"Music Practice Methods and Music Practice Techniques"

That Accelerate Your Playing Abilities

For music practice methods, the path is laid out as we have discussed with music learning methods. To truly apply a music practice technique, it will be up to you to take the time needed to accomplish the work. You either take action or not to practice music. That will be the ultimate determination as to your success and whether the music practice technique is effective. Our pages and workbooks have provided the outline and the path, you must apply the energy. We know if you have the drive, we are preaching to the choir. OK, pun intended. And believe us, we hope this is the case. You are the master of your journey and quest for music.

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How do we practice music without getting bogged down in the rote method of learning? We build it into the material and the music practice methods using our music learning methods. You take it one bite at a time. You dont want to learn it

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all at once. You take a little bit, let it sink in, and then build on the success of the past. You cant jump in and expect to get it all at once.

Short Focused Practice Segments

Therefore learning can and should be developed to allow you to practice 5 minutes or 30 minutes or an hour at a time. Sometimes completing one item may be 10 minutes of practice. Sometimes it may be 2 minutes. But the idea is that it is just one concentrated attention and focused energy. It is much better to take 5 minutes of focused time to master a single concept than it is to play an hour and simply repeat something in a rote fashion and make no progress. So what are you focusing on? Just one thing at a time. Lets say you quickly learn the basic rhythm of 4/4 time. The next step will be focusing on just accenting the first beat of the rhythm. The step after that is focusing on accenting the first and third beat. And then the second and forth beats, etc. By taking these simple steps of concentrated effort you begin your mastery of the theory and your abilities.

What Happens in an Extended Session

To practice music in an extended session you may end up covering five different musical elements (rhythm, chords, scales, or a combined effort of rhythm on scales) of 5 to 8 minutes each and accomplish more ground than if you spent all your time on one thing for the same half hour of unfocused effort.

Wrap Up
By having programed music practice methods built into the music practice process you can quickly absorb and assimilate the music theory and playing ability. The application of special music practice techniques built into your materials makes it easy to flatten the learning curve.

Rhythmic pass plastic cupsto a chosen song.

Children need help learning and remembering the names of their classmates and teacher (or maybe the teacher needs help remembering!?!). Rhythmic passing can turn any familiar song into a name game. Split a large group into circle groups of 6-8 children. Have children face toward inside of their circle. Give everyone two 16 oz. plastic drink cups of the same color. Set cups in front of each person, rim side down on floor or table. Pick a song like "Do Lord". The key word for rhythmic passing on this song is the word "Do". Start with hands on cups. Every time you sing the word "Do", set your two cups in front of the person on your right in the circle. Set the cups so the person next to you can easily grab them and pass the cups when "Do" is sung again. Remember, only pass the cups when you sing the word "Do"! To make this a name game, include 2-3 cups in each circle group that are a different color. At the end of the song, whoever has the different colored cups gets to say their name. Continue singing song and passing cups until everyone has had a chance to say their name. When children get good as passing the cups, put two circle groups together. I love rhythmic passing because it gives your non-singers a way to participate during singing. It also promotes patience and teamwork. (NOTE: rhythmic passing does not work for preschoolers) For a collection of 10 songs with rhythmic passing written in to the music, check out THE ACTION PACK at www.cathysmusic.com

Music Workshop Ideas

Youth Music at Westminster House. Keeping kit to a minimum, but still keeping the wow factor, and maybe spreading the programme over some time to prevent loss of attention. Ambition To move some people on from the last 2 sessions to more quality-focussed product and a more disciplined and rehearsed technique. The outcome will be that the methodology of song writing will be stronger; the knowledge of the constituent parts will be deepened and the quality of the output will be at a pro-standard. Technique

By Moving basic equipment to katies and setting up a field-recording setup, then the sessions can be shortened to maintain attention. As the users are focussing on Vocal skills in Songwriting, and also in electronic arts, the need for studio sessions can be diminished. By using between 8 and 10 sessions, the journey will be longer in timescale but more attentive and hopefully more fruitful. The sessions will be broken into a (loose) timetable as thus. 1) Generating Ideas Listening Back - Discussion a. Sample playback b. Getting a basic groove c. Listening to some nice bassy notes d. Ideas for songs general direction 2) Mapping out the Parts of the Track e. Lyrics f. Melodies and ideas g. Demoing Lyrics and Melodies with a groove 3) Arrangement h. Putting the parts together i. Bass lines and Melodies 4) Backing Track j. Joining the parts k. Percussion ideas l. Keyboards, Guitar, Bass 5) Demoing Vocals 6) Rehearsing and Polishing 7) Recording at Studio. Essentially, by stretching the process into a longer overall time, but shorter hits, will

Analysis Of The Music Industry

Music may be defined romantically as `the food of love' (Shakespeare) or more prosaically as `sound with particular characteristics' (Wikipedia), but it is undeniably a `vibrant artform' (Arts Council England) and one which touches more people, in more ways, than any other art form. In commercial terms, music certainly generates a higher market value than the other arts, although a comprehensive market size for music in all its manifestations is impossible to calculate. Key Note has put a value of 3.03bn on consumer spending on music in 2005, derived from three sectors: recorded

music (which accounts for the bulk of the market), live music and musical instruments. However, data for other related markets are included, such as equipment for home listening and viewing. Recorded music dominates, but this large market is on the cusp of a technological revolution that will eventually transform the way the majority of people buy music. In 2005, most music was bought as compact disc (CD)

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get better grades albums the `single', vinyl and cassette having already become minor sectors but `legal downloading', although still in its infancy, is accelerating rapidly. Key Note forecasts that, by 2010, legal downloading will account for more than a third of consumer spending on recorded music, although the time-lag while older consumers get used to the new technology will mean that CDs will remain the main format for years to come. Recent growth in recorded products has also come from music on digital versatile disc (DVD), which are rapidly replacing videocassettes, and this marks a shift towards a more `visual' appreciation of music and its performers. Young consumers are spending more time accessing music through their computers or televisions, having been brought up on MTV and other music channels in the new digital media environment of multi-channel television and radio. Although radio is now peripheral to television in terms of media consumption, the fact remains that music dominates...

While those of us in Australia are starting to rug up for the winter, I know that the summer break is quickly approaching for the rest of the world. The summer break can be a fantastic opportunity to refresh and revitalise with a well-earned rest, or to undertake your own professional development. It is also an excellent opportunity to expand the skills and knowledge base of your existing students, and to attract new students to your studio by running summer workshops.

Below is a list of 20 workshop ideas 1. The Art of Accompanying 2. Duet Playing 3. Performance Preparation

4. Analysis 5. Musicianship / Aural Skills 6. Intensive Theory 7. Audition Preparation 8. Song Writing 9. Improvisation 10. Composing for your Instrument 11. Local Composers 12. Conducting 13. Beginning Teaching 14. Exam Preparation
15. Music History (a series of workshops focussing on different periods of music)

16. The Music Industry 17. Recording a Demo 18. Writing Grant Applications 19. Putting on a Concert
20. Performance Practices of Musical Periods (a series of workshops focussing on

different periods of music) I publish a brochure advertising the workshops, which outlines the topics, educational objectives and outcomes. I have also found it useful to recommend an appropriate age range for certain workshops, and with more popular workshops I usually schedule multiple sessions aimed at different age groups. When running the workshops I always provide a list of resources (books, scores & recordings) that have been used throughout the workshop, so that students can follow up on composers or pieces of interest afterwards. I have had a lot of success advertising my workshops through other private teachers, and in some cases have had interested teachers come along also! Many of the topics are not instrument-specific; so dont forget to advertise your workshops to teachers of instruments other than your own, and through local networks such as community choirs, local schools and youth orchestras.

