Author: Tammy Axt

The second part of the arts curriculum, which is all about reflecting, responding and analyzing the arts, can be a bit of a bore. Some of the resources available are structured so that a teacher plays a CD and the students listen to a piece of music and complete a chart in response. This type of activity is a good way to evaluate students’ initial reaction and description of the elements of the music. It is also are a great way of informing the teacher about the prior knowledge that the students already have. However, I have not found these types of activities to be successful in capturing a deep level of analysis and interpretation. I have also never heard a student cry out in glee about the prospect of completing one of these activities.

To really get students to analyze music and critically reflect about what they are hearing, students need to engage with the piece of music more than one time. But how do you keep their attention and focus over multiple listening experiences? The answer is do activities that are fun and have built in time for changing thoughts and opinions.

Activity One

Ceiling Flashlight show.

This first Unit stemmed from an idea that was presented in a workshop by the OMEA president Gena Norbury.

The students create light shows on the ceiling of the classroom to go along with a classical piece of music. You can buy small hand held flashlights for fairly cheap and take some Sharpies and colour the lens with a variety of colours. Next, turn off your lights, lie down and watch the ceiling light up! I usually create one example with the class where we identify all the elements of music that we hear, the form of the music and our initial reaction. We then choose the colour, formation and shape we want our light show to take so it matches the music. We test it out and come back and change it until we are happy with the end result.

Next, the students are responsible for identifying the form, elements, and initial reaction to their own piece of music and for creating their own light show to perform for the rest of the class.  I would rate this as my favorite unit for a grade 4 or 5 class to develop their listening skills. Each group listened to their piece dozens of times through their preparation. This really allowed them to develop opinions, thoughts and feelings about the piece of music.

Each group should have access to their own music player for their piece (yes, this is noisy) and I block out my windows in my class during this unit. When the students designed their own light shows in the past they used Bizet- Toreador Song , Beethoven- 5th symphony ,Prokofiev- Romeo and Juliet (Montagues and Capulets), Vivaldi- Four seasons- fall. You can really use any music that has an easy form to follow and fairly straightforward elements to identify.

Activity Two

Create a story that demonstrates the music.

I start this lesson with a jigsaw activity where each group becomes an expert on one music term. Each group receives one of the posters from the music room and reviews it and quizzes the other members in the group. Afterwards, I reorganize the groups so that there is an expert on each vocabulary term in the each new group.  Their first job is to listen to the music and share their initial reaction to the music using some of the vocabulary they have just learned. If groups are having trouble, I approach them and ask some simple guiding questions such as “What is the feeling of the music? What does the music bring to your mind?” We share some of our thoughts in a whole group discussion and then each group decides on a story that the music could be telling. The group then begins to act out the story with mime to try and capture the feelings and themes of the music. Students share their creations with the class and I have students give feedback. Each group goes back and revises their initial creation. My favourite piece of music to use for this activity is anything John Williams but especially “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”. That long crescendo to the very loud accented note make the kids laugh every single time.

Activity Three

Draw it and pass it on.

Have students listen to piece of music and have them draw whatever the music makes them think of. At a certain point have everyone in the room switch papers with someone else as the music continues. The next person continues the pictures by adding their own ideas. Make one more switch and have the final person add colour to the piece of art. When students are able to do this task successfully use a piece of music that clearly changes feeling in the middle. This allows the pictures to evolve as they are passed around.
My students tell me that these are some of their favourite activities all year.

Today’s blog is a simple one. Below are a variety of comments that I have used for reporting to parents over the past couple of years. The shorter comments are for the progress reports and the longer comments are for report cards. Hopefully, these comments can be a starting point for those of you who teach their own music. The framework should allow you to individualize them to your own students and school. If you have any great comments that you would like to share, please leave a comment below.

Grade One

$ is able to sing and sign simple melodic patterns in tune, using the pitches, mi, so and la.

$ created and performed an accompaniment for the story ‘The Tulip Bulb’. @@ demonstrated an understanding that sounds can be represented by symbols by reading cards with pictures on them while clapping the rhythm of the words.

$ showed that @ can apply the steps needed to learn songs. @@ moved and sang songs with fast and slow tempi such as “Rig a Jig Jig” and “Downright Upright”.

$ applied the elements of music when singing, playing and moving.

$ demonstrated the ability to identify sounds of higher and lower pitches by performing the song ‘As I Went Out To Play’. $ expressed # feelings about an African music performance.

Grade Two

$ classified instruments by listening to their sound. @@ created and played an eight beat rhythm as an accompaniment for the story ‘Percussionville’.

$ showed that @ can apply the steps needed to compose simple songs. @@ used proper technique when playing simple accompaniments on the xylophones.

Through the study of the piece ‘Carnival Of The Animals’, $ was able to classify instruments by listening to their sounds. @@ demonstrated an understanding that symbols can be used to represent sound.

$ demonstrated an understanding of pitch and musicality by expressively moving # body to the sound of a slide whistle and copying it with # voice. @@ played the accompaniment for the song The Teeny Tiny Woman on the xylophone with proper playing technique.

$ demonstrated the ability to sing unison songs in tune and play simple accompaniments.

$ is able to name many instruments and classify them by listening to their sound. @@ demonstrates an understanding that standard rhythmic symbols represent specific note values.

