Erica DπEufemia

Lesson Plan for Thinkinπ Things Volume 1

July 2004

Exploring Tonal Memory in a One Computer Setting with Orff Instruments

National Standard: 1- Creating, performing and participating in the arts

2- Performing on instruments, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music.

6 - Listening to, analyzing and describing music.

Objective: The students will demonstrate their knowledge of tonal memory while watching, listening and playing Orff instruments with Toony (Thinkinπ Things, Volume 1)

Purpose: The purpose of this lesson is to provide the students with an aural and kinesthetic experience to reinforce different concepts that may be covered in the curriculum.

Materials: A large screen computer (large enough for all students to see) or projector. Thinkinπ Things, Volume 1. 10, or more, Orff instruments. Mallets

Anticipatory Set: Call and Response Song, Oh in the Woods. As the students are entering the classroom the teacher will begin to sing the familiar song Oh in the Woods. The students will then repeat each phrase and join the teacher in singing the chorus while doing the movements. (The students will have already learned and sang this song)

Procedure: 1- Sing back activity: Teacher or several chosen students will sing a made up melody and the rest of the class will sing it back. We will discuss the outcomes as a class (what did we do well when singing the short melody back? Is there anything we need to work on?)

2- Xylophone sing back: play a melody/pattern on the xylophone and ask individual students to sing back the pattern. Do this a number of times

3- Introduce Thinkinπ Things: Find Toony. Explore this portion of the software. What can it do? Where shall we go next? Take several suggestions from the students. Allow the students to become familiar with the software.

4- Set up Orff instruments in a manner that all students are able to see the computer screen or projector screen. Find the high and low parts of the instruments. Does your xylophone have longer bars on the left and shorter bars on the right? You are ready to go!

5- Play back activity using Orff instruments: Move towards the tonal memory/play back activities on the software. Choose the beginner level. As Toony plays each example the students will play the pattern back on their Orff instruments. You may want to allow single or small groups of students to go by themselves.

6- Choose the levels according to the students ability.

Check for Student Understanding: The students understanding will be visible in their ability to play back each example. Individual students can be measured by asking them to play alone.

Closure: Discussion Question- how was our playing activity, with Toony, similar to how we sang Oh in the Woods? We give this a special name: Call and Response

Extensions: Students can do a similar activity in small groups. One student plays a created melody and the other students in the group would then play back the melody.

Composition assignment: Students could use actual or iconic notation (depending on the age level) to represent a call and response composition. This activity could be done alone or in small groups.

If there is access to a computer lab, the students could reinforce the concept on their own and at their own pace.