The guided composition activity towards the end of the lesson allows students to spread their wings a bit. They could use the ice cream flavors I created or choose their own. Most of my students choose the latter. I call these activities guided because I give them a basic structure, but they also have opportunities to make decisions and be creative. I also give my students opportunities to decide on their final form. We have utilized many elements in this lesson, but ultimately they decide how to put it together.

This lesson will work even if you don’t have enough barred instruments for every student. You can have one instrument for every two students, and the lesson works just as well. Some of you are reading this saying, I don’t even have that many. Again, this lesson will still work. Hand drums, wood blocks, rhythm sticks, or any un-pitched percussion instruments will work as our primary focus is on rhythm. The pitched percussion instruments just add a different flavor.

I hope you enjoy creating with your students this spring and take some time for a frosty treat this summer.

– Angela

Ice Cream Please

Concepts:

• Hand Drum Technique  
• Canon  
• Rondo Form  
• Rhythmic Building Bricks  
• *Composition

Click here to make a copy of the Teaching Slide Deck

[Based off of Rhythmic Canon, Music for Children, Vol I. pg. 74 #7 by Margaret Murray ] 

• What is your favorite flavor of Ice Cream? 
• Present visual of the three rhythmic units 
• Teacher speaks the pattern 
• What order did I say these in?  1 -2 -3 – 3 – 1 
• Teacher speak the pattern, perform body percussion (clap) 
• Underline word Please & Me – let’s make those a different level of Body Percussion (pat or stomp)
• Teacher speak the pattern, perform body percussion (clap & pat) one phrase at a time- Students echo
• Repeat as needed until S are comfortable with the rhythm 
• Challenge students to do it without your help. Tell them you are going to try and trick them. Teacher performs part 2 of the canon.  Can students hold their own? 
• Divide the class in half. 
• Perform the pattern without speech only Body Percussion – Try in a 2-beat canon and 4-beat canon 
• How is it different? Which do the students like the best? 
• What would happen if you tried a 1 beat canon? (This is a challenge but fun to try.  Some groups can do it- others can not) 

• T discusses hand drum technique: 
  • Play drum with dominant hand  
  • Two main sounds – ‘down’ with thumb and ‘up’ with middle & ring fingers  
  • Be sure to ‘bounce’ off the drum  

• T tells S to use the ‘down’ stroke for the pats and the ‘up’ stroke for the claps -T Models
• S play rhythm on drum  
• When S are comfortable on drum – play rhythm in 2-beat canon  

ON ANOTHER DAY! 

• Introduce the ice cream map with rhythmic building bricks- insert the building bricks into the ice cream map
  • Example:  I want some Ice, Tin Roof Sundae, Ice; I want some Rocky Road 
    Yes indeed! 
• Rotate several students to come up and choose their flavors to place in the chart. 
• Have students clap and say the new pattern. 
• Have students transfer rhythms to hand drums or other un-pitched percussion instrument.

• Option:  Have all students go to Orff Barred instruments and set in a Pentatonic (example C pentatonic they would take off their B’s & F’s)
  • At the instruments, can students play the rhythm that was created on the Ice Cream Map on only the note C? Can they expand to the notes C,D,E? Can they expand to the whole pentaton? (C, D, E, G, A)
  • Encourage students to play rhythm on any notes they wish; but end the last word (deed) on a C (your home tone). 

• You could just work on this as a class or you might choose to work in small groups to create your own building brick ice cream. 
• Talk about Rondo Form (The A keeps coming back) Day one is the A section – the whole class or small group creations are the contrasting sections. 
• Create Ronod Form – Perform as a class.   

• Another Option: Have small groups create a guided composition. See the project sheet below. Guided Composition will take more time, but students enjoy the freedom to choose and create. 

Building Bricks in Duple Meter (these are the basics, to begin with) You could create your own or have your students create their own based on these rhythms.

*Chocolate can be said in different ways depending on your region. Feel free to replace*

Example of Project Sheet I use with students

Click here to download a pdf of Angela’s lesson plan.

The post Lesson: Ice Cream Please first appeared on Teaching With Orff.

Using Earth Song by Frank Ticheli, students are given elemental composition tools to craft unique movement accompaniments to a poignant and timely vocal piece with themes of peace and hope – just in time for Earth Day 2024!

Earth Song is a gorgeous vocal composition with origins in the work Sanctuary for wind ensemble. Diatonically living in F major and a strong form in 4/4 time, the lush and swelling 4-beat phrases elude traditional cadential harmony, and settle into an E phrygian resolution by the end. The atonality and undetermined harmonic destination create an incredible springboard for creative, unique movement compositions by students. The compositional process is prompted and guided by thinking maps designed to elicit biome characteristics from around the globe, pull out movement vocabulary for decision making, and utilizes visual organizers to aid in compositional brainstorming and refinement along the way.

Thinking maps and graphic organizers are a favorite way of mine to begin movement activities, because it naturally filters and focuses language prompts that evolve into the impetus of movement decisions.

