The grade twelve music curriculum encourages teachers to focus on the creative process to introduce improved music. In the creative process, teachers want to make a conscious effort to include the elements of music, techniques, and technologies for the students to learn and use in future works. Not just that, but teachers can include teaching theory and musical forms to help students better understand the parts of composition too!
To help students warm up, we start the students to warm up with a Simple “Row, Row, Row your boat”, students will first sing the whole song together, students will sing through it altogether 4 times. Then, the teacher will split the room in half and one group will start singing 4 beats later than the other group to create a cannon/round. Students will be split into 4 groups, each group will be designated to add a rhythm or harmony established by the teacher. Students will get their rhythms and they will do it all at the same time with the main melody being kept by the 4th group. Students will then have the option to add:
This is getting students to know and understand what they were doing with that song and how the teacher was able to create such a cannon/round. The teacher will go through the different possible ways to create a round/ cannon and how to give it texture using the methods listed above. These ideas will be talked more about after the short activity for reinforcement to better their understanding. Then, the students can try and create their own cannon with a partner. They can have creative freedom in terms of what type of song they want to modify and there is no restriction of what they must do specifically. Their cannon/ round should last around 1-2 minutes and each person the groups should be doing something different, not the same actions or melodies. Some specific items that students will need to include:
Students will be given the rest of the period to work on this cannon/round. They will present their rounds at the beginning of next class, so that they have time to practice the rhythms, body percussion and harmonies that they decide to use. Some resources to use: www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHSi6gRDQo0&ab_channel=IndependenceSchoolDistrict https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgTReQ676ug&ab_channel=oandoduo https://www.yourtherapysource.com/blog1/2020/05/01/what-is-body-percussion/ https://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/secondary/arts1112curr2010.pdf
0 Comments
Knowing music technology is a great benefit to students, it aids students in the composition process when doing things notation and pitching when they are not familiar with it. In a grade 11 classroom it is especially useful to know since they are very tech based. This tech can make composition more relatable to students as they have technology that can help them in making their composition, including aspects like instruments, rhythms, pitches, recording, etc. In the Ontario curriculum, they add the notion of technology in music as its own category. They would like students to use “available technology when composing and/or arranging music”, and “use current technology to create a record of their own or their peers’ performances and/or production.” They encourage the use of technology and acknowledge the many ways we can use it, be it a way to record things down, or to help in composing for students.
To incorporate music technology into our classroom, we are going to explore composing with a music software available online. With this activity, we are making the parameters very loose to allow students to full creative ownership over their pieces. We will be focusing on the software called soundtrap, which is a music recording and producing software available for schools to use. It is very easy to use with easy tools for students to figure out, collaborative tools for groups work, loops for students to use to find inspiration for their songs, etc. They have a wide variety of features that aid students in learning how to produce music if they do not know how to initially. Here is the link to the website: https://www.soundtrap.com/musicmakers The lesson will begin by getting students to review/ learn about the parts a song, which includes parts such as the intro, verse, pre-chorus, chorus, and bridge, outro. Intro: like the beginning of a book, it should catch the listener’s attention and ease them into the song. It is usually not too over the top, as the goal of it is to establish rhythm, tempo, melody, and introduce the singer. Verse: this part of the song is where you start telling a story, so music wise, it should be consistent without the melody jumping over the place. This is the sections where the story develops and advances. The pre-chorus and chorus generally use the same lyrics each time, so this is where you get your message across. It will usually be after the chorus and before the pre-chorus. Pre-chorus: This is usually where you are building up to the chorus. It usually has a chord progression from the verse or chorus and build on that familiar progression. Chorus: This is where the culmination of all big ideas are in your song. The chorus usually also contains the hook- the catchiest part of the song, it serves as the climax of the song while the verse and pre-chorus build up to this part. Bridge: This typically is only once towards the end of a song, usually between the 2nd and 3rd chorus. The bridge changes the pace in the song, making it stand out musically and lyrically. Outro: The end of the