Final Experience Design Unit

MUED380
Context Statement
Ottobine Elementary School student population consists of 91.6% who identify as white
with a 57% male majority. This majority is typically seen as a privileged group however; at
37% over a third of the student population is on free and reduced lunch. Because of this, it is
important to have class experiences that utilize materials that are present in the school without
spending excess money or expecting students to be able to attend extra rehearsals. Keeping
experiences all inclusive, relatable, and easily attainable is therefore the goal for this unit.
This class of fourth graders has been focusing on how the concepts we learn are
employed to create music. Previous to these five experiences the class had been listening to and
experiencing music that utilized concepts previously learned. As we approached the 5
experiences notated in this document our focus shifts from the differences in specific music, to
how to create and emphasize those differences ourselves. This unit focuses primarily on learners
being able to experience musicality through performance, composition, ensemble participation,
and improvisation. Through these experiences learners will be able to improve on skills like
rhythms, listening, phrasing, tonality, form, and performance skills. All of these factors are
important in music and help to continue a basis of musical understanding and performance that
also encourages creativity. The next phase of learning for these students will begin looking at
music that resembles these qualities in other countries and learn to immitate and understand new
tonalities, rhythms and styles of music.

5 Experience Overview:

Experience 1: Rhythmic Introduction

Teacher will introduce rhythms that correlate to different animals and students will assign
which rhythm goes with each animal. Teacher will introduce a story that will engage students in
executing the rhythms. Students will be given unpitched percussion instruments and execute
their percussive sequence as determined by the story as a group ultimately varying things like
dynamics, style, tempo to change the story.
Experience 2: Composition *
Students will be grouped by favorite animal or similar favorite animals and create a
movement relating to that animal. From this movement they will work to create a rhythm that
resembles the animal and movement then share this rhythm with the group on an unpitched
percussion instrument. Groups will have a chance to share and practice each animals rhythm.
Groups will sit at orff instruments depending on animal and its correlation to sound. Students
will put their rhythm onto the instruments using one constant pitch, open fifth, or notes in the
pentatonic scale.
Experience 3: Establishing Form
Teacher will review rhythms from the previous class and incorporate the movements that
correlate. Students will use orff instruments to play all of the rhythms for all of the animals. The
class will help to determine an order in which to play each animal part to fill the jungle. The
class will then create a form for the animal song. The learners will then add back in motions
relating to the new form. Learners will alternate partners so every student both plays the song
and does the movements. Once the form is established the teacher will introduce a simple vocal
melody over top of the finished composition.
Experience 4: Adding Melody
Students will start by reviewing the animals in our jungle with motions. The teacher will
first speak then sing the song from the previous class and as each animal comes up students will
do the motions, as was done in the class before. Teacher will slowly start leaving out sections of
the song for students to fill in until they are familiar with the song. Students will review orff
instrument parts while teacher and partners not playing sings the words to the song. As students
become more comfortable they join in singing and playing. The Students will then have a
production with movement, original orff arrangements, and melody.
Experience 5: Improvisation*
Students are given different orff instruments and ostinatos/borduns to perform. Students
continuously play through their parts. Each student is assigned an animal and asked to improvise
(on pentatonic scale) as if they were that animal for 4 measures. Students will then be asked to
improvise as if their animal were talking to another animal and alternate improvising every 2

measures with a partner utilizing listening skills and creativity. Students will discuss choices and
findings with prompted questions.

(* Denotes experiences that were fully developed and will be displayed later in document.)

Rationale
Students of any heritage need to feel comfortable, and encouraged to learn in their
classroom environment. Although Ottobine is over 90% white it is important to make each
student feel as though their culture is relevant no matter their race or ethnicity. Abril and Kelly
Mc-Hale write the complex nature of culturerequires that we come to know students not as
members of this or that ethnic group, but as individuals with particularistic identities and
learning needs (249). This shows the importance of teaching towards each student and helping
them to learn in whatever way they need, which has no racial restriction. In my opinion this is
just a way of saying that as a teacher I need to be attentive and resourceful in my teaching of
these experiences. Gloria Ladson-Billings encouraged the students to act as teachers, and [the
teachers], themselves, often functioned as learners in the classroom, which allows teachers to
have a better perspective on their students needs, and then ultimately be able to teach them in a
way that fits those needs.