From here, the class as a whole will split into small groups, each assigned to their own biome. They will transfer their biome and the movement words pulled out of the brainstorming session into a targeted organizer for their unique movement piece.

At this point, I expose them to the music we will be working with, Earth Song. I love to use the recording made by Virtual Choir HQ, featuring 167 singers hailing from 21 different professional choirs around the world.

I find it powerful to post the lyrics as we listen:

Sing, Be, Live, See.
This dark stormy hour,
The wind, it stirs.
The scorched earth
Cries out in vain:
O war and power,
You blind and blur,
The torn heart
Cries out in pain.
But music and singing
Have been my refuge,
And music and singing
Shall be my light.
A light of song
Shining Strong: Alleluia!
Through darkness, pain, and strife, I’ll
Sing, Be, Live, See…
Peace.

In a quick additional brainstorm, I ask them to describe the feelings, emotions, and impressions they get from listening to this piece. This will be crucial to leading them into creating movement pieces that “fit” with the recording of Earth Song that we will be using. For instance, if the Jungle group are planning on thrashing around like toucans and monkeys, this would help them adapt to interpretations that fit better with the mood of Earth Song.

Then, I post a collection of Movement Vocabulary words (using categories derived from Creative Dance by Anne Greene Gilbert) for them to use as they return to their groups’ Movement Plan.

With these guides and prompting vocabulary at their disposal, they are tasked with using the remaining fields of their plan to map out exactly how each word from their biome characteristics can translate into a movement representation. Plenty of time is given to experiment, test ideas, and refine.

As students develop three different gestures for their biome words, give them the additional task of creating transition movements to get from the end of one part and to the beginning of the next part.

• How would you travel to “reset” for the next part?
• How would you move to “stay in character” during the transition?
• How would you communicate without words to your group to move through each section and transition?

Now it is time to coach each composition to fit into the phrase lengths of Earth Song.

Start playing slow 4-beat phrases on a drum and ask the students to stretch and sustain each of the three sections of their movement piece across 4 beats, and then use the following 4 beats to transition or travel, and then begin the next section of their movement pieces over the next 4 beats, etc. The form will evolve into:

Plenty of time should be given for refinement and edit during the phase of the process.

“Finally, on a daily level, risk a slower pace in your own work with children, a pace that allows time to consider creative questions and their answers. Personal reflection and construction of knowledge takes more time than simply dictating knowledge.” – Peter Webster, “Thinking in Music Education, Encouraging the Inner Voice.”

Time must be allotted to allow students to feel, analyze, and constructively work through places that “feel weird” or “don’t fit” and to work toward the group consensus, and ultimately feel really good and confident executing their final version.

Now it is time to add Earth Song in. I like to let them just listen one more time, breathing with the 4 beat phrases, and following along on their group’s plan and with the roadmap. On a second pass through, we will practice grafting the movement onto the recording, and spend more time sharing out to the other groups.

As a final group version, I like to put the groups into canon, having one group begin, and introducing the following groups one at a time in offset intervals. The layers of movement and characteristic expression, unified by the breath of the 4 beat phrases is so dynamic and fascinating.

This activity can be incorporated into a larger collection of activities for a variety of performances. From humble building blocks of vocabulary, the results are a multidimensional expression of creativity, layered with a gorgeous choral piece singing for peace.

Project Details

Beginning with accessible and cross-disciplinary guides and organizers, this activity follows the concrete definable language associated with Earth’s biomes, and unlocks creative expressive movement in small group settings. The compositional process is guided but unbound, and the inspiration is rooted in emotional and deeply moving choral music.

4th graders will brainstorm, prioritize, and compose movement poetry and performance pieces, and be able to articulate their creative process. 

• Fourth Grade, Standard 1. Expression of Music: Demonstrate practice and refinement processes to develop independent musicianship
• Fourth Grade, Standard 2. Creation of Music: Compose, improvise, and arrange sounds and musical ideas to communicate purposeful intent.
• Fourth Grade, Standard 3. Theory of Music: Identify and demonstrate complex form, meter, and timbre elements – Form: Aurally identify a variety of forms including recurring themes, interludes, canons and theme/variations.
• Fourth Grade, Standard 4. Aesthetic Valuation of Music: Evaluate and respond to music using criteria to make informed musical decisions.

• Use as a part in a greater showcase with Earth/environment/science/SEL/collaborative/peace themes

• As a gateway into larger movement or creative composition activities
• As an accompaniment to a story or piece of literature

Think of this activity as a beginning, with endless process variables and directions you could take. Some of the variations could include but are by no means limited to:

Poetry

Thinking maps and graphic organizers are a readily accessible entry point and guide through this activity, but beginning with poetry is just as effective. Consider collecting haikus, cinquain, or tetractys poems that are short, focused, and unfold musically, and have the students identify movement words in their poems and take up the process from that point of inspiration. Or, have students compose their own earth-themed poetry and pull out the movement prompts from their own creations.

Music

Do you have an arrangement that would accompany this activity? Grafting creative movement onto student arrangements and compositions can be done following the outlined process, by breaking down the components of a movement piece and its transitions, and fitting them into the phrase lengths of any piece of music.

