Teaching Ideas for Middle School General Music compiled by Jess Hollenbach jhollenbach@4hcs.org
Table of Contents 1. Listening Ideas 2. Unit Ideas 3. Music History Ideas 4. Melody and Rhythm Ideas 5. Classroom Activity Ideas 6. Keeping it Fun!
Listening Ideas for Middle School 1. Prepare 4 pieces of music you would like students to listen to. Give each student a plain piece of paper. Have each student divide their paper into 4 equal sections and number the sections 1-4. Give each student 3-4 markers (or whatever writing utensils you desire). Play each piece of music and have them draw a picture, design or list of words (or any combination) that describes the music they hear. Note that their ideas should match the mood or sound of the music, not the instruments they hear. 2. Play a piece of music and have students write describing words on the board as they listen. This can be a little chaotic, but they love getting out of their seats! 3. Divide students into groups of 3 or 4. Give each group a stack of (scrap) paper and a marker. Play your desired music and have the group make up a title for the music they hear. They should write their titles in large letters that fill the entire piece of paper. When you stop playing the music, have the group hold their paper into the air and look at everyone s titles. (I add an extra dimension to this and I offer a group candy if they correctly guess one word that is in the actual title.) 4. Have students make a collage while listening to music. To add an extra challenge, give some students scissors and make some students tear the paper. Also encourage students to make 3-D or use a different shape other than a rectangle for their collage. (I like to do this activity with the 4 Seasons and require their collage represents a season.) 5. Have students draw a picture or design that represents the music they are listening to. Have them add a keyword into their design. It can be hidden or obvious. (I use this with Beethoven. They have to hide the word Fate into their Fifth Symphony picture, Moonlight into their Moonlight Sonata picture and Joy in their Ninth Symphony picture.
Classroom Activity Ideas 1. Have students draw their own theme and variations while listening to Mozart s Twinkle Variations. Have students use a simple idea such as an initial or shape. 2. Compose a song (not using notation!). Have students write songs in groups. They can choose the topic - or you can! They love to sing about homework or fast food! Make sure that you remind them that it shouldn t be a rap - but have an actual original tune. 3. Have students write a children s book somehow incorporating musical ideas. They could include music notes as characters or talk about the instruments. 4. Pantomime Activity - see attached activity 5. Tic-Tac-Toe - Consider creating a Tic-Tac-Toe for students to work on as an activity in itself or something to work on when a student finishes their work quickly and has extra time. You can spread it out over the entire course.
Pantomime Activity Materials Needed: -music of your choice (about 1 minute long) -a music player Pre-teaching: 1. Explain what pantomime is. Acting without using words. Actors use facial expression and their bodies to tell a story.. 2. Show students a bad example of pantomime. Then show them a good example of pantomime. Ask them which one is better. Explain that they may feel a little weird getting into the acting, but it really does make it more interesting to watch! 3. Also explain to students about facing the audience. Show them how to do it - especially if they re acting with another person. Pantomime Activity: 1. Divide students into groups of 3, 4 or 5. (4 is best). 2. Have students pick a fairy tale (or other themed story) they are going to act without using words. Have students pick their characters. 3. Explain to students that their acting has to match the music they hear. It has to match the mood, the accents in the music, as well as the length of the music. (I do not play the music for the students before their first time through their pantomime.) 4. Play music for students - have each group practice at the same time. Remind them not to talk - you will give them time to talk about their performance. 5. Give students 3-5 minutes to work on their performance. Remind them of the guidelines. 6. Allow students to practice one (or two) more times with the music. 7. Have students perform one group at a time for the rest of the class. Encourage the audience to comment about facial expression and facing the audience. I also encourage them to say someone s name who did a really great job. 8. For fun, choose some other songs/styles of music for the group to try. They should adjust the style of their acting. (I use funk music and The Pink Panther. They LOVE it!) Further extension - allow students to change the ending of their story and have the audience guess what happened. Music choices - I like music from the romantic period - Tchaikovsky works well. Anything with some drama!
