Unit: Sounds of the Season: Vivaldi s The Four Seasons, Grade: 3 rd and 4 th Grade Concepts: Identifying relationships between text and music, Articulation (staccato, legato), Tempo, Dynamics, and Articulation, Using text as the basis for a short composition Skills: Compose and perform on pitched and unpitched instruments, Singing accurately in unison with expression, Playing instruments with expression while maintaining steady tempo Attitudes: A willingness to participate in the creative process and dispositions supportive of a safe environment Instructional Objectives: 1. Given a lesson on relationships between ideas and music and practice creating and identifying specific musical ideas based on a text, 3 rd and 4 th grade students in small groups will compose and perform musical ideas to accompany text taken from the poem High and Low the Winter Winds Blow to a level 3 on Rubric #1 (Psychomotor, Mechanism) 2. Given and in-class lesson on articulation and practice singing and playing an accompaniment to the Largo theme from Vivaldi s Four Seasons, 3 rd and 4 th grade students will correctly circle staccato/legato or accented/not accented on in-class quiz with 100% accuracy (Cognitive, Application) 3. Given in-class practice singing the Largo theme from Vivaldi s Four Seasons and lesson on articulation, 3 rd and 4 th grade students will sing the theme to a level 3 on Rubric #3 (Psychomotor, Mechanism) 4. Given in-class practice playing and accompaniment to the Largo theme from Vivaldi s Four Seasons on Orff instruments and lesson on articulation, 3 rd and 4 th grade students will play the accompaniment to a level 3 on Rubric #4 (Psychomotor, Mechanism) 5. Given in-class lesson and exploration of tempo, dynamics, and articulation, and practice describing musical examples in these terms; 3 rd and 4 th grade students will be able to select the correct descriptors of several aural musical examples with 100% accuracy. (Cognitive, Knowledge) 6. Given exploration of tempo, dynamics, and articulation with the voice and on instruments and practice creating and performing musical interpretations of words or ideas, 3 rd and 4 th grade students will compose and perform short compositions in small groups to a level 3 on Rubric #5 (Psychomotor, Mechanism) 7. Given in-class lesson and activities exploring relationships between ideas and music, 3 rd and 4 th grade students will participate and contribute positively in class activities to a level 3 on Rubric #2 (Affective, Responding) Experience Objectives: 1. Students will experience the 1 st movement of Vivaldi s The Four Seasons, Concerto no. 4 2. Students will experience the 2 sd movement of Vivaldi s The Four Seasons, Concerto no. 4 3. Students will experience the 3 sd movement of Vivaldi s The Four Seasons, Concerto no. 4 4. Students will experience Vivaldi s The Four Seasons, Concerto no. 4 National Standards: Singing, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music Students sing independently, on pitch and in rhythm, with appropriate timbre, diction, and posture, and maintain a steady tempo Students sing expressively, with appropriate dynamics, phrasing, and interpretation Performing on instruments, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music Students perform on pitch, in rhythm, with appropriate dynamics and timbre, and maintain a steady tempo
Students perform easy rhythmic, melodic, and chordal patterns accurately and independently on rhythmic, melodic, and harmonic classroom instruments Students perform expressively a varied repertoire of music representing diverse genres and styles Composing and arranging music within specified guidelines Students create and arrange music to accompany readings or dramatizations Listening to, analyzing, and describing music Students demonstrate perceptual skills by moving, by answering questions about, and by describing aural examples of music of various styles representing diverse cultures Students use appropriate terminology in explaining music, music notation, music instruments and voices, and music performances Students respond through purposeful movement (e.g., swaying, skipping, dramatic play) to selected prominent music characteristics or to specific music events (e.g., meter changes, dynamic changes, same/different sections) while listening to music Inclusion Strategies: 1. Rotate instruments so that all students have a chance to play on both a pitched and unpitched instrument 2. Recognize individual students for demonstration of appropriate behaviors (positive reinforcement) 3. Use name-dropping to keep students focused and on-task 4. Place strong singers next to students having singing accuracy problems 5. Have especially talented students play more challenging parts of Orff accompaniment, and struggling students play less challenging parts, to ensure that all students find success in making music 6. Let students either write or draw answers so that student can best express their thoughts Sequence: Day 1 1. Instructor will read 1 st section of poem Winter, corresponding to 1 st movement of Vivaldi