Music

3rd Grade: Geography, Body Percussion

Brewer Elementary

Whatley – Beth Reeves

Learning Objective/Exit Outcomes:

Students will be able to identify specific geographic regions on a globe.
Students will be able to use body percussion to express understanding of the content.

Integration Area/Subject:

Social Studies & Music

State Standards:

SS3G2 Locate and describe the equator, prime meridian, and lines of latitude and longitude on a globe.

ESGM3.CR.2 Compose and arrange music within specified guidelines.

Create rhythmic and melodic motives to enhance literature.

Materials/Playing Space:

Students can stay by their desks

Description:

The PAIR Specialist introduced body percussion, telling students all the instruments needed for the lesson were already in the room. After a few suggestions of where these instruments were hiding, students figured out the instruments in the class were our bodies. Students learned to use claps, laps (hands to thighs), snaps, and stomps as four instruments we would use during the lesson. The PAIR Specialist also introduced tempo and volume.

The teacher then reviewed latitude, longitude, prime meridian, equator, North Pole, etc. Students were then divided into groups of 4-5. Each group was assigned a specific region on the globe (equator, prime meridian, or lines of latitude and longitude).

Students were then instructed, for example, how sound/rhythm/tempo might be affected do to placement on the globe. For example, students could imagine that a person is traveling from the equator to the North Pole, what sources of sound would you use and why? What source of sound would you start off with and how would the tempo be affected as you travel over mountains, or through bodies of water?

The students were challenged to reverse their body percussion creation: What would the rhythm sound like if the person was traveling from the North Pole to the equator?

Teachers are also encouraged to give students a particular area on the globe by giving them latitude/longitude number values. They must then find the exact location on the globe and create sources of sound that correspond with the location and thoroughly explain why.

Notes:

Side coaching from the teacher is very important during the activity. As the students do it more often, they will become more comfortable and creative.

6th Grade: Visual Art, Body Percussion

Richards Middle School

Purvis – Jen Weisphal

Learning Objective/Exit Outcomes:

Students will be able to infer meaning and emotion from a piece of visual art.
Students will describe what they hear when they look at a piece of art, inferring the style of music, instruments used, and feeling conveyed in a piece of art.
Students will connect Visual Art to Music, describing the art in music terms, including tempo, pitch, tone, and rhythm.
Students will use body percussion to play a piece of art.
Students will create Visual Art based on their favorite song.

Integration Area/Subject:

Visual Art & Music

State Standards:

VA6.CR.1 Visualize and generate ideas for creating works of art.

Visualize new ideas by using mental and visual imagery.
Explore essential questions, big ideas, and/or themes in personally relevant ways.
Incorporate a variety of internal and external sources of inspiration into works of art (e.g.internal inspiration – moods, feelings, self-perception, memory, imagination, fantasy; external inspiration – direct observation, personal experience, events, pop culture, artists and artwork from diverse cultures and periods).
Formulate and compose a series of ideas using a variety of resources (e.g. imagination, personal experience, social and academic interests).
Document process (e.g. journal-keeping, sketches, brainstorming lists).

VA6.RE.1 Reflect on the context of personal works of art in relation to community, culture, and the world.

Identify how the issues of time, place, and culture are reflected in selected works of art.
Interpret works or art considering themes, ideas, moods, and/or intentions.

VA6.CN.3 Utilize a variety of resources to understand how artistic learning extends beyond the walls of the classroom.

Make interdisciplinary connections, expanding upon and applying art skills and knowledge to enhance other areas of learning.

MSBB.CN.1 Understand relationships between music, other arts, other disciplines, varied contexts, and daily life.

Describe the relationship between music and other arts.

MSBC.RE.1 Perceive, analyze, and interpret meaning in musical works.

Describe the emotions and thoughts that music conveys.

Materials/Playing Space:

Students can stay near their desks

Description:

The teacher started the lesson with a piece of art from Pablo Picasso, “The Old Guitarist.” The teacher asked the students to interpret the feeling and mood of the art, then discuss their interpretations with their partner using great conversational skills, such as listening and responding with ‘that is a very interesting interpretation’ and repeating what their partner said and then adding on their own interpretation.

