Content Reflection 3

Broderick Lemke

18 October 2017

EDUC 281

Prompt:

Differentiated instruction goes beyond universal design for learning. Define and name at least 1
strategy appropriate to meet the needs of individual students in each of these categories:

supports

accommodations

modifications

For this prompt, Im going to consider it in the context of a lesson plan that I created for another
class. In the lesson we were learning a new concept called poly-tonality in which multiple keys
are performed in at the same time. I have added the lesson plan at the end of the document for
reference.

Support: During the lesson plan I am sure to include representation of information in many
different formats. I include kinesthetic experiences of the concept by leading the students
through the performance of a poly-tonal scale. They can play, hear and feel what this concept
feels like. This aids students who may have a visual impairment, dyslexia, or who learn better in
this format. I write answers that are given by students on the board, as well as the definitions
that we come up with on the board throughout the lesson, which gives visual cues for students
who may need visual reminders, or with hearing impairments. Throughout the lesson I also
verbally explain the concept to students and provide listening examples for auditory learners.
This helps students who may struggle with reading or experiencing the concept by providing
another avenue in which to experience it.

Accommodations: I do not have any particular accommodations built into the lesson plan, but
there are several that I could make. Seating students closer/further from the board, providing
braille music to students with visual impairments, having word-banks for students who struggle
with memory, instrumental modifications for students with unique mobility situations, speaking
through a voice amplification system for students with hearing impairments, and allowing extra
time or other formats for the exit slip at the end, to name a few accommodations.

Modifications: There are several modifications that could be made for students in this lesson
plan. Students with visual impairment could be asked to do more aural exercises rather than
visual identification. Similarly, students with hearing impairments could have a visual example
on their exit slip. This way the curriculum is modified and what is expected, but theyre still held
to high standards of learning and showing that they know the concept, even if it is just a different
part of the concept. Additional modifications could be made in the sight-reading portion by
lowering the accuracy expectations for students who have trouble processing complex visual
information. They will still be able to get to the end result, but lowering the initial expectations for
the first time playing through, would be the best modification to the curriculum, and would also
serve to help give a bigger way of showing improvement by the end.
Teacher Broderick Lemke

Title Exploring New Approaches to Tonality through Lincolnshire Posy

Central Students will identify and perform alternatives to homophonic tonality including
Focus (CF) the compositional techniques of bitonality, polytonality, modality, non-traditional
cadences, organum, counterpoint, and the use of tone clusters. Students will
describe reasons that a composer may utilize techniques that do not fall under
the umbrella of homophonic tonality, and compose music that utilize the above
techniques.

Learning Students will identify new harmonic techniques presented in the first two
Target (LT) movements of Lincolnshire Posy (Lisbon and Horkstow Grange). Students will
define the terms bitonality, polytonality, and parallel organum. Students will
listen to recorded examples they have not heard before and identify whether
they exhibit traditional homophonic tonality or a new technique learned that day.

Academic Bitonality Material presented in two different, clearly identifiable key

Language areas at the same time.
Polytonality Material presented in multiple key areas at the same
time. Polytonal passages can have two or more key areas
present at a time.
Parallel Organum A technique used in early music in which a plain
chant would be presented in one voice and followed in
parallel motion in another voice.
Counterpoint A set of strict rules, that when followed
compositionally, create a set of independent melodies.
Modality A set of intervals used to construct a scale. This extends
beyond our major and minor scalar system and opens up
other formulae for creating scale.
Non-traditional Cadences Cadences that do not follow typical
authentic or half cadence patterns. These may be avoided on
purpose to create a sense of tonal ambiguity, but as phrases
still can end, cadences are formed through other means. This
can be accomplished through rhythm, texture, tempo, or
through a new harmonic language.
Tone Cluster A collection of pitches that normally comprise of three
adjacent scale tones. More generally, a tightly packed
collection of pitches that does not fit into the common
definition of triads or seventh chords.
Previous Students will be versed in basic tonal practices, including concepts of key,
Knowledge cadence, functional harmony (basic Tonic-Predominant-Dominant-Tonic
movement), triads, seventh chords, and modulation.
Instruction Teacher Does: Students Do:
Inquiry The teacher will lead the students through the normal Students will
warm-up routine of tuning, and then playing through a participate in the
scale as a group. The teacher will say that they are typical warm-up
going to try something that may sound odd to the routine. Students will
students. They will ask low brass and wind players to play the appropriate
play their B-flat concert scale, while middle voices play scale they were
their F major scale, and upper voices play their C major assigned and listen to
scale. The students will know these scales from how it sounds to them.
previous lessons. The teacher will ask students to listen
to how they sound as an ensemble as they play
multiple scales at the same time.

