Love to Listen! - Active, Silent and Intercom Listening

Active Listening: Children are actively involved by moving, playing instruments, moving with props while listening to the music. This engages children in the music. For example: 1. Trepak, from The Nutcracker, Tchaikovsky - choreograph a ribbon dance 2. Winter, from The Four Seasons, Vivaldi - keep beat with balloons (video) 3. Rondeau, Listening Kit 1 -create movement: circle right, left, in for 4, out for 4 4. Goldberg Variations, Conductor of the Day: * provides beat keeping and instrument identification practice. One child conducts - others mime playing Love to Listen! - Active, Silent and Intercom Listening presented by Denise Gagné, 2009 Questions? Email tvmusic@telusplanet.net 5. Gigue #36 - Listen 1* Copy Cat: A beat keeping game that is easy to implement and enhances the students listening. 1-4 leaders create movement - all copy. 6. Contradanse from Les Petit Riens by Mozart #29 ListeningKit Level 1 * Rhythm instrument playalongs - children play rhythm instruments with the music. 7. Agitate, Mozart Listeing Kit 4, more complex rhythms ti ta ti is used 8. Dramatize: Cat and mouse chase to Hungarian Dance #5, Listening Kit 2 * Cup games: learn to perceive rondo form by playing a cup game. In addition to providing excellent practice keeping a beat, these games help students to recognize the form of a piece and the students learn to listen to a different style of music. 9. Viennese Musical Clock by Kodaly Step 1. listen with map so student can identify the theme OR Movement Activity Step 2. play rhythm instruments with the map (optional) Step 3. play cup game during theme Cup Game: A pattern: Beat 1 & 2: clap clap Beat 3 & 4: play qr q on the cup with alternating hands Beat: 5 clap Beat 6 - pick up the cup Beat 7 - pass the cup to the right Beat 8: rest Do the A pattern with theme each time the theme recurs. During the variations play copycat - leader creats a body percussion pattern and all copy. You can create more interest and complexity by adding more patterns. Have small groups of students create their own cup patterns. 10 Favorite Rag by Scott Joplin, Canadian Brass from Listening Kit 5 11 Backporch Blues from Musicplay 6 composition unit. (write your own blues) * Play along with a recorder - 12 Jesu Joy of Man s Desiring Listening Kit level 4 - Level 4 contains 3 of the Recorder Kit themes from Complete Recorder Resource Kit and student book Playalong samples Listening Resource Kits 1 and 4 Silent Listening: * Teaches children to be good concert audiences. * Help the children become more perceptive. * Begin by listening to and identify environmental sounds. 13 Sounds that Keep a Beat Listening Resource Kit 1 and 2 Listen Kit 1 also has fast/slow sounds, loud/soft sounds, high/low sounds. Teach and review basic concepts: High-Low, Loud - Soft, Fast - Slow In Listen Kit 3/4/5 - Reproducible charts show tempo/dynamics terms Word Wall Kit contains flashcards to practice, define terms. 14 So-me Story Books 1 and 2 also introduce/reinforce listening to and perceiving environmental sounds.so-me Goes Missing by Stuart Manins Nobody knew where So-me was. So-me, where are you? called Mum. She went into the lounge. She could hear the grandfather clock tick tock tick tock but she couldn t hear So-me. She listened for an answer but all she could hear was the leaking tap in the bathroom. It went drip drip drip drip. Page 1 www.musicplay.ca Email: tvmusic@telusplanet.net 2007 for classroom use only Playalong: Listening Kit 4

