Lesson #9: Musical Game & Creating a Song

December 21st: Musical Memory Challenge

To begin this lesson, I reminded the students of the music map that we looked at last time for the Overture in "The Marriage of Figaro" by Mozart. I showed the music map again on the projector with the help of three volunteer students. Then each student received a ziploc bag that contained the same music map--just cut into pieces that were phrases or sections in the music. They were to piece the music map back together by remembering what shapes/symbols represented which musical phrases (without having the music map on the projector for reference). This was kind of like a musical puzzle! I was impressed that about 75% of the class completed this within five minutes, some with no difficulty at all! The students then got to listen to the song one more time, following along with the music map on their desk--switching around any phrases that were out of place. 

Creating a Class Rap:

For our second (and final) activity, we created a class rap. I told the students that our rap could be about anything they have learned this semester in school (both musical and non-musical things). Students made several suggestions, most of which were some of the musical activities we had done together. Then the students worked together to come up with sentences that fit within 8-measure phrases. Here is the rap that the class created! 

Hey, we are the Fox Hollow Sixth grade class,

I don’t wanna cut the grass, I wanna see stained glass.

We listened to the troll song, tho it wasn’t very long,

It was a really weird song, but it sounded like King Kong.

Joseph was in jail, eatin’ bread that’s stale,

But that just makes us wonder why Joseph didn’t bail.

There was a baby travelin' down a river,

Pharoah’s wife went walkin’ and saw him thither.

There was a Greek who was a freak and his hair was on fleek,

This is our rap, and it sounds pretty sweet!

The lyrics from the second, third, and fourth section are related to some of our musical lessons we have had--listening to "Peer Gynt and the Mountain King," and watching clips from "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" as well as "The Prince of Egypt." The class also has been learning about stained glass in art class and Greek people in another. The class would have loved to have written more if there had been more time!

We performed the rap with a backtrack that I had found. We used the sistrums to keep the beat while we rapped.

Listen to the rap backtrack

Wrap-up:

And that was the end of our class! This was sadly my last time teaching in the ARTS Bridge program. I have loved this opportunity and I will miss teaching these wonderful sixth graders! I was surprised to receive a goodbye-card from the class. I wish them the best!

Music Standards Met:

6.M.CR.3

6.M.P.5

6.M.R.1

6.M.R.6

6.M.CR.4

Lesson #8: Music Map!

December 19th: Creating and Following a Music Map

Today we began class by singing the Hebrew song we learned last class period--"Ha'Sukkah Mah Yafah." After reviewing the song, I asked the class to put a finger in the air and pretend to draw along with the flow of the music while we sang the song several more times. Then I directed all the students to draw an "X" on their papers. This "X" marked where the beginning of the song would be. As we sang it this time, the students drew on their papers how they thought the music flowed. The students' drawings were all different, but most of the lines were similar in that the beginning of the song started lower, then rose to a peak, and then fell back down. We then put this aside for a couple of minutes.

I pulled up on my projector several pictures of random sheet music--a piano piece and a song for the recorder (the students have been learning to play the recorder with their regular music teacher). I explained this kind of music notation is familiar to us. Oral tradition is another way to record and pass on music (like how the Ancient Egyptians would have done before music was notated). Then I showed a picture of a music map. This is kind of notation that is different in that it does not show the regular notes, staves, key signatures, and so on. The class had just barely drawn a mini version of a music map, but this one is much more complex! This music map is for the Overture in "The Marriage of Figaro," an opera by Mozart. 

With this map shown on the projector, I held a pointing stick to follow the music map while we listened to the piece. For the second listening of the song, the students joined in following the map with their finger in the air. The kids were so quiet and focused! Then we split the song/music map into three chunks and had three students come up and follow along during their assigned chunk. The students were really enthusiastic about this and several students participated at the front of the classroom. 

Afterwards I asked the class what might some advantages be from using a music map instead of regular notation. About ten hands went up--all the students had good comments! We talked about expressive qualities: tempo, dynamics, style. We talked about the melody as well as form. The class caught some small little details and were excited to share them! A couple students even mentioned what instruments were playing when I asked about specific sections. This was a really fun lesson that the kids and I enjoyed!

Music Standards Met:

6.M.R.1

6.M.R.2

6.M.R.6

6.M.P.8

6.M.P.5

6.M.CR.3

Lesson #7: Hebrew Song

December 16th: Singing with the Sistrums

For the beginning of this lesson, I chose a couple poems that the students had created in our last lesson. I wrote them on my handy dandy white board, and we read them as a class in rhythm. This time our sistrums were ready to go, so we added in some percussion accompaniment. We performed the poems in a 2-part and then a 3-part round.