Visual Additions

Working with Light

• Putting the movers behind a shadow screen unleashes incredible visual dynamics to an activity like this, and would no doubt spark a rabbit hole of compositional ideas in your students.
• Projecting light down onto the performers, perhaps a different hue for each represented biome would add to the distinctness and qualities of each group’s impetus for compositionAdding Movement Props
  • Adding scarves, ribbons, stretchy bands, or lights like this (a special thanks to Dave Thaxton for the discovery of these bad boys) would be an engaging layer to add to each movement piece
  • placing groups on tiered levels in a performance would add fascinating depth to the visual presentation
  • Adding a projection of scenes of nature or even the Earth Song performance would elicit the theme and add an interesting accompaniment

Assessment

Evaluating the efficacy of this type of activity can be tricky, subjective, and unclear. In activities that are creative and compositional in nature, with unclear and open-ended outcomes, I like to utilize an area of evaluation that is incredibly valuable: assessment as learning, ie: assessment done by the student, as the activity is evolving. An idea introduced to me by the incredible Victoria Redfern-Cave at AOSA National Conference 2017, this is clearly and easily achieved by leading the students through self-created rubrics that define and track what success looks like in a compositional activity. This naturally helps eliminate moments where students are asking questions such as, “Is this what you want?” or “I don’t get it.”

Student-Created Rubrics as a a guide through an abstract activity, and checklist for success:

• Create categories that can be assessed by someone watching a performance of this activity. These should be categories where the students have received actual instruction, such as how each section of the movement is developed and composed, what transitions look like and how are they considered successful, and how we work with the members of our groups.
• Create levels of possibility and valuation that are age appropriate. I find this often boils down to “Did you do this thing? Check yes or no”
• Fill-in the blanks with descriptive language. 

An example of a rubric made in a whole-class discussion, identifying what effective participation looks like and defining success could look like this:

The post Earth Song first appeared on Teaching With Orff.

Sergei Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf is one of the mainstays of music education. Since its composition in 1936, it has been used to teach the instruments of the orchestra to students around the world. My question is this: how can music educators transform a traditionally passive listening experience into an active elemental experience?  Let’s start with movement! 

To set the stage for Peter and the Wolf, I first let students explore each of the main themes with movement. (This website is a useful resource as a place to find each theme without having to correctly click on a YouTube video link.) As a class, we create a list of movement qualities for each character. I use student-generated vocabulary as well as ACEMM’s movement cards. This is a great opportunity to discuss timbre and how the expressive elements of each theme affect our movement words. Then we pass out character cards and listen to a performance of the folk tale with students creating movements for each character. (Note: we do have a class discussion about the hunters and what motions are appropriate for school. In my classroom, the hunters utilize nets instead of firearms for the purposes of our storytelling.)

In the next class, we discuss why Sergei Prokofiev chose each particular timbre for each character. To facilitate this discussion, I created “Peter and the “What if…?”   This is a website where students can choose different timbres for each character. After the students have reassigned the instruments, we explore how the different timbres affect our movements and interpretations of the characters.

Lastly, I have students create their own stories utilizing classroom percussion. With this worksheet, students create a short story about a character meeting two different characters and then returning home to their grown-up. Students can use classroom percussion to create a soundscape for each character or they can create a brief melody or rhythm – whatever your curricular goals are at the time. Finally, students can put on a performance of their piece of music for their peers, classroom teacher, or school community. 

The post Peter and the “What If?” first appeared on Teaching With Orff.

Grade Level: 5^th-8^th

Materials Needed

• One 8”, 10”, 12” or 14” hand drum per student
  or
• Use available hand drums to make four groups using like-sized drums.

Objectives

The learner will:

• Experience four-part canon
• Improvise over a four-beat phrase
• Perform creative movement

Formation

• Students begin in self-space.

Teaching Process

• Teach the text to the A Section by imitation.
• Teach the movement with text using body percussion.
• Say and play the A Section as a two-part canon and then a four-part canon.
• Arrange students into four groups according to drum size. 
  8” = Group One
  10” = Group Two
  12” = Group Three
  14” = Group Four 
• Teach the movement as follows:
  • Measure one:
    • Beat one, hit hand drum at waist level, facing front.
    • Beats two-four, move drum from waist level to overhead. 
  • Measure two:
    • With hand drum held high overhead, play rhythm and turn 180° to the right (backs to the audience).
  • Measure three:
    • Play rhythm and lower hand drum back down to normal playing position in front of waist.
  • Measure four:
    • Beat one, twist to the right.
    • Beat two, twist to the front.
    • Beat three, twist to the left.
    • Beat four, freeze in place. 
• Repeat measures one through four. In measure two, after the 180 ° turn, students will once again be facing full front.
• Teach the text of the B Section by imitation. 
• Inform students they will have four counts to improvise with hand drums. 
• Select a solo or small group to improvise on measures six and eight.
• Play A Section as a four-part round, starting each new part every four counts. 
• Play B Section in unison. Designate soloists or small groups to improvise in the B Section. 

