Peer Assessment on Silent Movie

Riccardo, Adam, Ward, Gunce, Omar Group

Save the Princess, Save the Day

I feel the silent movie was substantial,  the actors are great and made to sure to exaggerate all their actions. I loved how Ward made sure she showed how much of a damsel she was. The different costumes and props that were used were excellent and the music for the fighting scene suited it greatly. More cue cards should have been used to explain what was happening more. The music should have been more loud and half during the ending scene as it was a happy ending. Overall, the aging was excellent however the music was substantial.

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Salma, Arthur, Nasser, Presha and Ammal

Birthday Surprise Group

I'd say my silent movie was substantial as we had used props and costumes to enhance everything, most of the actors in it exaggerated their moves and I felt that the music that was incorporated in with the scenes suited them greatly especially the fighting scene as while it was breaking out, the music was loud and suspenseful. We also made sure to use enough cue cards that sufficed enough but were not too much.

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Sireen, Ibrahim, Kareem, Harang

Strapped onto the Rails

Substantial. The acting was good and I loved the music and acting incorporated in it, however the tying up scene was practically half of the movie so there wasn't much action when the fighting scene should have been much longer. I love the way Karim and Sireen exaggerated their moves to get the point across. There was also a good use of cue cards to ensure that we understood what was going on.

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Akshansh, Anishka, Faris, Maygol

Oliver's Sudden Rescue

Substantial. The music was great but the acting could have been far more exaggerated. I loved how there wasn't too much violence and it was all pretty happy and light hearted like a melodrama should be. The hero also did not show his face which is vital in silent melodramas as since there is no sound, we need to see their expressions and actions which were quite difficult to see.

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Rania, Sam, Kiara, Hyeonho

How to Find your Maiden

This was my favorite melodrama, everything was incorporated in it. Acting, music, cue cards, etc. the acting was exaggerated and made sure we knew what was happening, Cue cards were used to back up the acting in case some parts were confusing. The only thing that should be improved is that it should have been more synchronized and in sync. Overall, it was excellent especially the comedy as melodrama should be light hearted and funny just like this one.

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Monica, Rathin, Jenna, Bassel

I'd say this melodrama was adequate due to there being too much violence due to the numbers of guns shown and being shot. Comedy was evident in it in the costumes used and the music was great as it meshed well with the rest of the scenes however the acting could have been more exaggerated  and the filming had different orientation.

Silent Movie - Birthday Surprise

Melodrama Worksheet

Melodrama Worksheet

1. In which century did melodrama develop?

Melodrama developed in the 19th century. 

2. Why is it called Melodrama?

It is called Melodrama because the plays always had music in the background, thus the name 'melo' whilst the drama part is pretty straightforward as drama is related to acting. 

3. Why was Melodrama so popular?

Melodrama became popular because they used spectacular settings, music, exaggerated acting and interacted with their audience during the performance to promote its popularity.

4. List the three segments of a standard Melodrama plot. What action does each segment involve?

- Provaction: It's the cause for setting action into motion. Emotions during this segment are jealousy and greed to encourage the villain to plan an offense or 'evil plan'.

- Pangs: This part includes the suffering of characters that are kind innocents who get caught in the evil plan.

- Penalty: Justice is granted as the villain is defeated and handed a punishment.

5. What are conflicting themes a Melodrama would usually explore? 

Themes a melodrama play would usually have is using polar opposites to engage the audience. Examples are justice vs revenge, honesty vs dishonesty, innocence vs dishonesty, etc. These plays also had small scenes of actions and violence, along with a mixture of romance and sentimentality. 

6. Are the characters in Melodrama life-like or stereotyped? 

The characters in melodrama are stereotyped, as in every play, there's always the same set of the characters. The villain, the damsel in distress, the hero, etc. They also always have the same type of personality, the villain is evil, the damsel in distress is innocent and requires saving and the hero is always handsome and brave, ready to save the day. Their personalities are very easy to identify and they are referred to as 'stock characters'.

7. List 3 Stock Characters and describe each of their personal qualities. 

- The Hero: The character is handsome, strong and brave. He is usually middle class or higher.

- The Damsel in Distress: She is beautiful, innocent and vulnerable. Usually middle class or higher.

- The Villain: Cunning, cruel and evil. Usually middle class or higher. 