Rondo Improvisation
* Ask students to suggest different body percussion moves (tap, clap, snap, beat boxing, stamp, click tongue...etc). Try improvising short patterns as a class, do echo clapping, then do variations... for motivation. * Group students and assign leaders, and use the body percussion movements they thought of to create a pattern. They can concentrate on a particular body movement or do a combination (e.g. clap twice, snap once, clap once) * Improvise their first 4 measure pattern in 4 time or 6/8 time meter -which will serve as their A section (for students who have difficulty improvising, i assist them by asking what body percussion move they can think of and suggest they start using these body percussion

movements using steady beats then start subdividing and doing faster beats) * Have each group perform their A section without mistakes, Once done, proceed to the contrasting section (the B section) and have them improvise a new set of rhythm using probably new hand jives or other body percussion moves. Once done with section B, have them perform their patterns starting from A, then B then back to A (they will definitely have mistakes, but this will be the fun part of improvising as a group). * Proceed to improvising their C section, a new set of rhythm patterns. They can use scat as well ( doo, bee ,doo ...dum, dum bee dum). * Once C section is completed, have them perform it as ABACA sequence, and have them decide what title they want for their work ...have other groups evaluate their performance and give awards to the best group. This activity will be enjoyed by your students. At the same time, they can have time to share their ideas with friends without the fear of not being able to name note values or remembering musical terms.
Sandy Scott Toms

Lesson Plan Subject: Music Lesson Plan Title: Composition in Seven Steps

The lesson plan: -----------------------------------------------------------COMPOSTION IN SEVEN STEPS - 5th grade & above

For this lesson, I would do this example as a class, give them a copy and then a worksheet like this with appropriate spaces and blanks.

(Student(s) has(have) chosen a 2-4 line singularly metered poem excerpt - though teacher may want to control this by offering the choices to simplify meters, language, etc.,) (For e-mail: Rhythm: // = 2 eighth notes; i = one quarter note; b = one half note; b-b (whole); /// = triplet; z = quarter rest; /z = eighth rest / = 1 eighth note)

COMPOSITION IN SEVEN STEPS by Sandy Toms 1. "Speak your lines several times to yourself and mark the accented words (heavy beats) with a ">" over the accented syllables of words. (Might be advisable to have student write out words with dashes between syllables.) example: > > > > Early to bed and early to rise 2. Insert bar lines before accented words except the first word. (Here I'll use /) example: > > > > Early to / bed and / early to / rise /

3. Figure note values by first marking short lines under words for each beat. (Have student tap lightly on knee or desk a steady beat while marking the dashes under words; warn them that some words will have more beats than others and some one syllable words will have more than one word. example: > > > > Early to \ bed and \ early to \ rise \ -----------How many beats do you have in each measure? Write in your meter signature. (2 = 2/4, 3 = 3/4, 4 = 4/4, 6 = 6/8) to the left of the first word. example:3 6 4 Early to \...... or 8 Early to bed \

4. Now put note values under the marks for beats; any notes 'held' for more that one beat should have that value: the word "rise" has 3 so value = dotted half (Here I would put each rhythmic symbol , "=" & number of beats as a crutch) (# of beats: // = 1, i = 1, b = 2, b-i = 3) example: > > > > Early to \ bed and \ early to \ rise \ -----------i i i b i i i i b-i 5. a. Write the words under the staff; b. Draw bar lines on staff between words where bar lines should go(I can't do that here); c. Draw note values right over the words. ________________________________ ________________________________ (Clef)____________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ i i i b i i i i b-i Early to bed and early to rise

6. Now compose a melody to fit the rhythm (Try to have the melody "fit" the words.) Try working with the key of C. Start on either E, G, or C and end the phrase on one of those three notes. Work with only half the phrase at a time. ("Early to bed" then "and early to rise.") As you pencil in possible notes over words, do it lightly (so that you can erase if you want) and be sure to use note values that you wrote in below the staff. (Note: if students are using xylophones and are not adept with note names, have a cheat sheet with names & spaces marked)

7. When sure about the melody, ink it in; practice and perform! (This lesson can be extended or picked up later when doing a unit on chord structure. They can decide and write in chords (I, IV, V7) for the measures.)

Graphic Notation
Notation is the representation of musical sounds in the form of small pictures and symbols. It is a very easy way of notating music, and there are a number of different ways of teaching and using it: 1) Start by teaching the children some symbols which can be used to represent different sounds. For example...
= continuous sound rising in pitch = continuous sound, falling in pitch = continuous sound falling then rising

= continuous sound rising then falling

= continuous sound at same pitch

= short sounds at different pitches

= short sounds rising in pitch

= short sounds falling in pitch

Teach one symbol at a time, demonstrating the types of sound which each symbol represents. Then, draw the above chart onto the board and ask the children to make those sounds (using their voices or other instruments) when you point at the appropriate symbol. When the children are familiar with the symbols and their meanings, draw a 4x4 grid onto the board and fill it with symbols (you could leave some squares blank to represent silence). The grid should be read from left to right and top to bottom. Point at each of the symbols and ask the children to make the appropriate sounds on their instruments.

When they are comfortable with this idea, read the grid in different directions (e.g. right to left, bottom to top, diagonally etc.) The children can now make up their own compositions by filling in a blank grid with symbols. They can then draw this on the board, and the class can play each other's tunes. 2) Draw the following chart on the board:

Number 1 represents a clap Number 2 represents a click of the fingers Number 3 represents a stamp of the feet Number 4 represents a slap of the legs

As with the previous activity, read the chart from left to right and top to bottom, pointing at each number. When you point to the number, the children should make the appropriate sound. Variations:
Use symbols / pictures to represent the sounds rather than numbers. Read the chart in different directions. Ignore certain numbers. For example, do not stamp when number three is pointed to. Split the class into 4 groups - 1 clap group, one click group, one stamp group and one slap group. When the teacher points to a number only the appropriate group should make a sound. Increase the number of sounds and symbols to make the task harder.

The teacher can "play" one line of the grid and the children should work out which line is being played. The teacher could also play columns of the grid. When the children are familiar with this, they can replace the teacher.

3) Ask the children to make up their own symbols to represent different sounds. They are more likely to remember ones which they have created themselves, but there needs to be a fixed set of class symbols for class activities so that the children are all playing the same sounds!
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Pascal Hi, I taught this lesson to a 3rd grade class and it worked. They really enjoyed it. I asked the students to use their voices for the different signs that we created together and then I asked them to sequence three signs of their choice. That way, each group had a different "composition. Now, the next time I see them I would like the students to use the keyboards in order to recreate those sounds and use names of notes to notate their compositions. (they all have a "keyboard" sheet with names of notes on it) Is that too hard for a 3rd grade class considering that they don't play keyboard regularly? Anybody has experience teaching composition to 3rd graders? Please let me know, thank you. Pascal
Viernes, 12 de Febrero de 2010, 05:01:55 p.m.

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Music and Maths

Objective: Students will learn how maths and music are related. The students will understand how mathematical addition is applied to music. To help them understand this concept the students will be learning note values while reviewing addition. The students will add musical notes together and come up with a real number as the answer. Students will be able to understand addition beyond their textbooks in real practical terms. Materials: Paper, Pencil, Sheet Music worksheet Visual Resources: Poster showing note and rest values Procedure:
Introduce students to the concept of addition and music. Give an example of an addition problem using both real numbers and musical notes. Review the four basic note values with students. Demonstrate what those note values sound like. Demonstrate a couple of problems with the students on the board. Show them how they can add a quarter note to a half note and come up with an answer of three. Give the students a few problems to do on their own. Go over the problems with the students, calling on them to write their answers on the board. Have students create their own problems with the answers to them. Review with the students why addition is used in music and the importance of it.