Form

• Play entire song in unison. (Be sure to designate improvisational players.) 
• Play the A Section in four-part canon 
• Play the B Section in unison. 
• Play the A Section in four-part canon

Extension Possibility

• For an extra challenge, play song as a four-part round, starting each new part every two counts.

Click here to download a pdf of Chris’s lesson along with the Hit 2 3 4 score

Excerpt from to drum. Copyright © 2004 by Chris Judah-Lauder and Beatin’ Path Publications LLC. All rights reserved. Used with permission.

The post Lesson Plan: Hit 2 3 4 first appeared on Teaching With Orff.

Objectives:

The learner will…

• Match visual clues with corresponding rhythm cards
• Compose body and instrumental percussion for found rhythm clues
• Perform each found rhythm for each specific section in the story
• Reinforce rhythm reading

Materials: 

• Harry’s Horrible Hair, a book by Theresa Cocci 
• Website: www.theresacocci.org
• Storybook Flashcards
• Unpitched Percussion Instruments 
• Orff Instruments

Synopsis:

• Meet Harry, a downhearted little dog who is saddened by the stares and laughter of others who only see his horrible hair. When his friend Miss Maggie knits him a handsome sweater to hide his messy hair, Harry quickly gains confidence. But when disaster strikes and his patchy hair is once again revealed, Harry wonders if others will ever see him for what he’s like on the inside—not just the outside.

Activities:

• Prior to the class entering the classroom, the teachers hides the visual flashcards for “Harry’s Horrible Hair” around the classroom.
• At the beginning of the class, the teachers holds up each prepared rhythm card for “Harry’s Horrible Hair”.
• Before the story is read aloud, encourage the students to pay close attention to the pictures in the book.
• Teacher begins to read, “Harry’s Horrible Hair.”
• After reading aloud, the teacher explains to the class that there are seven pictures from the story hidden around the room.
• Divide students into groups. Give each group a rhythm card that will match the picture card from the story.  Scavenger hunt time!
• (Note:  If it’s too hectic to send all groups looking for their picture clues, send two groups at a time.
• When each group returns to their spot, bring their rhythm card and picture card to the teacher.
• Ask the group to take turns and say their rhythms aloud and ask if that rhythm matches their picture card.
• When each student in the group can say their rhythms, ask them to take turns and tap their rhythms.
• Each group then returns to work together and choose unpitched percussion instruments that can accompany their rhythm card. Set a time limit or I use a signal like a drum or clapping rhythm to end the group work.     
• Then groups take turns saying and performing their rhythms for the class.
• Remind students of their performance etiquette while others are performing. 
• Discuss with students what they liked about each performance.  
• As Teacher reads, “Harry’s Horrible Hair”, once again, each group will perform their rhythmic phrase that correlates with their illustration in the story as the teacher pauses before turning the page.
• Note: It may not be possible to add all the rhythmic phrases in one reading.  Depending on the class, I will pick two groups at a time to add their phrases while reading the book. 

Extension:

• For older students, I have hidden the rhythm cards around the room. Then students will look for a visual card that matches the rhythm.
• When I want to reinforce rhythm reading, I will line up the rhythm flashcards on the board ledge.  Then I will play a rhythm without saying the words and ask,
  “Who can find the rhythm?”
• Set up a C pentatonic scale on several Orff instruments or enough for each group. 
• Each group receives a rhythm flashcard and let the groups explore and create a melody for their phrase which can be used for book reading. Some students can write down the rhythm, while others in the group create a melody.  These are ideas that I have used, but please feel free to adapt  and tailor to your classroom.

Purchase a copy of Theresa’s book here

Download her scavenger hunt flashcards here

Download a pdf of Theresa’s lesson plan here

For more music lessons inspired by Harry and his horrible hair, click here

The post Harry’s Horrible Hair – Scavenger Hunt first appeared on Teaching With Orff.

OBJECTIVES

• Demonstrate melodic patterns that include same/different and 3-pitch melodies
• Demonstrate rhythmic patterns that include quarter note, paired eighth notes, and quarter rest
• Demonstrate a steady beat while contrasting rhythms are being performed
• Play and identify pitched percussion instruments

MATERIALS

• Melodic percussion instruments and mallets (xylophones, metallophones and glockenspiels)
• Visuals
• Colored Scarves for movement

PROCESS

Day One

• Teach the song through directed listening and echo.

• Invite students to listen as the teacher sings the song and ask what they noticed (the colors, rhymes, words/patterns that get more than one turn). How many times did the melodic phrase “Autumn leaves, autumn leaves” happen? (4x). Ask students to echo that phrase, use hand signs for solfeggio if desired. Notate this phrase (see visuals).

• Ask students to sing that part of the song while the teacher sings the rest. Trade parts. Then sing the whole song in unison.
  
