Project+work+template

The project works will be developed and exposed in groups of 3 students. The topic is a song.

The structure of the work must be the following: 1. Short introduction: reasons for having chosen this song (personal, history, lyrics,...) 2. Listening to the song. Reading of lyrics. Explanation of lyrics (vocabulary, general meaning,...). 3. Three proposals (ideas, activities,...) for the inclusion of this song in a music lesson in primary education.

The oral expositions will take 15 minutes max.

The deadline to present the proposal to the lecturer is on March 4th, 2009.

For this project work I have chosen the love song //My Funny Valentine//. INTRODUCTION Composed by Rodgers and Hart for the musical //Babes in Arms// in 1937, probably most of you haven't listened to it (or think you haven't), but //My Funny Valentine// has an enormous number of versions. Only on the Wikipedia you can find more than 25, but if you have a look at YouTube you'll get surprised.
 * MY PROJECT WORK TEMPLATE: //MY FUNNY VALENTINE//**

It has been sung and by some of the most important vocalists of the last 70 years, from Frank Sinatra to Ella Fitgerald, Miles Davis, Barbra Streisand, Elvis Costello, or, quite recently, Bruce Springsteen and Rufus Wainwright. In addition, My Funny Valentine has often appeared as part of movie soundtracks, as //The Fabulous Baker Boys//, //The Talented Mr. Ripley//, //Malice// or //Perfect Stranger//. Lastly, it is also one of the favourites of some of the most famous jazz intrumentalists. In fact, the very Wikipedia (again) defines it as a jazz standard, "a [|jazz] tune that is held in continuing esteem and which is widely known, performed, and recorded among jazz musicians as part of the jazz musical repertoire" ([|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jazz_standard.])

For you to listen to this song I have chosen the versions taken from The //Talented Mr. Ripley// and sung by Matt Damon, one of its main characters (the other is Jude Law). I have chosen it because my students usually prefer this to the one sung by Sinatra and I supposed you may have the same likes and dislikes (http://www.tu.tv/videos/my-funny-valentine-the-talented-mr-rip).

The lyrics of //My Funny Valentine// are very simple. //My funny Valentine Sweet comic Valentine You make me smile with my heart Your looks are laughable Unphotographable Yet you're my favourite work of art

Is your figure less than Greek Is your mouth a little weak When you open it to speak Are you smart?

But don't change a hair for me Not if you care for me Stay little Valentine stay Each day is Valentine's day//

For me the best is that, together with a more conventional part (//But don't change a hair for me... Valentine's day)// the composers have included a humorous touch, where the song deals with the lover's good sense of humour (//My funny Valentine Sweet comic Valentine You make me smile with my heart)// instead of the classical "virtues" empasized in love songs (beauty, goodness,...). In fact either she seems to be rather unattractive or he is pulling her leg (//Your looks are laughable... Are you smart?)// If you listen and look at the version by Botti and Sting following the lyrics you'll understand Sting's comic performance better (and why the public is laughing).

PROPOSALS: 1. Listening to this song may be a good way to introduce jazz in the classroom. 2. Listening to different versions the students can compare different instruments, e.g. the trumpet (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ug2LQxOe53Q) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gpeHKba5g0) or the saxo (the video above). 3. This song has been part of the soundtrack of many films. The pupils can suggest other songs included in the soundtracks of the films they like. 4. Finally the teacher may ask the students to think why some songs can be alive for a long time and become classic music pieces and others are quickly forgotten. In this case many people consider than //My Funny Valentine// has a very simple and classic structure "easy to adapt to other genres, and for jazz musicians to improvise over the established cords" (Wikipedia above). My personal idea is that //My Funny Valentine// is soft, serene, delicate, relaxing, easy to sing (with a little bit of ear and not a great voice, like Matt Damon's) and to play, a timeless song for good moments, who gives else?

- Be careful with the web pages you are consulting, specially the ones with the lyrics of the songs. Many of them are wrong and have a lot of mistakes (spelling, grammar, vocabulary,...). Check if they are right before using them. - Control your presentation length: your project musn't be either too short or too long. - If you are using videos you can either explain them in detail or just use them as an example, but, if you don't want to run out of time, you shouldn't be quiet while your mates are watching them. - And above all, __don't__ read your written paper.
 * SOME ADVICE:**