8. What is the difference between a faithful servant and a maid servant?

The differences between them are that the faithful servant is usually the one to find out the villain's evil plans whilst the maid servant is the one that simply flirts with the faithful servant. 

9. What is an 'aside'?

An aside is when the character speaks directly to the audience, explaining their plans and revealing their thoughts. 

Train Track Terror

Train Track Terror Reflection

Above is the video of my performance in Train Track Terror along with the other members in my group; Ammal, Arthur, Akshansh and Omar. It started with me, as the damsel in distress, exclaiming for help which was responded by the angry shouts of the villain (Ammal), asking the henchman (Arthur) to tie the damsel up who refused as the train was heading their way. As the damsel pleaded for help, the hero (Omar) finally appeared, ready to save the day. The sidekick (Akshansh) followed behind him and the hero tied the villain up, releasing me as we made our escape and the sidekick fell to the ground.

The good things I found out about my performance was the way I let out my words with a voice that sounded like it needed saving, although I could have been a bit more high pitched. I feel I could have done adjustments to my performance. Firstly, I mostly only showed movement in my legs when it should have been my body which just made me look like I was kicking aimlessly in my legs, not bothering to use my arms. Well, the damsel has always been a tad bit ditzy... To enhance my performance with costumes, I could have dressed in the classic innocent damsel in distress look, which usually is just a simple dress, with my hair let down and a wide doe-eyed look, showcasing innocence.

I felt that the rest of my group did quite well, although Ammal had stumbled over her lines once or twice. I liked how my group created space instead of just using a confined space, using the free places to jump around and incorporate a small fighting scene. We also added a sidekick, which was not originally in the script and was used for a bit of comedy. The villain could have used a costume of a black cloak and suit. The prop being a rope to use to tie the maiden to the train tracks. The henchmen could have worn very ragged, old looking clothes as they are usually turned away by society due to them being 'weird and ugly'. The sidekick could have worn pretty much anything as they don't really have a specific costume unless let's say the hero was Batman and the sidekick was Robin. The classic costume for Robin would be a cape and tight clothing like Batman. 

Year 8 Drama

Year 8 Drama

MYP : Melodrama

Key Concept : Relationships 

Related Concept: Audience, Expression, Presentation

Global Context: Fairness & Development 

Statement of Inquiry: A hero saves the day in Melodrama to ensure that justice and peace will overrule the destroying plans of evildoers. 

Inquiry Question: Will the hero always destroy the evil plans of the villain to save the day? Will Melodrama always have a happy ending? Must all stories have a happy ending? Will good always win against evil? How can the world become a better and more peaceful environment for all?

Me, Myself & I Piece

Reflection

When I was informed about what this music assessment was based on, I began to think about my personality. Who am I? What do I enjoy? What traits am I known for? I didn't just focus on my likeable traits because that does not cover my whole identity, I have traits that are my flaws such as my pessimistic mindset and my negative outlook on many things, I decided to incorporate my mood changes into my piece, if you listen closely, the beginning part is quite slow and sad, the middle is a lot faster-paced and more melodic and light-hearted and the ending is much softer, giving a calm sound that shows a relaxed ending. So this is my meaning behind my piece and how it describes my personality, at first I am negative and sad, then my mood brightens up after something good happens and by the end, I am at ease and relaxed.

To explain my process through creating this piece, I first put my mind on what I wanted it to sound like which I've already explained so I played around with some minor chords that bring out a sad sound whilst playing lightly to give off a soft, sad sound then I began to go to more major chords and notes in the middle of the keyboard as they give off a more neutral sound which shows great contrast, I show repetition at both the beginning and end as well, although the ending is much softer but nevertheless around the same notes and technique of playing.

I used the violin as my instrument as it provides both a harsh yet calming sound which is what I wanted my piece to sound like. I also took a what instrument am I quiz because I wasn't sure what instrument other than the piano represented me.

To improve my piece, I would try to extend the length of it and perhaps show more techniques of presenting my personality and incorporating more of my traits such as showing anger through my piece as I have a short temper so I could have played some notes more harshly.

In my actual video, my introduction to my piece was a book opening, I used snippets from music videos from my favorite artists such as Marina & the Diamonds and Melanie Martinez, I used some of my photos from my previous post on photos that represent me and used a video of a typewriter in it to show my passion for creative writing. In the happier part of my piece, I used clips with my friends and I to show what makes me happy which is as you can tell, people that I am close to. At the end, at the part where the sound is more relaxed and at ease, I show a clip from one of my favorite book series, Harry Potter. To give it a proper finale, I added in a clip of a book closing to show my love for reading.