Works Cited
Abril, Carlos R., and Jacqueline Kelly-Mchale. "Thinking about and responding to
culture in general music." Teaching general music (2016). Web.
LadsonBillings, Gloria. "But that's just good teaching! The case for culturally relevant
pedagogy." Theory into practice 34.3 (2005). Web.

Experience Designs
Experience 2: Composition
Understanding Statement: Through this experience learners will have the opportunity to think
creatively and critically about how sound correlates to other concepts and use this knowledge to
develop musical context. This will in turn help them to compose a rhythm that utilizes that
knowledge and ultimately puts that rhythm onto pitched instruments. This experience therefore
extends their knowledge of rhythm, time, pitch, and style through critical thinking and
compositional strategies.
I can Statements:

I can compose/create my own movements and rhythms

o The student will respond to music with movement 4.4

I can compose/create my own ostinato

o The student will create music through a variety of experiences 4.7

I can create relationships between what I see and hear

o The student will compare the relationships between music and other disciplines
4.15

I can play a variety of rhythms on percussion instruments

o The student will perform in a two-part musical ensemble, using pitched and nonpitched instruments 4.5

Procedure:

Learners will be asked to share their favorite animal

Teacher will prompt questions for students to think about

o How big is the animal?

o Is it fast or slow?
o Is it a predator or prey? (friendly or powerful)
o What colors is it? Very colorful or just one color?

Learners will reflect on their animal and be put into groups based on favorite
animal/animal type

Learners will work with group members to come up with a motion that reflects their
animal(s)

Learners will share their motions with the class

Learners will be asked to create a short rhythm pattern that reflects the motion and the
animal using familiar rhythms

Teacher will hand out non-pitched percussion instruments

Teacher will assist learners in finding a rhythm that is consistent with their animal and
their previous knowledge

Learners will share their rhythm with the class on instruments

o Other groups will then repeat the rhythm back to the group to experience all
rhythm patterns

Learners will be asked to determine which animals best fit each instrument type (i.e.
Elephant= Base Xylo)
o How would a big grey animal sound?
o What would a small fast animal sound like?

Learners will go to instruments which resemble their animal choices as they dictated

Teacher will help to prompt possible note uses for each instrument (I.E. pentatonic scale/
open fifth)

Teacher will remind students to keep in mind the speed, size, color, temperament of their
animal

How would a big animal sound?

Why does a colorful animal sound that way?

What kind of notes would a cheetah use compared to a whale?

Learners will put their animal rhythm onto pitched percussion

Learners will share their compositions with the class

Teacher will ask learners to share why their composition reflects their animal

Assessment:

Students ability to work together to compose a cohesive movement and rhythm that are
inspired by a specific concept

Students ability to work together to compose pitches with the rhythms previously
composed to create an ostinato

Students ability to think critically and respond to questions relating their animal to music

Students ability to perform rhythms and compositions on instruments

Extensions

Perform all rhythms together as a song

Create form for the rhythmic ostinatos/borduns

Create rhythms for different animals

Draw animals highlighting the things that were reflected in your composition

Adaptations:

Color- Put different colored tape on the bars on the orff instruments to help show where
each note is. Correlate bar colors with index cards that can be either laid out or held up in
the order in which the notes are intended to be played.

Size- Utilize mallet grips for students who have issues holding onto smaller sticks. Give
shorter rhythm sections (i.e. 1 bar instead of 2)

Pacing- Allow for more time in discussion settings to compose. Slow down the tempo of
the rhythms.

Modality- Give images that show the animals in discussion. Show images when motion,
rhythm, ostinato are in process. Give variety of icon rhythm cards with animals on them
to help compositional process.

