More Monologues

Monologue Statement:

It’s Good To Practice

If you never practiced. You wouldn’t get all the things you want. If you didn’t practice, and another person did, they might get better things, and might do better. For example, if you had a math assessment, and you never did your homework, and someone else did extra homework and was ahead of the class, they would probably get all the answers right. If you played an instrument in band, such as trumpet, and you never practiced, you would probably be making a lot of mistakes. If you were riding a bike for the first time, you would need a lot of practice riding it. Practicing will usually  help you understand things and learn better. If you practice, it will help you. So everyone should practice the things you like to do, plant to do, and want to do.

I disagree with the statement: I prefer Winter over Summer. I think Summer is better because during winter when I have to play football it gets cold and the ball is hard to throw. Also the weather deflates the footballs. You see this is why summer is the better choice. When it’s warmer and, ok there’s bugs but really who scared of a caterpillar, Sure Winter can be great with skiing and stuff. But come on, make the obvious choice SUMMER. You could chose Winter but what happens when you open your door and 5ft of snow falls on you. 3 hours later someone finds you passed out covered in 20 pounds of snow. Or you might be taking a nice walk. When someone throws a snowball at you and knocks you out. Then you wake up in the hospital. With the guy who threw the snowball at you sitting there. Those are some reasons why I think Summer is better than Winter. But if you still like winter I hope you also like getting white washed.

Monologue: What do I Stand For: I prefer Fall Over Summer

I prefer Fall over Summer

I prefer fall over summer because, during fall you start drinking pumpkin spice lattes and wear over sized sweatshirts. During summer you have to always have the air conditioner on and get millions of bug bites. During the fall you can watch binge watch 5 seasons of a show on netflix. You can't do that in the summer. You can wear uggs and make leaf piles. During the summer if you try to do something you always are late to sport practices. During fall harvest cup starts, you pretty much play soccer until you die. During the summer you can swim in oceans and go to lakes but even though it's summer the water still manages to be cold. Fall has perfect weather because you can go outside and not freeze to death. During the summer you get so hot you want to jump into a bowl of ice. Fall is fun because there are a lot of events that happen. Apple picking, cider donut eating, having intense netflix sessions. In summer you sometimes run out of ideas of what to do. In fall you don't.  Say you go bridge jumping and accidently slap you arms on the water do a painful belly flop off of 103 because you feel daring that day. I prefer fall over summer because you don't have to belly flop off of 103!  

More Monologues: Being yourself is better than fitting in with the crowd. ...

I agree with the statement, being yourself is better than fitting in with the crowd. That’s because you don’t want to laugh and cry in the same way everyone else does, when you can have an original laugh like this… or a cry like this… Why not? Join the club and be unique, with me. Being yourself helps you to develop self confidence because you have to be brave enough to do what you think is right, rather than just going along with what the crowd thinks.

Plus, it's easier and better to just be yourself, than to let others tell you what to do and what to be. People who don’t just go along with crowd, are more likely to believe in themselves. Also, not being in the crowd, you are more likely to be an upstander and not a bystander to bullying.That’s because if you feel like you have to be like everyone else, then you probably won’t get help or be help to people who are getting bullied because you either think the bullies will just start bullying you too or you think that everyone will be like that kid is weird because he is standing up for different kids. So, following the crowd is not always the right thing to do because say everyone jumped off a cliff. Would you? In addition, if everyone and everything was the same, than if someone said guess my favorite number. They would say 4 because everyone is the same so, everyone’s favorite number would be 4. Or, Heah guess what I have for lunch! What. A sandwich! Oh, yeah, Bill, Tom and I had that too, and so did everyone else in the world. But, if everyone is different… Dude, guess my favorite color! What. Green. Nice bro, mines Turquoise. Radicle. That’s why I think being yourself is better than fitting in with the crowd.

Monologues on What do I stand For?

I agree with the statement, being yourself is better than fitting in with the crowd. That’s because you don’t want to laugh and cry in the same way everyone else does, when you can have an original laugh like this… or a cry like this… Why not? Join the club and be unique, with me. Being yourself helps you to develop self confidence because you have to be brave enough to do what you think is right, rather than just going along with what the crowd thinks. Plus, it easier and better to just be yourself, than to let others tell you what to do and what to be. People who don’t just go along with crowd, are more likely to believe in themselves. Also, not being in the crowd, you are more likely to be an upstander and not a bystander to bullying.That’s because if you feel like you have to be like everyone else, then you probably won’t get help or be help to people who are getting bullied because you either think the bullies will just start bullying you too or you think that everyone will be like that kid is weird because he is standing up for different kids. So, following the crowd is not always the right thing to do because say everyone jumped off a cliff. Would you? In addition, if everyone and everything was the same, than if someone said guess my favorite number. They would say 4 because everyone is the same so, everyone’s favorite number would be 4. Or, Heah guess what I have for lunch! What. A sandwich! Oh, yeah, Bill, Tom and I had that too, and so did everyone else in the world. But, if everyone is different… Dude, guess my favorite color! What. Green. Nice bro, mines Turquoise. Radicle. That’s why I think being yourself is better than fitting in with the crowd.

