October
2005
This lesson reinforces
five-finger hand positions (left and right) on the keyboard, as well as melodic
dictation and tonal memory skills.
National Standard: 2 – Performing on instruments, alone and with others, a
varied repertoire of music.
3 – Improvising melodies, variations, and accompaniments.
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
five-finger hand positions (C, G, D, etc.) by playing short melodic phrases
using only those notes in the given position.
2. The students will demonstrate their melodic
dictation and tonal memory skills by accurately recalling short melodic phrases
played by the teacher using only the notes in the given hand position.
3. Students will create their own short melodic
five-finger phrases for other students to recall.
Materials: A
networked keyboard lab with headphones.
Procedure:
1.
Teacher will
distribute Echo Me! Student Handout
as the students enter the classroom.
2.
With the GEC3 in Lecture Mode, teacher selects an Acoustic Piano (GM 001) tone and asks the students
to do the same.
3.
Using the Echo Me!
Student Handout, the teacher
explains the concept of 5-finger positions on the keyboard (C, G, D,
etc.). Many of the available
piano method books use positions and have illustrations of these
positions.
4.
Teacher asks students
to place their hands in C Position – walks around classroom to check to
that they are all correct.
5.
Teacher sets the GEC3 to Practice Mode and asks students to play the C Position example
from the Echo Me! Student Handout. Remind students that they should
utilize the given fingerings to ensure that they are playing in the correct
hand position.
6.
Students are given
sufficient time to practice.
7.
Teacher then sets the GEC3 to Lecture Mode and asks individual students to play the C Position
example from the handout.
8.
Teacher then puts the GEC3 into Practice Mode and asks the students to practice the G Position
and D Position exercises.
9.
Teacher uses the GEC3 to eavesdrop on students to make sure that they are
on task, and to assess their progress.
10. After sufficient time, the teacher will set the GEC3 to Lecture Mode and then play Example 1 from the Echo Me!
Teacher Examples. Teacher will inform the students
that the example is in C Position and that they need to use their ears and
knowledge of the position to play back the example.
11. Teacher will ask a student to volunteer to play back
the example using only their tonal memory.
12. Teacher will then perform other examples in C
Position and ask for students to play them for the entire class.
13. Teacher will play as many examples as deemed
necessary, from either one or all of the positions listed. You might find that you will only
have enough time to cover one position per class period.
14. After students have played through each of the
examples in each position, the teacher will give the students the opportunity
to make up their own examples for other students to play.
15. Teacher sets the GEC3 to Practice Mode and allow sufficient time for the students to
compose their own 4 measure examples.
16. Teacher then sets the GEC3 to Lecture Mode and invites students to perform their examples, and
other students to play them back.
Extensions: Students
could write the examples played by the teacher down on staff paper rather than
playing them back.
Students
could use the examples that they write as the basis for a new composition.
Students
could create melodic examples that utilize notes that are not in one of the
given positions.