
The Four Seasons-Spring
Ode to Joy
The Legend of Zelda
Handbell Harmony:
O Christmas Tree
Hum, Hum, Hum (a familiar German melody)
My Grandfather's Clock
Do-Re-Mi
Sukiyaki (old pop song)

STYLES

Once you create a number of videos and
play through the lessons that become available, you are able to unlock the following styles which are accessed through the Custom Jam section:
March, Rock, Jazz, Reggae, Hawaiian, Tango,
Pop, Classical, Latin, Japanese, Electronic

There are a large number of songs available but most of them require a big bunch of playing time before they are "unlocked" and are also only available in the "Jam Sessions".

THANK YOU to MENC
for giving me this opportunity!

I was one of 70 teachers selected to participate in an MENC-Nintendo collaboration that offered music educators an opportunity to experiment with Wii Music in the classroom.  The comments here are based on my experiences over the last two months.

 

A Little Night Music
American Patrol
Animal Crossing
Bridal Chorus
Carmen
Chariots of Fire
Do-Re-Mi
Every Breath You Take
Frere Jacques
From the New World
Happy Birthday to You
Hum, Hum, Hum
I'll Be There
I've Never Been to Me
Jingle Bell Rock
La Bamba
La Cucaracha
Little Hans
Long, Long Ago
Material Girl
Minuet in G Major
My Grandfather's Clock
Ode to Joy
Oh, My Darling Clementine
Over the Waves
Please Mr. Postman
Sakura Sakura
Scarborough Fair
September
Sukiyaki
Sur le pont d'Avignon
Swan Lake
The Blue Danube
The Entertainer
The Four Seasons – Spring
The Legend of Zelda theme
The Loco-Motion
Troika
Turkey in the Straw
Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go
Wii Music Theme
Wii Sports Theme
Woman
Yankee Doodle

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
YOU NEED TO KNOW!

Maestro:
The game allows for multiple directors--as many as 4!
You can't conduct a true beat pattern--
just up and down.

Handbells:
The bells change pitch within a song.
There are some sharps (although never defined)
but no flats.

Pitch:
The timpani is labeled as far as being higher or lower incorrectly for where it sounds.
You may not necessarily agree with the correct answers on the "feeling" questions.

Jam Sessions:
Although children may think they are truly improvising, only the rhythm is affected--
players have no control over pitch
which is predetermined.
There are no bar lines when notation is available.

Drum Session:
You need to own a Wii Fit mat in order to use this section of the program.

Pitch Perfect:
In this game section players match a pitch, find two matching pitches, put pitches in order from highest to lowest or vice versa, find the instrument in an ensemble playing the wrong note, find the 3 players who replicate a chord example, put pitches in the correct place rhythm-wise to match a simple melody being played.  There is also an activity where you match the "feeling" of the music to an emotion--for instance, "We just won the game!" Each level gets increasingly difficult by using smaller intervals and tone colors which are less contrasting.  Although there is potential here, the questions are random and none are offered often enough nor sequentially so that players can improve their skill.  It becomes more of just a guessing game.