Then I taught the students a Hebrew song called "Ha'Sukkah Mah Yafah." The song is quite simple--it has two phrases which are nearly identical (except for the last note in each phrase). I sang the song several times--having the students copy what I was doing with my hands (patting the beat on my knees, then on my shoulders, then on my head, and so forth). Then I wrote the words on my whiteboard and pointed at each word while I sang through the song a couple more times. I soon invited the students to join me in singing and they then learned the song pretty quickly. 

After learning the song, I asked the kids to come up with some rhythms we could perform on our sistrums while singing the song. We performed the song with two original ideas from students. Some students began improvising their own rhythms. We all had a fun time!

Standards Met: 

6.M.P.4

6.M.P.10

6.M.R.1

6.M.CO.3

Lesson #6: Zemer Atik Israeli Folk Dance

December 12th: Musical Traditions

Today I tried a new strategy to increase the student participation during our class discussion. I brought my white board to class which showed my lesson plan outlined in seven simple steps. I put it at the front of the classroom for everyone to see. Every student had a small piece of paper with a number on it. Each of the numbers corresponded with the numbers on my lesson plan where they would specifically be contributing to the class discussion. 

Lesson Plan:

1. Movie Clip

2. What is a tradition? Name some examples.

3. What might a musical tradition be? Name some examples from your family/culture.

4. Story time

5. Egyptian/Israeli musical traditions

6. Our turn to learn!

7. Finish sistrums

Step #s 1-3:

First we watched the opening clip from "The Fiddler on the Roof." I told all the #2 students to listen for what Tevye had to say about traditions. Tevye explains that traditions keep us in balance, they help us know our standing to God, and sometimes we don't even know where our traditions came from! The #2 students talked about what traditions are and what family traditions they have. Most of them mentioned Christmas traditions, but one student pointed out that traditions can also be things that we do everyday, regardless of what holiday season it is. The #3 students then named some musical traditions we have: Christmas caroling, lullabyes, singing "Happy Birthday," listening to music in the car, and so forth. 

Fiddler on the Roof-- "Tradition"

Step #4:

I then shared a story my grandma had told me of when she and my grandpa spent time serving at an Indian reservation at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. A group of visiting youth came to do a service project at the Indian reservation and then held a dance that evening for all the youth (including the Indians) to attend. Many of the Indian youth did attend, but they did not dance. They stood on the sidelines and laughed while the other youth did their typical kid of dance--standing in a circles and jumping up and down to the beat. The Indian youth were accustomed to dancing that including moving from side to side. Jumping up and down just looked ridiculous to them! 

Step #5:

After telling this story, I explained how different cultures have different kinds of musical traditions that other cultures are not as familiar with. Neither is wrong, they are just different. I then asked the #5 students to describe some typical musical traditions at funerals and also wedding receptions. Then I related this to how at Egyptian funerals they do a dance with music to send off the deceased soul to the upperworld. This is an important, symbolic part of Egyptian funerals. Next I reminded the students of when we watched the clip from "The Prince of Egypt" a couple weeks ago. The slaves in that movie were Hebrews, which is also a name for Israelites. Israelites had a tradition of doing a dance at a couple's wedding--where all the wedding guests stood in a big circle around the married couple and danced as a way to praise God and to wish the couple a happy marriage. 

Step #6:

Then the class migrated to another room where we learned such an Israeli folk dance called Zemer Atik. After learning the steps, we performed the dance with the music. The dance includes some rhythmic feet movement, some clapping, walking in and out of the circle, and snapping the fingers. The dance has an A and a B section.The students and I had a lot of fun!

Here's a YouTube link to the song we used to dance to:

Zemer Atik

Step #7:

After learning the dance, the students had the opportunity to finish their Egyptian instruments--the sistrums! The students each received a bag of ten buttons that they could choose from and string onto their sistrum. Pictures are below!

Music Standards Met:

6.M.CR.2

6.M.CO.2

6.M.CO.3

6.M.P.7

6.M.P.10

Lesson #5: Egyptian Rhymes & Creating Sistrums

December 8th: Rhyme with Diction

For this lesson all of the students gathered in the back of the classroom and I read them a little rhyme on my white board. 

