Secondary Curriculum Project Unit 3 Composing and Notation Software Shannon Bahr

Unit Learning Objectives Students will create original pieces of music using both voice and another instrument, and notate it using Sibelius (NS 1, 2,4,5, Visual Learning) Students will listen to, evaluate, and write a story using other students compositions (NS 6,7, 8 Auditory Learning, HOTS) Students will self-evaluate their own compositions (NS 7) Students will be improvise and notate an accompaniment using Sibelius (NS 3, 4, Kinesthetic Learning) Students will compose a short piece in the style of a different culture (NS 4, 9) Students will compose a piece of music based on their interpretation of a story or a piece of art. (NS 4, 5, 8, HOTS)

Formal Assessment Objective: Students will create original pieces of music using both voice and another instrument, and notate it using Sibelius (NS 1, 2,4,5) Students will compose a piece of music, using at least two instruments, and notate it using Sibelius. The piece must be at least one page long. Students must write a paragraph (around 350-500 words) explaining their thought process in composing the piece, and an evaluation of how the piece met their expectations.

Materials and Resources On how to use Sibelius: Clark, Tom, and Daniel Spreadbury. "Sibelius 6 Handbook." Sibelius. Sept. 2009. Web. 20 Apr. 2011. <http://hub.sibelius.com/download/documentation/pdfs/sibelius610-handbooken.pdf>. "Sibelius Web Demos and Training." Sibelius. 2011. Web. 20 Apr. 2011. <http://www.sibelius.com/webdemo/index.html>. Spreadbury, Daniel. "Learn Sibelius 6 in One Hour." Sibelius Blog. 26 May 2009. Web. 20 Apr. 2011. <http://www.sibeliusblog.com/tutorials/learn-sibelius-6-in-one-hour/>.

Melodies for students to write accompaniment for: Ottman, Robert W., and Nancy Rogers. Music for Sight Singing. Boston: Prentice Hall, 2011. Print. Books/Pieces of Art: Biskup, Tim. 100 Paintings. Milwaukie, OR: Dark Horse, 2004. Print. Carle, Eric. Do You Want to Be My Friend? Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin, 1991. Print. Cleary, Brian P., and Jenya Prosmitsky. Hairy, Scary, Ordinary: What Is an Adjective? Minneapolis: Carolrhoda, 2000. Print. Fleming, Denise. In the Small, Small Pond. New York: H. Holt, 2007. Print. Van, Allsburg Chris. The Mysteries of Harris Burdick. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1984. Print. You will also need: - computers for each student with the Sibelius program - Speakers to play each students piece

Student Learning Project 1 Students will each be at a computer, and the teachers work will be shown on a projector. By their computers will be a list of steps different things that you can do with Sibelius. By the end of this class, each student will have completed each of these steps. The teacher will take students through steps on advanced use of the Sibelius program. Theyll learn different instrument notations (orchestra scores, piano, guitar tabs, and how to add dynamics and articulation. The students will then turn to their list of steps. There will be different things they must accomplish: writing a piano piece, an orchestra piece, a guitar tab, and adding dynamics and articulation. The compositions dont have to be masterpieces in fact, they can just notate something they already know, or write a simple melody and harmony they just need to show they can use the program. They will print each of their steps, and turn it into the teacher at the end of class. The rest of the class period can be spent playing with Sibelius to discover other features, or to become more familiar with the program.

Student Learning Project 2 This lesson focuses mostly on fostering creativity and explaining some music theory to give students a little more direction when composing. Students will compose a quick accompaniment. The teacher will give each student a melody, and they will have about 5 minutes (shorter or longer depending on how well it goes) to improvise an accompaniment for that melody. No rules just getting their minds working on creating something, but still having a backbone to work from. After this, there will be a short discussion on how that activity felt did they feel overwhelmed, excited, and proud of their work? Ask students to reflect on the experience. Next, going over form will help the students. Explain (fairly simple explanations) periods, binary form, and sentences. Go over the use of repetition, common chords to use, cadences, and themes. Make sure they understand that these forms dont restrict them; but they can be a helpful tool when composing. Show students examples on the board, and play them common examples. After this, have the students go on YouTube, ITunes, or some other form of the internet and look for examples of a period, sentence, binary form, and ABA structure. Make sure each student has one solid example of each.

