Lesson 3: Christmas

I chose this week for Christmas because we had sung about Hannukah the week before.  I wrote a new song-game called "Happy Hanukkah", and we had a blast.  I'll share that soon!  This week we learned about Christmas music from Austria and the Philippines.

Silent Night Chapel in Oberndorf

Stille Nacht - music by Franz Xaver Gruber, lyrics by Joseph Mohr
Pasko Na Naman - traditional, in Tagalog



Here is the lesson plan.
Here is the coloring page. Print one for each student (double sided).
Here are the visual aides.  If you have the capacity to project these, that would be great.  I have mine in a binder and walk around the tables giving everyone a closer look.


I also point out the geographical origins of the pieces on a large world map.  

Enjoy!

Lesson 2: Struck Idiophones

In this lesson I share music from 2 different struck idiophones- the American Jazz vibrophone, and Balinese gamelan gender wayang.  The children liked the idea that gender wayang was used for  shadow puppet shows.

Chega de Saudade - Gary Burton
Sekar Ginotan - Gamelan Gender Wayang of Banjar Tegal, Kuta

Children playing Gender Wayang

Here is the lesson plan.
Here is the coloring page.  Print one for each student (double sided).
Here are the visual aides.  If you have the capacity to project these, that would be great.  I have mine in a binder and walk around the tables giving everyone a closer look.



I also point out the geographical origins of the pieces on a large world map.  

Enjoy!

Lesson 1: Child Composers

In this lesson I share music from Mozart, and also a contemporary young English composer, Alma Deutcher.  The students enjoyed both pieces, but were particularly interested in the idea that someone their age could write music.

Allegro in C Major, K. 9a - Mozart
Sonata in E-flat Major: Movement 3. Rondo - Alma Deutscher

Alma Deutscher

Here is the lesson plan.
Here is the coloring page.  Print one for each student (double sided).
Here are the visual aides.  If you have the capacity to project these, that would be great.  I have mine in a binder and walk around the tables giving everyone a closer look.

I also point out the geographical origins of the pieces on a large world map.  

Enjoy!

Basic Plan for "Music and Art"

"Music and Art" is my lesson plan framework.   It uses drawing to help students connect with music appreciation, giving them an auditory, kinetic and visual way of experiencing the lesson.  All of my listening lessons are planned the same way.  The lesson lasts about 30 minutes.  I have been teaching kindergarteners, but I think the lesson can be used for K-6, though the students will interact in different ways depending on their developmental level.

Class Set-up: Sitting at tables.

Materials needed: crayons or markers, a labeled coloring page for each student.

Objectives: Students will be able to name composers, pieces of music and instruments from around the world and different time periods.  Students will state personal opinions and preferences about this music.

After handing out the coloring pages, I play 1 piece without introducing it.  I instruct the students to draw whatever it makes them think of, and that there is no wrong picture to draw.  I want them to develop their own relationship with the music.

Next, I show them where the music comes from geographically on a world map, and share basic information about the composer and performers while showing images related to the piece.

(If there's time, I play the piece again and let them continue drawing.  If not, I go to the next piece.)

Then I have them turn over their labeled coloring page and do the same thing with the second piece.  If there's time at the end I have the kids vote on their favorite and play it one last time.   

At the end of the class the students have original artwork that they can associate with music they have learned about, and can share this experience with their families.

Sharing World Music

If your school has lost its music program, I hope that this blog can offer you a simple way to share music with your students, regardless of your own musical background.

A few months ago at Back-to-School Night in my daughter's kindergarten class I heard the bad news that music had been cut.  Unfortunately in Philadelphia and around the country, we are struggling with skeleton budgets and many schools are missing core staff, including nurses, librarians, music and art teachers.

I have a B.A. in Music and Italian Studies, an M.M. in Vocal Performance and an M.A. in Speech Language Pathology.  Immediately, I thought- "I may not be able to fix everything, but I certainly can fix this."

I spoke with some very talented music educators in my community and developed a music curriculum to bring to the kids.  I visit once a week and alternate between teaching pitch, melody and music theory via games (I call this "Music and Play"), and teaching music appreciation (I call this "Music and Art").

Music and Art is a lesson in which I share 2 pieces of music while children draw as the music inspires them.  In exploring their similarities and differences there is the opportunity to teach about instruments, culture and music history.

Although I have a lot of experience in music and education, this is my first time in a large classroom.  If you find these materials useful, please let me know!  And if you have suggestions for improving them, I would love to hear them.