The teacher had students express their interpretations to the class, including things like inferring the emotion of the guitarist, why he feels the way he does, and what type of music is playing on the guitar.

Next the teacher showed a new piece, Franz Marc, “Fighting Forms.” This piece is more subjective, allowing the students to be even more creative with their interpretations. The teacher asked for descriptive words as well as what each color would be if it was representing a particular instrument. As students began sharing what they thought each color would be as an instrument, the teacher asked the students to express their reasoning. Why might red be a flute and deep blue be a saxophone? The class naturally came to a cohesive idea that the painting, if played as music, would be a jazz song.

The teacher, upon discussing what the students ‘heard’ in this painting, explained that colors have universal sound and meaning. Showing a Wassily Kandinsky, “Composition VI”, the teacher discussed how Kandinsky would hear the colors as he mixed them, that each color had its own frequency, every piece of art having its own tempo and beat.

The teacher then had the students begin considering how their favorite song might look as a visual art piece. What colors would best represent the mood of the song and how would you show the musical elements of the song as visual art?

6th Grade: Poetry, Body Percussion

Richards Middle School

Yelkovich/Pulliam – Austin Sargent

Learning Objective/Exit Outcomes:

Students will be able to analyze Maya Angelou’s poem Life Doesn’t Frighten Me and identify distinctive elements as they relate to mood, genre, and rhyme scheme.
Students will be able to identify rhyme scheme and analyze rhythm as they read the poem aloud.
Students will be able to use multiple elements of body percussion to enhance the natural rhythm of the poem.
Students will be able to allocate certain sounds of body percussion to narrative elements of the poem including operative words, rhyme, and descriptive language.
Students will be able to draw conclusions about the poem and about rhythm based on their personal opinion and experience.

State Standards:

ELAGSE6RI1: Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

ELAGSE6RL2: Determine a theme and/or central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.

ELAGSE6RL4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of a specific word choice on meaning and tone

MSGM6.CR.1 Improvise melodies, variations, and accompaniments.

Improvise simple accompaniment (e.g. bass bordun/ostinato on Orff instruments, simple rhythms on unpitched percussion).
Improvise simple rhythmic and melodic variations.

MSGM6.CN.1 Connect music to the other fine arts and disciplines outside the arts.

Compare two art forms and summarize their common characteristics (e.g. between a musical art and another type of performance art, visual art or literary art).
Recognize the interrelated principles between music and other subject areas.

Integration Area/Subject:

ELA & Music

Materials/Playing Space:

Students can stay by their seats

Description:

Students should be somewhat familiar with Maya Angelou’s poem “Life Doesn’t Frighten Me”. This strategy was used in the Introduction/Teaching phase of content learning.

Start with a quick introduction to Body Percussion (Clap, Lap, Snap, Stomp) and have students practice these sounds as they relate to music vocabulary; tempo, volume, pitch, and rhythm.

To strengthen the integration have students identify how these sounds sound differently. (What is the sound difference between a clap/snap?, What does a stomp sound like v. what does a lap sound like?) Make sure students know that some sounds are bright, some are muffled and dark, some are loud, and some are soft.

Now begin to unpack the poem. For our classes, students started with the first line and identified operative words. Then a volunteer was asked to pick a sound to correlate for each of those words. Make sure students can tell you WHY the sound relates most strongly to the word.

Repeat this process for each line, calling on different students each time. After each sound is established, invest time in making sure the rest of the class is reading and playing along. Use as much of the poem as you want, until students are comfortable and confident in associating sound.

To debrief, have students describe the sound scape that has been created, and see if it parallels the perceived mood and opinion of the poem. Students should be able to describe how the Body Percussion affected the mood and understanding of the poem, and how the mechanics of the poem informed their musical compositions.

Notes:

Depending on your students level of comfort, you could assign other stanzas of the poem to small groups or partners. Give students lots of room to create their own rhythm, but make sure to ask investigative questions (Why did you choose this sound, what does it represent?)

