February
2005
This lesson requires
students to create, notate, and perform the melody of and a rhythmic
accompaniment to the traditional Japanese folk song, Sakura. This lesson will take more than one
class session to complete.
National Standard: 2 Performing on instruments, alone and with others, a varied
repertoire of music.
4
- Composing and arranging music within specified guidelines.
6
- Listening to, analyzing and describing music.
7
- Evaluating music and music performances.
Objective:
1. The students will demonstrate their understanding of
the pentatonic scale by performing the melody to Sakura.
2. The students create a rhythmic accompaniment scored
for two traditional Japanese percussion instruments.
3. The students notate their rhythmic accompaniment
using the blank score provided.
4. The students will compare and contrast each others
work, and discuss the stylistic qualities of each accompaniment.
Materials: A
networked keyboard lab with headphones.
Sakura Student Handouts
Sakura
MIDI File (visit SoundTree.com
to download this file)
Procedure:
1.
Teacher distributes
both of the Sakura Student Handouts.
2.
Students read the Sakura
History Handout together.
3.
If a computer is
available, teacher sets the GEC3
to Lecture mode and plays the Sakura
MIDI File for the
students. This MIDI File has a shakuhachi
performing the melody and the koto serving as the accompaniment. If a computer is not available, there
are many commercially available recordings of Sakura that can be purchased at most music stores.
4.
Students listen to the
recording and describe what they hear, and how it is different from what they
are used to hearing.
5.
Teacher sets the GEC3
to Practice Mode and asks students to play the following notes: E,
F, A, B and C in at least two octaves using GM Patch #77: Shakuhachi.
6.
Teacher monitors
studentsą progress.
7.
Teacher sets the GEC3 to Lecture Mode and asks students to play the sequence of five
notes.
8.
Teacher then asks
students to perform the melody to Sakura using only the notes they just played,
and sets the GEC3 back to Practice
Mode.
9.
Teacher monitors
studentsą progress.
10. After sufficient time, teacher sets the GEC3 to Lecture Mode and asks students to perform the melody to Sakura.
11. Teacher then has the students get into groups of
four. Teacher sets the GEC3 to Group Mode and sets each station to the appropriate group (Tip: You can select
Duet or Quartet from the pull down menu at the upper right hand corner of the
screen in Group Mode).
12. Each student in the group is responsible for either
performing the melody, or creating a rhythmic pattern using one of two GM
Patches - #115: Woodblock (for the Temple Block part) and #116: Taiko Drum. The rhythmic pattern should be
stylistically appropriate to the melody.
The fourth student in the group can also select another sound to perform
either the melody (GM #106: Shamisen or GM #107: Koto) or a rhythmic pattern (GM
#117: Melodic Tom).
13. Students will notate their rhythmic patterns using
the Sakura Score Handout. Once the students have created their rhythmic patterns, the groups will
perform all of the parts together.
14. After sufficient time, the teacher sets the GEC3 to Lecture Mode and selects the students in each group to perform
their melody and rhythmic accompaniment for the class.
15. After each group has performed their composition,
students will discuss its success in regard to how well the rhythm related
melody and whether it was stylistically appropriate.
Extensions: Students
can use actual percussion instruments to perform their rhythmic patterns while
the MIDI File is playing.
Students
can use their rhythmic patterns as the basis for a new composition.
The
teacher could bring all of the students into the Lecture Mode to have a mass
rhythmic accompaniment.