• Once the complete melody is secure, introduce the xylophone accompaniment to the notated phrase. Demonstrate and practice the pattern initially using body percussion – patting legs; transfer to instruments. Set the instruments in Do pentatonic on C, removing the Fs and the Bs. For 1st grade consider a chord bordun on the beat, and for 2nd grade an alternating broken bordun (notated in the score). Rotate for turns, so that every student has a turn to play this part of the accompaniment. If necessary, two students can share a xylophone – one playing in the lower octave and one in the upper octave.

Day Two

• Review the song. Ask students “What other part of the song occurs more than once?” (The colors – red, gold, orange, brown). How many times? (2)

• Invite students to add a snap one each color word. Transfer to metallophones. With the metallophones set up in Do pentatonic on C, students may strike any two bars on each color word. Rotate for turns so that all have a chance to play this part. Combine with the xylophone accompaniment from the previous day.

Day Three

• Sing the song together again. Ask students to notice the rhyming words (swirling all around; falling to the ground). Introduce the students to the glockenspiel part that will ‘interrupt’ the song, playing a special part after each of these phrases. After singing “swirling all around”, the glockenspiels improvise swirling, stirring sounds using sliding and glissandos with all bars on. After singing “falling to the ground”, each glockenspiel player strikes each note in turn from the highest note to the lowest note on their instrument one time – like leaves falling from the tree. This does not have to be in a unison tempo.
  
• Introduce a colored scarf movement to pair with the glockenspiel part. If possible, pair a scarf dancer with a glockenspiel player so that at the end, the last note of the scale corresponds to their dancer’s last leaf falling. Dancers can follow the player, or the player can follow the dancer. Dancers are scattered and “planted” in the space holding scarves in the colors mentioned in the song and other fall colors. During the first glockenspiel improv their scarves and limbs move like they are being blown by the wind. During the last descending scale, their scarf leaves are dropped one by one. Scarves can be tossed into the air and allowed to float to the ground, or simply dropped one at a time.
  
• With students working in pairs – one on glockenspiel, one as the tree holding colored scarves – sing the song with the extension and then trade parts.

Day Four

• This is the day to put the whole piece together. Everyone sings and all have a special part – either as a scarf dancer or as an instrument player. Review the song, remind students of each of the accompanying parts – xylophones for “Autumn leave, autumn leaves”, metallophones in clusters on the color words “red, gold, orange, brown” and the glockenspiels improvising after “swirling all around” and the high to low scale for the falling leaves after “falling to the ground”. Consider inviting the classroom teacher to come and watch and/or capture a video to share with parents.

Day Five (optional extension)

• Practice melodic dictation using the melodic tone set of this song. Focus on one 3-note grouping at a time: Sol-La-Mi and Mi-Re-Do. Either a 2-line staff or 5-line staff may be used.

Click here to download a pdf of Karen’s lesson plan.

The post Autumn Leaves first appeared on Teaching With Orff.

Yes, you! You are the educator who will benefit from taking your AOSA Teacher Education Level Courses. What’s that, you say? The American Orff Schulwerk Association approves an average of 50 courses a year that provide professional development in Orff Schulwerk commonly referred to as “taking your levels”. A frequent phrase heard from teachers after taking Level I is “Orff Schulwerk has changed my life and how I teach!” 

Oh, you’ve already taken them. Guess what? Countless educators who have completed all three levels of the AOSA Teacher Education Curriculum, return to courses and retake their levels for a deeper understanding, a chance to reinvigorate their teaching, to learn from another instructor’s perspective, and to once again engage in the collaborative, active music-making and movement found at AOSA courses. 

You might be thinking that you only need Level I since you only teach little kids. Not true! The AOSA Teacher Education Curriculum is a comprehensive journey that takes course participants from the simplest forms of elemental music and pedagogy to advanced concepts of understanding  the modes, chord changes, and complex forms. Improvisation and creativity are woven throughout with a primary focus of how to make this happen in your classroom with your students. Learning or strengthening Orff Schulwerk concepts will make a difference for you as a music educator, but the real impact comes when you are able to transform the important work you do with children in your classroom. Being able to take a simple set of rhythms and develop age and skill appropriate experiences for your students allows you to customize your teaching for the needs of your students.You become the designer of your learning environment and facilitate growth and learning in your students. 

Below are lesson ideas for a speech piece I composed. First, I share how it can be used with very young or inexperienced learners using concepts that are learned in a Level I AOSA Teacher Education course. Following that, I demonstrate how the same material is developed for slightly more advanced students using concepts found in Level II. Finally, I give you strategies to extend your instruction even further utilizing concepts from Level III. Completing or repeating your Levels gives you the tools to generate and tailor instruction to meet the needs of your students wherever you and they may be on a musical journey in Orff Schulwerk!

Somebody Who?

Level I

Explore the two rhythms through speech, different order, different voice timbres, etc.

Create rhythmic chains using the blocks 4 times in various patterns.

Ex: Somebody, Who? Who? Who?

Refine to this pattern:

Somebody, Somebody, Who? __________

In the 4th pattern, substitute someone’s name. Then play a game where the chant is spoken by all while patting a beat. The person whose name was used gets to call the next person’s name, etc.