You could also use the smart board to write in rhythmic notation. Pull up the stanzas of the poem and come up with a “Sound Key” where each sound gets its own symbol. Add the symbols into the words and spaces of the poem for a visual reference.

3rd Grade: Fractions, Body Percussion

Blanchard Elementary, Year One

Stafford/Martin – Beth Reeves

Learning Objective/Exit Outcomes:

Students will be able to explain the process of rationalizing fractions and their equivalency.
Students will demonstrate comprehension of rhythmic patterns.
Students will be able to understand fractions as a smaller part of a whole.
Students will be able to collaborate to create a musical version of fractions.
Students will be able to use body percussion to understand that a numerator is a smaller part of the denominator.

State Standards:

MGSE3.NF.3 Explain equivalence of fractions through reasoning with visual fraction models. Compare fractions by reasoning about their size.

ESGM3.CR.1 Improvise melodies, variations, and accompaniments.

Improvise rhythmic question and answer phrases using a variety of sound sources.

ESGM3.CN.1 Connect music to the other fine arts and disciplines outside the arts.

Describe connections between music and the other fine arts.
Describe connections between music and disciplines outside the fine arts.

Integration Area/Subject:

Music & Math

Materials/Playing Space:

Open classroom space

Description:

PAIR Specialist introduced body percussion, telling students all the instruments needed for the lesson were already in the room. After a few suggestions of where these instruments were hiding, students figured out the instruments in the class were our bodies. Students learned to use claps, laps (hands to thighs), snaps, and stomps as four instruments we would use during the lesson.

The PAIR Specialist then told students that denominators would be represented by the lower half of their bodies (laps and stomps) and numerators would be represented by the upper half of their bodies (claps and snaps). The class was already divided up into groups of 4-5. The PAIR Specialist suggested each group divide themselves into numerator instruments and denominator instruments, so 2 people would be the numerator and 2 people would be the denominator.

The PAIR Specialist asked the teacher to give each group a fraction to “play” through body percussion. Groups were given three minutes to practice their fraction with their group and then each group performed their fraction while the other groups listened and watched to guess the correct fraction. The idea is to make sure students understand that the numerator is a smaller part of the denominator, rather than a separate number.

The PAIR Specialist told students that, just like their smaller fraction songs, all songs are created with fractions. Their favorite singer doesn’t sing throughout their entire song, but rather, the band plays an intro and the singer only sings for a fraction of the song. You could even listen to a piece of classical music and pick out how often the piano plays compared to how often the violin plays, etc. It is still a whole and complete song, but each song is individual and unique because of the fractions inherent within it.

Notes:

To come back to integrating the creativity within music and body percussion, encourage the students to figure out a new way to play their fraction, perhaps using different rhythms or combining different body percussion instruments.

If students are ready to simplify, the sound can then match the result. For example, if the students are given the fraction is 2/8, students will present the simplified fraction of ¼ through body percussion.

3rd Grade: Fractions, Body Percussion

Brewer Elementary, Year One

Brown – Beth Reeves

Learning Objective/Exit Outcomes:

Students will be able to explain the process of rationalizing fractions and their equivalency.
Students will demonstrate comprehension of rhythmic patterns.
Students will be able to understand fractions as a smaller part of a whole.
Students will be able to collaborate to create a musical version of fractions.
Students will be able to use body percussion to understand that a numerator is a smaller part of the denominator.

State Standards:

MGSE3.NF.3 Explain equivalence of fractions through reasoning with visual fraction models. Compare fractions by reasoning about their size.

ESGM3.CR.1 Improvise melodies, variations, and accompaniments.

Improvise rhythmic question and answer phrases using a variety of sound sources.

ESGM3.CN.1 Connect music to the other fine arts and disciplines outside the arts.

Describe connections between music and the other fine arts.
Describe connections between music and disciplines outside the fine arts.

Integration Area/Subject:

Music & Math

Materials/Playing Space:

Open classroom space

Description:

The teacher then wrote or drew images of fractions on the white board. The students treated the numerator as a rest and the denominator as specific counts. Therefore, if the fraction written was ⅜, the students would count three rests and play body percussion for 4, 5, 6, 7, 8.