Assessment: Have students do five addition problems using notes as their product. Have students create ten different addition problems with answers using notes to create them with 80% accuracy. Students will orally describe why math is important to other subject areas, such as music.
http://www.teachingideas.co.uk/music/contents02compositionnotation.htm

Photo Soundtracks
An activity I've used with Year 3 children... Using the schools environment as a stimulus for producing a soundscape. Take digital photos of around the school representing a variety of different aspects (natural, man-made etc). Look especially for patterns e.g. gates, bricks. Enhance these using any photo software and print onto OHP slides in colour. Discuss with the children previous composition projects and suggest ways of producing a 'sound track' to

the slides as in a film. You could combine the pictures using Windows Movie Maker, iMovie, or with sites like Animoto. Present their music in assembly, find ways of recording their composition for the future.

Name Beats
PREP: Go through your class roll / register and figure out two beat rhythms that fit each students first name. There will probably be many TAs, many TA TAs and a few Ti-Ti TAs, with a couple of others. Count up how many you have. IN CLASS: Clap each rhythm and ask the children to raise their hand if they think that rhythm is them (most should get this). Put the students into groups based on their rhythms, with a different instrument or vocal sound for each group. Let them practice their rhythm for 2-5 minutes, then create a piece by layering the different rhythms together. Once you have demonstrated this, let some of the students have a turn at choosing which parts to add or remove from the layering

Composing with Quotes

I usually want to make it interesting for my students especially when it's composition time. I have collected a lot of quotes about music and I choose the cool ones that will suit their taste. I give them each a copy of 10-15 quotes and make them choose one and write it down in their Music notebook. I ask them to syllabicate each word, after which we use Pentatones (depending on their choice do or Sol or La pentatone )for assigning tones and putting music on to the quotation. I usually recall with them the tones that belong to each pentatone and I ask a student to write it on the board for their guide (Ex. Do Pentatone - D R M S L). I ask them to write down one pitch below each syllable in each of the words and afterwards I check if their syllabication is correct and if they have not forgotten to assign a tone for each of the syllables. The best part is when a student finishes, he/she gets a merit or an applause from the class. I then start to play his/her composition while the rest of the class are doing work and listening as I play on the piano. I just assign a nice sounding chord as I play the composition and afterwards sing the quotation while I play....and this is when they would start to work really quick because each of them wants their composition played in the class! This takes 2 weeks maximum to finish their composition because after I play each of the compositions, we still have to notate them on the staff to make it really look like an original composition. We compile or we display it afterwards. I also usually ask them to vote for the best ones they would be listening to and I give prizes. The students love this activity.

Note Value Chants

This chanting/memory game about rhythmic note values is to challenge students' memory. Teacher chants and students echo:

1) Whole Note - 4 2) Dotted Half - 3 3) Half Note - 2 4) Quarter Note - 1 5) Eighth Note - 1/2 6) Sixteenth Note - 1/4 After this process is repeated several times the teacher will say "1) Whole Note" and the students will have to say 4 or The teacher will say "I receive four" and the class would say "Whole Note, Whole Note" The process can go in any order to challenge the students! You can play this game however you want in whatever manner. It helps to reinforce note values! The process can even start out slow and get faster- which would tie in tempo. I suppose you can even add dynamics to it as well. http://www.lessonplanspage.com/Music45.htm
Composing Unit - Rhythm charts by Suzanne Geer Grades 5,6,7,8 Objective - Have students create original rhythm charts. Materials - 1) a variety of rhythm instruments 2) copies of blank rhythm charts 3) a baton for the students to conduct with Students are shown a copy of a sample rhythm chart. (X means you play) Students volunteer to perform this chart for the class. Beat 1 2 3 4 x x x x x x

Instrument Hand drum Triangle Tambourine

1 2 3 4 x x x x x x

1 2 3 4 x x x x x x

1 2 3 4 x x x x x x

Hand out blank rhythm charts. Discuss with students strong beats (1/3) vs. weak beats (2/4). Have them select 2 or 3 instruments to write a rhythm chart for. In pencil, students write a rhythm chart, experimenting with the instruments. Have students perform their rhythm charts for the class. Let each individual "composer" select the musicians. The composer should also act as conductor, keeping a steady beat with the baton. Have the students briefly analyze (verbally) what they heard. You can expand this lesson plan to 6/8 and/or 3/4 meter.

The next step is to have the students compose a rhythm chart to an existing song. Well known folk songs work well (Skip to My Lou, Oh, When the Saints, Go Tell Aunt Rhodie, Yankee Doodle, etc.) In order to perform the rhythm chart for the class, the teacher will need to perform the melody while the "rhythm band" performs the rhythm chart. Students can also devise their own evaluation sheet to "grade" each rhythm chart. This will keep the students who are not currently performing on task and attentive to the students who are performing. A more complex rhythm chart can include eighth notes. Some students will naturally want to create more complex rhythms. Teacher should encourage this.

Blank rhythm charts are easy to create. Name ____________________________ Date _________ Beat Instrument 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 # 1_______________________________________________________ # 2_______________________________________________________ # 3_______________________________________________________ # 4_______________________________________________________
(Be sure to draw in vertical lines to separate the different beats) Title - Let's Write a Song By - Kenneth E Fox Primary Subject - Music Secondary Subjects - Math Grade Level - 4-5 Concept / Topic To Teach: A Fun Lesson on Music Writing/ Composition Standards Addressed: General Goal(s): One of the problems with teaching musical notation is that it is NOT information that the students feel that they need to know, but by explaining to the students that they will need to know the "rules" in order to write a song for their classroom teacher, they will learn how to relate notation to information that they need to use. Specific Objectives: The students will learn how to write a measure of music based on given rules. The students will also learn where high notes and low notes appear on the staff. Required Materials: *Blackboard *chalk *an instrument (band or orchestra) *camera *Blackboard staff marker Anticipatory Set (Lead-In): The teacher can start by asking how many students know how to write a song. Today, you will learn how to write a song, then I will play it for your classroom teacher. Step-By-Step Procedures: After the lead-in, the teacher will start by writing the "rules" on the blackboard; Measure=music contained between two bar lines (Written) four over four=4 beats in the measure and the quarter note gets the beat (Written) quarter note=one beat

(Written) (Written) (Written) (Written) etc.

half note=two beats eight note=1/2 beat quarter rest=one beat half rest=two beats

The teacher will then call up small groups (a single row of students) and tell them to write a measure, giving each student a note. The teacher can assist or guide them but tell them that the notes can be placed anywhere within the staff as long as they follow the rules. The teacher can then involve the rest of the class by having them check their work and decide if their measure "follows the rules". The teacher can then call up the next group and have them begin on the next measure and so on the teacher can then add the last measure as a resolution and then play the song but first, ask each group to raise their hands when they hear their measure being played. Since the blackboard has to be erased, the students will want a record of their song, so the teacher can then have each group come back up and point to "their" measure for the teacher to take a picture. When the regular classroom teacher returns, the music teacher plays the class song for him/her. Plan For Independent Practice: Closure (Reflect Anticipatory Set): Since you have a picture of the student's song, later or at another lesson you can play their song again and ask the students what they liked about it or didn't like-have open classroom discussion Assessment Based On Objectives: The teacher will play the student-composed song on an instrument and comment on its originality. Adaptations (For Students With Learning Disabilities): This is a great lesson for LD students because there are no restrictions for note placement. Extensions (For Gifted Students): Gifted students can expand into using combinations of eighth notes and rests. Possible Connections To Other Subjects: Connections to Math are apparent here.

