Allison Mazza

Technology Music Lesson Plan (this would really take several class periods)

Fourth Grade

Objective Question: How can a composer express an idea or story through music?

Purpose:

• This lesson fits into the curriculum in several ways. It reinforces the dynamic terms as well as allows students to use them. It meets the composition requirements. Students learn about the composers tools, including timbre, dynamic, instrumentation, pitch, and rhythm in an active manner by having students create with these musical elements.

Materials Needed:

• ≥Come and Sing Together≤ from Share the Music Grade Four
• ≥Fire≤ from Share the Music Grade Four
• Garageband program
• Imovie program
• Internet access

Anticipatory Set:

• Every class starts with a routine warm up that begins with the students singing a major scale on solfege with hand signs.
• Students then sing following the hand sign patterns the teacher shows
• Students then read rhythm cards to reinforce the rhythms they have learned
• Students will sing ≥Come and Sing Together≤ for review.
• Students will sing ≥Come and Sing Together≤ in canon.

Purpose:

• Teacher will review the basic dynamic terms and symbols including piano, mezzo piano, mezzo forte, forte, crescendo, and decrescendo.
• Students will then sing ≥Come and Sing Together≤ following the dynamic symbols written in the music.
• Teacher will introduce the poem ≥Fire≤ and have the students read line by line.
• Teacher will ask for specific word definitions of difficult words and lead students in a discussion of what the poem is about and what is happening sequentially in the poem.
• Teacher will ask students for to think of sounds that they can make with their voice or body that sound like fire.
• Teacher will ask students how they could show the fire growing and dying down using these sounds.
• Students will then use the Garageband program to compose a piece of music that expresses the poem ≥Fire≤. Students will be required to pick the timbre of the instruments used as well as add dynamics to their composition. As a part of the composition, students will include a recording of at least one student reading the poem.
• Once students have completed their Garageband composition, they will use imovie to make a movie for the poem ≥Fire≤. Their movie will include their composition and a still picture (or several, if it is possible) that were saved from the Internet.

Closure:

• Students will present their imovie to the class and briefly describe the thought process behind the composition, including why they chose certain sounds, dynamics, etc.
• The closure will include a discussion that has students answer the original objective question.
• Teacher will use the presentation, comments, and discussion as the check for student understanding.

Extensions:

• I think it could be interesting to do the activity backwards by having groups give their composition to another group and having the new group come up with a new poem or story to fit the music.
• Listening activities could be done by having students listen and determine how a composer has expressed their idea or story through music. This could lead to specific composer or genre studies. Students could then compose in the style of that composer or genre.