The PAIR Specialist then divided the students into groups of 2-3 per group. The teacher gave each group a different fraction. Each group then created their own body percussion based on the fraction given. Students were given 5 minutes to practice playing their fractions using body percussion, then each group performed their fraction for the class. The class then had to figure out, from the body percussion, what the fraction was.

Notes:

Teachers are encouraged to color in shapes that represent a visual fraction. Students can then create a sound representation, including how many claps, snaps, etc. one should do and how many rests exist in the fraction.

To include art interpretation, use different shades of color. Ask students “what does that do to the way that you recite this fraction? Does it make you want to snap/clap harder? Analyze how the shade is actually colored in.” The students’ quality of sound can be dependent on how the shape is colored. Students should look at the color inside the shape of the colored fraction in order to interpret emotion, which will affect the volume and tempo of their body percussion.

VA3.RE.1 Use a variety of approaches for art criticism and to critique personal works of art and the artwork of others to enhance visual literacy.

Use a variety of approaches to engage in verbal and/or written art criticism.

2nd Grade: Martin Luther King Jr., Body Percussion

Key Elementary, Year One

Singer – Beth Reeves

Learning Objective/Exit Outcomes:

Students will create symbolic sounds based off of the hardship that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had to endure.
Students will demonstrate comprehension of rhythmic patterns.
Students will collaborate to create music based on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s timeline.

State Standards:

SS2H1 Describe the lives and contributions of historical figures in Georgia history.

Martin Luther King, Jr. (civil rights)

ESGM2.CR.1 Improvise melodies, variations, and accompaniments.

Improvise simple rhythmic patterns using a variety of sound sources (e.g. electronic sounds, found sounds, body percussion, classroom instruments).
Improvise simple pentatonic melodies and accompaniments.

ESGM2.CR.2 Compose and arrange music within specified guidelines.

Create sound effects to accompany songs, poems, and stories.

ESGM2.PR.2 Perform a varied repertoire of music on instruments, alone and with others.

Perform steady beat and simple rhythmic patterns using body percussion and a variety of instruments with appropriate technique.

Integration Area/Subject:

Social Studies & Music

Materials/Playing Space:

None

Description:

Students are taught 4 percussion sounds they can make with their bodies:

Hand Clap
Foot Stomp
Chest Clap
Hand Swipes

Students follow the teacher and make each sound in turn to form various rhythms. As each type of percussion is taught, give students a chance to mimic the percussion, go around in a circle to create a classroom beat, and discuss the differences in each type of percussion using vocabulary like rhythm, beat, tone, sharp & soft, low & high, quick & sustained.

The students were then asked what things Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. did to help people? Answers included service, giving, marching, speaking, etc. Students were then asked to critically think about what body percussion sound best associated with the activity Dr. King did to help others. Students chose stomping for marching, hand swipes for giving to others, snapping for change, and so on.

Students were then divided into groups to reflect on Dr. King’s life and timeline of things he did, creating music of Dr. King’s life by putting body percussion assigned to the activities of Dr. King in order.

Students were then challenged with the introduction of tone/quality of sound. When Dr. King was speaking, was he afraid? Bold? Not sure of the outcome? How does this affect the way you play your sound? There may be moments where students choose to stomp loudly or snap softly, etc. Perhaps he was hesitant in the beginning of his journey, so any claps may be slower than later on in his life.

Once students have had a few minutes to develop their music, have each group share with a performance of their music to the rest of the class and ask students who are audience members to express moments they really liked what they thought those moments represented and why.

Notes:

Additionally, encourage students to think about span of time as they play certain sections of their music. Did providing service to others take more time that presenting a speech? Then allow that to affect how long a percussion style is played.

If your students are really ready for a challenge, ask them to consider if Dr. King ever stopped doing service projects when he started marching. Perhaps there should be different musicians playing different percussion styles to emphasize overlap in Dr. King’s activities.