E-Mail Kenneth E Fox!

Title - Munchy Music and Musical Money By - Diane Hamilton Primary Subject - Music Grade Level - K-5 Objective: Compose music using minor third (S and M) Materials: M & M's or Skittles, Pennies, (4-6 per student depending on whether eighth notes are going to be used) Craft Sticks, (4-6) envelopes with two lines drawn across (one per student) Procedures: Using overhead as a model, show students how to lay one M & M or penny on the top line (cutting it in half) and one on the bottom line. Repeat using the other 2 M & M's. Lay the craft sticks on the right side of the M & M's to make a quarter note "ta". Ask students to sing

their Munchy Music. Instruct students to copy another pattern from your example, then sing it. When students are secure in singing the patterns, ask them to create one of their own and sing it. If they can sing it, they get to eat it. If they cannot sing it, help them to create one they can sing. Sometimes they sing something different than what they write. Help them to see if the note goes up or down and then write what they sing, rather than just moving the notes around again and again. If students have knowledge of eighth notes, add one M and M or penny and two more sticks, using one across the top to make one set of eighth notes. Older students can add more notes and eighth notes.

E-Mail Diane Hamilton!

Title - Lesson on Creating a Sound Map By - Sabrina LaPointe Primary Subject - Music Grade Level - 3-8 Title: Creating a Sound Map Standards: Performing on instruments Reading and notating music Goals:

1. To read notated rhythms correctly 2. To correctly use classroom instruments

Materials: Recording of chosen song Classroom instruments Classroom chalkboard or dry erase board Procedure: 1. Choose a song that the class has been working on (I used "In the Hall of the Mountain King" by Grieg). Have the students list all instruments that they hear playing throughout the piece. List all correct instruments on the board. 2. Show the students each instrument you have laying out (choose appropriate, non-pitched ones beforehand) and ask them how to play each one. Put out enough instruments so that there are at least two students per instrument type, preferably more depending on class size. 3. Lead the class in composing a sound map on the board by choosing one instrument and playing along with the song recording. As a class, decide whether that instrument sounds good with the recording, or if another one should be chosen. Write each chosen instrument in order on the board as you go. (Each instrument you have out will be used, but here you are deciding in what order they should play.) 4. Next decide how many measures you want each instrument to play and write the number next to the instrument name on the board (so for example drum = x3 and so forth). Practice without

the recording and have students perform on instruments when indicated. 5. Now decide on a rhythm for each instrument to play. (I usually keep it simple to start with, mostly quarter and eighth notes and quarter rests.) A suggestion would be to have high-pitched instruments play faster rhythms with more eighth note patterns, and low-pitched instruments play slower rhythms with more quarter notes and rests. That way the low-pitched instruments serve as a bass line for everyone else. 6. Practice playing the sound map without the recording to make sure everyone knows when, where and what to play. Go over any trouble spots and take suggestions for changes as you go. 7. Try the sound map with the recording, pointing to each rhythm as it appears. On the first runthrough, it may be helpful to call out each instrument name to keep them on track. 8. Try it a few more times, then switch instruments. I've found that my 3rd and 4th grade students really like the challenge of following the sound map. My 6th and 7th graders even took it one step further and made their own personal sound maps to an approved song of choice, which we all performed in class. This lesson really keeps the students involved and helps them to own and love their Music time!

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Title - Composing songs for any theme (unit) By - Michelle Monize Primary Subject - Music Secondary Subjects - Science, Language Arts Grade Level - 3-4 Materials needed: Bulletin board paper or butcher paper Markers Rhythm in a Bag sets Various non-pitched instruments Piano or other pitched instrument I wanted to have a spring concert completely based on songs that had to do with frogs, but I didn't find many that were suitable to fill an entire concert, so I decided to have my 3rd graders write their own songs. There are 5 sections of 3rd grades in my school and each class wrote their own song. This added 5 songs to my concert repertiore! This has been an ongoing project throughout the school year and the kids have loved it! Lesson one: We talked about general characteristics of songs (rhyming lyrics, patterns in the melodies, use of varying rhythms that included rests, time signature, etc.) to start off our discussion. I asked if they thought it would be difficult to write a song, and I told them we would be working on our own class projects to perform a song that they had written for the Spring Concerts. This was really exciting to them. I told them that each section of 3rd grade would have their own unique

theme regarding frogs for their songs. We brainstormed different aspects of a frog's life such as eating, jumping, swimming, habitats, colors/kinds of frogs, etc. Each class voted for their favorite topic. The goal for each class was to have 12 - 16 lines that rhymed to create our lyrics. I had the class begin with a first line of the song. They all wrote it down and took it home to see if they could come up with rhymes. Many of them came back with entire pages the next week! Lesson two: To make sure this stayed a class project, we took bits and pieces (by vote) from several student's work and began to build our poem/lyrics. We tried different ways to say the rhymes (holding out words for two beats, inserting rests, etc.). We changed the order of lines to see what made the most sense. Everything was voted on by the class. When the lyrics were finalized, the students wrote them on a large piece of bulletin board paper from the rolls in the teacher's work room. This way, we didn't have to keep re-writing them each class period. We spaced it out to leave room to work between the lines so that when we starting notating rhythms and melodies, we would have the room to do so. We got used to our poems by reciting them over and over as a class. I told them that the next time we worked on them we would begin writing the music to it. Some kids were nervous about the idea of it, but most were really excited. Lesson three: We reviewed our poems and made any revisions that needed to be made. We made sure we had 12 - 16 lines that rhymed and were ready to be rhythmically notated. At this point, I split the students up in to several groups of 2 - 3 students and gave each group a set of "Rhythm In a Bag." These contain plastic pieces that represent a ta, ti ti, and a rest. The only thing missing was the half note. My goal was to make sure all of those notes listed and the quarter rest were included at least one time in their songs. I assigned each group a measure or a phrase depending on how long the phrases were. Their job was to come up with a rhythm that fit the number of syllables in their assigned lyrics without going over 4 beats in a measure. This made them have to add note values. They notated it with the Rhythm in a Bag sets. Then they shared it with the class. We talked about how each group's could be varied slightly, then we took a vote on whether we liked the original one or the varied one. This let me help guide those students who had awkward or difficult rhythm while still using their work. Once we decided all of the rhythms, we notated that on the paper so it would be recorded for future use. We practiced saying and clapping the rhythms as a group and as individuals. NOTE: I took a couple of weeks off from creating but we kept rehearsing the rhythms and lyrics for a few weeks to become familiar with the song. Lesson four: The next lesson, we reviewed rhythms and started to make changes to them if needed. Keeping in mind that I wanted them to use a half note, we talked about what they were and found places where they could be placed in the rhythms. We had to add the counts up to make sure we weren't going over 4 beats in each measure. Then we reviewed what we had learned in class in other lessons concerning solfege syllables, melodies, etc. We talked about patterns in melodies or motives. We made it a goal to create a

