November 2008 - British School Of Bucharest

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Visit the BSB website at www.britishschool.ro A “Sweet” Story Year 7 winners of Mr Steve Murchison’s ‘Sweet Story’ competition: Ana, Naomi, Jennéa. The ‘up and coming stars’ that the winners chose as their personal favourites: Bianca (Andreea), Matthias, and Natalie displaying their sweets. In Year 7 English we read Roald Dahl’s “Boy”. One of our favourite chapters in the book was “The Bicycle and the Sweet Shop.” In it, one of Roald Dahl’s friends, Thwaites, tells the author that he should never eat Liquorice Bootlaces (a type of sweet) because his father, who is a doctor, had told him that they were made out of rat’s blood. After reading this story, Mr. Murchison suggested that we write our own ‘sweet’ stories, based on a sweet that we liked. In our stories we added in as many disgusting ingredients as we could- it was fabulous. We then displayed them on the wall. We collected sweet wrappers and displayed them as well. For fun, we decided to turn it into a competition. Mr. Murchison chose six out of all the stories and some other students chose the best three. The winners were awarded with their own ‘sweet’ surprise - a chocolate bar. As a bonus, the winners got to choose the three stories that they thought were best. These students were also awarded prizes of chocolate bars but they were given to them by the winners. If you wish to see the stories we wrote, why not visit Crawford House – the ‘Sweet Stories’ will be there waiting for you to read! Ana and Andreea, Year 7 Science Speak Alex and Albert checking Salivary Amylase in different pH concentrations Hello from the science room. This first half term, one of the many things the senior students have been working on is enzyme experiments. Using Salivary Amylase, we have used the scientific method to determine ideal temperature and pH levels for amylase to change starch into maltose. We are concentrating on asking “why” this works, “what” makes it change, “how” we can do things differently to improve the experiment, and what are the practical everyday applications of this knowledge. Alex and Susana working on their conclusions for the Salivary Amylase lab Analysing the contents of pizza “My favorite part of science this year, so far, was the first lesson when we used the van de graaf. I liked it because I had to put my hands on the metal ball and my hair went static! I also liked when we made a circle and felt the current going through us. I look forward to other experiments!” Bethan, Year 9 “My favourite part about science this year was when we did our swimming experiment. We had to go swimming to increase our pulse rate then we had to measure it. We then had to get out the pool and run up and down the track course twice and only in our swimming costumes! That was okay even though the little kids started laughing at us. Nevertheless, we learned a lot about our own pulse rates, breathing rates and about what sort of movement makes them increase and decrease.” Louisa, Year 9 The British School of Bucharest Magazine 10
The Music Department adds a little Rhythm to Student Life at BSB Visit the BSB website at www.britishschool.ro Mr Des Mulvany leading a senior school assembly The History of the Drum kit All pupils are taught rhythm. Rhythm is a very important part of any piece of music. The pupils are taught about creating rhythm by playing drums and percussion instruments. They will find out what a drum is, about the history of drumming, and the different types of drums that they can play. Different types of drums are found around the world. A drummer keeps the other musicians playing together and helps make sure that nobody speeds up or slows down. Choosing your style One of the great things about the drums is that they are relatively easy to learn. With a little practice you will be able to play a basic beat within a few hours. Within a few months, you will be able to play along to your favorite songs Drums can be played in a wide variety of musical styles, from classical and jazz, to rock and pop music. They can be played alongside other percussion instruments. But first, there are some basic things that every drummer should know. The history of drumming If the human voice is the oldest instrument in the world, drums are a close second. This is not surprising when you think that drums are a quite simple instrument. All you need to make a drum is a stick and a surface to hit. The oldest drums found date back over 6,000 years. Drums were once used to communicate. A person’s voice does not carry very far, but drums can be heard for many miles. In certain areas of Africa drums were worshipped and even given names. When the Ancient Greeks and Romans arrived in Africa, they started using African drums to keep soldiers marching in pace and call out orders. Many European armies continue this tradition of using drums when they marched. The Modern Drum Kit By the 1920s, musicians began to play more than one drum at the same time. Once the drums were arranged properly, bands didn’t need a group of drummers any more. Bit by bit, the modern drum kit took shape. The Electronic drum kit was developed in the 1980 by a company called Simmons but it will never replace the normal drum kit. Drum facts: The largest drum kit. The worlds largest drum kit is played by Michael Mc Neill from Missouri. His drum kit consists of 105 pieces: 7 drums, 19 toms, 3 snares, electronic drums.10 percussion drums, 25 cymbals, 16 bells, 20 other percussion instruments and 1 kitchen sink. Famous Drummer Buddy Rich is regarded as the greatest jazz drummer of all time. His career started at the age of 3 years and spanned decades. He won many awards for his drumming despite the fact he could not read a note of music and he never received a single drumming lesson. All the students have drumming lessons in the British school of Bucharest. The great thing about drumming is that you don’t even need a drum kit to get started! Most drummers will tell you that they always tap on different things. This is, after all how drumming started many thousands of years ago. Before long, recognising rhythms will become a habit. This first exercise will get you thinking about those rhythms. Mr Des Mulvany MA, BA hons, PGCE Head of Music Mr Des Mulvany Mr Desmond Mulvany comes from Ireland but has lived for many years in America. He has been teaching for 10 years and moved to Romania in September of 2007. The schools where he has taught before were all in England and he enjoyed his teaching experience then a lot because he says that his was one of the most popular subjects. He says that he enjoys teaching in BSB because it’s a nice school in a nice atmosphere with many lovely students. He thinks there are many students currently enrolled at BSB with a lot of musical talent playing a variety of musical instruments, and this makes his teaching experience particularly colourful. He is now also preparing three students from Year 10, including myself, for the IGCSE exams. If you want to learn more about Mr Mulvany and his colourful musical past, then why not stop by the music room for a friendly chat. He is always happy to share a few stories with anyone passing by- and believe me he does have some interesting stories! Edoardo, Year 10 The British School of Bucharest Magazine 11
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November 2008 - British School Of Bucharest

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