Experience 5: Improvisation

Understanding Statement: Through this experience learners will have the opportunity to apply
previous knowledge to create ostinatos and borduns in an ensemble setting with their peers.
Learners will then improvise over the pentatonic scale. Learners will have the opportunity to
listen, reflect, and communicate through music by improvising ultimately furthering their
understanding of improvisation, composition, and musical form as well as the ability to perform
with and respond to others.
I can Statements:

I can play in an ensemble

o The student will perform in a two-part musical ensemble, using pitched and nonpitched instruments 4.5

I can stay in time with my peers and the soloist

o The student will exhibit respect for the contributions of self and others in a music
setting. 1. Contribute to a group effort of making music. 2. Contribute to a group
effort of listening to music. 3. Participate in music activities that involve sharing,
taking turns, and other ways of demonstrating good citizenship 4.14

I can improvise a melody

o

The student will create music through a variety of experiences. 1. Improvise

simple melodic and rhythmic accompaniments 4.7

I can create and communicate through music

o The student will perform in a two-part musical ensemble, using pitched and nonpitched instruments. 4.5

Procedure:

Learners will sit down at an orff instrument

Teacher will demonstrate rhythm for bordun on single note chanting a word to coincide
with the rhythm (dog, dog, dog, dog)

Learners will chant along with the teacher

Learners will join in with bordun rhythm when ready

Teacher will add in second note for the bordun (chord bordun)

Learners will join in on the bordun

Teacher will play the rhythm for the ostinato with accompanying chant (alligator chomp,
chomp)

Learners will chant along with teacher

Learners will join in with the melody when ready

Teacher will demonstrate notes for ostinato while still chanting

Learners will join in when ready

Teacher will demonstrate rhythm for color ostinato and chant (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, blue
birds fly)

Learners will chant along with the teacher

Learners will join in with the rhythm when ready

Teacher will demonstrate pitches for the color while still chanting

Learners will join in when ready

Teacher will separate class into appropriate parts by instrument type

o Bordun- Base
o Glockenspiel- Color
o Alto Xylos-Ostinato

Learners will play through all of their parts together

Teacher will demonstrate improvisation while Learners play

Teacher will tell students to imagine they are an animal in the jungle and how that animal
would sound/act

All Learners will practice improvising on their own

Learners will begin their rhythm pattern again

Learners will each take turns improvising over 4 bars as their animal characters

Teacher will help cue learners to begin improvisation

Learners will be asked to reflect on what worked during their improvisation

Learners will be paired with the person next to them

Teacher will explain improvising with another person

o Listening to rhythms
o Listening to line-does it go up or down?
o Brief relation to Jazz

Show examples of duet improv if there is time

Teacher will demonstrate playing with another person with a student volunteer

Learners will alternate playing for 2 bars each (4 times)

Learners will reflect on their experiences

o What made working with another person harder?
o What did you try to listen for or create with your partner?

Assessment:

Learners ability to stay in time and involved in rhythmic ostinato

Learners ability to play rhythms within the parameters of the time signature/tempo.
Learners ability to begin and end reasonably accurately within their allotted
improvisation time.

Learners ability to perform a melody without music with intent and variation in the
notes and rhythms

Learners ability to work with another student to communicate through music. Learners
ability to think and reflect on experiences and their effectiveness.

Extensions:

Listen to jazz improvisation both solo and duet

Listen to improvisation in other cultures

Add improvisation section into song sequence from previous lessons

Listen to each other improvise and draw what you hear

Give rhythm prompts for improvisation

Adaptations:

Color- Utilize a stop light system to show students when to play (green means go). Use
colors on the bars to signify notes.

Size- Utilize mallet grips for students who have issues holding onto smaller sticks.
Allow for longer improvisation sections to give time to experiment and understand.

Pacing- Slowing down the tempo to ensure students dont get lost. Giving more time to
experiment with improvisation before playing in front of the class.

Modality- Play a song and have students improvise a dance that goes with the music to
demonstrate a kind of improvisation.