pattern or a motive to use in the song. Then I split them back up in to groups of 2 - 3 students. Each student had a set of resonator bells. I assigned them different pitches that they could use (in order for me to fit an accompaniment with it later with a decent chord pattern). Some groups got sets of resonator bells that only had their assigned pitches to help eliminate mistakes. We talked about keeping the rhythm the same as what was already written. I let the groups practice different patterns of their notes to their rhythm to come up with a melody for their assigned phrase. We went through the same process as when we composed the rhythms, sharing them with the class, making a variation of what they composed using guided instruction from me, and then took a vote. Once we were done, we noticed where there was a motive or not and made the necessary changes. NOTE: Before the next lesson, I re-wrote the melody on new paper with the lyrics so that the kids would have it all together and could read it all at once. We took a few weeks familiarizing ourselves with the melodies. I wanted them to be memorized. Lesson five: I have a digital piano with preset rhythms in it, so again, I gave them a few options and set their melodies to the rhythms. No class could have the same rhythm as another. We took votes on the rhythms they liked with it. We practiced singing the song several times with the new rhythm. Next we defined an ostinato. I told the class we would now be creating different instrumental parts such as an ostinato to accompany themselves at the concert. Again, using the Rhythm in a Bag sets, different small groups of students created a 4-beat or 8-beat rhythmic ostinato to accompany themselves. The class voted on their favorites. At this point, I did not choose to create a variation. We practiced with the song playing on the digital piano: one group singing and the other group clapping the ostinato pattern. Then we switched parts. We decided what non-pitched instrument (by vote) we wanted to use for this ostinato. Lesson six: We created 1 or 2 more ostinatos depending on their success from last week. We added them to the song. Lesson seven: We began to discuss melodic ostinatos. Using the bass xylophone and alto xylophone, the students created melodic ostinatos that would work with their song. This was much more difficult for them because they had to make the ostinato fit the chord progressions. In some cases, it was impossible, which was a good learning experience as well. I took those opportunities to teach them another difference between an ostinato and an accompaniment. Lesson seven: We reviewed the songs for the concert and assigned parts for each student. We had a chorus of singers, and small groups of students playing each different part. When we put it all together, they were amazed at what they had created!

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Title - Symphonies - Peter and the Wolf By - Rebecca Hughes

Primary Subject - Music Secondary Subject - Language Arts Grade Level - 4 - 5 Story Telling Through Music - Symphonies - Peter and the Wolf (This lesson is the third in a series of lessons on story telling through music. The other two lessons focus on musicals and operas.) Objectives: The fourth and fifth grade students will discover how stories are told through symphonies by: 1. Analyzing the story of "Peter and the Wolf" 2. Creating their own story using characters from "Peter and the Wolf." Standards: VIII. MAKING CONNECTIONS. Understanding relationships between music, the other arts, and disciplines outside the arts. a. Explain the role of music in life experiences, celebrations, community functions, and special events. c. Explain how the principles and subject matter of disciplines outside the arts interrelate with those of music.

IX. RELATING TO HISTORY AND CULTURE. Understanding music in relation to history and culture. a. Listen to examples of music from various historical periods and world cultures and identify the pieces by genre or style. Materials:

Web-diagram worksheet (This work sheet is on an 8 1/2 by 11 sheet of paper and is laid out in landscape formation. In the top right hand corner there are five lines and below these lines, there is a web-diagram that has one inner circle and five outer circles. The lines are to be used to summarize Prokofiev's story. The title of the story goes in the center circle of the web-diagram, and in the five outer circles the students write in a character's name and the instrument that portrays them. The left side of the paper is the same, except the web-diagram is in the top left hand corner and the lines are on the bottom left hand corner. In this web diagram, the center circle is for the title of the student's story and the outer circles are for characters and the instruments that portray them. The lines are where the student will write their own story.) Smartboard

1.

Procedure: Review Prokofiev's story of Peter and the Wolf at the smart board

The review will be 10 minutes long During this time the students may not talk unless called upon After this time, they will have plenty of time to talk Use the smart board as well as the website http://www.philtulga.com/Peter.html This website contains the story as well as the musical themes for each character Discuss the actual story line and how it is not too exciting. Tell the students that they could come up with a much more interesting story to tell through a symphony.

2. Web-Diagram exercise
The students will get into groups and work on the web-diagram worksheet The worksheet requires them to summarize Prokofiev's story as well as list all of the characters and the instruments that portray them The students must also pick at least four characters from the story and portray them with a different instrument (tell why instrument chosen) The students must then write their own story of Peter and the Wolf (must be at least 5 sentences long). I will place on the board a checklist with all of these details

Closure: If there is time at the end, all groups will share their stories with the class during class meeting. Assessment: Observe the student's accuracy in their understanding of Prokofiev's story through the discussion during the first 10 minutes of class. Test the students' accuracy in their knowledge of Prokofiev's story and in their creativity in creating their own story. This will be done through a web-diagram worksheet.

Title - Instrument making By - Kaja Primary Subject - Music Secondary Subjects Grade Level - 3-6 Instrument making You can have fun making simple instruments with children. For example cutting the ends of straws in a "V" shape, flattening them and then blowing hard will produce interesting sounds! Experiment with the length of straws. Discuss relationship between length and pitch. Discuss how length of air columns affect sound in things like recorders etc.

Try rubber band guitars. Use a sturdy box with a lid. Cut a circle in the top for the sound hole. Stretch rubber bands, or elastic (eg hat elastic) around the box and lift elastic up off the box with pencils each end to avoid buzzing. Discuss the effect of different lengths of elastic, different thickness, and different tensions and how it affects pitch. Explain similarities with guitars and violins and other string instruments. Try a prayer drum or ape drum: Cut the ends off 2 balloons. Stretch them over 2 large coffee lids. Tape a pencil to the back of one, to act as a handle. Attach a string to the pencil and on each end of the string, place a small bead. (Make sure the bead is placed in the right spot, so that when it swings around, it will hit the balloon). Attach the 2 coffee lids together with tape, enclosing the pencil. Put pencil between palms and rub together. The string and beads should swing around to hit the balloons on either side, producing a great sound. Discuss effect of tightness of balloons on the pitch and volume of sound. Discuss applications to other instruments eg) tambours, drums etc. Water jars. Find a collection of jars and experiment until you can create the notes d r m f s l and then paint the water level on the outside so you will know next time. Get the kids to arrange the jars in order from lowest to highest pitch. Tap jars and play "Mary had a little lamb" or "Twinkle little star" etc. Discuss the effect of depth of water, container size and shape, glass thickness, etc. How do they affect the pitch? Experiment with identical containers too! Try some bottle maracas! Fill drink bottles with different objects, pens and pencils, buttons, rice, etc. Try ping pong balls cut a drink container in half, put the balls in and retape, decorating the container. It's amazing how many kids can't work out how the balls got in there! Talk about volume and texture of sound. I hope you have fun with some of these ideas. Kaja