Peer Assessment

Creative Posters

Duck Theme

Reflection

I did not find difficulty in playing this, only a slight difficulty in playing the optional beginning note as I tried not to stumble on the notes. Otherwise everything went smoothly, everything else was easy to play as the notes were repetitive and close together so I didn't need anyone to teach it to me. Finding the clip was easy and editing was simple. Thankfully, both the computer and the internet were working so I posted everything easily. All in all, this was the easiest theme to play out of the previous ones. However, I did notice an error in the ending of my song and had to adjust it so the ending did not go on for a further 10 seconds, that sounded similarly to a shriek. 

Peter Theme

Reflection

This proved to be quite difficult to play and I struggled to do the right timing as the Peter Theme was a lot more fast paced so it was quite hard to play with a good tempo. However, nothing went wrong with the computer and I found it quite simple to edit as mixcraft was working and the internet was fine. The notes at the end of the song quite confused me as they put Ab twice but I quickly learnt that it was just playing it twice. All in all, this was the hardest to play as the notes were quite complicated. 

Wolf's Theme

 





Reflection


I found this theme much simpler than the other as it was mostly notes repeated over and over again. As well as that, I found it a lot simpler to edit it all together, managing to finish in class on time. Mixcraft was a lot easier to use, as the whole class all had a computer to work with despite the fact that we were sharing, I also split the clip and was quick to record as I had already learnt how to from the previous lesson. Overall, I found this quite simple to edit, a huge step from my last theme.

Peter and the Wolf - Hunter's Theme

Reflection

I found this quite challenging in the beginning as it had been the first time I had experienced using mixcraft, as well as that, it was quite difficult getting work done when you had to share the computer with two other people. After I had gotten the hang of using the application, I found it quite easy to perform the song, the only thing I wished was if I had gone a bit slower, as I felt I didn't go with the clips perfectly but that is something I can work on in my next piece of music that I have to use with another clip.

Treble Cleff Quiz

1. GAG
2. DAB
3. BAD
4. CAB
5. BEE
6. CAGE
7. BEEF
8. BADGE
9. BEGGED
10. DEFACED

E,G,D,B,F Sentences

EGDBF Sentences

Progress

Sentences

1. Ethiopian gazelles bring damaged flowers.

2. Entertaining games beat dangerous friends.

3. Eggs gather best dinner food. 

4. Entering giraffes bother drinking flamingos.

Peer Evaluation of Instruments of the Orchestra

Peer Evaluation

Last music class, the powerpoints were presented and all that were presenting spoke with confidence and with very detailed information. The following is my evaluation and opinion on how they did. 

Brass Family

By: Monica, Kiara, Rania & Harang

Their presentation was excellent, they did not overload with too much information instead continuously listing relevant facts in bullet points. They consistently presented with confidence so I would give them a level 7/8 as they spoke about their features, how they're played and following everything the teacher had asked for to be added in a presentation, etc. To conclude, I think they did very well with their presenting and detailed information. 

Percussion Family

By: Karim, Faris, Akshansh, Nasser 

Their presentation was excellent with a level 7/8. Although most of the slides were interesting, filled with interesting info and consistent confidence in presenting, there were one or two slides that could have had more info add and could have spoken about things like the orchestra, etc with less hesitation. To conclude, most of their info was to a high standard, however they could have improved more on eye contact and a lack of hesitating to achieve a level 8. 

Woodwinds Family

By: Mohamed, Amonie, Hyeonho, Riccardo & Sam

Their presentation was substantial, I would give them a level 5//8. My reasoning is due to them being unprepared and the lack of information they had pasted on their powerpoint, with some even not having any information to present at all. To improve, I would advise them to be more prepared and ensure they have put a suitable amount of relevant information.

Instruments of the Orchestra Project

The following is our PowerPoint presentation on the string instruments along with the video attached under it.

Reflection

My group researched the strings family. I was responsible for researching the Violin, as well as the features that the strings family have as well as background information such as where they are located in the orchestra, the instruments that belong there, etc. Sireen was responsible for researching the Harp. Anishka was responsible for researching the Cello. Ward was responsible for researching the Double Bass and Presha was responsible for researching the Viola. I think we did well with collecting enough information and should improve on summarizing as we had collected loads of info and could not fit them in slides without resizing the font.

