Mix and match activities to create a fun lesson on the basics of music notation. Integrate solfeg.io in teaching such concepts as the beat, pulse and time signature.
🎲 What's included in the activities:
💻 Materials:
🕐 Time: 10 min
🎯 Objectives:
🎲 Activity:
-Talk about musical time.
Obviously, there's no sound in painting or sculpture! Point students' attention to the fact that music requires no material substance and occurs over time.
Seconds? Minutes? Years? Hmm, sure, there are some extreme cases, for example, the piece 'As Slow As Possible' by the American composer John Cage which is supposed to last for 639 years and is played on a church organ in the German town of Halberstadt.
Usually, though, the basic units of music don't correspond to the common units of time.
A regular, rhythmic sound or movement.
Heartbeat;
Footsteps;
Clock ticking;
Sea waves etc.
🕐 Time: 7 min
🎯 Objectives:
🎶 Recommended Songs:
🎲 Activity:
Basic rhythmic unit;
A division of musical time;
Regularly recurring articulations in the flow of musical time;
Often used interchangeably with 'pulse'.
🕐 Time: 10 min
🎯 Objectives:
🎶 Recommended Songs:
🎲 Activity:
4/4 is the most common time signature in popular music, so most of the songs in the Song Library are in this time signature.
Imagine a rolling square!
They can either simply try to play the first beat louder or use a different body percussion type.
🕐 Time: 10 min
🎯 Objectives:
🎶 Recommended Songs:
🎲 Activity:
Do the beat - play quarter notes using the body percussion of choice and/or simple percussion instruments, if available;
Count from 1 to 3;
Accent the first beat - imagine a rolling triangle!
🕐 Time: 10 min
🎯 Objectives:
🎶 Recommended Songs:
🎲 Activity:
-Open the song 'Three Little Birds' by Bob Marley.
-Ask students what the time signature of this song is (2/4).
-Play and excerpt of the song and repeat the previous exercise:
What shape could now illustrate the movement? (Instead of geometric forms, you could let yourself be inspired by the title of the song: think of a bird moving its wings up and down!)
-Discuss with the class:
This song features 'one drop rhythm' - characteristic of reggae. In the rhythm section, the hit on beat one is omitted.
A challenge: can they sing along too?
Students should try to keep on playing the rhythm!
🕐 Time: 5 min
🎯 Objectives:
🎲 Activity:
Since 3/4 is usually associated with waltz and 4/4 with march or disco, such qualities as dancing/flowing vs. marching/square could be mentioned.
🕐 Time: 5 min
🎯 Objectives:
🎲 Activity:
In this lesson, students will explore the concept of musical time. They will learn about its divisions - beats, as well as about the basic time signatures - 2/4, 3/4 and 4/4. The class will listen to song excerpts in these meters and practice playing a steady pulse along a song, using different types of body percussion.
The timing and pacing of the exercises in this lesson plan example are approximate and will differ depending on your students' skill level. If the pace of this lesson plan is too fast for you, divide it into several lessons. If the pace of this lesson plan is too slow for you, explore the 'Beyond the lesson' chapter at the end of this lesson plan for additional activities.
⏰ Time: 45 min
🎓 Grades: 5-12
🎯 Objective(s): As a result of this lesson students will be able to...
💡 Required Prior Knowledge and Skills:
💻 Materials:
🕐 10 min - Time in music
-Talk about musical time.
Obviously, there's no sound in painting or sculpture! Point students' attention to the fact that music requires no material substance and occurs over time.
Seconds? Minutes? Years? Hmm, sure, there are some extreme cases, for example, the piece 'As Slow As Possible' by the American composer John Cage which is supposed to last for 639 years and is played on a church organ in the German town of Halberstadt.
Usually, though, the basic units of music don't correspond to the common units of time.
A regular, rhythmic sound or movement.
Heartbeat;
Footsteps;
Clock ticking;
Sea waves etc.
🕐 5 min - Feel the beat!
Basic rhythmic unit;
A division of musical time;
Regularly recurring articulations in the flow of musical time;
Often used interchangeably with 'pulse'.
🕐 10 min - Exercise 1 - 4/4
4/4 is the most common time signature in popular music, so most of the songs in the Song Library are in this time signature.
'I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)' is suggested because of the simple rhythm in Chorus.
Imagine a rolling square!
They can either simply try to play the first beat louder or use a different body percussion type.
🕐 5 min - Exercise 2 - 3/4
Do the beat - play quarter notes using the body percussion of choice and/or simple percussion instruments, if available;
Count from 1 to 3;
Accent the first beat - imagine a rolling triangle!
🕐 10 min - Exercise 3 - 2/4
-Open the song 'Three Little Birds' by Bob Marley.
-Ask students what is the time signature of this song (2/4).
-Play and excerpt of the song and repeat the previous exercise:
What shape could now illustrate the movement? (Instead of geometric forms, you could let yourself be inspired by the title of the song: think of a bird moving its wings up and down!)
-Discuss with the class:
This song features 'one drop rhythm' - characteristic of reggae. In the rhythm section, the hit on beat one is omitted.
A challenge: can they sing along too?
Students should try to keep on playing the rhythm!
🕐 5 min - Discussion
Since 3/4 is usually associated with waltz and 4/4 with march or disco, such qualities as dancing/flowing vs. marching/square could be mentioned.
Challenge students to go beyond the lesson by...
In this lesson, students will explore the concept of musical time. They will learn about its divisions - beats, as well as about the basic time signatures - 2/4, 3/4 and 4/4. The class will listen to song excerpts in these meters and practice playing a steady pulse along a song, using different types of body percussion.
The timing and pacing of the exercises in this lesson plan example are approximate and will differ depending on your students' skill level. If the pace of this lesson plan is too fast for you, divide it into several lessons. If the pace of this lesson plan is too slow for you, explore the 'Beyond the lesson' chapter at the end of this lesson plan for additional activities.
⏰ Time: 45 min
🎓 Grades: 5-12
🎯 Objective(s): As a result of this lesson students will be able to...
💡 Required Prior Knowledge and Skills:
💻 Materials:
🕐 10 min - Time in music
-Talk about musical time.
Obviously, there's no sound in painting or sculpture! Point students' attention to the fact that music requires no material substance and occurs over time.
Seconds? Minutes? Years? Hmm, sure, there are some extreme cases, for example, the piece 'As Slow As Possible' by the American composer John Cage which is supposed to last for 639 years and is played on a church organ in the German town of Halberstadt.
Usually, though, the basic units of music don't correspond to the common units of time.
A regular, rhythmic sound or movement.
Heartbeat;
Footsteps;
Clock ticking;
Sea waves etc.
🕐 5 min - Feel the beat!
Basic rhythmic unit;
A division of musical time;
Regularly recurring articulations in the flow of musical time;
Often used interchangeably with 'pulse'.
🕐 10 min - Exercise 1 - 4/4
4/4 is the most common time signature in popular music, so most of the songs in the Song Library are in this time signature.
'I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)' is suggested because of the simple rhythm in Chorus.
Imagine a rolling square!
They can either simply try to play the first beat louder or use a different body percussion type.
🕐 5 min - Exercise 2 - 3/4
Do the beat - play quarter notes using the body percussion of choice and/or simple percussion instruments, if available;
Count from 1 to 3;
Accent the first beat - imagine a rolling triangle!
🕐 10 min - Exercise 3 - 2/4
-Open the song 'Three Little Birds' by Bob Marley.
-Ask students what is the time signature of this song (2/4).
-Play and excerpt of the song and repeat the previous exercise:
What shape could now illustrate the movement? (Instead of geometric forms, you could let yourself be inspired by the title of the song: think of a bird moving its wings up and down!)
-Discuss with the class:
This song features 'one drop rhythm' - characteristic of reggae. In the rhythm section, the hit on beat one is omitted.
A challenge: can they sing along too?
Students should try to keep on playing the rhythm!
🕐 5 min - Discussion
Since 3/4 is usually associated with waltz and 4/4 with march or disco, such qualities as dancing/flowing vs. marching/square could be mentioned.
Challenge students to go beyond the lesson by...
In this lesson, students will explore the concept of musical time. They will learn about its divisions - beats, as well as about the basic time signatures - 2/4, 3/4 and 4/4. The class will listen to song excerpts in these meters and practice playing a steady pulse along a song, using different types of body percussion.
The timing and pacing of the exercises in this lesson plan example are approximate and will differ depending on your students' skill level. If the pace of this lesson plan is too fast for you, divide it into several lessons. If the pace of this lesson plan is too slow for you, explore the 'Beyond the lesson' chapter at the end of this lesson plan for additional activities.
⏰ Time: 45 min
🎓 Grades: 5-12
🎯 Objective(s): As a result of this lesson students will be able to...
💡 Required Prior Knowledge and Skills:
💻 Materials:
🕐 10 min - Time in music
-Talk about musical time.
Obviously, there's no sound in painting or sculpture! Point students' attention to the fact that music requires no material substance and occurs over time.
Seconds? Minutes? Years? Hmm, sure, there are some extreme cases, for example, the piece 'As Slow As Possible' by the American composer John Cage which is supposed to last for 639 years and is played on a church organ in the German town of Halberstadt.
Usually, though, the basic units of music don't correspond to the common units of time.
A regular, rhythmic sound or movement.
Heartbeat;
Footsteps;
Clock ticking;
Sea waves etc.
🕐 5 min - Feel the beat!
Basic rhythmic unit;
A division of musical time;
Regularly recurring articulations in the flow of musical time;
Often used interchangeably with 'pulse'.
🕐 10 min - Exercise 1 - 4/4
4/4 is the most common time signature in popular music, so most of the songs in the Song Library are in this time signature.
'I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)' is suggested because of the simple rhythm in Chorus.
Imagine a rolling square!
They can either simply try to play the first beat louder or use a different body percussion type.
🕐 5 min - Exercise 2 - 3/4
Do the beat - play quarter notes using the body percussion of choice and/or simple percussion instruments, if available;
Count from 1 to 3;
Accent the first beat - imagine a rolling triangle!
🕐 10 min - Exercise 3 - 2/4
-Open the song 'Three Little Birds' by Bob Marley.
-Ask students what is the time signature of this song (2/4).
-Play and excerpt of the song and repeat the previous exercise:
What shape could now illustrate the movement? (Instead of geometric forms, you could let yourself be inspired by the title of the song: think of a bird moving its wings up and down!)
-Discuss with the class:
This song features 'one drop rhythm' - characteristic of reggae. In the rhythm section, the hit on beat one is omitted.
A challenge: can they sing along too?
Students should try to keep on playing the rhythm!
🕐 5 min - Discussion
Since 3/4 is usually associated with waltz and 4/4 with march or disco, such qualities as dancing/flowing vs. marching/square could be mentioned.
Challenge students to go beyond the lesson by...