1 2 3

Daddy caught a flea

Flea died Daddy cried

1 2 3

After the students were familiar with the rhythm of the rhyme, I said the rhyme for the class again. The first time I used no diction at all (I mumbled!...which was a lot of what the class was already doing) and the second time I had great diction. The kids pointed out that they could understand what the words that second time. We talked about what diction is and how to have good diction--it is not necessarily talking louder, but it is using consonants in order to be clearly understood. The class said the rhyme several times, focusing on having clear diction. While we read the poem we also added some clapping and patting on the knees. Then I changed up the rhyme.

1 2 3

Pharaoh bought a cat

Cat dad Pharaoh cried

1 2 3

Again, the students repeated the poem. Each of the students then created their own words to fit into the rhythm of the poem. The students were asked to at least put in one Egyptian person, object, or idea. The class will perform some of these poems in our next lesson together! Here are two poems written by two students!

Creating an Ancient Egyptian Instrument:

Back in November we talked as a class about ancient Egyptian instruments. One of those instruments we looked at was what is called a sistrum--a kind of a percussion instrument. Today the class was able to begin making their very own sistrum (since sistrums aren't made or played regularly anymore). Our sistrums are slightly different (due to being homemade), but the kids will be able to use their sistrums in some songs we will learn later on! Today the students began by painting their instruments!

Music Standards Met: 

6.M.CR.2

6.M.P.10

6.M.P.4

Completed Sistrums: 

Lesson #4: Musicals Based in Egypt

"The Prince of Egypt"

November 22nd: Learning About Musical Theater

Today the students learned (if they did not know already) what a musical is! We began the lesson by making a list as a class of people and things that are needed to put on a musical (actors, a director, costumes, a stage, lighting, music, instruments/ instrumentalists, and so forth). Then we watched two clips from two different musicals--"Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat" as well as "The Prince of Egypt." These musicals are similar in that they both take place in Egypt, but they are different in how accurate their portrayal of the Egyptian people and lifestyle. Each table received a paper with specific questions to answer as they watched the clips. Here were the topics that the students looked for during the movie clips:

• Costumes: which costumes were Egyptian and which weren't?
  
• Music; does the music sound Egyptian or not?
• Setting: what Egyptian buildings/scenery were present? what was unrealistic about the setting?
• Text: what Egyptian people/concepts did the people talk/sing about?

After both of the clips were over, the students had a couple minutes to talk with their group members about the questions their table was assigned. Then each group came up to the front of the classroom and gave a short presentation to the class. 

Class Presentations:

The students each presented their groups' findings. All of the students seemed to agree that the portrayal of the Egyptian people and lifestyle in "The Prince of Egypt" was much more realistic than the clips the class watched of "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat."  The clip from "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat" that we watched was where Joseph is in prison and he interprets the baker's and the butler's dreams. Then the ensemble comes in and sings "Go, Go, Go Joseph" with their brightly colored costumes and big Afros from the disco days. The music did not sound Egyptian (it did not use an Egyptian scale), while "Prince of Egypt" has many Egyptian melodies and motives. The setting in "Joseph" was also unrealistic in that the bars of the prison cell were wide enough for a person to enter and exit the cell. The bars also later open (like a door) and just before the big dance number, the bars ascend and disappear completely. 

Wrap-up:

"Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat"

It was fun to hear the students' comments about what they saw and did not see in both of these musicals. We concluded the lesson by talking about the purpose of a musical: a musical is an art form that is mainly a form of entertainment. Those who enjoy musicals are not usually concerned about the historical accuracy of the costumes, where the music has it's roots from, or if the musical is realistic or not. Instead, those who love musical theater

usually love it for the story lines, the beautiful music, and the entertainment it provides. 

Standards Met:

6.M.R.1

6.M.R.2

6.M.R.10

Lesson #3: Egyptian Storybook Soundtrack

November 17th: Hearing the Different Timbres of Musical Instruments

Opening Listening Activity:

This day marks the first day that I brought in a large, over-stuffed backpack full of instruments for the students to play! But for the start of the lesson, we all sang "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" as a class. The students identified that the main focus of the song is a star and what a star looks like. Then I played two recordings of different instruments playing "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star," asking the students to listen for which instrument they thought sounded more like a star. The recording was a trumpet. The second recording was an xylophone. Afterwards, all but one of the twenty-four students that were present said that the xylophone best matched their idea of how a star would sound. Several students explained that the smallness, the lightness, and the ping-y-ness of the xylophone seemed to represent a small, twinkling star more so than the blaring and more harsh-sounding trumpet. 

