Musicianship Experience Design: “Baby Beluga”

Rationale​​: This experience is important to learners because it shows learners how to

learn a song by simply listening! Student’s will be learning by rote, by repeating each
part until they are able to sing and play through this arrangement while playing
instruments. This method of learning will continually reinforce the song we will be
learning, helping students grasp onto each part. Learning this way shows that students
can learn a song by ear without having to look at any type of notation. This experience
should provide a different way of learning through repetition and no notation!

Understanding Statements​​:
○ I can sing the tune clearly, with expression.
○ I can show that I know how to hold the instrument mallets correctly, while
playing.
○ I can show that I can play my part and other parts.
○ I can show the pulse through solfege; a steady beat.

“I can” statements/standards:
- The student will sing songs alone and with others, including 1. singing in
tune with a clear tone quality; 2. singing melodies within the range of an
octave; 3. singing melodies written on the treble staff; 4. singing with
expression, using a wide range of tempos and dynamics; 5. singing
rounds, partner songs, and ostinatos in two-part ensembles; and 6.
maintaining proper posture for singing. (VA 3.2)
- The student will create music by 1. improvising rhythmic
question-and-answer phrases; 2. improvising accompaniments, including
ostinatos; and 3. composing pentatonic melodies, using traditional
notation. (VA 3.7)
- The student will demonstrate understanding of meter by 1. determining
strong and weak beats; and 2. performing sets of beats grouped in twos
and threes. (VA 3.5)

Materials​​:
- Hand bells
- Alto Xylophone
 - Bass Xylophone
- Electronic IPad app, “Drum Pad Machine” (available for free!)

Detailed Process​​:
1) First, have the students sit down in a circle and have them listen to you
sing the whole song called “Baby Beluga”.
2) Sing two measures at a time until you reach the end, having them echo
you after every two measures. Then, sing the entire song together!
(About 10-15 minutes to rehearse the song)
3) Once they start to sing along with you, then play the alto xylophone. This
is called the burdon, which is a relatively static, open fifth. For all parts,
ask the students to tap the rhythm on their hands.
4) As they continue to loop the song, then add the bass xylophone, which is
the melodic ostinato. Have the students tap the rhythm on their hand.
5) Then continue this process by adding the digital piano, the finger symbols,
which is the rhythmic ostinato, and finally the digital application called
“Drum Pad Machine”. Have the students tap the rhythms on their hand.
6) Have students experiment with this digital application to see what sounds
it can make and what students think what fits best and where!
7) Once all of the parts of the song have been presented for each instrument,
go through each part again and have the students recall each different
part.
8) Once the students seem confident in all parts, have the students pick an
instrument they want to play.
9) Have the students experiment with the instruments they have chosen and
the parts that go with those instruments.
10)Before continuing, teach the students how to hold the mallets correctly!
Make sure they have a good grasp on the mallet.
(Steps 6 through 8 could take around 20 minutes)
11) Once the students understand and can play their part, have everyone
stop and begin to loop the instruments beginning with the burdon; the alto
xylophone.
12) Once this has a steady beat, add the bass xylophone (melodic ostinato),
the digital piano, the finger cymbals (rhythmic ostinato), and finally the
Drum Pad Machine application.
(This could take about 10-15 minutes)
 13) Continue to loop this until there is a steady tempo, and you feel as though
the students have clearly understood their parts!
14) As you continue to loop the song, ask students to try to sing and play! If
this is difficult, ask the students to focus on the part they are playing first.
(This could take 15-20 minutes depending upon what needs to be fixed and/or
rehearsed more.)
15) Ask the students, what did they learn? Did they have fun? For the next
class, how could they improve or what could they have done differently to
make this experience even better for next time?
This experience will definitely fill up a full class period of about 60 minutes. Depending
upon the time of the class, this lesson can be broken down and taught among several
classes if needed.

Assessments​​:
● Checklists
○ __: The student was able to catch on to the tune by listening and singing it
back.
○ __: The student was able tap the rhythms on their hands before playing it
on their instruments
○ __: The students were able to play their parts alone and altogether without
becoming lost or confused
○ __: The student was able to hold the mallets corrects for the alto and bass
xylophones.
○ __: The student was able to use the digital application, “Drum Pad
Machine”.

● Rubrics
○ 1/5: Student has difficulty showing the rhythm when taping it on their hand.
The student has difficulty singing the melody.
○ 2/5: Student sings “Baby Beluga” with noticeable issues due to adding
other parts. Has noticeable issues staying in time with other students
when singing.
○ 3/5: Student can sing the melody; however has difficulty showing the
rhythm while taping or playing on their instrument/digital application.
○ 4/5: Student sings, taps, and can most of the time show all the movements
that go along with this song. Sometimes has difficulties singing and/or
playing together.
○ 5/5: Student can show and perform this song along with playing their
instruments with little to no difficulty.

Questions:
 ○ Could you sing the tune back to me after listening to it repeatedly?
○ Can you tap the rhythm on your hand?
○ Can you sing while tapping?
○ Did you have fun?
○ Did you play the rhythms on your instrument?
○ Did you feel the steady beat?

Adaptation​​:
- ​Pacing: The pacing of this activity can go as slow or fast as the students want.
It is up to them and how fast the teacher can take it because the students are
truly the leaders. Parts of this song and how it is taught can be wound up or
wound back depending upon what the students need!
- ​Modality: This experience can be done by sitting or standing the entire time.
Depending upon different capabilities for holding the mallets for the xylophones,
this experience can easily be adapted to the needs for the students. If a student
has difficulty holding a mallet, the teacher can grab a clay like substance, and
make a handle that will fit their hand better; making it easier to grasp!
Extension​​:
To make this experience longer, after having learned this song, a fun
extension activity could be to now go into some basic notation! By giving them
paper plates, cotton balls, paper clips, and pipe cleaners, students will be trying
to figure out what the notation may be for this tune, by using the materials given
to them! This has the potential of being challenging because their are sixteenth
notes in this song; however, this will be a learning opportunity to learn something
new! The students will show what they think the rhythms are on the paper plates,
or if they are completely stuck, students can simply create their own rhythm.
Once the students have completed this task, I would have them present their
rhythm to the class. If students are not familiar with some rhythms in this tune, I
would start out this extension activity by showing them the differences among
quarter/sixteenth/eighth notes and their values. From there, the students would
then begin to piece together the tune!