Student Learning Project 3 Students will be handed either a childrens book or a piece of art a photograph or a painting. They will have the entire class period to interpret the book or art, and write a composition using Sibelius or Garage Band based off of their interpretation. They will write a short reflection at the beginning, middle, and end of the class period explaining their interpretation, thought process, and evaluation of results. At the end of the class period, the students will present their composition to the class. They will present it without any explanation (no explaining what the story was about, or their thought process). After this, there will be a discussion on how composing this felt; whether or not they were proud of their compositions and why, and what the process was like.

Student Learning Project 4

This lesson will be somewhat the opposite of the previous. In this student-learning project, each student will pair up, listen to their partners compositions, and write a story/draw a picture that accurately represents the piece of music. They will have about 20 minutes to do this. After this is completed, there will be group presentations. Each group will go to the front of the class. Partner A will explain their interpretation of Partner Bs composition, and then Partner B will explain what the actual story or art was. Then, theyll switch, with Partner B explaining their interpretation and Partner A explaining the story or art they interpreted. A written evaluation will commence after this; students will explain what they learned from the experience, and what they discovered about the value of creativity in music not only in composition, but in evaluation and interpretation as well.

Student Learning Project 5

This lesson will be somewhat of a recap, but also a brainstorming lesson to get students to think of good strategies and ideas when composing. When the students come in, they will have about 15 minutes to create something to perform in front of the class. It can be a written composition that they can present, a song they wrote on their instrument, or even beat-boxing: they just have to create something in ten minutes. After they all present, they will take a sheet of paper and write down at least one strategy they used when coming up with their composition. It can be where they started, what form they used, how they edited their composition anything that helped them and made it more efficient to compose. Each student will turn in the sheet, and then there will be a discussion over these strategies. The teacher will read each one, and students will discuss if theyve done this, why it works, etc. Next, students will be given sheet music, and will listen to a classical piece of the teachers choosing one that elicits many of the strategies given by the students (repetition, a theme and variation, melody in different voices etc.) The students will listen to the piece a few times, and then analyze it: theyll look for these strategies at play in the piece. Theyll write down a few things they think that the composer was thinking while writing the piece, and turn it in.

Student Learning Project 6 Each student will choose a culture at the beginning of the class period. They can search around a while to find a style of music from another culture they really enjoy. Once they have each found one (and no two students can do the same one), they will research that cultures music and try to find patterns (common forms, chords used, or rhythms). They will choose at least one song from that culture that really enjoy and clearly shows one of these patterns. Next, the students job is to create at least one piece similar to that cultures style. They can choose just one of the elements such as the rhythm, the form, the different melodic structures, etc. or try to combine a number of these elements. If they want to add words or voice to the song, they can look up a famous poem or lyric from the culture to use. They can either create the piece on Garage Band, or notate it on Sibelius. Each student will present their findings to the class this lesson may take more than one class period, so they can present their final projects in the next class. They will present both the piece(s) they discovered and the composition(s) they wrote. They will receive feedback from their classmates on the piece they wrote.

Student Learning Project 7 The final assessment for this course cant be done just during class time theyll definitely need to work on it outside of class -- however; they can have time during class to work on it. Their assignment is to compose a piece of music, using their voice and at least one other instrument, and notate it using Sibelius. They also must write a paragraph explaining their thought process in composing the piece, and an evaluation of how the piece met their expectations. Students will have a partner for this project; not to work together, but rather, to get feedback from each other. In this lesson, at the end of class, students will meet with their partners, perform what they have, and get feedback. Students can also get feedback from the teacher anytime.