Bluebonnet Folktale and Composition

This lesson beings with a discussion on folktales. We discuss some examples and why students think they were given the name "folktale". (Babe and the Blue Ox, Rip Van Winkle, Johnny Appleseed) I explain that we will be using a folktale from the State of Texas as a basis for an original composition. We then learn the American folk song Deep in the Heart of Texas.

 

I ask students to identify a repeating pattern in the song. After we decide that the four eighth note clapping is the repeated pattern, they create a square around them and shade them in with colored pencils or crayons.

In the next lesson, we read The Legend of Bluebonnet, a folktale of Texas.

 

Then we identify the five W's. I use their answers to create a poem about Bluebonnet. Together we review rhythms using the poem. Then, we use the poem along with the rhythms to create our own pieces using xylophones.

I have used this composition model before. They improvise in groups of four, each taking one measure. Then, they create a piece to perform for the class. Later, we practice together as we make a treble clef. (I start with a number 6 and add a loop to the top, line down, then opposite loop on the bottom) You can skip the bottom section if you do not have time, but students like to add their notes on the staff. I sometimes have them skip the bottom and use noteflight.com, finale, sibelius or another similar program.

Dia De Los Muertos and Composition

I begin by reading the story of Beto and the Bone Dance. This is an excellent introduction to Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). 

 I ask students to share any personal experiences they have with this celebration. We review the Spanish vocabulary words and pronunciation. 

Then, I share this poem with them: Skeleton bones, dance around. Dia de los Muertos, can you hear the sound? This is a good time to review rhythms. Together, we use rhythm sticks to show the rhythmic patterns in this poem. If there is time, students can complete a coloring/word search.

 

The next week, we are into split into groups of four. Each group has one xylophone and is responsible for improvising one measure if the song. I let students experiment on the instrument and then every member of their group adds the notes chosen.

My apologies to purists, but for this lesson I let students compose using a six note scale. After they have practiced, the groups play their song for the class.

On the second week of this composition lesson, I have students practice writing notes on the staff using the musical cups game. It is a great way to practice writing music. They can write three or four letter songs. (with four cups)

 Their final class for this composition is a chance for students to write their song on the staff.

Beethoven and Obstacles

We start this (third grade) unit on Beethoven with a discussion on obstacles. I begin with a silly demonstration. I start telling them about Beethoven's music and keep bumping into a chair placed in the middle of the room. After a few giggles, I ask them why I kept stopping and restarting my lesson. This leads into the short discussion on obstacles. We tie this into Beethoven's life and then I move on to this presentation from ArtsEdge.

 Beethoven Rocks! Artsedge

After we get to know a little bit about Ludwig Van Beethoven, we learn to sing Ode to Joy from his ninth symphony. I created this Mimio slide:

I like to show the movie or read the story of Beethoven Lives Upstairs. I split it into two parts, using the song Ode to Joy (singing and/or with bells) with the first, and some questions with the second.

After we complete the movie, I have students give me a list of words they associate with Beethoven. I write the (numbered) list on the board. We then discuss his great obstacle and how it affected his life/music. 

I ask students to use the word list and their imagination to write a letter to Beethoven, discussing his music, life and great obstacle.

(Letter template)

Sound Stories/Mood

I begin this lesson by discussing the concept of mood with the class. The students give examples of how music and sound can affect your mood. I play a few listening examples and they tell me how it made them feel. I then read the story of The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything.

 This wonderful story uses sound words (onomatopoeia) to create the mood of the story.

I ask students to repeat the sound words as I read. 

There is a section of the BBC School website that asks students to identify moods based on a listening selection.

BBC Musical Mysteries-Mood

I use a haunted house worksheet that gives examples of sound effects. Students identify the sounds (color them on the sheet) and then create the sound effect using their voices.

I show them (write) a story example on the board using sound words. I play the sound effects using this website. Students are split into groups of four.

 Each student writes a part of the story and uses sound words. I ask them to underline them in their stories.

