Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Materials
Procedures
1. Students and instructor will discuss rivers, as well as experiences students may have in the past.
QUESTION: Does anyone here enjoy nature, especially the water? Have you ever been on a
boat?
PROMPT: I am going to sing you a song that is about sailing on a river. As you listen, tap
your foot on the floor to keep a steady beat.
2. Students will keep a steady beat and listen as the instructor sings/models Down the River,
accompanied by ukulele.
PROMPT: Now I will sing the song in small segments and you will repeat it after me.
3. Students will repeat phrases after the teacher to learn Down the River. Eventually, more words will
be added until the students completely know the correct pitches and rhythms of the song.
4. The students and teacher will sing Down the River. The teacher will make sure to help students
with lyrics, and intone the beginning so students know the starting pitch.
PROMPT: Now, I am going to sing this song in a way we have not heard it. As I sing, listen
to what is different.
5. Students will listen as the instructor sings the first verse to Down the River, excluding the pick-up
notes.
QUESTION: What did you notice about the song this time when I sang it? How would you
describe it?
PROMPT: Now lets talk about what you observed.
7. The teacher will then write on the board what pick up notes look like in sheet music.
8. The teacher will end the lesson by splitting the class between boys and girls, with one part singing
melody and the other the descant. This will create harmony. After the performance, the teacher will hand
students an exit ticket, to be filled out before leaving class. The teacher will walk about the room to hear
students singing the correct pitches.
PROMPT: As you leave class, please complete the Exit Ticket you just received and fill in
the blanks where necessary.
Follow up Lessons
Future lessons introduce other things in music theory, such as rhythm lessons, to teach students how to
understand reading sheet music.