Listen & Match--Based on Timbre:

After this listening activity I pulled out the instruments from my enormous backpack--rain sticks, finger cymbals, triangles, hand drums, sand blocks, Chinese balls, and recorders. A small group of students came up to the front and played each of the instruments for the rest of the class to hear. Then I put up a list of several important Egyptian gods and goddesses that they have been learning about. Next the class voted, based on the god's or goddesses description, which instrument they thought sounded most like that individual. The students came up with the following:

• Atum--Creator, God of the sun: sand block
• Shu--God of air: recorder
• Tefnut--Goddess of dew/rain: rain stick
• Geb--God of the earth: hand drum
• Nut--Goddess of the stars: Chinese ball
• Thoth--God of Wisdom: finger cymbals
• Khonsu--God of the moon: triangle

As the class voted on instruments for each god/goddess, several students made great comments about why the timbre of a specific instrument influenced them to make a decision. The votes for each character were close to unanimous every time.

                                                                      

                                                                        Storybook Time:

After the voting, the class moved to the back of the room on the carpet where each of them was given an instrument (one of the seven instruments above) to play. I then pulled out an Egyptian storybook--"The Star Bearer: A Creation Myth from Ancient Egypt" by Dianne Hofmeyr and Jude Daly. The seven gods and goddesses previously mentioned are the main characters in this story. I explained to the class how I would read this story and every time one of the gods or goddesses was mentioned, the instruments who were assigned to that god/goddess would play their instrument once. We did a practice-round with this: I made up a line in the story with one of the names and then the kids would look at me and I would conduct them to play their instruments once. Then we would continue the story. So this is what we did! We all had a fun time. 

Wrap-up:

After the story was over we talked as a class about what the main message of the story was (how the world was created and why it looks like it does today). We again briefly talked about timbre and I challenged the students to listen more closely to the instruments being used (and to think about why they are being used) in the music they regularly listen to.

Music Standards Met:

6.M.P.2
6.M.R.2
6.M.P.11 

Lesson #2: Ancient Egyptian Music 

Egyptian Pyramids

November 10th: Identifying Musical Qualities about Egyptian Music

These awesome sixth graders at Fox Hollow have recently been learning about ancient Egypt and the lifestyles of the ancient Egyptian people. They've learned about Egyptian gods and goddesses, pharaohs, mummification, tombs, and so forth. So today in class we listened to several Egyptian songs (both ancient and modern) that contain unique musical characteristics.

Ancient Egyptian Music Listening:

Before we listened to some ancient Egyptian songs, we talked about some musical things to listen for during the record. The students listened for the instruments used (strings, wind, percussion, and voice). They listened for if the song had a clear or a non-clear (fuzzy) beat throughout the song. Language was something the kids were also directed to listen for (are the words in English or in another language?). Finally, the students listened to the melody--focusing on sections that sounded Egyptian (or foreign) to them. 

Egyptian Lyre

Listen to "Lamentations of Isis"

This song is actually based on the Egyptian goddess, Isis. This goddess had magical powers and as myths have told, when her husband Osiris was murdered she used her magical powers to restore him back to life. However, part of the myth was that when Osiris was dead, Isis wept so much that the Nile river would flood over. After listening to this clip, the students helped talk about how the music enhanced this story about Isis weeping for Osiris. They brought up that the song sounded sad and it sounded like weeping with how repetitive it was. The students noticed in this song that there is some kind of string instrument--a lute or a lyre perhaps. There also is an instrument that sounds very similar to a flute, but probably made out of some kind of wood. 

Egyptian Lute

Listen to "Egyptian World Music"

This second song is much more rhythmic than the first song. Because of this the song has a very clear beat that you can tap your toes to. The crisp beat is created by the addition of percussion instruments--perhaps a sistrum. We can hear a women singing in a foreign language in this song (probably an Egyptian language). The phrases that she sings has very distinct Egyptian influences in the melody. The students enjoyed listening to this song! 

Another musical thing we talked about was scale. I pulled up a virtual piano on my computer and projected it on the screen. A student came to the computer and played a C major scale for the class to hear and see. I explained that when we (as a Western music culture) create songs, we used primarily the notes within that scale. On the other hand, Egyptians use a different scale--which is one reason why their music sounds so foreign to us. Instead of a regular major scale, the Egyptians often use a scale as follows: do, re, fa, so, tay, do. The kids were able to watch as I played this on the piano and could see how the Egyptians used only certain notes to create their melodies, which is one way why we think it "sounds Egyptian."

