Students will develop the ability to articulate moods and imagery in music through poetry. They will be able to do this through comparing and contrasting two pieces of Beethoven's music via language and movement. They will depict Beethoven in an art piece and learn about his life.
This lesson represents a yearlong partnership with the local Symphony. My students studied all four musical instrument families - strings, brass, woodwinds and percussion, coinciding with the schedule of the local Symphony. With each instrument family we did free line drawings of instruments (violin, trumpet, flute and timpani). The lessons include visual art, live music and active listening. Finally, their experience will bring an understanding of the culture and climate of the Symphony, as it becomes truly accessible to students of all socio/economic backgrounds.
Students will practice and perform a Reader's Theater entitled Salt, a Russian folktale. They will hear a story about the Russian composer Pyotr Tchaikovsky, and listen to four of his compositions: Swan Lake, Serenade for Strings, Marche Slave, and 1812 Overture. Finally, in groups of five to eight students, they will choose a musical score from these pieces to accompany their section of the Reader's Theater.
This lesson involves two genres of music: a classical composition, Concerto No. 3 in F major, Op. 8, RV 293, Autumn from Four Seasons by Antonio Vivaldi; and a jazz rendition of Autumn Leaves, by Joseph Kosma and lyrics by poet Jacques Prévert, performed by Wynton Marsalis. The children are given and bring background information about the fall season, particularly how leaves fall off of a tree or blow in the wind. The children engage in an activity where they can drop a leaf and watch it fall or blow.
After exploring nature and country life through literature, poetry, visual art, science and social science, young children will explore feelings about nature by responding with movement to Beethoven's Symphony No. 6 in F Major, Opus 68, known as Pastoral Symphony, or Recollections of Country Life. By listening to the words of Beethoven (from documented source materials), students will become familiar with his feelings and his desire to express these feelings through his Symphony No. 6.
This lesson introduces basic communication skills by asking the following questions: What does communication mean? What do good communicators do? Selections from Fanfare for the Common Man by Aaron Copland and Carnival of the Animals by Camille Saint-Saëns will help us define musical terms and discover the answers to our questions. Following this lesson, students will have a better understanding of the definition of communication and the different aspects included in the definition.
Students will be able to relate the similarities and differences experienced by orchestra members and students of a first grade class as connected to the idea of the interdependence within a community. They will recognize that as members of a classroom community there are expectations for jobs, behavior, and intrinsic motivation to function to the best of the individual's ability.
This lesson utilizes Classical and Disco music to teach about Beethoven's life while integrating many language arts standards at the same time. Music, art, and math were also incorporated into the theme unit. The main objective of this unit is to teach fact and opinion. There is no right or wrong answer to what makes music, music. It's a matter of opinion.
After learning about the life of composer Ludwig van Beethoven and listening to a variety of musical selections, the students will create an Ode to Beethoven to express their appreciation and knowledge for his life and musical talent. In addition, the students learned about the artist Andy Warhol, and will use this knowledge to create an art piece of Beethoven in the style of Warhol.
Compare and contrast Stravinsky's Rite of Spring to Vivaldi's Four Seasons, La Primavera (Spring). Pair the music of Stravinsky with the art of Edvard Munch. Pair the music of Vivaldi with the art of Claude Monet. Discuss the similarities and differences. Discuss Josef Albers’ Homage to the Square entitled “The High Spring”. Discuss how color and mood are connected. Create a color square in the style of Josef Albers to represent the pairings of Stravinsky & Munch and the pairing of Vivaldi & Monet.
Students listen critically to two distinct compositions by composer Aaron Copland to help them connect with their own family's traditions and cultures. Through interviews, art and writing, students will gain a better understanding of their own heritage.