Lesson Plan : Sound Composition, Small Group
Teacher Name: | Winter |
Grade: | Grade 9-10 |
Subject: | Music |
Topic: | Using sounds, both acoustical and electronic, to compose a polyphonic composition. |
Content: | Polyphony, "layering" with sound, form, compositional devices. |
Goals: | the creation of an original sound composition. Each small group will create one part of the composition. Given perimeters, the various compositions can be combined to form one piece of "music". Students will devise their own system of notating sounds used. |
Objectives: | NC Standard Course of Study Objective 4.03: use a variety of sound, notational, and technological sources to compose and arrange music. Objective 6.03: Discuss a variety of compositional techniques. |
Materials: | previously learned polyphonic choral literature, sound making objects as determined by students, electronically generated pre-recorded sounds, paper and writing instrument. |
Introduction: | Students sing a few selected measures from a polyphonic choral composition. Teacher and students review/discuss the technique of polyphony and counterpoint and how it is used in music composition. |
Development: | Teacher asks class to begin generating a constant melodic or rhythmic pattern as demonstrated by the teacher. When this is mastered by the class, the teacher improvises another pattern to create a two-part pattern. The teacher then breaks one smaller group apart and assigns a third pattern. The teacher and class discuss the layering of the three different patterns into a polyphonic texture. |
Practice: | The students practice generating sound patterns and devising ways to record them non-traditionally. |
Accommodations: | Teacher divides students by providing a range of abilities within each group. Teacher also monitors each group to assure each student is making a creative contribution. |
Checking For Understanding: | Teacher questions each group about how they not only selected their sounds but the technique they devised in order to record the line on paper. Teacher also checks that each group member can "generate" the sound properly as recorded. |
Closure: | The individual groups perform the total composition by combining each of their lines together. The total class composition is recorded and played back for the class. |
Evaluation: | Students are able to discuss and demonstrate a compositional device, choose sound sources and find a means to record the output on paper and in recorded form. |
Teacher Reflections: | Teacher will often need to "tweek" perimeters given the ability levels of the total class. Teacher should also do follow-up lesson on other song forms and compositional devices. |
| Create New Lesson Plan | Lesson Plan Center |