Monologue

By Sabrina Wiseman

Which is easier to take care of? Hamsters or cats

Most people would think hamsters are easier

But I think cats are. Here's why.

With hamsters you have to clean their cage once every two weeks. And you take everything apart and wash the whole cage including the tunnels, replacing the bedding, and cleaning the food dish! But with cats all you have to do is scoop their poop out of a box, feed them a can of food everyday, and replace the water. And what fun is it to watch a hamster run around in a loop all day? Instead you could be playing with your cat, who is so cute when he chases those feather toys. Have you changed your mind yet?

Hamsters are so hard to hug because they're so small, but cats are just the right size to be hugged, especially a big fluffy cat. If you let a hamster roam around the house like a cat does, he would chew on everything and be very easy to step on.

So, if you want to do a lot of work but get no furry hugs in return, then get a hamster. But I prefer a cat!

The First Opera Story of the 2016-2017 School Year, by a 6th grader at YMS

An Unexpected Kind of Luck

An Opera by Lucy Kocev

Setting: Lily’s apartment in San Francisco, California. Modern time.

Characters: Lily, (10 year old girl) Skye, (Lily’s 8 year old sister) Max, (Animal King) Philip, (Lily’s partner), The dumpster animals (give Lily the news she is magical), business man (a man who is walking to work.)

Exposition: Lily lives in California, where she thinks nothing interesting happens. She stares out the same window all the time and nothing happens. (Lily sings “Nothing good happens here!) One day, a drop of rain splatters on the window. The raindrop turns into a downpour.

Inciting Incident: After the rainstorm, Lily heads outside and she finds a crystal the rain formed. When she holds it, her hand glows. She asks a businessman if he likes her crystal. (Businessman sings: “I cannot see the crystal, what are you talking about!”) She brings the crystal to the safety of her house, but Skye gets in the way. Lily knows the crystal is not safe at her house, so she brings it with her as she takes a walk around the city. Later, she steps on a mirror in the road and breaks it and sees a black cat on the sidewalk and gets good luck. Then, she finds a four-leaf clover at the park and gets bad luck. Her life is mixed up.

Rising action: Lily is walking in the rain with the crystal in her pocket. She hears faint voices, but the wet sidewalks are empty. As she walks towards an alleyway, the voices grow louder. Lily realizes some animals on the dumpster are talking. She can hear them! They tell Lily she is magical, she can summon rain and talk to animals. The critters on the dumpster told her this. They said they always knew Lily was magical, but never told her. She realizes her magical powers can help her get out of this confusion. The animals tell her that Max, the animal king can help her.

Climax: The animal king is the black cat she saw on the road. His name is Max. Max tells Lily that she can use her magic powers to get out of this mess. (solo: black cat: Find a partner to help you!) Lily leaves and tests her animal talking powers on a lonely squirrel and asks him if he would like to be her partner. The squirrel has looks of suspicion, but nods his head. Lily assures the squirrel that she can understand him. The squirrel jumps on her shoulder and stands proudly.

Falling Action: Lily and the squirrel (now named Phillip) are puzzled. Philip sings, “Maybe you can use your powers to fix this mess!” Lily thinks and remembers she can summon rain, so she makes a thunderstorm occur right before her eyes. A raindrop falls on the tip of her nose and a burst of light comes into Lily and Philip’s view. Her pocket bursts open, and the crystal flies away into the sky. Lily feels a mix of many feelings and she is blinded by the light that has filled the sky. Time stops and starts a moment later. Lily does not know what has happened, but she knows her luck is changed by instinct. She can feel herself piece back together Chorus sings “It’s a miracle”

Resolution: Lily still wants to keep Philip. Philip is Lily’s companion, and she can’t leave him. Philip agrees that he has to stay and they both live at Lily’s apartment. It will stay that way forever and ever. Lily realizes then she was being superstitious and that the crystal mixed up her life. Now that it is gone, her life isn’t a jumble. Lily now knows that she not only changed because the crystal is gone, but because her life isn’t boring anymore. She has a squirrel to look after, and maybe the rest of the world too...

