Playing With Improvisation

2, 4, 6, 8 – Recorder Version

2, 4, 6, 8 – RECORDER Teaching Process:

• Sing song and ask students to label form. (abca)
• Sing the first 4-beat motive, the a motive. Students echo the a motive.
• Students sing the a motives and you sing the b & c motives.
• Students sing the song and pat the steady beat.
• Change steady beat to ‘pat-clap-hands out–clap’ and students imitate pattern while singing song.
• Use the steady beat pattern for the a motives and students create new steady beat movements for the b & c motives to emphasize the form.
• Present PowerPoint Slide 2. Speak B Section text.
• Students perform ABA Form (A=2, 4, 6, 8 with steady beat movements & B=‘Meet Me at 3 O’clock spoken)
• Students make a circle. Assign partners in a SINGLE circle with partners facing each other.
• Partner dance for A Section:
  1. “2, 4, 6, 8” = pat–clap–partner–clap
  2. “Meet me at the garden gate” = double high 5 with partner, keep hands connected andchange places
  3. “If I’m late, don’t wait” = 4 steps to turn to face the person behind you and this personbecomes your new partner
  4. “2, 4, 6, 8” = pat-clap–partner–clap
• Partner dance for B Section:
  5. “Meet me at 3 o’clock” = shake RIGHT HAND with partner you are facing and pull pastthem
  6. “Meet me at 3 o’clock” = shake LEFT HAND with the next person you are facing and pullpast them
  7. “Meet me at 3 o’clock” = shake RIGHT HAND with the next person you are facing and pullpast them
  8. “And don’t be late!” = shake pointer finger at them and this person becomes your new partner to repeat the entire game
• Present PowerPoint Slides 3 & 4. Students identify gates as letter names or solfege.
• Students sing song following gates on 3 line staff. Highlight notes as students sing by clicking your mouse or space bar.
• Students sing song again using text or solfege. (PowerPoint Slides 5 & 6)
• Present PowerPoint Slide 7. Students name notes on staff and then show fingerings on recorder. As each note is clicked in, students play the B Section text rhythm on one pitch at a time.
• Present PowerPoint Slide 8. Students sing letter names and finger notes on recorder. Click in note names as they are sung using mouse or space bar.
• Students perform A Section melody on recorder. (PowerPoint Slide 9)
• Perform rhythm of BX & SG parts using body percussion (pats & snaps).
• Present PowerPoint Slide 10. At barred instruments, students set up in G pentatonic. (Take off C’s & F’s.)
• Students play a G simple bordun (G & D’) on beats 1 & 3 of each measure (this is the pat from the body percussion pattern).
• Students play octave G’s on the snaps from the body percussion pattern.
• Assign parts and perform while singing the song.
• Present PowerPoint Slide 11. Students use pitch stack of the notes from the song (B-A-G-E) for improvisation. Students choose a note to play for each line of the “Meet me at 3 o’clock” B Section and then play BBAG for “And don’t be late!” (Or you can have your students suggest a pattern of notes for the last line.)
•  Give students as much choice as possible for their improvisation of the B Section depending on known notes on recorder.
• 1⁄2 students play the game and 1⁄2 students play recorder. Trade parts.