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Title - What's That Pattern? By - Jennifer Dalke Subject - Music, Language Arts, Math Grade Level - 4-5 What's That Pattern? Learning Standards: 25.A.2c, 25.B.2, 26.B.2c, 27.A.2b Integrated Subjects: Math, Language Arts Instructional Goals: * Students will begin to understand how pieces of music are constructed and the different parts

that make up a song * Students will work in pairs to construct unique songs Materials: * Paper * Different instruments (drum, flute, recorder, organ, maracas, etc) Anticipatory Set: 1. The teacher will play part of a popular song to the class. After the class has listened to the song once, the teacher will play it again. This time, the class will be instructed to listen carefully to find a pattern in the music. 2. After the students describe what they think the pattern/s may be, the teacher will give the students some definitions of what a pattern is. The teacher will also explain to the children that music actually consists of many parts, the pattern being one of the most important. Then, the teacher will play some simple patterns on different instruments. The teacher should give volunteers the chance to try, too. Activities: 1. The teacher will ask the students to pair themselves up with a partner. Then, the teacher will pass out different instruments to each pair of students. 2. Next, the students will be instructed to work together to produce a song. They will need to use the instrument to make up a pattern, and then they will need to make up words to a short song about school that will go along with the music. 3. Students should be given about a half an hour to complete this project. 4. When all the students have finished their songs, each group will come up to the front of the room to perform their song. The rest of the class will try to imitate the performing group's pattern with their own instruments. 5. If other teachers will permit, the class may take their show to other classrooms to perform 6. If time permits, the students can brainstorm different commercials that they know that have patterns, and they can try to play them with the instruments. Teacher's Role: The teacher's role In this activity is to inform the students about patterns in music. Once the teacher has helped the children to recognize the parts and patterns of music, the children should use their own creativity to produce their own songs. Creative Question Suggestions: 1. How do patterns work within songs to make you feel a certain way? 2. Can patterns be different lengths? 3. How many times must a sound or group of sounds repeat in order to be considered a pattern? 4. Was this activity easy or difficult? What made it so? Did you find it easy or frustrating to work with a partner on this project? Troubleshooting: * Some students may choose to use the instruments for purposes other than the assigned project. If this occurs, tell the students that they have a fun twist to their assignment- one student needs to write the words and the other needs to compose the music, but they cannot put them together until their performance. Evaluation: 1. Students will be evaluated on their cooperation with their classmates. Did they work well with another student? Did they work on the assignment?

2. Did the students produce a song with a pattern? Did they use what they learned to use the instrument and words to make a patterned song? Title - Dynamics By - Melissa Vincent Primary Subject - Music Grade Level - 1-5 Objectives: Learn dynamic terminology -- Italian words and abbreviations Demonstrate dynamic levels with our voices and with our bodies.

Standards: 1. Singing, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music. 6. Listening to, analyzing, and describing music. Vocabulary: Dynamics: pianissimo, piano, mezzo-piano, mezzo-forte, forte, fortissimo, crescendo, decrescendo Materials: 1) A pack of flash cards for each student with each dynamic term abbreviation: pp-ff, crescendo and decrescendo 2) Recording of Hall of the Mountain King. 3) Song: Forte Piano from Music K-8 Magazine Vol. 13-1. 4) Song: John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt Anticipatory Set: When students are settled, play a piece of music that clearly demonstrates dynamics. I use The Hall of the Mountain King because it is great for hearing that gradual crescendo. Have the students listen and then describe the piece. Ask how the music differed from the beginning to the end. (It was soft at the beginning and loud at the end.) Today we are going to learn about dynamics, the volume of music, and learn how to speak some Italian, too! Procedure/ Modeling: 1) Display flash cards with each dynamic term starting with p and f. 2) Discuss Italian words and abbreviations. 3) Speak words at the correct dynamic level and have students echo you. 4) Continue with pp and ff. 5) Add mp and mf. 6) Finish with crescendo and decrescendo. For crescendo and decrescendo, have students speak 1-10 each, then both. (1-5 for crescendo and 6-10 for decrescendo). Guided Practice: 1) Teach song John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt. 2) Choose six children to stand up front holding the dynamic flash cards for pp through ff. 3) Sing one verse at f and at the "la, la, las" at ff. 4) Each subsequent verse should be one dynamic level softer while keeping the "las" loud. 5) As their dynamic level is sung, the child with corresponding flash card holds it up high above their head. (The students that are sitting can use their own flash cards to display the dynamic level as well.)

Check for Understanding: 1)Bring back the Hall of the Mountain King. 2)This time as the students listen, they will show their flash cards as they hear each dynamic level occur. 3)Of course, the students will begin with pp and end with ff. 4)Ask, "What is it called when music gradually goes from piano to forte?" "Crescendo." Independent Practice: 1) Teach song. Forte Piano. (This song is really good for teaching the dynamic terms.) 2) Now add motions to the song. 3) Have students experiment either with partner or individual with movements that would go along with forte and with piano. (My kids usually make big wide motions or movements for forte and little, small ones for piano.) 4) Sing the song and do the motions they created. Closure: 1)Go over flash cards one last time as quickly as you can. 2)Sing Forte Piano as they leave. Assessment: 1) Teacher observation. Adaptations/Extensions: This is a lesson that could be added to any unit about dynamics. There are many good listening selections that can give the students more practice with dynamics. You could also apply what I did with the song, "John Jacob" to any song that the students are familiar with.

Songs Used: "Money" and "Another Brick in the Wall Part II" both from Pink Floyd's Delicate Sound of Thunder. I chose two songs from the same group and the samples that I chose to use have no words in them. I thought that by doing this, it would limit any influential factors that might affect the feelings evoked by the song. Another good thing to do would be to not tell the students the name of the band or song before they hear it. Musical Element: Mood (evoked through music) Grade: Fifth Concept: Feelings are expressed through music. Objectives: The students will: Listen to two different songs. Use their materials to draw/write a physical representation of how a song makes them feel. Discuss what it is about the song that evokes certain feelings. Materials Needed: Crayons (or fingerpaints, markers, colored pencils), large white paper (one sheet per student), tape player/c.d. player, music samples chosen by teacher Preliminary Procedures: Ask the students how many of them have ever been riding in the car and heard a song they liked so much that they wanted to turn up the radio. Ask how many of them have been in a bad mood and heard a song that made them feel better.

Procedures: 1. Pass out one sheet of paper/student and crayons. 2. Explain to the students that they will be listening to music and they are to color orwrite about how a particular song makes them feel. Tell them that if they need help, they should use their "mind's eye." 3. Play the first 1 1/2 min. sample of music. Students should be writing or drawing on their paper. 4. Play the second 1 1/2 min. sample of music. Students should write or draw on their paper. 5. Have students share their pictures/writing from the songs. Evaluation: Since feelings are individual and students responses may vary, the best way to evaluate this lesson is to collect their papers. From these, determine if students see the connection between music and feelings. Follow - up: As a group, discuss what it was about the songs that made them feel certain feelings. Possible answers include repetition, rhythm, texture, dynamics, etc. __ Title - Emotions: Exploring Feelings By - Becky Ansley Subject - Music, Art, Language Arts, Other Grade Level - 3rd-5th Topic: Emotions: Exploring feelings through music and art Anticipatory Set: Materials & Resources: My Many Colored Days by Dr. Seuss, poster w/colors Procedures: 1. Read My Many Colored Days by Dr. Seuss. Use as a tool for discussion of different emotions. Question how they were portrayed in book. Present poster with colors and ask children to name an emotion for each color. Fill in poster with emotion children decide on. Goals & Objectives: 1. The students will demonstrate through art an understanding of emotions as heard in music. 2. The students will discuss the differences found between major and minor keys in terms of emotions. Input & Modeling: Materials & Resources: art supplies per group: colored pencils, crayons, markers, colored chalk, and multi-colored paper, Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 17 in G, K453 III (7:48), Mahler's Symphony No 11. III, Funereal March (10:56), Robert Schumann's Perfect Happiness (:45), Chopin's Prelude in E Minor Op. 28 (2:01) Procedures: 2. Explain how emotions can also be found in music. Listen to short examples (Robert Schumann's Perfect Happiness, & Chopin's Prelude in E Minor Op. 28). Have students call out emotions and colors as felt. Discuss, relating emotions to colors. 3. Listen to Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 17 in G (major key). Children draw pictures using any available supplies. Teacher also participates, while observing and monitoring the class.

