Teaching Music

I had the opportunity to teach a music lesson during my practicum. At my school their was no music teacher, so every teacher had to have their own music program. My teacher loved to sing, so the students were use to being sung to. I played a game of "Finder and Seeker". The students used the dynamics of their voices to help one student find an object. The students sang louder as the one student got closer and closer to the object. As soon as I told them they were going to play a game, they were instantly exciting. I needed to remind the students the difference between singing and yelling a few times. Most students were engaged and reinforced their experience with dynamics.

Here is a copy of my lesson plan.

Title: Dynamics Grade: 2/3 Subject: Music

Prescribed Learning Outcome:
Elements of Melody
demonstrate changes in pitch and melodic direction

Key Concepts: Dynamics

Prior Knowledge:
Students should be familiar with music dynamics.
Students should be familiar with the song “Make New Friends”

Materials:
An object to hide

Learning Intention: I can change the tone of my voice to be loud and soft.

Instruction: (30 minutes)

Transition: (1-2 minutes)
1. Students return from gym.
2. The teacher tells the students to walk nicely to circle.

Motivational Activity: (3-5 minutes)
1. The teacher tells the students that they are going to practice using soft and loud voices by playing a game.
2. The teacher tells the students that their goal is to know when to sing softly and when to sing loudly.
3. The teacher tells the students that in order to play the game they need to remember how to sing the song “Make New Friends.”
4. The teacher will remind the students that they sang the song on Thursday with Miss Cousins.
5. The teacher will tell the students to sing along while they sing the song a few times to help remember the words.

Developmental Activity: (2-3 minutes)
1. The teacher tells the students that one person is going to hide an object somewhere in the classroom (where we can still see it) and one person will try to find the object.
2. The teacher will tell the students that the whole class will help the person find the object by singing soft when they are far away from the object and louder when they get closer and closer to the object.
3. The teacher will model hiding the object and have the students practice singing louder and softer as the teacher gets closer or further from the object.
4. The teacher will stress that everyone will get a chance to be either the hider or the finder.
5. The teacher will remind the students that singing loud is not yelling.

Culminating Activity: (15-20 minutes)
1. The teacher will ask the V.I.P. if he/she wants to be the finder or the hider and then pick a name from the popsicle stick container to be other player.
2. The teacher will then pick names from the popsicle stick container to determine which students will be the next finder or hider.
3. The game is played until every student has had a turn or it is time to move on to the next lesson.

Extension:
1. The teacher can teach students the vocabulary “piano” for soft voice and “forte” for loud voice. 2. The students can play both the finder and the hider.

Adaptations:
The teacher can point the students in the right area if they are having trouble finding the object.
Students can sing another song that is familiar to them.

Assessment: Students will be assessed based on their ability to change the tone of their voice between soft to loud.

Resources:
1. Song Lyrics

Make New Friends

Make new friends
But keep the old
One is silver
And the other’s gold