3/24 introduction to the Renaissance

The repurposing of this assignment focuses on helping a special needs group including children with reading, writing and
word formation issues (dyslexia, dysgraphia, etc.)


3/24 approx. 12-14 minutes
Objectives:
Introduce the renaissance period to the class, discussing:
o How it sounds different from what weve done before
o Stylistic traits of the renaissance period
o Connecting it to the renaissance historical period of the same name
Describe Renaissance style by listening to pieces of music from the Renaissance period
Materials:
Naxos recording of the Villanesca
o http://rider.naxosmusiclibrary.com/catalogue/item.asp?cid=ACC94107
Renaissance/Da Nola listening and reading sheet

Prepare:
1. Allow students to walk into the room and take a moment to grab their folders from the cabinet, and find their
way to their seats.
a. When students have made it to their seats, instruct them to open their folders.
2. Ask students what they know about the renaissance historical period, using our colored object identifier tools to
identify what the renaissance period is in history class.
a. What do students already know about the Renaissance period.
3. Have students take out the yellow sheet, titled A Hitchhikers Guide to the Renaissance style, and put their name
at the top of the sheet.
a. Explain that we are learning about the Renaissance musical period and we are going to learn about why
it is important to music.
4. Teacher will read off of the basic information section of the Renaissance, which is the first two paragraphs on
the sheet.
a. Ask students to identify what the first two paragraphs of the sheet look like. Have students mark with
pencil where we will be reading off of on the sheet, and invite them to either just listen to the teacher,
or read along out loud softly or silently with the instructor.
b. Identify Historian, writing the word on the board together with students while they write on a piece of
scrap paper for practice.
c. Identify medieval, reviewing the style of the period (musically and historically) discussed before as well
as practicing the writing of the word.
d. Create a word bank on the board with the following words:
i. Gospel choir
ii. Lead singer of a band
iii. Monks
e. Ask students, based on the context of the second paragraphs, and with a clue sung by the instructor
(Gregorian chant), to guess what kind of person would fit into the blank space in the second paragraph
using the given word bank on the board.
i. Monks would be the correct answer. The purpose of this exercise is for students to realize that
the Renaissance is the first time that citizens, like them or the teacher, would be singing for the
first time together.
f. Allow students time to circle monks to fill in the blank.
i. Ask students to trace over the words Monks
5. Provide a review of what some of the musical terms on the page mean; difference between harmony, unison,
ex. unison means everyone together makes some unique
a. Writing on the board definitions for these terms for future reference while the wksht is completed.
6. Listen to St Amaro core mio e diventato by Giovanni da Nola at least 3x; ask students to listen to specific traits
about the music that they hear and to make note either by writing in their own examples or identifying existing
ones on the page.
a. Students could be writing in their own answers as well as some suggestions given by the teacher while
they listen.
b. Ask if there are any students that would like to share their examples with the class and together, as a
whole, identify these animals, sounds, examples using methods used in class.
i. What does it look like? What does it have in common? Etc.


The lesson would probably have to stop at the point, and continue on for a second day. Repeat beginning
classroom procedures, identify the paragraph labeled scenario. then:

7. Listen to music again for 2x.
a. Review some of the terms and reasons for circling the answers on the page.
8. Read aloud the story about the lunch room break up scene
a. Students will now identify some of or none of the words on the sheet that describe the music they
listened to that could also describe the lunchroom break up scene. Is the break up sad? Happy?
9. Reveal to students the translation of the title of the piece, Im bitter and my heart has become so, too and listen
to the piece again, providing a translation that the teacher will dictate aloud as the song runs its course.
a. Ask students if knowing about the text of the Italian song changes how they believe the music works?
i. Do they understand the sarcasm and carefree-ness of the piece? Text is one of the most
important parts of Renaissance music.
b. Students should discuss if they would still circle the same

I feel that the entire purpose of this lesson shifts in a very different way, but still heading in the same direction. The flow
of the lesson becomes much more plodding and methodical, allowing time to be taken and accounted for to incorporate
moments to explain and define terms, fulfill directions, and ask questions that will inevitably come up. There are also a
multitude of ways to go about fulfilling tasks, like listening instead of reading, circling instead of writing, but the option
to either read aloud or practice writing is always present in the lesson. Ive incorporated larger lines to write on, as well
as bolding words that may contain tougher combinations of letters and may need further explanation.