Ex. Somebody, Somebody, Who? Jason!
Somebody, Somebody, Who? Jamara!
Somebody, Somebody, Who? Isabella! Etc.

On another day, transfer the words to a short-range melody using sol, mi, and la.

Add a steady beat simple chord drone and have the students sing the names using sol-mi.

Extensions might include:

Transfer to a DO pentatonic melody or pentatonic mode.

Level II

Model the text using the following rhythm:

Divide into two groups and speak antiphonally.

Once the antiphonal speech is secure, speak the chant in unison, then speak in canon exploring options for the canon entrances.

Transfer the rhythm to patting and then to tubanos, playing while saying, exploring where the natural accents occur which can then become “tone” and “bass” on the drums. When secure, play with the chant internalized in unison and canon.

Other options at this point might be:

• Have the class create a diatonic melody based in one of the modes. Lydian works well!
• Also a great time to talk about what makes a good melody.
• Add an improvisation section either over a drum or barred percussion ostinato. Consider rhythmic word chains as a structure for improvising.

Level III

Review the speech activity from above. Explore creating a melody that uses an I-V accompaniment. Adapt that melody to use an I-IV-V accompaniment.

• Extend the form to Rondo by adding contrasting sections developed by the students. Consider a Body Percussion version, a movement adaptation, recorders, etc.

Click here to download a pdf of Karen’s post.

Are you interested in taking an Orff Levels course with Karen? She will be teaching at Level III at Baker University in June 2023 and Level II at University of Nebraska-Lincoln in July 2023.

The post Somebody. Who? You! first appeared on Teaching With Orff.

This is part of a series of lessons using hula hoops as a prop, for movement, drumming, improvisation and building teamwork. There activities focus on phrases, rhythmic perception, and listening skills. The rhythm is adapted from the Rhythmische Ubung by Keetman, number 20.

Process

Game 1—Phrases

• Everyone has a hula hoop to stand in.
• Stand inside your hula hoop (that is “home)
• Listen to the drum pattern (played on Tubano).
• When the drum plays you are invited to walk around your hoop.
• When the rhythm is over, step back into your hoop.
• Try again and find the ending of the patterns as a signal to step into the hoop.
• Can you step into the hoop at that last strike?
• The rhythm is repeated (played twice). Listen to the rhythm again. It is twice as long.
• Can you anticipate the end of the longer pattern to step into your hoop? Is it easier or
• harder to do?
• At the repeat, there will be a 4-tap signal (accented) indicating the repetition of the
• pattern.
• Walk away from the drum and when you hear that signal, start returning to your hoop.
• Find a pathway away from your hoop. Where will you go and how will you find you
• way back “home.”
• This time, find a new hoop to return to (like going to Orlando and starting in one theme
• park, but then moving to a new one!).
• Clap on those 4-tap signal to return to the hoops.
• Invite a student to play the drum emphasizing the 4-tap signal. The rhythm might change
• a bit.
• Walk to the steady beat to and from the hoops.

Game 2—Listening/Cooperation

• Listen again to the rhythm (Rhythmische Ubung #20)
• After the rhythm is played, you will hear a signal for how many feet should step in a
• hoop.
• Rhythm….signal…go to a hoop
• How will you solve the problem of three feet in a circle?
• How will you solve the problem of 5 or more feet in the hoop? (The group in the video
• only had 6 class members).
• Cooperate with the others in the group to find a solution to this challenge.
• A student leads the rhythm
• A new student plays a tambourine to decide “how many feet” go into a hoop
• Add other instruments to accompany the basic rhythm (for instance, a guiro or
• woodblock).

Discussion/Extensions

• Other pieces from the Orff Schulwerk, the Rhythmische Ubung could be used for this
• activity.
• With a larger group, a recorder might improvise a melody to accompany the rhythm.
• Though not ideal, a recording could play and stop (at a phrase) and then have the teacher
• or a student could signal how many feet should step in a hoop.
• The rhythm could be played as an improvised or composed melody.
• The class could create their own rhythm for this activity (or beat box a rhythm). This
• could be created with speech or rhythmic building blocks.
• A hand drum might lead this activity rather than a tubano.
• Rather than clapping on the 4 sounds, the group could play their drums (the group
• eventually did this).
• Walking around the room could include keeping a beat on the drums or choreographing a
• dance as the class walks with the drum.
• The original rhythm could be explored on temple blocks or with the sound gestures
• suggested by Keetman (right and left laps).

The post First Hoop and Drum Lesson first appeared on Teaching With Orff.

Use one song and game for a variety of discovery and exploration.

“Tideo” Play Party Game

Traditional, Indiana Play-Party Songs of 1916 for one of the earliest notated versions

“Tideo” is a song that I use for a variety of reasons! And while the whys behind my teaching it year to year may change, the number of different experiences I can create using one song is a reason why “Tideo” has a regular place in my curriculum. Do more with less!