Egyptian Goddess: Isis

Music Appreciation:

While discussing these songs with the class, one student said that the music was "weird." So we sat and talked about this for a minute. We talked about how people's cultures and lifestyles are really important in determining what kind of music they create and like to listen to. We, as people who have been taught that Western music is "normal," may listen to other genres of music and think that they sound weird because they do not sound "normal" to us. But it's perfectly okay for different kinds of people to enjoy different kinds of music! And we can listen to other genres of music and appreciate it for it's unique qualities and characteristics. Some of the kids caught on with this idea really well. Music appreciation--it's important!

Modern Egyptian Music:

Lastly, we listened to two Egyptian songs that are popular today! 

From the students' responses, most of them were surprised that it sounded very similar to the kinds of music that they currently listen to on the radio. There are similarities in the instruments used, language, beat, and melody (but still incorporating Egyptian motives here and there). The clips are below!

Listen to "See the Beauty" by Lara Scandar

City in Egypt Today

Listen to "Bahebek Bkol Al Lahagat" by Tamer Hosny

Wrap-Up:

This was a fun activity that began to get the kids thinking! By the end of the lesson, students were volunteering comments about observations they had made that they had not been asked to make. It was really exciting to see the students making musical connections and being excited about listening to music from another culture!

Standards Met:

6.M.R.1

6.M.R.7

6.M.CO.3

Lesson #1: Halloween in the Classroom!

October 27th: Music Listening Activity

Today the Fox Hollow sixth graders and I got prepared for Halloween by listening to Edvard Grieg's popular, Halloween-sounding piece "In the Hall of the Mountain King." I delayed telling the students what the title of this piece was, but simply told them that we would be listening to a song several times and that they would be creating their own story that they felt went along with the music. The students were very energetic and excited about this! Some students even drew illustrations that went along with their picture without being asked.

 

Listen to "In the Hall of the Mountain King"

Assessment/Sharing Time:

After everyone had finished, three students came up to the front of the class to share their stories. One girl wrote about a little boy who was alone in his room and was doing a crazy dance that got faster and faster, under the influence of some kind of magical spell. She read this story very animatedly, and the speed of her story almost perfectly matched the speed and intensity Grieg's piece. Another girl told a personal story this song reminded her of--she told the class how one Halloween her sister had been hiding behind a couch and eventually popped out and scared her. The last boy told a similar story involving a kind of chase scene. Many more students were bursting with excitement to share the story they had written!

Musical Elements & Concepts Present:

Though there was not time to hear everyone's stories, from the three we did hear, I feel confident that all the stories had similar subject matter and dramatic intensity. I would say that it specific musical qualities that led the students to create these type of stories. Some of these musical elements and concepts might include:

• The piece is played in a minor key
• The increasing tempo of the piece--beginning at a walking pace, then ending with a running place
• The dramatic use of percussion at the end of the piece
• The song sounds creepy at the beginning and frantic towards the end



Illustration of "In the Hall of the Mountain King"
 (Free Sheet Music Scores)

• The use and articulation of the various instruments--the melody beginning with a wind instrument, later appearing with pizzicato in the strings, and then finishing dramatically with arco in the strings

Background to the Music:

After hearing some of the stories that the students had written, we read the real story that goes along with the piece. The story follows a young mischievous man named Peer Gynt who, at the beginning of the story, kidnaps a bride from her own wedding and abandons her on a mountainside. Some villagers begin looking for him, and Peer sneaks away. He runs into a Troll Princess who convinces him to come with her to her palace in the mountain. He follows her and eventually arrives at the palace of the trolls--filled with gold, two or three-headed trolls, and the King of the Trolls. The King tries to persuade Peer to marry his daughter (who is quite ugly, being a troll). By marrying her, Peer would become the next King of the Trolls. Peer first agrees but after hearing that he would have to have his eyes slit like the other trolls, Peer refuses and the King orders the other trolls to "dash him to pieces!" Peer runs and escapes from the troll's mountain just as there is a huge earthquake. The trolls and the troll king are never heard from again.

Wrap-up:

It was so fun to see the students so involved and excited about the stories that they had invented! I look forward to building on these skills and concepts in future lessons with this fun classroom! Below are listed the Music Curriculum Requirements for sixth graders that were met during this lesson.

Standard 6.M.R.4

Standard 6.M.R.6

Until next time!