They read their stories to the class and pause after sound words as I play the appropriate sound effect.

Great FREE Recorder Resource!

Hi everyone!

Check out www.studyladder.com.  They have really easy-to-use recorder exercises I use to supplement recorder karate. It is free to create an account and I project the examples on my whiteboard (no smartboard for me...). It gives my students lots more practice exercises without having to run thousands of copies!

There are resources for teaching music theory, orchestral instruments, and percussion, too; I just haven't had the time to look into them yet. 

Enjoy! :)

Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy

It may seem early for holiday music, but I love The Nutcracker!  This activity could easily be done with younger children, but I’m taking my 3^rd graders to see The Nutcracker at Ashley this year. I’m focusing less on the fact that it is a Christmas story and more Tchaikovsky, ballet, and the music (obviously).

I play “Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy” for the children, and have them close their eyes and visualize (literacy language).  Then, I have them turn and talk with their neighbor about what they saw in their head (some classes need to be guided…I tell them to imagine instruments, characters, mood, and setting). Then, I have a few students share their visualizations with the class.

We listen again, this time only for the instruments that the children hear. They always think that they hear a glockenspiel, but after pointing out the strings and clarinet, I show them an image of the celeste and I briefly explain the mechanics of the instrument and why it sounds like a glockenspiel. 

Finally, I reveal the title to the children, then show them this excerpt from the ballet:

My teachers are great at providing feedback about performances, and one thing they always tell me is that students don’t understand the culture of dance and so they giggle and are distracted. Hopefully this exposure will help them know what to expect!

Then, I pass out a sheet to them with the celeste rhythm for the main theme. I found mine on TeachersPayTeachers for FREE over the summer, but it costs $1.00 now, so I think I’m technically not allowed to share.  

The link to the TPT site is:  ti-ti ta ta ta ta ti-ti ta ti-ti ta ti-ti ta ti-ti ti-ti ta (sh) (sh), but it would be really easy to create your own, too!

I have them silent practice, then chant the rhythm together, then tap the rhythm along with the music. Finally, we perform the rhythm on triangles and finger cymbals. They’re amazed that they can play a REAL Tchaikovsky song!

You can also do movement with the ABA form, but my class periods are too short to do all that. Maybe for review later!

I love The Nutcracker as well. Here is part of my lesson for first graders.

I use a few listening examples and compare/contrast a march with a lullaby. I play a few youtube classical choices and ask students to dance or move to the music. Next, I use this listening map:

 I found this as part of the educational materials from classicsforkids.com. 

After listening/moving to these two parts of the piece, I show them clips from the ballet.

Then, we listen to a march section and the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy. I ask students to give me words to describe each section. I write these on the board. (Students will use them later in their compare/contrast papers.) They choose one word for each section and write it at the bottom of each section on their paper. Finally, they draw and color as they listen to each section.

 Here are student examples:

Mother Goose K, 1 and 2

Here are some ideas for music lessons based on Mother Goose stories. I begin by reading a few Mother Goose nursery rhymes and having students read them back to me. 

We learn the song Baa Baa Black Sheep together. I use a Mimio Studio file. Here it is as a jpg:

I create a simple accompaniment for the bells (colored notes) but they can also be used with boomwhackers, xylophones and other grade levels.

I am using craft sticks to show the rhythms of the first two lines. These nursery rhymes are so rhythmic that they lend themselves easily to teaching rhythm patterns.

I model and then mix up the sticks, having students try to recreate the patterns on their own. 

I have a Baa Baa Black Sheep mini book to read and color as an additional activity. I enlarge it to make it one full page.

For First Grade, I use Hey Diddle, Diddle to teach the concept of triplets. I create a simple melody and we add accompaniment using drums, tambourines and bells with triplets. 

I print out the words, laminate, then cut them into sentence strips. I place them in front of student groups of 4 and ask them to put them in order.

The next week, we learn Mary Had a Little Lamb. I use a Mimio file and add the bells as well.