Guided Practice: Procedures: 4. At the end of the music, break students into small groups of 2-3. In these groups, they must explain how they felt, and why they used the colors they did. Teacher goes first as an example for all. Independent Practice: Procedures: 5. Repeat step 3 for Mahler's Symphony No 11. III, Funereal March. 6. Whole group discussion of what was different in the two pieces of music. Evaluation: Student picks favorite of the two pictures done and explains it to the class in terms of emotions and colors.

Title - Musical Picture Book By - Justin Roberts Primary Subject - Music Grade Level - 4-6 This is a neat way to get students involved in actually listening to a piece of music and "painting" a picture in their mind. This also reinforces using complete sentences. Create a cover page for the students to write their name on. Either you can decorate it for the students and let them color it, or you can let the students decorate it on their own. Use three to five different pages and type the name of the piece you will be listening too. Under the title, type the words, "While listening to this piece, the picture I painted in my head was _________." Let them fill in the blank with as many things as they would like, but they must write in a complete sentence. Let the rest of the page be for actually drawing the picture they described in the sentence. Make sure you Xerox a copy for each student. There should be about 4-6 pages total for each student. Once they draw pictures, let them color their pictures. This is a great activity to raise grades as well. For assessment, you can hold up the better pictures of the group and let the students decide what song it fits.

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Title - Program music lesson for kids By - Dan Found Primary Subject - Music Secondary Subjects - Art Grade Level - Grade 1-4 This is a lesson that all of my classes have loved because it lets them be creative through listening to music. This lesson can also be used with the same class numerous times as long as you simply change the music played for the class.

OBJECTIVES: Have students understand how music can be used to create ideas and pictures in a listener's mind. Have students identify specific types of sounds that make people feel specific ways. MATERIALS: For this lesson plan all you need is a CD player with your choice of several CDs (preferably ones with program music examples on them), one pencil and one piece of blank paper for each student. LESSON STEPS: 1. INTRO: Play one or two examples of music that can represent real-life or make believe things for the class. e.g. "Carnival of the Animals" The Elephant-can the students picture a big elephant dancing around? The Swan-can the students picture a swan gently swimming? "Pictures at an Exhibition" is also great to use for this activity, especially since the students will be creating the same thing. 2. Have students sit at a desk or on the floor where they can comfortably draw while listening to music. 3. Distribute one paper and one pencil to each student. 4. Have the students write their names in a specific corner of the paper (I find students always focus better and try harder when their name is the first thing to go on the sheet). Have the students draw one horizontal and one vertical line both through the middle of the sheet, dividing it into four quarters. Have the students number the quarters one to four in the upper right corner of each square. 5. Tell the students that you will be playing four short pieces for them and they are going to draw four accompanying pictures in each of the corners of their papers. They should go through three steps: a) first, they should listen to the music for at least ten seconds. b) second, get an idea of what the music represents. e.g. nature, people playing, scary monsters... c) have the students draw what the music makes them think of. There are no rules telling them what they have to draw as long as they can say the drawing came from what they heard. (If you want to add one rule you may say that can not draw anything offensive, use your own discretion). 6. Each example should take from one to two minutes to play and extra time can be given for students to finish their drawings. 7. Once the students have filled their page with four drawings, you may ask in forum what people came up with and compare student's ideas, stressing that in this activity there are NO wrong ideas. ADD-ON ACTIVITIES You may have the students divided into groups (four students) in a following class and have them put all of their drawings together into a kind of comic book story. Depending on the class you may have them tell the story to the rest of the class while the original corresponding music is playing. Have students create debates after they have come up with what they believe the music is supposed to represent. The class can be divided in as many as four teams with all of the members of each team agreeing on the position of a spokesperson. It is interesting to see why students believe certain music sounds like "nice animals playing" and other students think the same music sounds like "people in a war". Make them use music terms like crescendo and accelerando when debating.

Printable Version for your convenience!

Title - Hot/Cold Style Game to teach Dynamics By - Becky Wilsford Primary Subject - Music Grade Level - K-4 Introductory Note: I use this game as a follow-up activity to previous lessons on dynamics. The kids beg to play it for weeks afterwards. Procedure: Use an item from the classroom that's portable and fairly easy to spot when hidden (we use ... ahem ... a stuffed animal chicken). Pick one child to be the "Hider" and another to be the "Seeker". I usually sit the kids in rows and pick them in the order they are sitting. (That way they don't constantly ask if they can be the next one chosen.) The chosen Seeker stands right outside the classroom (where they can't see OR HEAR what's going on in the classroom) while the Hider, in plain view of the class, hides the [insert classroom item you've chosen to hide]. Make sure everyone knows where the object is hidden before the Seeker re-enters the room. Once the Seeker is back in the classroom, have him/her stand in the doorway until you give them the "go" sign. Have the class start singing a simple song (i.e. Twinkle, Twinkle). They sing softly (piano) if the Seeker is far away from the item, and then get louder (forte) when the Seeker is close to the item. Just like the Hot/Cold game. You can use this game to explain crescendos and diminuendos, piano and forte, pianissimo and fortissimo, etc.

Concluding Note: Kinder love this game, but they have a HARD time keeping a secret, so we do a lot of prepping on how to not let the cat out of the bag!

Visualization of rhythms in 4/4 by Tracy Grade 2 and higher Materials:

4 chairs in a row and optional cards with quarter, whole, half, eighth notes and rests. Begin by taping the chairs in a steady beat, say beat, beat, beat, beat . . . *Have students sit in the chairs Count them as you would quarter notes.

*Remove a student or two. Ask how would it be counted? Point out that the chairs are still there even though they are empty of people and that they take up space. Show that the empty chairs are called quarter rests. *Have 6 students try to figure out how to sit on the chairs. Soon they will double up and share seats. This will give the class a visualization of eighth note pairs. *You can continue in this manner with all the note values. ie a whole note one student would have to lay across all four chairs. Title - Phone Number Melodies By - jDarla Subject - Music Grade Level - 4th I use this in the Melody Unit, once children realize that melodies move up or down by step or leap or stay the same. It is the first day of composing our own melodies.

1. I make a chart on the board of a C scale. I assign low "C" number "1", "D" is number "2" and so on until high "C" is "8". I put my phone number on the board, explaining that it has some "nines" in it, so we will double up the LOW C with "9" and the HIGH C with "0". Underneath my phone number, I put the names of the notes that correspond. 2. Using a xylophone or metalophone, I demonstrate what my phone number melody sounds like. After repeated playings, we always decide it would sound better if it ended differently. We edit the ending and "Voila! A Melody is Born!" 3. Small group of three or four students, armed with paper, pencil and xylophone. They each write out their phone numbers as I had modeled and practice playing them until they are memorized. 4. We take turns playing for the class and analyzing the musicality of the melody. Sometimes we edit to make the melody sound better. In an extended lesson, I make phrases out of the most tuneful ones and hook a few together to teach FORM. Add some ostinati or percussion instruments to accompany. There's a lot to be made out of this creative composition beginning! E-Mail jDarla!
Grade Level - 4-8 Objective: Students will be able to accurately write and count rhythms. Write a whole note, half note, quarter note, eighth notes in a group of two, sixteenth notes in a group of four, and a quarter rest on the board. Under each symbol write a body percussion element to be used for each. I use "slide" (drag hands from shoulders to hips) for whole notes, "brush" (brush hands along arms from shoulder to shoulder) for half notes, "clap" (clap hands) for quarter notes, "snap snap" (snap fingers alternating hands) for eighth notes, pat thighs for sixteenth notes, and palms up for quarter rests. Distinguish these patterns and their counting values to students. Write a 4-beat rhythm on the board and ask students to substitute body percussion for written notes/rests. Have students "play" rhythm back to teacher to show understanding. To implement as a game: divide students into teams (I usually use 3 teams and number off students). One person from each team goes up to the board and faces teacher. Teacher counts off 4 beats of prep, then plays a 4-beat pattern with body percussion (such as clap pat pat pat pat snap snap palms up-quarter note, 4 sixteenths, 2 eighths, quarter rest). Students on "go" face the board and write the rhythm as performed. Play for students as needed to check accuracy; after a few times they only need one play. The first team member to write the