 

  

Music:

It’s a miracle (Chorus)

Nothing good happens here! (Lily)

Phillip’s Solo

Businessman’s solo

Max’s solo

Ten Steps to Success with your Opera Song

TEN STEPS TO YOUR OPERA SONG

FIND A PIECE OF STAFF PAPER.

1.DRAW A TREBLE CLEF AT THE BEGINNING OF IT.

2. DRAW A BASS CLEF ON THE NEXT STAFF.

3.USE 4/4 TIME: FOUR BEATS IN EVERY MEASURE, QUARTER NOTE EQUALS ONE.

4.USE C SCALE NOTES, NO SHARPS OR FLATS (UNLESS YOU KNOW HOW)

5. USE QUARTER NOTES, HALF NOTES, WHOLE NOTES, DOUBLE EIGHTH NOTES, BE SURE TO USE MEASURE LINES EVERY FOUR BEATS.

6. CREATE UNITY AND CONTRAST BY REPEATING SOME MEASURES AND  CREATING A SECTION THAT DOESN’T REPEAT.

7.USE A CONTOUR THAT GOES UP AND DOWN SMOOTHLY.

8. USE RESTS IN TREBLE AND BASS CLEF WHEN YOU HAVE NO NOTES PLAYING.

9.ONE NOTE PER SYLLABLE FOR YOUR LYRICS.

10.AT LEAST 32 MEASURES FOR A COMPLETE SONG.

THIS IS A REPOST FROM 2014, BUT I THOUGHT THIS GROUP WOULD BE EXCITED BY HOW SIMPLE THE CREATIVE PROCESS REALLY CAN BE.  

Vote for the Clayton's Boiler

http://estesoil.com/vote/ 

I have promised a student at YMS, Liam Clayton, that I would put this on my blog.  I have been asked to have everyone vote for the Clayton's boiler so they can receive a new boiler for this winter.  I hope this helps.  Good luck, Liam, and good luck to your family!! Have a great weekend, see you all next week! 

More Exemplars for The Magic Flute Questions

Magic Flute Questions and Answers

Who is the queen of the night and the king of the light?

The queen of the night and the king of the light are two rulers who share ruling the world. In the synopsis of the opera, the queen of the night is selfish and orders her daughter, Pamina, to murder the king of the light, Sarastro. Pamina refuses because she knows it is not right to murder the innocent. A quote from the synopsis of the opera to support my evidence is from where Pamina refused to murder Sarastro. “Pamina refuses to do this, even though she cares about her mother and wants to obey her”. This quote shows that Pamina cares about her mother, but also wants to do the right thing by being kind in life.

Who slays the serpent in the beginning of the synopsis of the opera?

Three ladies in service of the queen of the night appear and save prince Tamino from a serpent and they slay it. They leave to tell the queen they have found someone to help save princess Pamina. While they leave, Papageno appears and tells Tamino he slayed the serpent.

Why do the three ladies give Tamino the magic flute and Papageno magic silver bells?

The three ladies give Tamino a magic flute and Papageno silver bells. They are working for the queen, and the queen wants him to save her daughter, Pamina, from evil Sarastro, because he was brave enough to battle the serpent.

Does Papageno, the birdcatcher lie about slaying the serpent?

Papageno lies about slaying the serpent. He never slayed the serpent but he boasts about it anyway. The real savior who killed the serpent were the three ladies that work for the queen of the night. The queen of the night asks for something in return: rescuing her daughter. Tamino agrees to do this, and goes off of his journey to find her, and intends to also marry her.

Why does Tamino try to save Pamina?

Tamino goes on a journey to save Pamina. He does this because the three ladies, in the beginning of the synopsis of the opera, they show Tamino a picture of her and he quickly falls in love with her. Once he saves her, he plans on marrying her.

Why does the queen of the night want her daughter to be saved?

The queen asks to have her daughter saved. Tamino agrees to do this when he sees the portrait of Pamina. The queen really wants her daughter to be saved from Sarastro so she can order her daughter to murder Sarastro and rule the world.

Who is Pamina?

Pamina is the daughter of the queen of the night, who is a princess. She is captured by Sarastro, the king of the light, who rules who rules half of the world.

Why do the three ladies save Tamino from the serpent?

