Re: Music Concepts

[liezly]

Hello!  I'm a music student taking up Music Education and Piano Performance as my majors.  

Need suggestions and advices...

I'll have a teaching demo for third graders in the next two months.  I have to present one music concept from any of the basic elements of music (rhythm, melody, harmony and form).  Could anyone suggest a good and appropriate concept for third graders? And what sort of activities could I present so I can have a motivating lesson?

Greatly appreciate your help...
Thanks!

[Swan]

What are your ideas so far?

[bernhard]

Here are three simple ideas:

Idea (1): Chords and scales

Have a look at this thread for the details:

https://www.pianoforum.net/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?board=teac;action=display;num=1090790779

Aims:

1.      To explore scales and the different role of the scales degrees.
2.      To explore the chords generated from a scale.
3.      To give a taste of free improvisation.

Student involvement:

1.      have the student play duets: One student plays the progressions in the bass, the other improvises freely a melody on the treble (s/he must stick with the scale though)
2.      If students play other instruments (e.g. violin, recorder), one student plays the chord progression in the piano while the other student improvises the melody on his/her instrument.

Idea (2): Motifs.

Aims:

1.      To show how music can be composed based on a simple motif and variations (which is of course what JS Bach and baroque composers excelled at).
2.      To learn the several ways a motif can be varied (augmentation, diminution, inversion, retrograde, etc.)
3.      To be able to identify in a piece of music the motif(s) and recognise the several variations. (Perhaps the best musical example to use is Bach 2 voice invention no. 1. Have a look at this thread for more details;
https://www.pianoforum.net/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?board=teac;action=display;num=1081198385)

Student involvement:

1.      Get the students (this can be done in groups) to come up with a short motif (s) and to write down all the possible ways it can be varied.
2.      Have the students use a motif and its variations to create a short piece of music.

Idea (3) Music & expression.

Aims:

1.      Use a pentatonic scale (black keys only – whatever you play always sounds good).
2.      Explore the relationship between music and emotions.

Student involvement:

1.      have the students make a list of all possible emotions (this works better in groups).
2.      For each emotion (or a selected one) they must produce a short piece (black keys only) that will elicit that emotion on a listener. Think movie soundtrack.
3.      Take the opportunity to discuss how subjective (or not) such a project is.

None of these ideas require great musical knowledge.

Best wishes,
Bernhard.

[liezly]

Thank you so much for your inputs.  It will be a great help in my lesson plan.  

I was thinking of concepts regarding Melody.  But I'll probably use the third idea.

Thank you again!!!

[bernhard]

You are welcome.

[Swan]

 

I was thinking of concepts regarding Melody.  

Liezly,  what were some of your ideas about presenting meoldy?  I keep asking this, because sometimes it helps to talk about your own ideas first because they could actually be better than anyone elses!  You are the one who will be taking the class, so even though you can adopt some one else's ideas and develop it your way (which we do as teachers all the time) it's even more rewarding when our ideas work.  And talking about our ideas to others is a great way to develop them...or decide in the end to disregard them and go with another idea that came up instead.

How many students will be in the class?

Are you actually replacing their usual music lesson, or will a music lesson be a completely new idea to them?  In other words, what is their gained knowledge and experience so far.  This has a huge factor on how well things will go in the classroom.  If the activities aren't stimulating enough, they'll get bored and then you'll just be dealing with behaviour issues ( and that's no fun ... for anyone), if the activity is too far beyond their ability, then you're faced with the same dilemma.

How long will the class go for? You may need to provide more than one activity.

What materials/resources/instruments will you have access to? If you're going to introduce melody, will you be using instruments and will everyone have one that they know how to play, or will they need to share?   Of course for this age group voice is the best way to introduce melody to them because everyone has one and most can use them and if the lesson isn't taking place in a music room it means you won't have to lug instruments in.

Anyway, list some of your own ideas Liezly (as well as some of the information above) and I may be able to give you a bit more specific help.

[liezly]

Thank you so much for your added inputs.

So far, I've been thinking of a concept about Melody ("Melody moves in ascending, descending and stationary order.")  The students are third graders and their knowledge in music is not that much yet.  That's why I thought of a basic and easy concept to present.  It is only a small class about 17 students.  We have a piano in our room and I could probably have access to some other instruments.

Also, I've been thinking of activities, games and songs that would be motivating and fun to learn.

I would greatly appreciate if you could suggest some of your ideas regarding this.

Thanks again!!!  

[Swan]

17 students is better than say 30 odd!

Here's some thoughts.

Intro:
1. Write the word melody on the board.
2. Ask, hands up who knows how to say this word.
3. Pick a kid.  
4. Start asking questions about WHAT melody is.
5. Write their responses on the board, or better yet, and if you have time, get them to come up and write them on the board.  You can ask two or three of them up at the same time and let them write anywhere on the board.

