Vacation Lesson 6: The Final Performance

Summary

Mix and match activities to create a fun lesson in which students will further improve their ensemble playing skills, have the last rehearsal and do the final performance 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 students to play their favorite part of the song together.
• If needed, the song can be slowed down by pressing “﹣” on the left side of the “Play” button.

Dress rehearsal

🕐 Time: 15 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Be able to sing and play the whole 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 each student band to play the whole song one after another.
• Give feedback and help with any difficulties students might have with the rhythm, chords, melody etc.

Performance

🕐 Time: 10 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Perform the whole song

🎲 Activity:

• Time for the final performance!
• Invite the student bands or the whole class to perform the whole song.

Reflection

🕐 Time: 5 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Reflect on the performance

🎲 Activity:

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

How did the performance go?

What did you like the most in the performances of other groups?

What would you have done differently?

Next step

🕐 Time: 5 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Find a similar song to play together

🎲 Activity:

• Choose the next song you could play together or assign as homework.
• Suggested songs with the same chords as “Vacation”:

• Suggested songs with one or two new chords (indicated in brackets):

Scars to Your Beautiful (F)

Supermassive Black Hole (B)

At My Worst (Dm)

Chasing Cars (D)

Issues (D)

Save Your Tears (Dm, F)

Homework assignment

🕐 Time: 3 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Consolidate existing skills
• Expand the skill set, learning a similar song

🎲 Activity:

• Invite students to learn their part of a suggested song of their choice.
• Do the piano & ukulele song workout “Just 4 Chords” on the Solfeg.io mobile app