The teacher will ask for descriptive musical words from

students to describe how it sounded. If necessary the
teacher will prompt students to use a word-bank of
musical vocabulary. The teacher will write some of Using previous
these descriptions on the board, and then ask the vocabulary, students
students to get out their piece by an Australian will describe the new
composer. In the previous lesson the teacher will have sound concept of
distributed parts to Lincolnshire Posy, and given a basic poly-tonality without
historical rundown of the piece, focusing on three main knowing its name.
points:

1. The composers country of origin

2. The term ethnomusicology and its
definition
3. A brief description of the work and the
fact that it is a set of recorded folk-songs, set
rather literally into a musical format.

The teacher will ask students to identify the three key Students will identify
points to review the previous lesson, writing them on the three key points
the board, prompting if necessary. from the previous
lesson as a class.
The teacher will ask the class to sight read the first Students will sight-read
movement, titled Lisbon. After the initial run through, the first movement.
the teacher will ask students to play the first verse of
the piece again (mm. 1-17), and students who do not
play in the opening are tasked with describing the
music. The teacher will guide students toward using Students will listen to
similar words used to describe the scalar warm-up the first verse and
exercise. describe the
characteristics of its
The teacher will then relate the two exercises and say sound.
that this technique is the first of several they are going
to be learning about through this piece that Grainger
uses to avoid traditional homophonic tonal language.
The teacher will define polytonality, writing the
definition on the board. The teacher will ask each
group of instruments to play the opening phrase on
their own, each being in a single key, and then putting
them together. The teacher will explain that the keys Students will play in
that are put together can have a variety of feelings and small groups their
sounds, a range of consonance and dissonances as well. section of the piece.
The teacher will play on the piano an example of a C This will give the
major scale with G major on top as a rather consonant teacher an opportunity
poly-tonal relationship, followed by a C major scale to assess sight-reading
with a C-sharp major scale on top as an example of a skills of small sections,
dissonant relationship. The teacher will ask students if while the students
they think the relationship in Lisbon is more or less listen to the difference
consonant. The answer of more-consonant will be between single lines
explained by introducing parallel organum. The teacher and parallel lines.
will either pass out or project a reduction of the score
to show a visual example of the parallel movement.
The teacher will define parallel organum and play an
th
example of 9 century organum. The teacher will help
connect the ideas of organum and polytonality by
pointing out the juxtaposition of a modern technique
(polytonality) and the old technique of organum and
how both have similarities.
The teacher will move onto the second movement, and
following a similar process point out the bitonal
trumpet melody over the F-flat major seventh chord.
The teacher will define the term bitonality and ask
students to find the difference between polytonality
and bitonality. They teacher will point out that bitonal
pieces are polytonal, but not all polytonal pieces are
bitonal. The concept can be explored further through
techniques of having a group of students sustain a
chord while another group of students improvises in
another key on top of it. The teacher will move onto
another piece at the end of these definitions, and come
back to assess at the end of class. The teacher can
compare and contrast to the tonality in other pieces.
Assessment The teacher will hand out an exit slip with the following
questions:

Define in your own words the following terms:

Polytonality ______________________________
Bitonality_________________________________
Parallel Organum __________________________

Listen to the two examples being played. Which

example is polytonal. Please circle your answer and
write a brief comment of why you believe it to be
polytonal.
A B
Why?
_________________________________________

The teacher will play a polytonal excerpt from Charles

Ives Variation on America and a more traditional
homophonic tonal passage from a Chopin Dance piece.
Key features of the polytonal piece will be high
dissonance, and voices moving in parallel motion. The
teacher can use this assessment to clear up
misconceptions in the next class period and evidence of
student learning. Exit slips will be used frequently and
it will be made clear that the only grade given on them
is for completion and effort, not for correct answers.
This is an informal assessment and they will not be
penalized for incorrect answers as they are still
learning.