Lesson Plan : Composing Sightsinging Melodies
Teacher Name: | Amy Stovall |
Grade: | Grade 9-10 |
Subject: | Music |
Topic: | Developing Sightsinging and Compositional Skills |
Content: | This lesson deals with solfege, music literacy, basic sightsinging skills, and notation. |
Goals: | Competency Goal 4 (National Standard 4): The learner will compose and arrange music within specified guidelines. Competency Goal 5 (National Standard 5): The learner will read and notate music. |
Objectives: | 4.01 Compose and arrange music incorporating appropriate voicings and ranges. 4.03 Use a variety of sounds, notational, and technological sources to compose and arrange music. 4.04 Show respect for the composing and arranging efforts of others. 5.01 Read whole, half, quarter, eighth, sixteenth, and dotted note and rest durations in 2/4, 2/4, 4/4, 6/8, 3/8, 2/2, and mixed meters. 5.02 Sightread melodies. 5.03 Notate melodies. 5.04 Use standard notation symbols for pitch, rhythm, dynamics, tempo, articulation, and expression to record own musical ideas and musical ideas of others. 5.05 Show respect for the reading and notating efforts of others. |
Materials: | piano, pencils, staff paper, projector, ELMO, whiteboard |
Introduction: | As students enter the room, have a fun upbeat piece of music playing. Ask students to write down as many musical observations as they can including time signature, tonality, instruments they hear, voicing, style, etc. |
Development: | Using the ELMO and projector, place a sheet of blank staff paper under the ELMO. With the class, compose a melody. The melody should follow these guidelines to stay within the ability level the students are currently on. It should be 8 measures long, in 3/4, 4/4, or 6/8, and in the key of C Major. The melody should be stepwise and begin and end on "Do" or the tonic. Allow students input on where to place each note and what type of note it should be. When finished, have the class sightsing the melody together. |
Practice: | In groups of four, have students compose a group melody following the same guidelines as before. Monitor the class to make sure all students have input and are participating. Have each group sightsing their melody for the class. |
Accommodations: | For classes of varied ability levels, students can compose melodies that fit their own level. If a student is a beginner they may just compose a rhythm. If a student is more advanced they may add skips or compose in a different key. For students with special needs, grading will be modified. They may also be paired with a peer helper to complete the assignment. |
Checking For Understanding: | Give feedback continually about sightsinging skills and practice areas of difficulty. Monitor and check group work. Monitor individual work, giving help when needed. Give students feedback and advice about their compositions. |
Closure: | Ask students to explain the main ideas of the lesson. Have them grade themselves using a rubric which includes the topics to be assessed. (rhythm, pitch, stepwise motion,sightsinging skills) |
Evaluation: | Throughout the lesson informally assess students based on observation of participation and sightsinging. Group work should be collected and checked. The group sightsinging can also be assessed through observation. Students' individual melodies should be assessed for accuracy, neatness, and following directions. |
Teacher Reflections: |
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