Erica DčEufemia

Lesson Plan for Practica Musica

July 2004

 

Major/Minor Chord Building and Aural Recognition in a Computer Lab

 

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

6 - Listening to, analyzing and describing music.

 

Objective:        The students will aurally recognize and distinguish between major and minor chords after hearing them played through Practica Musica.  The students will build major/minor chords from a designated base note using Practica Musica.

 

Purpose:          The purpose of this lesson is to provide the students with an aural and kinesthetic experience to reinforce the difference between major and minor chords.

 

Materials:        Computer lab, Practica Musica and headphones

 

Anticipatory Set:        Major and Minor Songs: The students will listen to a song in both a major and minor key.  After each song they will be asked to describe what they heard.  Upon hearing the songs for a second time they will be given the term major or minor to describe the songs. 

 

Procedure:       1- Before moving to the computer lab, the students will listen to and distinguish between major and minor chords played on the piano

                        2- Go around the room and allow each student to distinguish between a major or minor chord.  Choose the students in random order

                        3- Building Major and Minor Chords: (Prior to this lesson we wouldčve discussed intervals). How do we form a chord?  How many notes are included in a major or minor chord?  Practice making chords on staff paper.

                        4-Move to the computer lab.

                        5-Direct students on the workings of Practica Musica

                        6-Students will use Practica Musica to identify major and minor chords, aurally.

                        7- Students will use Practica Musica to build major and minor chords from a given base.

 

Check for Student Understanding:  The students understanding will be visible in their ability to build chords and hear them aurally from Practica Musica.  Studentčs abilities can be checked individually by a moving teacher.

 

Closure:           Discussion Question- What two types of chords did we form and listen to today?  How do we build them?

 

Extensions:      Composition Assignment: The students can compose a short composition using the notes of a major or minor chord and play them on a Xylophone or Recorder.