Here it is with just the colors. Sometimes I ask them to use the bells to discover the song first using this file:

At the closing of this lesson, I ask students to create a new version of Hey Diddle Diddle. 

With Second Grade, I begin with the story The Jolly Postman. I love this book! It is a great literacy tie in with letter writing. We learn the nursery rhyme Humpty Dumpty. I create a song illustrating his rise up the wall (ascending scale) and fall down (descending).

Do Re Mi Fa Sol Sol Sol Sol

(Hump-ty Dump-ty sat on a wall)

Sol Fa Mi Re Do Do Do Do

(Hump-ty Dump-ty had a great fall)

Do Do Re Mi Mi Fa Sol Sol Sol Sol

(All the kings hor-ses and all the king's men)

Sol Sol Fa Mi Mi Re Do Do Do Do

(Couldn't put Hump-ty to-ge-ther a-gain)

Students learn to play the xylophone using the pattern:

(Ascending) Do Re Mi Fa Sol 

and 

(Descending) Sol Fa Mi Re Do

I made a post card template and ask students to choose a character and write them a postcard. (I copy the template onto white construction paper.) I always do an example on the board with the entire class.

 

I read the postcards or ask brave students to read them aloud to the class. Most of them love to read (their postcards) to the class! They may decorate the front. 

The last part is the Mother Goose Suite. I have students listen after discussing sections of the piece. There is a beautifully illustrated and played (piano) version of Ravel's piece on youtube.

  Mother Goose Suite -1 Sleeping Beauty
Mother Goose 2-Tom Thumb
Mother Goose 3-Laideronette, Empress of the Pagodas 
Mother Goose 4-Beauty and the Beast 
Mother Goose 5-The Fairy Garden 

I ask students to remember three of the tales, write one sentence to describe each tale, and draw three pictures in order that they were heard in the suite. 

Here's an extra for Jolly Postman:

Mood and Composition

Each year, I try new ideas with lessons on mood. This first lesson worked well with first graders, but could be adapted for other grades as well.

After discussing the idea of mood with students, I tell them they will hear a story with "sound words" to create mood. We come up with examples of our own with a specific theme in mind. We learn about rounds, giving the example of Row, Row, Row Your Boat. We sing The Ghost of John and I record them to make singing a round easier. I then read the story Rattlebone Rock by Sylvia Andrews and Jennifer Plecas.

 This is a wonderful book with great illustrations as well!

I pick up used soft cover copies whenever I can find them so that students can read along. I usually have one copy start at the end of each row and have the students pass the book after each page turn.

I ask students to repeat the "sound words" after I say them in the book. I use an echo microphone when I teach (all the time) in class. I find them at Walmart or Toys R Us for about two dollars.

 After we finish the book, students work in groups to create their own "sound word" poem using the words from the book. We create one together that I display on the board. I tend to erase parts of it after we finish, because many students like to copy exactly what is written.

I give them this template and they are asked to work together to choose words to create their poems.

 

Once they have finished writing, they read their poems for the class. I like to extend this lesson by asking each group to add instruments to their poem to represent the words of their poem. I usually place a set of instruments on the carpet. I read the poem, students repeat the sounds and then the composers play instruments after each word.

They may also use their voices for things like the BOOS of the ghost. I have heard that other teachers skip the poems and have their students play instruments while the teacher reads the story. I personally enjoy the original poetry and song from the students.

Music Literacy

Here is a simple worksheet I made on lines and spaces. I found circle stickers at the Dollar Store.

 A simple example using the circle stickers. 





There are plenty of handy treasures at the Dollar Store.


I use these to represent quarter note (buzz) and rest (sh). I tell students that we need to be quiet as a mouse when we play or sing using the mice.
 

           Buzz=quarter note                  Mouse=rest

NC Music Standards Posters

Here are some posters I made last year when I moved into my room. I had them printed as posters using Vistaprint to display in my room.