NaNoWriMo, three class sessions 2-4, one class session PK-1 Music Brings People Together, two class sessions PK-4
Internet resources helpful for these lessons include TodaysMeet.com, Padlet, Youtube, randomlists.com, Soundation.com, Storyboardthat.com, MakeBelieveComix.com, and CreativeCommons.com. Corresponding objectives and standards are included below.
Objective: (Imagine) Students will generate musical ideas for various purposes and contexts. Enduring Understanding: The creative ideas, concepts, and feelings that influence musicians’ work emerge from a variety of sources. Essential Question: How do musicians generate creative ideas?
Objective: (Plan and Make) Students will select and develop musical ideas for defined purposes and contexts. Enduring Understanding: Musicians’ creative choices are influenced by their expertise, context, and expressive intent. Essential Question: How do musicians make creative decisions?
Objective: (Evaluate and Refine) Students will evaluate and refine selected musical ideas to create musical work(s) that meet appropriate criteria. Enduring Understanding: Musicians evaluate, and refine their work through openness to new ideas, persistence, and the application of appropriate criteria. Essential Question: How do musicians improve the quality of their creative work?
Objective: (Present) Students will share creative musical work that conveys intent, demonstrates craftsmanship, and exhibits originality. Enduring Understanding: Musicians’ presentation of creative work is the culmination of a process of creation and communication. Essential Question: When is creative work ready to share?
Important to know and do-- PreK-with substantial guidance, explore and experience a variety of music. K-with guidance, explore and experience music concepts (such as beat and melodic contour); with guidance, generate musical ideas (such as movements or motives) 1st-with guidance, create musical ideas (such as answering a musical question) for a specific purpose; with limited guidance, generate musical ideas in multiple tonalities and meters. 2nd-improvise rhythmic and melodic patterns and musical ideas for a specific purpose; generate musical ideas (such as rhythms and melodies) within a given tonality and/or meter. 3rd-improvise rhythmic and melodic ideas, and describe connection to specific purpose and context (such as personal and social); generate musical ideas (such as rhythms and melodies) within a given tonality and/or meter 4th-improvise rhythmic and melodic, and harmonic ideas, and explain connection to specific purpose and context (such as social and cultural); generate musical ideas (such as rhythms, melodies, and simple accompaniment patterns) within related tonalities (such as major and minor) and meters
PreK-1st
Guided Listening: Students view LinManuel Miranda's performance of Silent E is a Ninja.
Discuss and discover the intent of the song.
Invite students to relate topics being studied in their regular classroom.
Select an associated topic for which to create a rap.
As a class, with significant teacher guidance, students will experiment with and choose lyrics and body percussion (limited initially to pat and clap) for the rap.
Facilitate collaborative creative arrangement by using Padlet (or class whiteboard/chalkboard), create and communicate four beat clap-pat riffs.
Using student created tracks at Soundation.com as an accompanying track, students will practice the rap, assess the quality of their performance, and upon determining it is polished, present it (or video it) for performance.
Students will reflect upon whether the rap might help others learn, and give (or retain) permission for its publication. The following video may be used to introduce a discussion of copyright. Further exploration may take place at CreativeCommons.com.
The collaborative Padlet and performance video may be published on the class website as desired.
Discuss the intent of the song. In class discussion may be supplemented with a backchannel at Today’sMeet while viewing.
Students will collaborate in groups to create a similar rap designed to meet a personal learning objective. An online randomizer such as randomlists.com may be used to generate the groups.
As a group, students will use Soundation.com to create an appropriate backing loop. Students will practice saying their rap with the loop. Students will evaluate their progress, presenting the rap for performance to Mrs. Essmiller and one other group when they perceive it is polished.
Students will reflect upon whether the rap might help others learn, and give (or retain) permission for its publication. The following video may be used to initiate discussion of copyright. Additional resources may be found at CreativeCommons.com.
The collaborative Padlet and performance videos may be published on the class website as desired (with respect to student "class copyright" desires).