Identify Instruments Perceptive Listeners must be able to identify instruments aurally and visually. Ensure that children can identify the instruments. Begin in K-3 with classroom instruments. In grade 2-6 students should begin to identify families of orchestral instruments and individual orchestral instruments. 15 Classroom Instrument Bingo 164 Orchestra Bingo * Cue Card listening is for Pre-readers, Early Readers and Beginning Readers: For the very young student without reading skills, this activity is like a listening log without writing. Make up cards for fast, slow, loud, soft, high, low, short notes, long notes. As the students listen to a piece of music hold up a card. If kids agree that the music is fast they put thumbs up. If not, thumbs down. 17- Listen Kit 1 #28 fast slow soft loud * Listening Logs for late grade 1 - grade 6. Use pictures in Level 1, getting more complex in each level. 18- Listen Kit 4 - Se non Fussa, recorder trio Listening Log (Level 3) STILL Silent Time for Individual Listening Logs The purpose of STILL is to give students practice listening silently. They are expected to think about the musical selection. At first the teacher might give them a list of questions that they answer with pencil and paper, or in the case of first graders, by thumbs up. Later, they should be able to transfer this skill to listening to and thinking about music, without the pencil and paper in hand. Three ways to have students practice silent listening are cue cards, listening logs and response journals. Name: Title: Grade: Composer: 1. Circle the instrument families that you hear. String Brass Woodwind Percussion 2. Can you name some instruments you hear? 3. Do you hear any voices? Man Woman Child None If there are voices, is it a solo or a choir? Circle One: 4. What is the tempo? fast medium slow (allegro) (moderato) (adagio) 5. Do you hear changes in the tempo? speeds up slows down (accelerando) (ritardando) 6. What is the dynamic level? loud medium soft (forte) (mezzo forte) (piano) 7. Do you hear changes in dynamics? getting louder getting softer Page 2 www.musicplay.ca Email: tvmusic@telusplanet.net 2007 for classroom use only

* Response Journals - provide a means for students to think about and respond to the music. (grade 2 and up) Put a list of sentence starters on the board or on an overhead and have the students choose one and write while they listen to music. This music makes me think of... The music made me feel... I would like to hear this piece again because... I liked the part in the music where... I didn t like the part... I would use this music in a movie about... Draw a design that this music makes you think of. This helps students to: * communicate thoughts and feelings about music * describe their responses to music * recognize that mood can be created through music * explain their preference for a piece of music * recognize (explain, identify) the effects of different choices * identify feelings that are evoked by a piece Concert Etiquette Rap by Denise Gagne and Denese Odgaard Welcome to our concert - we re really glad you came. We will listen carefully - we hope you do the same. Some of us are really small - our voices aren t too strong. If you re really quiet - you ll still hear - you won t go wrong. We have a few suggestions to make this fun for all. Please turn your CELL phones off so they don t ring inside the hall. If you really have to go, please leave when there s applause. You may enter once again - when there is a pause. Save the hoots and hollers for when you re at the game. When you re at a concert, it isn t quite the same. We hope that you will stay and watch until the very end. We really will appreciate this - our thanks to you we ll send! Listening should Include Multicultural music and Jazz 19/20.Ma Ku Ay (maori listen) Source: Musicplay 4, Singing Games Vol. 4 Concert Review (Kit 4) Write a review of a school concert or a concert that you attend. You could write the review as you listen, or you could listen carefully and answer all the questions after the concert is over. Date of the concert: Name of the group that is performing: How many members are in this group? What instruments do they play? (if any) Did this group sing? List some of the selections that they performed: 1. Choose one of the selections that they performed and describe what the music was like. 1. Was the music fast or slow? 2. Was the music loud or soft? 3. Did you hear changes in dynamics? 4. Describe the style of the piece? 5. What was the mood of the piece? 6. How did the piece make you feel? Concert Manners (Kit 4) Talk or don t talk? leave seats or do you stay in your seats? How do you cheer? How do you dress? Sports Event Symphony Concert First Time: tap floor,tap own sticks together,tap right sticks with your partner,tap floor,,tap own sticks together,tap left sticks with your partner Second Time: tap right stick on floor,flip the stick, catching it at the other end, tap other end on the floor tap left stick on floor,flip the stick, catching it at the other end, tap other end on the floor Say: tap, flip, tap, tap, flip, tap Third Time: tap floor, tap right sticks with your partner, tap left sticks with your partner, tap floor,tap left sticks with your partner, tap right sticks with your partner Say: floor, right, left, floor, left, right Fourth Time: tap floor, tap own sticks together,toss sticks to your partner - partner tosses his sticks to you Say: floor, own, toss, floor, own, toss 21. Jellybean Blues - from Jazz it Up! if time permits Page 3 www.musicplay.ca Email: tvmusic@telusplanet.net 2007 for classroom use only