Identities Through Music

MYP Year 7

Identities Through Music 

Key Concept

Identity 

Communication 

Expression 

Global Context

Identities and Relationships 

Personal and Cultural Expression 

Statement of Inquiry

The process of artistic creation can lead to self-discovery.

Inquiry Questions

1. How does the culture around me influence the way I express myself through music? What elements can be identified as a specific to a characteristic/personality?

2. How does the culture around me influence the way I express myself through music? To what extent does the identity of the artist impact on the artwork?

3. How does the culture around me influence the way I express myself through music? Is everyone an artist? Can I represent myself through music?

4. How does the culture around me influence the way I express myself through music? How do different cultures express themselves through music?

Art Reflection

Reflection

Final Mask

The following is my final mask that connects to my identity.

Reflection

I am quite proud of the final outcome of my mask, I used different materials and objects to finish my mask, such as cotton for the cloud to signify that I daydream a lot. Paint and cardboard to create my nationality, Palestine, cardboard and paints to create the rest of my mask, such as the colorful ears that show headphones with a musical note on the left cheek to signify that I love music, along with the piano keys as my mouth. For my nose I used three layers of cardboard, one stuck down, one folded and another one folded that is under it. I have horns to signify that I am a Capricorn. On my right cheek, I painted a range of colors to show a rainbow, signifying my happy side. To improve, I would have made my mask a lot bigger as compared to other masks, mine is quite small.

4 Drawings of My Mask

The following is my planning of my final mask that connects to my identity.

Reflection

I loved experimenting with different masks and sketching out all the things that connected with my identity,such as hobbies, thoughts, etc. To improve, I would have sketched it out better and used more varied ideas to create different masks. 

Hidden Identities

The following is the front page for the new unit, Hidden Identities, along with the research and drawing of the Ravana Mask.

Reflection

It was interesting to research about different tribes and why they use their masks and how they're made, etc. Drawing the mask was quite fun as I got to use creativity to sketch and color the mask. 

Paper Montage

Reflection

I think I was successful in adding more detail to the plane and building as before in my previous drawings, they were very dull and had a lack of color. I think I was not successful in cutting out the clothing for the cutout of me. To improve, I would choose a different color and add a bit more to the house such as the wall and roof.

Draft Montage

The following is the montage I created before the paper cutouts to join all the four memories into one.

Reflection

I think I was successful in joining all the memories into one. To improve I would add more detail and improve the house I drew which is something I did not find successful.

4 Designs Of My Montage

The following is my four original ideas of a memory that is a part of my identity.

Reflection

I think I was successful in drawing out my ideas and showing 4 very different drawings of the same memory. To improve, I should add more detail to the plane and buildings I drew.

Henry Matisse PowerPoint

The following is the powerpoint I created on Henry Matisse and his famous cutouts, also known as montages.

Thumb Imprint

The following is my thumb imprint, inside the lines I wrote down all about me and my identity.

Reflection

I think using different colors to write down everything about my identity was successful as approximately every line had a new color used. I think filling up all the lines I drew was not successful as I struggled to think of things to talk about my identity. To improve, I would have created less lines on my thumb impression so I wouldn't struggle as much trying to fill the thumb up with information.

Collage

The following is the collage I created for homework that explores my identity such as things I like and my hobbies.

Reflection

I think bringing out images that had to do with my identity and pasting them together so that they look very colorful was successful, however, I would add more things that didn't just have to do with things that I liked and had more to do with identity. To improve, I could print out images and paste them around the blank spaces.

What Is My Identity?

The following is a mind map I created exploring what my identity is such as things like my age, etc.

Reflection

I think the different colors and images I used were successful as I feel like the mind map is very vibrant. To improve, I would add more things that had to do with my identity such as my nationality, etc.

Identity Mind Map

The following is the mind map created during class exploring the definition of identity and what defines it.

Reflection

I think the various things I listed that related to identity was successful as I explored many different things and expanded on it, for example, culture to expand on it would be nationality and religion. To improve I should add more pictures to go along with it and a bit more of a colorful background.

Visual Arts

UNIT : 

Me, Myself & I 

Key Concept:

Identity 

Global Context : 

Orientation in Time & Space