rhythm accurately gets 3 points, second one done gets 2 points (if correct), last one done gets 1 point (if correct). No points are taken away for incorrect answers. The team with the most points at the end of class wins. The whole lesson takes about 30 minutes. Evaluation: students can accurately write and count rhythms as performed by teacher. Follow-up: students learn the importance of listening skills development and have fun at the same time!! NOTE: I've used this game for about two years now and my students love it (even my jr. high kids)!! It's a great game for learning rhythms and counting. I use elements of this game for my band students as well Primary Subject - Music Secondary Subjects - Music Grade Level - 1-5 My students LOVE this game and it's great for their memory skills, as well. Have the class sit in a circle. I usually play four beats of alternating C Chord - G Chord - back and forth. Have them find the BEAT to the song by patting their laps. Ask "Can the beat go faster?" "Slower?" etc..play the music slower and faster as they LISTEN and pat their laps accordingly to the beat. Next: Add a ball (small rubber red ball works well) They should pass the ball to the next person on the BEAT to the music. (You should play slower...very slow..then fast..then very fast - and the kids should also pass slow, fast..etc) Next: When you play a "trill" on the piano they should switch the direction the ball is going Next: When you play three black notes 3 times in a row then whoever has the ball at that time should throw it up in the air and catch it. Next: When you play a "glissando" they should roll the ball across the floor to someone (RULE: No leaning out to get the ball - whoever it touches, that person gets it) Play around with those three things till they get the hang of it - always play the C-G chord pattern inbetween. THEN - -add a second ball. They love it when the ball is heading toward the other ball and one person all of a sudden has two balls on his/her lap. I continue to add other funny things to keep them entertained and more challenging for older kids especially. EXAMPLE: Play Fur Elise: Take ball and bounce it on their head one time. Play JAWS: Hug ball to their chest and say "Oooh, I'm scared!" Play the ENTERTAINER: Hold ball up in one hand and say "Would you like a Pizza?" (I usually answer them by saying "no thank you, I'm full") Anyway..you can keep adding things and start calling people out who forget something until you have just a few left!! They love it!

Title - Rhythm Relay Game By - Annie Chalmers Primary Subject - Music Grade Level - 3rd-12th Concept: Rhythm Dictation Equipment: Rhythm cards at an appropriate level (4 beats in length, stem and beam notation). Whiteboards and markers or craft sticks and the floor for the dictation. 1. Divide the class into groups of three to four students. Each group stands in a row facing the

whiteboard (or a specified space with the craft sticks). 2. The person close to the whiteboard is the "writer," the person in the end of the line is the "reader". 3. All "readers" come to the teacher and read the first rhythm. Without talking, they go back to the lines and when the teacher counts off, they tap the rhythm on the shoulder of the person in front of them. 4. When the teacher counts off again, the "reader" and the person who received the rhythm both tap the rhythm. This continues until all have the rhythm and the "writer" writes the rhythm on the board or with craft sticks. 5. Students raise their hands when they have created a rhythm. A "not correct" from the teacher means that the group must erase the rhythm and continue to try. A "correct" from the teacher means that the writer can run to the horn in the middle of the room and honk it. There could be a race to the finish! Make sure there is no talking and not loud tapping so that the rhythm is passed only by feel. Once the student receives the rhythm they must always tap it after the count off. If there are not equal amounts for groups have a student be the judge and someone to be a steady beat keeper on a percussion instrument.

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Title - Body Rhythm By - Alisa Lofton Primary Subject - Music Secondary Subjects - Math, Health / Physical Education Grade Level - 1-5 Objective: Students understand the value of rhythms. Students will be able to clap rhythms correctly. Students will be able to identify rhythms correctly.

Procedure: Select four students at a time to stand in front of the room. They have five seconds to decide what they are going to be: Ta - Stand straight with legs together Ti-Ti - Stand with legs apart Triple-T - Stand with legs apart and lean over and place one hand on the ground. Ti-ri-Ti-ri - Same as triple-t but with both hands on the floor. Quarter Rest - Make a "Z" shape with one arm and one leg. Half rest - Act like you are placing a hat on your head (or have hats for them as a choice).

Whole rest - Take hat off your head and put it by your tummy. Half note - Stand with one leg placed on the other (like a flamingo). Whole note - Make an "O" with your hands above your head. They each choose what they want to be and the rest of the class has to clap and say what they are. Once the five seconds have passed, then they can not change their mind. I usually give each group of four two turns. I play this game as a reward for Subject - Music Secondary Subject - Other Grade Level - K-6 This is a great rhythm activity when there is a little time left and you don't want to move on to the next unit yet. I learned it from my cooperating teacher when I was a student teacher. I give a drum to a student chosen from my seating chart and I also have a drum. I play a rhythm on my drum and the student with the other drum has to play that same rhythm back to me. They get a point for every rhythm they get correct and the rest of the class has to help me keep up with the points. If the student plays the rhythm incorrectly, I have stumped them and we go on to the next student. The student with the most points by the end of class gets a prize (usually a sticker). I always start with an easy rhythm like 4 quarter notes and each rhythm gets gradually harder as I go on. The kids love this game and it can be used as a reward for a good day.

Introduction: At the beginning of a year, or when you have a new group of students, they may be a bit too self-conscious to be musically expressive in front of each other at first. I always like to have them do several icebreaker activities, ones that always have musical merit. One that they always enjoy is a rhythm name game. Procedure: 1. Have the students seated in a circle if possible. Then, establish some 4-beat body percussion patterns. Teacher leads and students echo. Decide as a class on a pattern to continue repeating. Have them practice the 4-beat pattern on their own. Then stop them and have them repeat after you. "I can KEEP the BEAT, (rest) and I can SAY your NAME."

2.

3. Then have them re-establish the body percussion while saying the first part of the chant.
Practice until all can do it together. 4. Second half of the chant involves each individual saying their name alone, then the class repeating it, so each student is encouraged to speak clearly, loudly, and rhythmically. "I can keep the beat, and I can say your name, sitting next to 'Lisa' is 'Allen', Allen". Allen says his name then the class says it. Go around the circle in order.

5. It would continue in that manor. "I can keep the beat, and I can say your name, sitting
next to Allen is Jasmine, Jasmine". 6. Encourage keeping the steady beat.

7. I also like to use this as an opportunity to show the difference between beat and rhythm.
For example, Allen is a rhythm because it is two fast sounds. Ann is a beat because it is one pulse. The words together make the rhythm, but our bodies are keeping a steady beat 8. SECRET CODE RHYTHM

9. 1.On the chalkboard write four rhythm patterns.

10. 2. Have the children practice each rhythm pattern to make sure they can clap it correctly. 11. 3. Place numbers to the left of each rhythm pattern. 12. 4. Tell the children that you are going to use a secret code. For example on the board write 4132. Then have the children clap the rhythm patterns in that order. Then choose a child to make the new secret code. The children will ask to do this over and over again. 13. VARIATION: 14. The children also enjoy it when you erase one of the patterns then they must clap it and remember the one erased. Then you erase another, until they are all erased.