Lesson Plan on Communication

Anna Kaliszewski

Identification:

Course: Grade 11 Music/ AMU30

Unit: Creating and improvising
Lesson Topic: Communicating and expressing emotions through music
Teacher: Mrs. Kaliszewski
Description and Rationale:
Music can convey a lot of different emotions such as happiness, sadness, anger,
fear, love, etc. Very often we are able to identify these emotions when listening to a
piece of music. But what is it about the music that makes it happy or sad? Which
elements of music and techniques can be used to effectively communicate a certain
feeling or emotion without words? In this lesson students will learn how to identify
the feelings and emotions conveyed through music and how to use the elements on
music to create an expressive piece of music. This lesson should take two periods.
Curriculum expectations:
A2. The Elements of Music: apply elements of music when performing notated and
improvised music and composing and/or arranging music;
A2.3 apply the elements of music and related concepts appropriately when
composing and/or simple pieces of music
B1. The Critical Analysis Process: use the critical analysis process when responding
to, analysing, reflecting on, and interpreting music;
B1.1: listen to and/or perform selections that represent a wide variety of
musical genres and styles, and describe and reflect on their responses to
them (e.g., document their initial reactions to more than one version of the
same Leonard Cohen song; describe their response to several selections of
music they like, and identify any common traits; describe the emotions
conveyed in a work by a composer from the Romantic period)
B1.2: identify and describe the use of elements and other components of
music in a variety of selections, including their performance repertoire (e.g.,
describe melodic characteristics, rhythmic components, signs and symbols,
dynamics, and timbres in the print version of a choral selection before
hearing the selection; describe how elements are used for expressive
purposes in an arrangement being performed by the class, and how changes
in these elements might alter the expressive qualities of the performance;
describe technical aspects of a professional performance)

Achievement Objectives:
Communication The conveying of meaning through various forms
Categories
Expression and
organization of
ideas and
understanding
s in art forms

Level 1
expresses and
organizes
ideas and
understanding
s with limited
effectiveness

Level 2
expresses and
organizes
ideas and
understanding
s with some
effectiveness

Communicatio
n for different
audiences and
purposes
through the
arts

communicates
for different
audiences and
purposes with
limited
effectiveness

communicates
for different
audiences and
purposes with
some
effectiveness

Level 3
expresses and
organizes
ideas and
understanding
s with
considerable
effectiveness
communicates
for different
audiences and
purposes with
considerable
effectiveness

Level 4
expresses and
organizes
ideas and
understanding
s with a high
degree of
effectiveness
communicates
for different
audiences and
purposes with
a high degree
of
effectiveness

Prior knowledge or skills required:

Prior to starting this lesson, students should be able to play all the notes of a
chromatic scale
- improvise in both major and minor
scales
- identify and demonstrate on their
instruments various types of
articulation such as legato, staccato,
accents and fermatas, as well as a
wide range of dynamics
Learning Resources:
This lesson will require access to the internet in order to play examples of music for
analysis (such as the ones below), their instruments as well as blank manuscript
paper for notating music.
Chopin Prelude in E minor (arranged for piano and cello) example of sad music
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpmo0oEir9s
Vivaldi The Four Seasons (Spring) example of happy music
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRxofEmo3HA
Kenny G The Moment example of music that conveys love
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=447yaU_4DF8

Theme from Jaws example of music that conveys fear

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nb8t3Lt8iJw

Teaching-Learning Strategy:
Introduction:
Introduce the lesson by playing excerpts from the above music examples and
facilitate a class discussion. Ask the question: what kind of feeling or emotion is the
music conveying? Explain that todays lesson will be on techniques for
communicating emotions through music.
Teaching:
After the short discussion draw a chart on the board with one feeling or emotion
per column. Ask students which elements of music or techniques can be heard in
each example of music. Re-play the excerpts if necessary. Horizontally, fill in the
techniques as they apply. Here is an example of what the chart might look like when
completed. To help students come up with ideas ask questions such as: is this piece
slow or fast? How many instruments/what kinds of instruments are playing? Is it
loud or soft? Etc.
Key

Happiness
Major

Sadness
Minor

Love
Major or Minor

Tempo

Fast

Slow

Medium

Articulation

Legato,
Staccato,

Long, smooth
legato phrases

Long, smooth
legato phrases

Dynamics

Loud

Soft

Medium

Instrumentatio
n

Full orchestra

Piano/Cello

Saxophone

Fear
Minor/ A lot of
dissonance
Changing
tempo
Combination of
smooth and
detached
Frequent
changes from
soft to loud
Orchestra

Applying:
After completing the above activity students will have a chance to
compose/improvise/arrange a four-bar phrase based on a given emotion. The
teacher will assign each emotion a number from 1 to 4 (or more, if more emotions
are discussed) and students will choose a number. Based on the chosen number
each student (or group of students) will be assigned an emotion they have to
convey. Students can compose and notate or simply improvise a melody and
perform it for their classmates. Students could also choose a familiar melody and
arrange/perform it in such a way that will convey a certain emotion.
Conclusion:

The teacher and classmates will give each performer (or group of performers)
feedback on their artistic choices for conveying the particular emotion. They should
discuss what was effective and what could be improved. Alternatively, students can
leave their emotion a secret until after the performance and the teacher and
classmates should be able to identify which emotion it was. Students will reflect on
the performances by answering some of these questions: Does every piece that is
fast and loud convey happiness? What happens if we create a piece by picking
techniques from each emotion category? Can two people listen to the same piece
and interpret them differently?
After this activity students will be given an assignment of the same nature, to be
completed individually or in small groups. The criteria will be exactly the same but
students will have more time to practice the different techniques and perform it
after a few days. Students will also have to write a short reflection about their
performance, the artistic choices they made and how they helped them convey a
particular emotion.
Accommodations:
Students will be able to choose whether they would like to work individually or in
small groups to suit their learning styles. Also, students can choose if they would
like to improvise or notate a melody, or even arrange an existing melody.
Assessment of Communication Skill:

R UBR IC :COMMUNICATINGEMOTIONSTHROUGHMUSIC
Student:_________________________
Date:____________________________

Criteria
Choice of key

Level 1
Key chosen
compliments
the
composition
with limited
effectiveness

Level 2
Key chosen
compliments
the
composition
with moderate
effectiveness
Used with
moderate
effectiveness

Level 3
Key chosen
compliments
the
composition
with
considerable
effectiveness
Used with
considerable
effectiveness

Level 4
Key chosen
compliments
the
composition
with a high
degree of
effectiveness
Used with a
high degree of
effectiveness

Use of
articulation

Used with
limited
effectiveness

Use of
dynamics

Used with
limited

Used with
moderate

Used with
considerable

Used with a
high degree of

effectiveness

effectiveness

effectiveness

effectiveness

Use of tempo

Used with
limited
effectiveness

Used with
moderate
effectiveness

Used with
considerable
effectiveness

Used with a
high degree of
effectiveness

Performance

Communicates
through music
with limited
effectiveness

Communicates
through music
with moderate
effectiveness

Communicates
through music
with
considerable
effectiveness

Communicates
through music
with a high
degree of
effectiveness

Reflection

Explains
choices with
limited
effectiveness

Explains
choices with
moderate
effectiveness

Explains
choices with
considerable
effectiveness

Explains
choices with a
high degree of
effectiveness