song, signalling clearly to the listener that the song is coming to an end. This is usually done by doing a reverse of the intro, or also a repeat of the chorus with a fading out. Students will learn about the most common form of song for pop songs which Is verse- chorus form which is: a 32-bar form, where the chorus plays a key role in the verse-chorus structure since it differs in rhythm and melody from the rest of the song. Once this is explained to students, we will go through the software soundtrap as an easy way for students to make and record their own songs. We will explain the features mentioned above and go through the website together with the students, so they know where those features are. Once we have gone through this with students, the activity will be explained. In groups of 2-3, students will create a song together, which the verse-chorus song structure and lyrics to go with the song. Students are free to do any theme and any style of music as they want. The only parameters will be the song being in verse-chorus song structure and having lyrics. They will be reminded of the parts of a song that were mentioned earlier in the class, such as melody, chorus, verse, etc. Students will be using the software soundtrap to help them record their songs and make the melodies. Students will be given the chance to hear an exemplar of the activity they are about to do. Once hearing the exemplar, they can ask any questions regarding the activity and will have the rest of the class and the rest of the next class to finish this. At the end, students will have the chance to present their song, but only if they wish to. It is not a requirement to present your piece. References: www.masterclass.com/articles/songwriting-101-learn-common-song-structures www.soundtrap.com/home/creator/tutorials https://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/secondary/arts1112curr2010.pdf In grade 10, students are going through the critical analysis process and practicing their ability to responding, analysing, and interpreting music. They will be demonstrating their ability to connect music to society, how traditional, commercial and art music represent the societies they are from and its impact on those cultures. Students will immerse themselves into cultures and their music, learning about the music’s connection to the culture. The lesson will give students a chance to learn about different cultures and the types of music that are common to each. Students will have the opportunity to research about these cultures to further understand the music and its meaning. To start, students are going to begin by watching a performance of traditional Korean vocal music called Pansori. The word Pansori originates from the Korean words pan, meaning “a place where many people gather”, and sori meaning “song” Pansori is a genre of musical storytelling in Korea that started in the 17th century, in south-west Korea. is usually performed by a vocalist, accompanied by a drummer. This genre has expressive singing, stylized speech, and can last for hours on end. It can be sung by a male or female singers and accompanied by a single barrel drum. Here is a recording of the most traditional version of Pansori: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UgNOvHx4_c&ab_channel=%EA%B5%AD%EB%A6%BD%EA%B5%AD%EC%95%85%EC%9B%90%5BNationalGugakCenter%5D
The traditional Pansori is only with the barrel drum and singer. The way the singer is singing, it sounds like talking, but with very intricate moving between the notes in a fast manner. We want the students to identify characteristics of the singing from the video. As we dissect the video, we want to get the students’ attention to the idea of how appropriate it is for us as students from another country to sing these styles of music without any background information. Pose the thought of if you were to assign this piece of music as a piece to learn, would it be appropriate for us? Why or why not. From this, we are getting students to understand the implications of singing pieces without the proper knowledge regarding the culture. We will get the students to think about the different ways we can better understand a piece of music that has a cultural context to it, whether it may be language or meaning. Answers that they could include could be something like inviting guest speakers to teach us. An important idea to instill in the students is that it is not bad to sing pieces of music in a different language or from a different culture, we need to be aware and give credit to those cultures. That we need to promote this idea of diversity and inclusion of different musics and their cultures. To elaborate more on Pansori, we will demonstrate the infinite possibilities of incorporating cultural music into our more modern music genres. They will listen to a part of a performance by a Pansori singer Song Sohee, who incorporates pop backing tracks that gives Pansori a more modern take to it while still maintaining the traditional singing style. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KKIo4-6jh8&ab_channel=%EB%94%A9%EA%B3%A0%EB%AE%A4%EC%A7%81%2Fdingomusic