Grade Three

$ is able to describe some examples in which the elements of music are used in the music @ performs, listens to and creates.

$ demonstrated the ability to sing, in tune, unison songs, partner songs and rounds.

$ showed that @ can apply the steps needed to learn to play and appreciate music. @@ performed the Japanese song “Kaeru” in unison and in a round.

$ sang the song Little Boat So White in tune, with musical expression, and played an accompaniment for it on the xylophone with proper playing technique. @@ composed and performed a 4-beat rhythm pattern that created a B section of an ABA form based on the poem Breakfast Time.

Through the study of the musical tale ‘Peter And The Wolf, $ was able to describe several examples in which the elements of music are used to create a specific mood. @@ identified ways in which music is used in a variety of communities.

$ performed movements and rhythms in 3/4 time. @@ identified and described ways in which music can be used in # community. @@ described ways in which the elements of music are used through the study of the piece Peter And The Wolf.

$ used good technique when learning to play “Pachelbel’s Canon” on the xylophone. @@ responded to a performance by the Canadian Opera Company.

Grade Four

$ showed that @ can apply the steps needed to learn to play and to appreciate music. @@ composed and performed a variation of Hot Cross Buns on the recorder.

$ demonstrated an understanding of musical signs and standard notation on the five-line staff by playing a piece of music on the recorder. @@ applied the elements of music when singing and playing instruments.

$ demonstrated an understanding of musical signs and standard notation on the five-line staff by reading a simple piece and playing it on the recorder. @@ responded to a performance by the Canadian Opera Company.

$ demonstrated an understanding of musical signs and standard notation on the five-line staff by reading a simple piece and playing it on the recorder. @@ was able to identify the use of music in communities today and in the past.

$ demonstrated an understanding of musical signs and standard notation on the five-line staff while playing the recorder. @@ created and performed melodies on the xylophone in both major and minor tonalities.

$ used the tools and techniques of musicianship when learning a song on the recorder.

$ used the tools and techniques of musicianship when performing the songs “Hello Everybody” and “I Like Singing”.

Grade Five

$ identified the elements of music in a classical piece and described how they were used. @@ prepared a presentation for the junior concert using the techniques of musicianship.

$ created a musical composition that used body percussion, instruments and voice. @@ used the tools and techniques of musicianship in the performance of “Little Tommy Tinker” and recorder duets.

$ created and performed an eight beat rhythm using quarter notes, eighth notes, sixteenth notes and sixteenth note and eighth notes combinations. @@ applied the elements of music when playing and composing music to create a specific effect.

$ showed that @ can apply the steps needed to learn to play and to appreciate music. @@ used proper playing and singing technique and showed creativity when developing # own rhythmic patterns.

$ applied the elements of music when singing, playing, composing and arranging music.

$ is able to demonstrate an understanding of basic harmony by composing a short piece of music based on the notes of specific chords. @@ is able to perform a piece on the recorder in 6/8 time signature with consistent rhythmic

$ created and performed a rhythmic composition that included sixteenth notes. @@ demonstrated an understanding of 6/8 time signature, clefs, and standard notation by performing the song ‘Millions of Cats’ on the recorder.

This year as part of my teaching package, I was asked to teach art one period a week in a contained ASD class. Surprisingly, it has become one of my favourite periods of the week and something I look forward to. There are 6 students in the classroom with a variety of needs and challenges but we have somehow managed to create some really cute art during the first four months of school.

Let me be upfront and honest. I have very few artistic skills. Therefore, the thought of leading anyone in art was a little nerve racking. To combat this problem I relied on the knowledge of my student’s interests, Pintrest and amazingly supportive colleagues to come up with some fun projects.

Before we began every project, I showed them all the finished product and had step by step verbal instructions to complete the task. This highly structured environment enabled all of them to be successful and lowered stress levels for some of the students.

We all sat at the table together and the materials were placed in front of every students work station.

Some of the art we created was inspired by the students’ interests.

One of the students in the class loves animals. To inspire our art lesson,  I made a prezi about my cat Harley https://prezi.com/vquishjdeok3/my-cat-harley/. We then made our own Harley kittens out of paper plates, paint and construction paper.

Another student in the class loved the book “A Soup Opera” that we read last year in music. I took one of the images from the book and we recreated it in another art lesson.

A song called “5 Little Pumpkins” was the inspiration for another art piece. After we learned the song, we made our own 5 little Pumpkins.

A colleague of mine lent me a book with a variety of art activities in it. We made teeth puppets out of paper plates and gloves. We then created tooth brushes out of recorder cleaners and tissues and sang the song “You brush your teeth”

Another helpful tool this term was Pintrest. I sure I am the last person in the teaching profession to find out about this great tool and the next two winter art pieces were inspired from art on Pintrest.

I have taught other contained classes the arts in the past and some further considerations to keep in mind before starting are:

1. In some classes scissors could be very dangerous if not probably monitored.
2. Oral fixations that result in consumption of glue, clay or art materials is a possibility for some students. Make sure to read the student’s IEP and speak with their classroom teacher before bringing these materials
3. Knowing your students’ triggers are important. I had a student in the past where holding a pencil caused them a lot of anxiety so I planned accordingly.
4. Have a very clear plan about the pairing of student with staff to create the best scenario for success.