The three ladies save Tamino from the serpent. They do this because they are ordered by the queen of the night. The queen of the night wants in return for Tamino to save her beloved daughter, Pamina, from the dreadful Sarastro, The king of the light.

Who is Tamino?

Tamino got lost in the desert and came upon a serpent. He tried fighting it, but he fainted and was saved by the three ladies. In this synopsis of the opera, Tamino is trying to save a princess named Pamina, from Sarastro, the king of the light.

What happened when the queen of the light, the three ladies, and Monostatos fell into the hole?

When the queen of the light, the three ladies, and Monostatos fell into the hole, the king and the temple were spared and Tamino and Pamina were then married. And, Papageno, was given Papagena, and they were then married, too

STEPS TO SUCCESS WITH YOUR OPERA STORIES

Many years ago I brainstormed with my sixth graders about what makes a great opera plot.  I would like to share these ideas with you now, so you can see for yourselves what makes a good story that can easily be turned into a performance of music, dance, singing, orchestra, lyrics, poetry, architecture and costumes on stage.

1.  Twists and turns with surprises
2.  Good and evil, and the shading of those two
3.  Problem to be wrestled with
4.  Characters that progress and that have exciting personalities
5.  A story that has obvious emotions and is well-thought out
6.  Catches the attention of the readers/listeners
7.  Rising Action or several
8.  Ending: A Resolution of the conflicts which must be exciting and emotional
9.  Humor and sadness/grief
10.  Must create an image in your mind
11.  Unique setting and characters
12.  Hero or main character and villain and friends of both
13.  Interesting story
14.  Story has a personality
15.  Love/Romance/ Friendship
16.  Dialogue
17.  Must be well-thought out
18.  Danger and excitement
19.  Tension between characters
20.  Creation/set-up
21.  Problem/ Rising Action
22.  Suspense/Resolution

In the next few weeks, you will see some new opera stories from the sixth graders.  Enjoy!! 

From this we created Steps to Success with your Opera Plots:

Create a story that has the elements of a great opera plot:
A.) Strong Characters
B.) An interesting Setting
C.) Conflict
D.) Rising Action 
E.) Climax
F.) Resolution 

In other words, a Great Beginning, a Great Middle AND A GREAT ENDING!! 

The Magic Flute Questions: Exemplars from last week's work in Sixth Grade

You are going to ask me, are you sure these have been written by a sixth grader, and I will say, YES! I am sure they were written by a sixth grader! Here are some EXCEEDS exemplars.

The Magic Flute

Ten Questions

Did Pamina decide to kill Sarastro as her mother wanted her to?

When The Queen of the Night asked her own daughter, Pamina, to murder Sarastro, Pamina was distraught between doing the right thing and openly disobeying her mother, whom she loved. However, she finally made the right decision and refused to kill Sarastro with the dagger she was handed.

How did Papageno feel about lying once the three women punished him?

When lying about the serpent, Papageno had no second thoughts. He thought Tamino could be his friend and maybe his life would take a turn for the better. Plus, he didn’t know who had really saved Tamino from the serpent. Once he was confronted, however, he was quite regretful. He panicked and begged the three woman that he had learned his lesson.

Were there any conflicts in the thought that Pamina and Tamino loved each other?

When Tamino first saw the portrait of Pamina, he fell in love at once. Then, when Pamina was informed that Tamino was in love with her and coming to save her life, she was delighted. However, when Tamino was forbidden to talk, (when going through the first trial) Pamina was mistaken and thought he no longer loved her.

Why did Papageno attempt to hang himself from a tree?

At the beginning of the opera, Papageno sang that he desperately wanted a wife. He attempted to hang himself because he was upset because he thought that he would never have a wife and never be happy. Luckily, he was reminded that the bells he was given by the three woman would bring him true happiness. He rang the bells and his wife appeared, called Papagena, and they fell in love.

When and who went through the fire and water trials?

The first trial, Tamino went through alone. He could not speak, eat or drink. Once it was completed, he announced that he was ready for the rest of the trials. Then, he and Pamina went through the Fire and Water trials together.

Where did Papagena go when she disappears?

When Papageno  was looking for a wife, he remembered the old lady. The old woman had offered him a glass of water earlier on. He asked for her hand in marriage. She then turned into a young woman, Papagena. However, she disappeared. This led to Papagena attempting to hang himself. However, He rang his magic bells and Papagena appeared once more, and they fell in love.

Why and who attacked the temple?