After listening to the video, we will introduce the activity they will need to do. In groups of 2-3, students will have the opportunity to pick a traditional singing style from any culture. From this, they will research about the singing style and learn about the history and characteristics that are present in the singing style that they chose. They will have to include the links and source the information to prove that it is from a legit source. Following the research, each group will find an example of this singing style being incorporated into modern music like the example given. Once they have found all this, students will compile this into a presentation to show the class. They will be given access to chrome books and devices if needed. During the last 15 minutes, the groups will present their findings and their thoughts on the style of singing that they have chosen. References/ Resources: https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/pansori-epic-chant-00070#:~:text=Pansori%20is%20a%20genre%20of,both%20elite%20and%20folk%20culture. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KKIo4-6jh8&ab_channel=%EB%94%A9%EA%B3%A0%EB%AE%A4%EC%A7%81%2Fdingomusic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UgNOvHx4_c&ab_channel=%EA%B5%AD%EB%A6%BD%EA%B5%AD%EC%95%85%EC%9B%90%5BNationalGugakCenter%5D https://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/secondary/arts910curr2010.pdf At grade 9, students are starting to change their voices, so their range and singing voice will change. They will be applying their elements of music knowledge in this activity to help them expand their voice and be comfortable with their new voice. With the warmup song “Do-Re-Mo-Re” to get the students to do some vocalization, working with pitches and range. It is a good way for students to practice their solfège as well, with the primary lyrics being the solfège names. Here is a link to the warmup:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iq7W8rtU6x4&ab_channel=Gessica%7CTheSpiritualCantor In addition to this song, students are going to be adding on with different add ons to help with different aspects of an optimal warm up like different ranges, big jumps between notes, and more! This would be added on the fly. To prepare for this warmup song, students will first begin with some relaxation, breathing and phonation exercises to prepare the voice. The lesson begins with some relaxation exercises like stretching the body, so students are relaxed and ready for some singing! After some stretches, the teacher is going to do some SOVT exercises and the students with follow. In addition, students are going to do some phonation exercises like chewing and humming loudly. Once the students are prepared, we are going to get into the activity. Stretches would include stretches like:
Students will start with some lip trills on a sliding pitch to help with range. After these 2 exercises, students will be given the opportunity to do their own short warm up with the class. Potential warmups could include:
To start, students are going to be learning about the expanding voice and the importance of practicing your range and having a good warmup for your voice. By going through the previous warm up they did, students are going through the 5-step optimal warm up for their voices. Students learn about the 5 steps (Relaxation, alignment, breathing, phonation, vocalization, and sung exercises) Students will be told about the importance of warming up for adolescents. The teacher will inform students about the important points of a warmup for adolescents.
To start, the teacher is going to start off first with singing out the warmup song first for the students in a clear and concise manner. The students will probably be a little confused at first since it is going to be a new song for them, so we will go through it phrase by phrase so that the students are familiar with the notes/ pitch of the song. The students will be split into 4 groups and they’re to sing the following notes according to their groups: Group 1: Do-Re-Mi-Re Group 2: Mi-Fa-So-Fa Group 3: So-La-Ti-La All Together (on respective parts) Group 4: Do-Do-Ti-Do, Do-Ti-La-Ti-Do Do-Ti-La-So-Fa-Mi- Re Do The Teacher will go through each part together with everyone, the students will sing along with the teacher each time they are going through the different group melodies. The first group will go first, singing their part around 2-3 times. This will happen to all the groups, so they are familiar with the notes. Then, the students are going to start singing together! Group 1 will go first, singing through their part twice before the next group and then the same for the rest of the groups. If it falls apart, it is okay! Just reassure them that it is ok and start again. The point is for them to get comfortable with these notes and the pitches. Once the students are comfortable with the parts and are doing well altogether, then the teacher can change it up by changing the groups so that they all have different parts again! Remind each group of their parts again, because they will get confused about what it is since they were so focused on their previous parts! Do these 2 more times so that they can try all the different parts. If students can comfortably do their parts, we may make this more difficult by re-arranging the groups once again. Once this has happened, students will now sing it once again, but they will also make the solfège symbols with their hands as well. The teacher will go through this once through first before they start singing, the teacher will also do the symbols along with the students as well. References/ Resources: Further warmup exercises: https://spiritualcantor.com/fun-warmups-vocalists/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iq7W8rtU6x4&ab_channel=Gessica%7CTheSpiritualCantor https://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/secondary/arts910curr2010.pdf |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |