Vacation Lesson 5: Combine Sections

Summary

Mix and match activities to create a fun lesson in which students will combine all the sections of the song “Vacation” by Dirty Heads and get ready for the final performance. Integrate Solfeg.io in teaching the basics of piano, ukulele, guitar, bass, percussion and singing.

💻 Materials:

• Solfeg.io web app best used with Chrome browser
• Solfeg.io mobile app (optional)
• Projector or computer and access to WIFI
• Computers or tablets
• Ukuleles, guitars and/or pianos
• Percussion instruments

Tuning

🕐 Time: 5 min

🎯 Objective:

Tune the ukuleles and guitars

🎲 Activity:

• Distribute the guitars and ukuleles to students.
• Ask them to open the Solfeg.io tuner. You can find it in the home section on the Solfeg.io mobile app.
• Tap on a letter to hear how the string should sound, find the corresponding peg on your guitar or ukulele and turn it to tune the string.
• When the encircled letter turns green and reaches the middle of the screen, the string is in tune.
• Repeat the actions with the other strings one by one until all of them are in tune.

Warm-up

🕐 Time: 10 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Warm up and get ready to play the whole song

🎲 Activity:

• Split the class into groups, the same as in the previous lessons. Distribute instruments to the students.
• Open the song “Vacation” and click on the beginning of the bridge. Slow the song down by pressing “﹣” on the left side of the “Play” button.
• Invite the class to play the bridge all together. Remind them they already learned this part in the previous lesson and did it as homework.
• Afterwards, shortly discuss how they were doing.

Did they practice at home?

Did they manage to learn their part by heart?

How did the bridge sound compared to the previous lesson?

Dive into the song structure

🕐 Time: 5 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Understand the building blocks of a song and their function
• Describe different song sections

🎲 Activity:

• Take a look at the timeline at the top of the screen and discuss it with the class.

How many verses are there?

How many choruses are there?

How many post-choruses are there?

How many bridges are there?

Do you know other songs with a similar structure?

• Explain to the class that this is a common structure in pop songs.

Band practice

🕐 Time: 15 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Be able to sing and play longer parts of a song

🎲 Activity:

• Split students into smaller bands where each member plays a different part. If you prefer, the class can rehearse together.
• If you opt for smaller bands, each group should have one device - either a computer or tablet, or their mobile phone with Solfeg.io app installed (except the rhythm section).

Have “Notation” selected under “Tools” - “Visuals” or an instrument if a player is not comfortable with playing the chords without diagrams.

If needed, slow the song down by pressing “﹣” on the left side of the “Play” button.

• Invite students to practice longer parts of the song

Chorus 1, Post-Chorus 1, Verse 1, Chorus 2 and Post-Chorus 2

Verse 2, Chorus 3 and Post-Chorus 3

Verse 3, Bridge, Chorus 4 and Post-Chorus 4

• Give feedback and help with any difficulties students might have with the rhythm, chords, melody etc.

From the beginning till the end

🕐 Time: 10 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Practice playing in a band
• Be able to play the whole song without stopping

🎲 Activity:

• When students are familiar with the song structure and playing longer parts without stopping, do a run-through of the whole song.
• Invite the class to play the song together or select smaller bands to perform one after another.

Reflection

🕐 Time: 5 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Reflect on the learning process

🎲 Activity:

• Ask these questions to the class and have a short discussion

How did it go with playing the whole song for the first time?

Give some positive and encouraging feedback to the fellow players. What did you like most in their performance?

What would you do to improve the performance?

Homework assignment

🕐 Time: 3 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Improve the song section students learned at the class
• Get ready for the final performance

🎲 Activity:

• Ask students to practice playing the whole song at home
• Encourage them to learn their part by heart.