Unit Ideas Not sure what to teach? Here are some of the units I have found to be successful with middle schoolers. 1. Rhythm - get them moving and improvising rhythms. 2. Film Music - watch scenes from movies to show how music can be used in movies 3. Write Your Own Musicals - have students write their own musicals. To keep it easier, have them rewrite the lyrics to common tunes. (see attached sheet) 4. The Modern Period - use the weirdness of 20th century music to get students thinking 5. Improv Theater - not music, but a great way to practice performance skills! 6. Protest Songs - use protest songs of the 60 s and other eras to show them how music can have a message. Then have them write their own protest song or rap. Or have them come up with a cause that is important to them and develop a slogan for it. 7. Create-a-Band - have students create a fictitious band. They should make up the members in the band, write the lyrics for a song, design an album cover and a concert poster. This is a great way to incorporate other subjects with music. 8. Rock Music History - give them a clear understanding how popular music has developed in the last 50 years. A great chance to talk about a Christian perspective! 9. Styles of Music - encourage students to check out a variety of styles of music. Work on accurately describing the music past their opinion of the music.
Melody and Rhythm Ideas 1. Have students create their own Stomp rhythm performances using found instruments. Their pieces should have a beginning, middle and end. They should practice their pieces to perform in front of the class - or videotape each group and watch the performances. 2. Write a 16 measure, 3-4 part rhythm for students to practice and perform for the teacher - or for the class1! Be creative in your writing to get students to buy into the performance! 3. Give students a worksheet with the notes to common songs. Have them work in groups to figure out what each song is. 4. Have students compose a song - not using notation. Have each group perform for the class. Allow them to use fun topics to encourage them to enjoy the project.
Impressionism Activity Materials Needed: -an Impressionist painting for each student in the class (or one projected on the screen) -Impressionist music (I use Sunken Cathedral by Debussy) -a music player -Impressionism Venn diagram worksheet and writing utensils Goals: 1. To understand what impressionism is in art and music. 2. To look at impressionist art. 3. To listen to an entire piece of impressionist music. Procedure: 1. Hand out impressionism paintings to each student. Talk about the subject of their paintings and other things they notice. Write down some of the describing words in the art side of the diagram. They cannot include more than one word that describes the subject of their panting. 2. Play a piece of impressionism music for students. As they listen, have them write down describing words of the music they hear. They may not include more than one word that describes the instrument/s they hear. 3. As they are listening, encourage students to come up with 2-3 words to write in the middle section. What do the art and the music have in common? 4. Discuss the music and their describing words. Encourage them to write down more words they hear other students say that they think accurately describe the music. 5. Discuss what the art and music have in common. Make sure they write down at least 3 good words to describe both the art and the music. 6. Go over the definition of impressionism. See if they think the music and the art both reflect the definition. **For the Impressionism paintings for each student, buy an impressionism art book or Monet book in the sale section at Barnes and Noble. Tear the pages out and laminate each painting.
Rhythm Complex Materials Needed: -a rhythm complex written on the board or shown on a screen -found instruments Procedure: 1. Have students look at the rhythm complex. See if they can figure out what it means/how it works. 2. Assign parts and have them try playing their part while you count. You can play with this as much as you like. 3. Have students find a found instrument in 2 minutes. It can be a pencil scraped along side a notebook, hitting a radiator vent, banging the garbage can, etc. 4. Group students according to like instruments. ASsign parts. Assign the loudest or lowest instrument the bass part that keeps the beat. 5. Experiment with the rhythm complex. Play it faster or slower. Switch parts. Play it backwards. Etc. 6. Further extension - have students notate the rhythm (as individuals or in the group) using quarter notes and rests.
Music History Ideas 1. Try a 20th Century unit! Students may not love listening to the music, but they certainly will find it interesting! I cover impressionism, expressionism, minimalism and nationalism. For each Ism, I try to use something visual alongside the music so they can understand the music better.
Keeping It Fun!!
12-Bar Blues Activity Have students write their own 12-Bar Blues lyrics. This can be done in groups or as individuals. First sentence states the problem or situation.. Repeat first sentence. Second sentence states a solution or response. I I I I My alarm went off so early, I didn t wanna get out of bed. IV IV IV IV I My alarm went off so early, I didn t wanna get out of bed. V IV I So I rolled back over and pulled the sheets o er my head. Teacher can play the 12-Bar Blues on the piano or even find a simple example on YouTube or purchase one on itunes. Have students perform for the class.