Activity 1
6.  Ask them all to go as quickly as they can to the piano and gather around while you play something they will recognise (nursery rhymes are good, because most of them will know it - say Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, and it's short so they won't lose interest.)  Make sure it has an elaborate accompaniment.
7. Play it again with the exact same melody but a different style of accompaniment.  Ask who knows what was the same about the two performances.  (Be prepared to play it again.)
8.  Play just the melody and ask who recognises this?
9.  Then playing the melody, ask them all to sing Twinkle Twinkle (or whatever you decide).
10. Repeat the process with another nursery rhyme if the activity is going well.  (and as long as there's HEAPS of opportunity to answer questions, or some other type of 'doing' activity you should be able to keep most of their attention.
11.  Ask them if they think the melody was happy or sad.
12. Write on the board that melodies can make us feel happy or sad.

Activity 2
13. Play some different melodies that are very obviously happy and very obviously slow and sad.  Ask the kids to tell you what they think the melody is, and they all have to make either a happy face or a sad face.
(you can even extend this idea further if you have time and ask them to walk around the room and change the way they walk when they hear the different happy or sad melodies.  You can tell them "THIS IS AN ANGRY MELODY" and get them to walk around angry.  (NB, trying to ask kids of this age in a large group - and anything bigger than five is large! to get specific about emotions is a big task and I don't think would be too successful)

Activity 4
Ask them now to go (as quickly as they can -  I keep saying this so that it has a 'game like' feel about it 'cause even at this age, kids like games!) to the middle of the room and sit on the floor.  Tell them they're going to play a listening game.
14.Choose an orchestral piece with a very 'singable' melody.  Have them listen to the recording - make sure it doesn't go for very long, perhaps just a few phrases.
15.Ask for volunteers to have a go at singing the melody, using 'bah bah bah' etc.  Tell the rest to listen carefully). Those who put their hands up and have a go win a lollipop or something (some kids need encouragement to get the ball rolling - others you can't shut up.)
16.Encourage everyone to clap i.e. applaud (by you doing it first) for each person willing to sing the melody.
17.Play the piece again and ask everyone to sing along with the melody.

Activity 5
18. (this is the structure part of a melody) Tell them that notes in melodies go up and down or stay the same (pitch) Now say we're going to 'map' the melody.  Hand out pieces of blank paper to all the kids and let them choose a colour to use for their map.  Demonstrate on the black board what you want them to do.

• Sometimes melodies go up (sing a sliding ascending scale and draw an arrow or whatever you choose going up.  Write the word UP next to it to remind them. line going up
• Melodies can go DOWN (do the same thing
• Sometimes melodies stay the same (and draw a straight line while you sing the same note.

Make sure everyone understands what they have to do.
Go to the piano and play the melody they have just heard, bit by bit and ask them to draw whether the melody went up, down or stayed the same.  It may even help to repeat each little phrase before going on.
19.  When finished, present a chart you have made earlier showing them when it goes up and down and stays the same.  
20. Sing with them the melody by pointing to the arrows as they go up and down etc.

Activity 6
21. Tell them that notes in melodies - as well as going up and down, can also be long or short and lots of in betweens.
22. Do similar activities to explore long and short notes.


okay.... I'm pooped.  I have other ideas, but I'll tell you about them next post.

[liezly]

WOW!!!    Thank you so much!!!  A lot of activities to choose from.  I think all of them are motivating and am sure it will be so much fun and educational for the students.

Greatly appreciate it!!  

[Swan]

Keep us up to date on your own ideas and what you think you'll be going with. 

Rounds are fun and are based on just a single usually simple melody.  Learning them, practising them, arranging them and of course performing them is always lots of fun!

Singing, and listening to musical recordings or you playing the piano would be the way to go with a group of 17 and only one piano.  Even if you had more keyboards, it would be a bit of a shamozal if they weren't used to playing.  

Is this demonstration you have to do just a once off thing, or will you be taking the class a few times?

How long does your demonstration have to last?  For the entire lesson, or just a part of it?

Do you teach in schools usually Liezly or will the school environment be new to you?

[liezly]

Keep us up to date on your own ideas and what you think you'll be going with. 

Rounds are fun and are based on just a single usually simple melody.  Learning them, practising them, arranging them and of course performing them is always lots of fun!

Singing, and listening to musical recordings or you playing the piano would be the way to go with a group of 17 and only one piano.  Even if you had more keyboards, it would be a bit of a shamozal if they weren't used to playing.  

Is this demonstration you have to do just a once off thing, or will you be taking the class a few times?

How long does your demonstration have to last?  For the entire lesson, or just a part of it?

Do you teach in schools usually Liezly or will the school environment be new to you?

Sure, I would definitely keep you posted in my ideas and if I have further questions I'll let you know.  You're such a big help.  I've been asking some ideas from other people too.  And all of the suggestions I have been receiving are interesting.

My demonstration is just once and it will last for about 30-40 mins.  I just need to present first my lesson plan regarding the concept I have chosen. This includes the objectives, materials, activities, motivation, evaluation etc.  

Well, this is my first time to have a teaching demo.  I never had an experience teaching a music class.  My experience is to give piano lessons (my part time job) and at the same time I'm finishing my degree major in Music Education and Piano Performance.