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450396971

OrffSchulwerkLessonPlan

Date:14/09/2016
Subject:Music

Class:Year5

Lengthoflesson:2x50min

Lessontopic:
ExploringTonality&Structure

Purposeoflesson:
Tointroducethemajorscale,major/minortonalitiesandexaminemusicalstructure
throughrhythm,tonalityandtimbre

LearningIntention:
Studentswilllearnaboutthemajorscale,andbeintroducedtomajorandminor
tonalities,aswellasanalysingmacroandmicromusicalstructures

Successcriteria:
Studentsareabletorepeatrhythmicandmelodicmotifsaccurately
Studentscannotateamelodyandidentifythemajorscale,andrhythmic
motifswithinit
Studentscanidentifythesongsoverarchingstructurebyanalysingtimbreand
rhythm
Studentsareabletoimproviseandcomposenewmaterialwithinthegiven
framework

Backgroundinformationonstudents:

StudentswillhavehadmuchexperiencewiththeOrffSchulwerkapproach,and
wouldbefamiliarwithvocalisingspeechpatterns,executingbodypercussionand
rhythmic/melodicpatternsasagroup.Theyhaveuseduntunedandtunedpercussion
instruments(suchasGuiro,Woodblock,Cabassa,metallicglockenspielsandwooden
xylophones)andshouldknowanddemonstratecorrectplayingtechnique.Theycan
notaterhythmsandpitchesofthepentatonicscale,andhavesomenonexplicit
experienceofmajortonality.

Objectives:

Thislessonwillprovideopportunitiesforstudentsto:
sing/performrepertoireusingscalicintervalsandmelodies
speak/performrhythmsofrelativecomplexity(semiquaverasthesmallest
division,syncopation)insimpletime
Realisemajorscales/tonalityandbenonexplicitlyintroducedtominor
tonality
analysemusicalstructurethroughrhythm,pitch,timbre&texture,bothina
macroandmicroapproach
practiseensembleskills
improviserhythmsandmelodieswithintheframeworkofthechosen
repertoire
practicenotationskillsbynotatinglearnedrhythmsandmelodies

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Outcomes:

MUS3.1
Sings,playsandmovestoarangeofmusic,individuallyandingroups,
demonstratingaknowledgeofmusicalconcepts.
MUS3.2
Improvises,experiments,selects,combinesandorderssoundusingmusical
concepts.
MUS3.3
Notatesanddiscussesownworkandtheworkofothers.

Resources:

Aworkingspacewithenoughroomforthewholeclasstostandandexecute
movement/bodypercussionwithinacircle
Untunedandtunedpercussion
Whiteboard
Manuscriptpaper&pencils

Curriculumlinks:

furthertheirunderstandingofrhythm,pitch,dynamicsandexpression,form
andstructure,timbreandtextureinmusic
extendtheirunderstandinganduseofauralskillsastheysingandplay
independentpartsagainstcontrastingpartsandrecogniseinstrumental,vocal
anddigitallygeneratedsounds
exploreanduserhythm,pitch,dynamicsandexpression,formandstructure,
timbreandtextureinmusictheyperformandcompose
exploremeaningandinterpretation,formsandelementsofmusicastheymake
andrespondtomusic.

Lessonsequence:

Teacheractivity
Studentactivity
Esttime
Gatherstudentsinacircletoteach
rhythmicmotifs
seescorefororderand
methodofteaching
Rhythms15

Teachbordunandmelody:first
sung,thenplayed
Puttingallthepartstogether,
exploringtimbralpossibilities

Studentsimitaterhythmicmotifs,
bothseparatelyand
simultaneouslyinrounds,
eventuallybuildingupto4layers

Studentsapplylearnedrhythmsto
imitatemelodies
Studentsmayactasaconductorto
pointtodifferentinstrument
groups

10min

20min

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Notate&analysemelody(rhythm
ANDpitches)
Drawoutoneofeachpitchusedin
eachsectionofthemelodyto
realisepentatonicandmajorscales
Revisethroughthearrangement
againandwhatwasrealisedlast
lesson
Listentothesoundtrack
Introduceandemphasisesoundof
minortonalityintheOooh
section

Analysestructurally
(micromelodysrhythmic
motifs,macroform)

Furtherexploringrhythmicand
pitchpossibilitiesthrough
alteration

Watchthemusicvideo
Encouragestudentstoimprovise
withinknownframeworks(e.g.
takingoutRhythmno.4and
replacingwithnewmaterial,
makingaacompletelynew
melodyonitsoriginalrhythmetc)