s 2. Ask students to act out specific lines from the poem: a. Frozen and shivering in the icy snow b...strong blasts of a terrible wind c. To run stamping one s feet d. With one s teeth chattering through the cold 3. Explain that sometimes composers write music based on words or ideas 4. If they are writing music with no words, then the composer must rely on creating sounds that help the listener understand what the music is about 5. Ask students to think about what shivering might sound like 6. On pitched and unpitched instruments, have students improvise a musical idea for shivering 7. Repeat for stomping and teeth chattering 8. Listen to Vivaldi s and have students stand if they believe they are hearing stomping and sit it they are hearing shivering 9. Discuss why certain parts sounded like stomping (consistent steady beat) or shivering (fast up and down) 10. Listen to Vivaldi s again, having students marching in a circle when they hear stomping and having students stop and pretend to shiver in place when they hear shivering 11. Instructor will read High and Low the Winter Winds Blow to students 12. Breaking into small groups, students will be assigned specific words from text to create music or sound for on pitched and unpitched instruments 13. While the instructor reads the poem aloud, students will perform their compositions to the assigned text (Repeat this step until class has created a unified composition) Day 2
1. Instructor will read the second section of poem, corresponding to the 2 nd movement of 2. Discuss contrast in the poem: Inside v. Outside a. Composers use different types of music, too, to create contrasting ideas in their music 3. Learn Largo theme from Vivaldi s Four Seasons using Call and Response format 4. Practice singing with correct pitches and rhythms 5. Ask: Is this music short and detached or smooth and connected? (smooth and connected) a. This is called Legato 6. Practice singing theme with legato articulation 7. Does this music sound like the Inside text or the Outside text from the poem? Why? 8. Listen to 2 nd movement, have students raise hand when they hear the theme 9. Listen again, this time listening to what is going on in the background 10. Ask: Is this music short and detached or smooth and connected? (short and detached) a. This is called Staccato 12. Learn Orff accompaniment to Largo theme 13. Practice playing accompaniment using staccato articulation 14. Does this music sound like the Inside text or the Outside text from the poem? Why? 15. Split class into two groups: singers and players 16. Put the theme and accompaniment together, practicing performing with the two separate articulations 17. Switch groups and repeat 18. Hand out articulation quiz and pencils and have students mark appropriate response after each music example Day 3 1. Listen to 3 rd movement of Vivaldi s Four Seasons, Concerto no. 4 2. While listening, ask students what they think the music is trying to portray 3. Listen again, this time having students write a story or draw a descriptive scene to accompany music 4. Remember: Title of whole piece is (Vivaldi has already given a hint of what the music is about!) 5. Students move to a circle, and systematically share their ideas with the class 6. Have students explain what they heard that inspired their ideas 7. Keep list of possible ideas on the board 8. Read third section of poem, corresponding with the 3 rd movement of Vivaldi s 9. Listen to movement again in sections, listening for what scenes from the poem Vivaldi was attempting to portray 10. Introduce terms: Tempo (fast or slow), Dynamics (forte or piano), Articulation (legato or staccato) 11. Explore meanings and degrees of dynamics through discussion, vocalizing, and playing on instruments 12. Have students describe musical characteristics in musical terms that match or reinforce the scene being described in the poem 13. Pass out listening activity and pencils 14. Have students listen to a music example and then circle the correct musical characteristics of the excerpt 15. Listen to music examples again, this time having students think of a nonmusical idea that the music reminds them of 16. Each student will then have the opportunity to share their ideas with the class Day 4 1. Instructor will pass out paper and pencils to students 2. Students will take 5 minutes to make a list of people, activities, places, things, feelings, etc. that they associate with winter 3. Play recording of Vivaldi s The Four Seasons, Concerto no. 4, 4. While listening to, students will write their own winter poem using their lists for ideas 5. Split class into small groups