Guidelines for Introducing Listening Selections Intercom Listening Introduce classical music to the entire school by playing a selection on the intercom every day. A simple script introduces the composer, period and tells a little about the selection. Script can be read by music teacher, principal or student. Jesu Joy of Man s Desiring (#10) Monday: Our feature composition this week is the music of Johann Sebastian Bach: Jesu, Joy of Man s Desiring. This is part of a church cantata, which is a sung sacred work. Bach was a church organist, and wrote many things for the church. Tuesday: Our feature composition this week is Jesu, Joy of Man s Desiring. This was originally scored for trumpet, oboe, strings and organ. The choral arrangement was written later. Wednesday:... Thursday:... Friday: Our feature composition this week is the timeless music of Johann Sebastian Bach: Jesu, Joy of Man s Desiring. Bach was a church organist, and wrote many things for the church, including this cantata, which is a sung sacred work. When introducing listening selections, you cannot simply turn on the CD and expect the students to be perceptive, attentive listeners. Listening is a learned skill. Here are some basic suggestions to make your listening experiences successful. 1. Direct their listening. Give the students something to listen for. 2. Use short examples, that are age appropriate. 3. Provide opportunities to listen several times. Children often need to hear a piece 2-3 times to complete a listening log. This is good! They hear more each time. 4. Use visuals and movement to assist in the listening experience. 5. Avoid talking as the music is playing. Model good listening for the students. 6. Relate the listening to other subject areas. 7. Make students accountable for their listening. Informal and formal assessments are possible. SOURCES: All musical excerpts in this session were found in the Listening Resource Kits or in Musicplay for Kindergarten, or Musicplay Grade 6 Composer biographies and videos help to put the listening into a cultural context, but the most important goal is to help children become perceptive listeners. Composer DVDs (Bach s Fight for Freedom etc.) made for PBS also help to put the music into a cultural context. Page 4 www.musicplay.ca Email: tvmusic@telusplanet.net 2007 for classroom use only

Cinnamon Heart Listening Activity: Materials Needed: - tub of cinnamon hearts (sold at Walmart for $2.97) -plain white napkins. - drum - listening selections in 2/4, 3/4, 4/4 OR use selections suggested in Listening Resource Kit Level 2 Introduction: Ask the students to move into the open area of your classroom. Play a 2/4 pattern on a drum and ask the students to move to the music. When you stop, they are to freeze. Ask them to tell you whether the beat was moving in twos, threes or fours. Have them move again as you play a pattern in 3/4 or 4/4. Exaggerate the meter so it s easy for children to tell if it s moving in twos, threes or fours. Stop, freeze and ask them again. Have them move again as you play a pattern in 3/4 or 4/4. Continue playing and moving until the students are able to answer correctly. Cinnamon Heart Listening Activity: Give each student a white napkin and 4 hearts. Play a piece of music in 4/4 time and ask the students to do the following ostinato with you as they listen: pat legs - tap, tap, tap (tap shoulders) Then play a piece of music in 3/4 time. Listening Resource Kit Level 2: 3/4 #20 Minuet, Bach Ask the students to do the following ostinato with you as they listen: pat legs - tap, tap, (tap shoulders) Transfer the ostinato to you tapping on a 3/4 beat chart. (please email if you d like to receive a pdf file of my beat charts: tvmusic@telusplanet.net) Ask the students to tell you how the beats are grouped. (3 s) They need to eat one cinnamon heart and tap just 3 beats as the music plays. Then play a piece of music in 2/4 time. Listening Resource Kit Level 2: 2/4 #25 Allegro, from Spring, Vivaldi, The Four Seasons Perform the ostinato, pat-tap, pat-tap. Ask the students to tell you how the beats are grouped. (2 s). They need to eat one heart and tap just 2 beats on their cinnamon hearts as the music plays. If you don t have the Listening Resource Kit you could choose music from the Musicplay binder in 4/4, 3/4, or 2/4 time. Let them take the rest of the cinnamon hearts home with them. Listening Resource Kit Level 2: 4/4 #31 Contradance, Mozart Transfer the ostinato to you tapping on a 4/4 beat chart. (please email if you d like to receive a pdf file of my beat charts: tvmusic@telusplanet.net) Then have the students tap the 4 beats on their cinnamon hearts Then play a piece of music in 3/4 time. Page 5 www.musicplay.ca Email: tvmusic@telusplanet.net 2007 for classroom use only