Rationale:

Studentswillattempttonotatethe
rhythmontheirown,thenrhythm
andpitchesasaclasseventually
realisingtheuseofmajorscale
withadditionsoftonesIVandVII

Studentsrecaponlearnedconcepts
andbegintoexperienceminor
tonality

Studentsrealisehowrhythmic
motifscancompriseamelody,and
howsectionsofapiececanbe
dividedthroughtimbre

Students,individuallyexplore
furtherposibbilitesofrhythmand
pitchbyalteringthemelodybut
stilladheringtooriginalrhythm,
andbyalteringexistingrhythms

Studentsgaininspirationforbody
percussion&generalcreativityto
beusedinimprovisation

20min

10min

15min

10min

10min

Inthedesignofthislessonplan,thechoiceofrepertoirewasquiteinfluentialinallowing
certainelementstobefocusedon.ThePentatonixcoverofWhiteWinterHymnalisasong
thatIfoundalignedquitewellwithOrffSchulwerkprinciplesofscalesandharmony(and
evenexplicitlyfeaturingbodypercussion).Themainmelodyofthissongissuitableto
introducethemajorscale,withitsconstantstepwisemotionwhichemphasisesthestepwise
characterofthesetwotones[IVandVII](Keller,1974,p.34).Also,thefirstfourbars
referencingthepentatonicscale,aswellasthemanyminorthirdleaps(i.e.cuckoocall)
linkstopreviouslearningofthepentatone(Keller,1974,p.34).Moreover,through
simplifyingtherhythmofthemainmelodytotwo1barrhythmicmotifs,teachingismore
effectiveandfocuscanbedrawntowardspitchandlaterallowsforsimpleanalysisofthe

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melodysmicrostructure.

Theharmonydoesnotemphasisethetraditionaltonicdominantrelationship,ratherthrough
theuseofbasspedalandchordsI,ii,IVandvi,itallowsattentiontotheriseandfallofmain
melodiccontour(Keetman,1974,pg18).Asstudentslistentothesongtrack,theparallel
vocalharmonisation,ratherthantraditionalvoiceleading,allowsformorepossibilitiesofthe
useoftonesIVandVIItobediscovered(Keller,1974,p.35&36).

Spokenandbodypercussion/movementpatternsinlearningrhythmsallowforeasyimitation
andmemorization,andwhenstudentsarerequiredtoplayrests,theyarestillmentally
engagedintheensemblebyinternallyrepeatedsuchpatterns(Keller,1974,p.25).Since
rhythmandspokenexercisesarethefirstbuildingblockswithintheOrffSchulwerkmethod
(Keetman,1974,p.17Keller,1974,p.24),itwouldbelogicaltostartthesequenceof
activitieswithsuchexercises,asIhavedone.Ihavesimplifiedtherhythmsandmelodiesof
thesongintomotifssoitisaccessibleandeffectivefortheagegroupyetalsoshowinggood
qualitymusicthatthestudentscanaspireto,andbeinspiredby(especiallybyPentatonixs
creativeuseofbodypercussion).

Oncemelodyandrhythmsarelearnedthroughdifferentformsofimitation,thenpitch,
rhythm,formandtimbrecanbeexperimentedwith.Thismightbedonethroughalterationsof
pitchorrhythm,ortimbreandformcouldbeinterchangeablyswappedaroundwithother
sections.Notatingdownthemelodyandstructureofthesongwillencouragestudentanalysis.
Finally,oncethestudentsunderstanditnaturallythroughtheirbody,andintellectually
throughanalysis,theycanstarttoinventnewmusicmaterialwithinthegivenframeworkof
thesong.HenceIhavefollowedthefourstagelearningprocessasconventionalforthe
OrffSchulwerkapproach:imitation,exploration,literacy,improvisation,andhaveprovided
studentstheopportunitytoperform,create,listento,andanalysemusicinawholisticway
(Frazee,2006,p.26).

References:
Frazee,J.(2006).OrffSchulwerktoday:Nurturingmusicalexpressionandunderstanding.
Mainz,Germany:Schott.

Keetman,G.(1974).Elementaria:FirstacquaintancewithOrffSchulwerk.(M.Murray
Trans.).London,UK:Schott.pp.1122and107

Keller,W.(1974)IntroductiontoMusicforChildrenMethodology,Playingthe
Instruments,SuggestionsforTeachers.London,UK:Schott.pp.46,2328,3436,and4445