6. Have groups share poems with each other and choose one poem they would like to use as the inspiration for music 7. In their small groups, students compose short piece of music inspired by their poem 8. Thinking about instruments, tempo, articulation, and dynamics that best suite their poem 9. Students perform compositions for class, first reading poem and following performance with an explanation of what they did and why 10. Students find their own space in the room to sit or lay down 11. Instructor reads Vivaldi s poem aloud 12. Students close eyes and listen to Vivaldi s Four Seasons, Concerto no. 4 while imagining the wintry scenes Assessments: Rubrics: Rubric #1 Composition of Musical Ideas Teacher will observe students perform their musical idea based on specific text from the poem High and Low the Winter Winds Blow, evaluation students on ability to perform their composed musical idea and whether or not the music reinforces the text 3 Student performs their composed musical idea which helps to illustrate and support the given text or idea 2 Student performs their composed musical idea, but the music does not illustrate or help support the given text or idea 1 Student is unable to perform a composted musical idea Rubric #2 Positive Participation Teacher will observe student throughout lesson, evaluating students on their participation in class activities and discussion as well as their interactions with their peers and myself, insofar as they affect the classroom environment 4 Student enthusiastically participates in class activities and provides a model example of behavior and dispositions which directly help support and build up a safe classroom environment for creative exploration 3 Student participates well during class while showing signs of positive contribution to making the classroom a safe environment for creative exploration 2 Student is unsure or hesitant to participate in class activities, however does not classroom environment being that of one that is safe for creative exploration 1 Student does not follow directions and/or displays behaviors unacceptable to maintaining the classroom as a safe environment for creative exploration Rubric #3 Accurate and Expressive Singing The instructor will observe students singing the Largo theme from Vivaldi s Four Seasons in unison, evaluating students on accuracy and appropriate expression. 3 Student sings the Largo theme from Vivaldi s Four Seasons with accurate pitches and rhythms, and with appropriate expression 2 Student sings the Largo theme from Vivaldi s Four Seasons with mostly correct pitches and rhythms, and/or with mostly appropriate expression 1 Student sings the Largo theme from Vivaldi s Four Seasons with many pitch and rhythmic errors, and/or with little or no appropriate expression Rubric #4 Accurate and Expressive Playing The instructor will observe students playing the Orff accompaniment to the Largo theme from Vivaldi s Four Seasons, evaluating students on accuracy and appropriate expression. 3 Student plays the accompaniment to the Largo theme from Vivaldi s Four Seasons with accurate pitches and rhythms and with appropriate expression
2 Student plays the accompaniment to the Largo theme from Vivaldi s Four Seasons with mostly correct pitches and rhythms and/or with mostly appropriate expression 1 Student plays the accompaniment to the Largo theme from Vivaldi s Four Seasons with many pitch and rhythm errors and/or with little or no appropriate expression Rubric #5 Compositions Teacher will observe students perform their composition for the class, and evaluate the students on ability to perform and their use of specific musical characteristics 3 Student performs their composition with clear tempo, articulation, and dynamics 2 Student performs their composition, but it lacks clear tempo, articulation, and dynamics 1 Student is unable to perform a composition Written Assessments: 1. The instructor will assess students comprehension of articulation through a written quiz in which the instructor will play a short phrase on the piano and students circle whether the example was legato or staccato. The quizzes will be collected at the end of the lesson to be evaluated. 2. The instructor will assess student s comprehension of musical characteristics through a written activity in which the instructor will play a short musical example and students circle whether the example was fast or slow, forte or piano, and legato or staccato. The quizzes will be collected at the end of the lesson to be evaluated. Individualization: Large Groups: Students will sing together as a class Students will play instruments together as a class Small Groups: Students will compose illustrative sounds in small groups Students will share poems in small groups Students will compose short pieces in small groups Individual: Students will write own poetry Students will create own winter scene through writing or drawing Students will demonstrate understanding of staccato and legato on written quiz Students will demonstrate understanding of tempo, articulation, and dynamics on written quiz Resources: Recording: Vivaldi: The Four Seasons / Itzhak Perlman, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra Vivaldi and the Four Seasons Teachers Resource Kit <www.artsalive.ca> Other Materials: (poem) Recording of Vivaldi s Four Seasons Pitched and unpitched instruments High and Low the Winter Winds Blow (poem) Largo theme from Vivaldi s Four Seasons Articulation quiz Pencils
Paper Listening activity handout