Option 1, Movement First- Teaching Process:

• Teach students how to shake hands like respectful adults! This is an important skill and one that we cannot assume children know. Discuss
  • Comfortable grasp, thumb meets thumb
  • No floppy fish
  • 1-2 count
  • Aim for eye contact and a smile for a bonus
• Put on an upbeat piece of music– and play a game “Hand Shake Chat Time”
  • Whenever you pause the music, students must stop walking/moving around the space and find someone’s hand to shake
  • Shake their hand with a 1-2 count and then chat about something
    • If your students have issues chatting to people outside their friend group, post prompts on the board! Silly things, things that they are interested in, favorite food, color, etc. Or, it’s a chance for people to introduce themselves
  • When the music restarts, students again move through the space, but now cannot shake hands with anyone they’ve shaken with before
• Make two concentric circles. Partners facing each other, one in each circle.
  • Inside circle is stationary!
  • Outside circle moves!
• 2 count shake, then move to the right, shake new hand, move to the right, and shake a new hand, move to the right-3 times total
• Now, extend right hands, left hands, shake both hands
• Practice these motions several times with the option of switching who is in the inside and outside circles, if you class is a class where it’s best if everyone gets to try all things

That’s enough for one day and you can do something else!

Suggested “upbeat piece of music” “It’s a String Thing” by The Grascals on Spotify

Option 2, Singing First- Teaching Process:

• Sing the song for students, asking them to listen for which word they hear the most
• Discuss. Are they sure it was “Tideo?” Could it have been another word? Maybe “window?”
• Sing and ask students to keep track of the word they are listening for by counting on their fingers. Discuss their findings before giving a new task.
• Now, as you sing the song again for students, they need to listen to the melodic direct of every “Tideo.” Some go up and some go down. Point your finger up or down, based on what you hear for each “Tideo.”

↑
Pass one window, Tideo
↓
Pass two windows, Tideo
↑
Pass three windows, Tideo
↓
Jingle at the window, Tideo
↑ ↑ ↓
Tideo, tideo, jingle at the window Tideo
↑ ↑ ↓
Tideo, tideo, jingle at the window Tideo

Option 3, Singing and Moving- Teaching Process:

• See if students can associate melodic and rhythmic patterns from “Tideo” included in your warm up. (“I Have an Echo” or similar as a framework)
• Go back to the concentric circles and the “shake one hand, move to the right” idea.
• Try it while singing “Tideo!”
• Review just the movements that go with the first half of the song:

• On the refrain, the body percussion pattern begins- pat, clap own hands, clap partner’s hands, clap own hands, twice (Tideo, Tideo)
• Next measure, switch places with partner crossing R shoulder (Jingle at the window, Tideo)
• Repeat above four measures so that each person returns to their original place
• Game is played again with joyous singing (Thanks to Joyce Stephansky for the play party instructions! Other versions of play party dance instructions can be found in Purposeful Pathways or other resources.)

Extension Experience Rhythmic- Teaching Process:

• See if students can associate melodic and rhythmic patterns from “Tideo” included in your warm up.
• Focus on rhythmic elements
• Create a drum arrangement!
• When will you play low tones and high tones (tubanos) OR when will you play up strokes or down strokes (frame drums)?
• Experiment, find your solution, and share
• What other layers could work well? (Hint– use ostinati patterns from a barred instrument arrangement!!)
• Once your class has created their “arrangement” for drumming “Tideo,” open up an opportunity for question/answer style improvisation. For example, the teacher plays for 4 beats, then students answer with 4 beats. Once students are comfortable improvising after the teacher, you can have half the class improvise with half the class. Then, move to 8 beat improvisations, 8 beat questions and 8 beat answers.

Extension Experience Melodic- Teaching Process:

• Review the song and sing with solfege, if that’s in your practice.
• Utilizing solfege in teaching on the barred instruments is a great practice. Relate the solfa pitches to the bars of the xylophones!

Create a call/response framework for improvisation using a section of “Tideo” as your response. The “response” can be spoken or sung, or played on drums if you are focusing on rhythm, or if the melody has been played on barred instruments, players can play the response together on those instruments, after someone or a small group gives the call:

• To give students an opportunity to understand the feeling of call/response, begin with the teacher playing the call and students playing the response. (Utilize two levels of body percussion– clap and pat). Switch roles
• Move to partner pairs and have students taking turns
• Practice on unpitched percussion can also give more opportunities for understanding, before moving to pitched instruments, where students are improvising both rhythm and pitch.

There are many resources with arrangements for “Tideo,” and I’m including mine here. REMEMBER, all the parts in an arrangement are simply suggestions! You do not need to include them all. Pick what works for your students and leave the rest.

Do as many or as few ideas for using “Tideo” as suits you! But I’m always looking for ways to do more with less– how many different experiences can we have with just one song?

Click here to download pdf of Christine’s lesson plan

Click here to download pdf of Christine’s arrangement for Tideo

The post Tideo first appeared on Teaching With Orff.

Our winter weather has been strange this year for sure! Scott Roether uses a classic selection from the American Volumes to explore the crazy experience of winter driving! You can teach the whole lesson to older students or any one part of the process to any grade if time is short. You might even spiral this lesson by adding a step each winter with a variety of grade levels! I know you and your tiny musicians will have fun navigating the wintery terrain!