The Queen Of The Night was angry that her daughter had refused to kill Sarastro, and everyone else was getting a happy ending. She then ordered her three ladies and Monostatos to help her attack the temple. They attempt it, but are cast away into a dark hole forever.

What are the three spirit’s purpose?

When the three ladies asked Tamino to save Pamina, He didn't know where to go. So, they appointed three spirits to be their guides. The spirits led them to the castle and helped them on their journey.

Why did Sarastro kidnap Pamina?

Sarastro knew the Queen was evil. He also thought that Pamina was clueless and innocent. So, he kidnapped Pamina to keep her save from her evil mother, who might try to sway her to do the wrong thing.

What is the role of Monostatos and how does he affect the opera?

Monostatos is Sarastro’s slave. He chased Pamina, but Papagena scared him away. He continued to try to chase Tamino and Papageno away from Sarastro’s castle. However, Sarastro punishes Monostatos and makes peace with Tamino, Papageno, and Pamina. Later in the story, Monostatos allies himself with The Queen Of The Night and helps her attack the temple, later in the story.

10 Magic Flute Questions

1.Who slayed the serpent at the beginning of the story? Who was saved from the serpent?

The three ladies who work for the Queen of the Night were the ones who slayed the serpent. They saved Prince Tamino from the creature because they wanted to impress him and bring him back to their queen. Papageno, the bird catcher for the Queen of the Night, lies and tells Tamino that he was the one who killed the creature. This angers the three ladies and they punish him for lying.

2. Who was painted in the portrait that Tamino fell in love with?

The portrait was of the Queen of the Night’s daughter ,Pamina. The three ladies give the portrait to Tamino and he falls in love immediately. Then, the Queen of the Night herself appears and tells Tamino that her beloved daughter was captured by the Ruler of Light, Sarastro. The queen tells Tamino that if he can rescue Pamina, he can marry her. Tamino is given a magic flute to help him in times of danger and pageno is commanded to accompany Tamino and is given silver bells to ensure their safety on the journey.   

  

3. Who is Sarastro’s slave?

Sarastro’s slave is Monostatos. Monostatos is determined to keep Pamina in Sarastro’s temple. He chases after Pamina and Papageno when they tried to escape but Papageno scares him off the first time and enchants the slave with his bells the second time.

4. Who is appointed to guide Tamino and Papageno on their journey to rescue Pamina?

The ladies appoint three spirits to guide Tamino and Papageno on their journey to save the Queen of the Night’s daughter, Pamina. The spirits guide Tamino to the temple where Pamina is trapped and help him on the rest of his journey. They also save Papageno from hanging himself by telling him to use his silver bells.

5. In the end, who is discovered to really be the evil one?

When Tamino is still on his journey to rescue Pamina, he learns from a high priest that Pamina is safe in Sarastro’s temple because Sarastro is actually good intentioned and the Queen of the Night is the evil one.

6. Who does the Queen of night order her daughter to murder?

Monostatos, Sarastro’s slave, tries to kiss Pamina while she is sleeping. But then, the queen appears and commands Pamina to kill Monostatos with a dagger. Even though Pamina loves her mother and doesn’t want to disobey her, she refuses.

7. Where is Tamino lost at the beginning of the story? What happens in the scene following?

At the beginning of the story, Prince Tamino is lost in the desert. In the next scene, Tamino is saved from a serpent. He is saved by the three ladies in service to the Queen of the night.

8. What must Tamino and Papageno go through to become one of the Mason Brothers?

Tamino and Papageno have to perform an initiation to enter the brotherhood. One of the tasks in the initiation is that they have to stay silent and are not allowed to eat or drink. Papageno fails the task quickly because he loves to talk, eat, and drink. Tamino, however, stays silent and resists the temptation to eat and drink.

9. How is Pamina feeling when Tamino does not talk to her when they meet?

During the initiation, Pamina enters the room. Of course, Tamino cannot talk to her because he must remain silent. Pamina misunderstands Tamino’s silence and is heartbroken. Later, Pamina and Tamino are reunited and complete the last to tasks in the initiation together, protected by the magic flute.

10. After giving up on the brotherhood, what does Papageno long for?

Papageno longs for a wife instead of the brotherhood after giving up. He settles for the old lady who offered him a glass of water during the initiation. When Papageno promises to be faithful to the old lady, she turns into a beautiful young bird lady but immediately disappears. Papageno is devastated and tries to hang himself but is saved by the three spirits who remind him that if he uses his bells, he will find true happiness. When Papageno rings the bells, Papagena returns and all is well.

The Magic Flute on youtube, Salzburg