Reading and Singing the Notes

Time: 45 min
Grades: 5-12
Goal: Singing together with good rhythm and pitch; Understanding different musical elements and building blocks, Writing the notes and labeling the note names;
Cross-curricular element: music genres, finding the connection between music and moral values in our lives today
Prior Knowledge: Rhythm and note names
Teaching aids: Solfeg.io app, loudspeakers, computer, internet access, whiteboard, staff paper, pen
Song suggestions:

🕐 5 min Inspire

• Choose a song from ‘Song suggestions’ list together with the class. For example, ‘Can’t Help Falling In Love’ by Elvis Presley. Tell your students about the song! You can pick some facts from the song description.
• Click ‘Play’ and listen to the song. 
• Discuss the song and ask students, for example:
  What instruments do they hear in the song?/What is the meaning of the lyrics and how they are connected to moral values in our lives today?/Do they know anything about the artist?, ect.

🕐 10 min Warm up 

• Click ‘Play’ and sing the song together.
• Explain what is a scale and draw a C major scale on the whiteboard.
• Label each note name and practice singing through the scale with your class (or sing various intervals, motifs from the song; use solfege syllables (Do, Re, Mi), numbers or note names).

🕐 25 min Practice 

• Have each student write out the C major scale with notes on the staff paper. 
• Make sure they have labeled all the note names.
• Pick one part of the song, for example, ‘Verse 1’, press ‘Play’ and ask students to mark in every note they see from C scale in the staff paper.
• Discuss how many notes from the C major scale were used in this melody part.
• Play the part of your choice again and spell the names of the notes loudly, without singing them (you can clap the rhythm of the melody when spelling)
• Play the same part and sing the melody with note labels and practice singing in pitch. You can ‘Slow down’ the record up to four times and adapt tempo for your class level. 
• Continue with picking the next part of the song, for example ‘Chorus 1’ and sing it with the note names. 

🕐 5 min Reflection 

• ‘Mute’ the vocal track (use the ‘Sound Controls’ feature) and sing the chosen parts with note names together with the class.
• Give positive feedback to each other and pointers to improve.
  
  

Home tasks

• Practice singing any vocal melody of the ‘Suggested songs’ list by the note names.
• Write the note names and practice spelling them to the record for ‘Verse’ and ‘Chorus’ melody parts.
• Practice to sing the song with the lyrics and intonate vocal melody in pitch.

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