Click here for a copy of Scott’s slides.

Lesson Process:

Opening (Day One)

The teacher leads students in a conversation about favorite winter activities and discusses things to do in the winter weather. The teacher mentions one activity that can be a bit dangerous, but very adventuresome: driving in the winter (icy and snowy conditions, snowdrifts, additional types of vehicles on the roadways– snowplows, etc.). Introduce anecdote about traveling for the winter holidays or on the way to school when the superintendent hasn’t called for a much needed snow day: ‘My parents would always prepare us for our winter journeys in saying…(see the below lyrics/rhythmic content)”

Presentation (Day One)

The teacher leads students in the rote transfer of lyrics/ rhythmic content:

(T Claps on “Watch out for snow” Ss discover which words to add BP to). Ss recite rhyme alongside teacher and add clap on “watch out for snow.”

Exploration/Culmination

1. T suggests we take our own cars out in the winter weather [Leading question: (What type of vehicle? What can we use to make our vehicles look more realistic? Is there an instrument or prop in our classroom that looks like it might be useful in a car? (leads to hand drums from student suggestion)]
2. T models how one might use a hand drum to drive around their space, taking various S suggestions about the type of car to drive (T models different sizes of vehicles, etc.)
3. Ss move through space as different pathways to avoid the various winter obstacles (snowdrifts, ice patches, etc.). Each S uses their own pathway, creating their own road. T and Ss recite two times, with Ss playing hand drums on watch out for snow. Ss freeze at stoplight after two times through.
4. As students are moving, eventually incorporating the melody, Ss learn by gradual assimilation and by rote.
5. After moving, groups or individuals will create a 4 measure phrase (to be played twice) of known rhythms including quarter notes, eighth notes, half notes, quarter rests, and the new rhythm, “syncopa.”
6. Each measure will begin with/be formatted with the “Watch out for…”/syncopa rhythmic motif–Ss will fill in the blanks for the final two beats of each measure. 
7. T will lead Ss in rhythmic practice with iconic and traditional notation in a PowerPoint presentation. 
8. If preference for scaffolding improvisation, rather than breaking into small groups Ss might explore choosing whichever rhythmic building bricks on the screen in an undetermined order. Preparing for more thoughtful improvisation. 
9. (T passes the notecards with rhythmic building brick ideas, with various syllabic and rhythmic options (Ss deduce how many can fit into each measure of music and may also use other winter-themed building brick ideas). Options include: icicles (ta-di ta), snowdrifts (ta-ta), sinking potholes (ta-di ta-di), snow (ta), and ice patches (ta ta-di)— ask Ss what the different rhythmic building bricks might be named– have many winter options ready.)**
10. Ss create their 8-measure patterns in small groups and prepare to perform in class)**
11. Ask Ss for suggestions for performance– ideally will be performed in a way that represents a form featured in Ohio State Elementary Music Standards (might be something similar to ABACA or rondo form, with A as “Winter Weather” and B and C, etc. reserved for the groups to share). T and students will play accompaniment interlude in between each section of the form to allow for students to switch to hand drums and back to barred instruments. 
    
    ** I typically don’t use 9 and 10 in the class, but can be a nice opportunity for group work

Transferring speech and melody to Barred Instruments

1. After movement/hand drums, T leads in body percussion to show melodic contour/ rote transfer of melody and body percussion for transfer to bars. 
2. Ss set up instruments to accommodate melody removing burgers
3. T leads Ss in the discovery of melody on the barred instruments. (displays barred instrument diagram on board). 
4. One group of students could remain as movers from the day prior, while another discovers the melody as it relates to the contoured body percussion (see below) and sung melody. 

– Body Percussion to show melodic contour:  

• Use directional body percussion sound gestures when modeling for students (left to right/ high to low from teacher perspective and right to left/high to low from student perspective). I describe the falling snaps as “snowflakes.”

5. Ss remove B bars (“One hand on top, one hand below, gently lift and there you go!”– credited to Brian Hiller and Don Dupont, as learned from Katie Settleberry)

6. Students transfer/discover melody placement on the barred instrument. Work alone or with partner.
7. Play melody, add ostinato on D-A– “winter is coming, yes winter is coming”
8. Experiment with form, incorporating improvisations based on earlier explorations of syncopa and building bricks. Play on hand drums or incorporate barred instrument improvisation if working with more experienced barred instrument players/improvisers.

Curriculum Goal or Standard: Syncopa    , improvisation, composition with rhythmic building bricks         

Grade Level: Modifiable for Third-Fifth Grade

Lesson Outcome(s): Students will utilize body percussion, movement, voice, and barred instruments to explore a new rhythmic concept, syncopa .

Musical Materials: “Fast Dance” by Donald Slagel (MFC American Edition, Vol. 2, p. 166)

Equipment: Barred Instruments, Hand Drums, Slideshow

The post Winter Weather first appeared on Teaching With Orff.