Emotions in Music
Jimmy Imoehl
Music in Context Lesson
Standards:
· 4: Composing and arranging music within specified guidelines.
o Compose short pieces within specified guidelines, demonstrating how the elements of music are used to achieve unity and variety, tension and release, and balance.
· 6: Listening to, analyzing, and describing music.
o Analyze the uses of elements of music in aural examples representing diverse genres and cultures.
Objectives:
Students will draw on their descriptive language arts skills to describe the qualities (elements) of music.
·Students will identify the emotions that are provoked by the elements of music.
Students will compose a short piece of music to provoke a given emotion using a wide variety of instruments.
Why is it important?
This lesson will serve as a link between music and language arts. Students will explore the emotions evoked by musical selections and identify the elements of music that stir those emotions. To identify these elements of music students will draw on their descriptive language skills. It is important for students to apply these skills in a wide variety of environments - this lesson offers that opportunity.
Materials:
· Sound clip from “Disturbed – The Sickness”
· Sound clip from “Richard Cheese – The Sickness”
· Audio equipment for playing sound clips
· Broad selection of musical instruments (xylophone, drums, rainstick, etc.)
Background for Teachers:
·Prior to this lesson students should have engaged in a discussion about descriptive language. They will use these skills to describe music selections that are played for them during the lesson. Students should also have some experience manipulating the musical instruments made available to them during the lesson.
Steps in the Lesson:
· Introduction
o “We will be exploring the effect that music has on our emotions. Can you think of a time that music influenced your mood, either intentionally or unintentionally?” Have students share their responses with a partner near them.
· Body:
o Play “Disturbed – The Sickness”
§ Ask students to describe the emotions that they felt during the song. Record their answers on the blackboard.
§ Ask the students to describe the qualities/elements of the song – was it loud/soft, fast/slow, hard/soft, etc.? Record their answers next to their responses for the previous question.
o Play “Richard Cheese – The Sickness”
§ Ask if they noticed any similarities between the songs. Point out that, even though the words were the same, this song probably had a very different effect on them emotionally.
§ Repeat the process of recording feelings and song qualities/elements on the board.
o Ask the students to make connections between the elements of the songs and the emotions that were provoked in them.
o Divide students into small groups and ask them to pick an emotion that they would like to convey through music.
§ Once they have chosen an emotion, allow them time to experiment with several instruments, tempos, etc. to create a short composition that conveys their emotion.
· Closure:
o Each group will play their composition for the rest of the class.
o Depending on the class, the group may either reveal their emotion before they play or the class could guess what they were trying to express after the group plays their song.
· Assessment:
o Students will be assessed on their ability to describe the elements of music and relate them to the emotions provoked by a song.
o Students will be assessed on their ability to convey an emotion by manipulating the elements of music.
Adaptations/Extensions:
If a student in the class has a limited ability to manipulate and control an instrument the group may use vocal sound effects (humming, beat-boxing, etc.) to create their composition.
Next Steps/Connections to Other Subjects:
·This lesson could be used as an introduction to the various terminology (tempo, pitch, etc.) used in music. Students have started to identify these elements in this lesson and will continue to learn the proper terminology in following lessons.
·This lesson could supplement a unit in language arts exploring descriptive language. Students must search, and possibly expand, their vocabulary to describe the elements they hear in the sound clips used in this lesson.
Jimmy Imoehl
Music in Context Lesson
Standards:
· 4: Composing and arranging music within specified guidelines.
o Compose short pieces within specified guidelines, demonstrating how the elements of music are used to achieve unity and variety, tension and release, and balance.
· 6: Listening to, analyzing, and describing music.
o Analyze the uses of elements of music in aural examples representing diverse genres and cultures.
Objectives:
Students will draw on their descriptive language arts skills to describe the qualities (elements) of music.
·Students will identify the emotions that are provoked by the elements of music.
Students will compose a short piece of music to provoke a given emotion using a wide variety of instruments.
Why is it important?
This lesson will serve as a link between music and language arts. Students will explore the emotions evoked by musical selections and identify the elements of music that stir those emotions. To identify these elements of music students will draw on their descriptive language skills. It is important for students to apply these skills in a wide variety of environments - this lesson offers that opportunity.
Materials:
· Sound clip from “Disturbed – The Sickness”
· Sound clip from “Richard Cheese – The Sickness”
· Audio equipment for playing sound clips
· Broad selection of musical instruments (xylophone, drums, rainstick, etc.)
Background for Teachers:
·Prior to this lesson students should have engaged in a discussion about descriptive language. They will use these skills to describe music selections that are played for them during the lesson. Students should also have some experience manipulating the musical instruments made available to them during the lesson.
Steps in the Lesson:
· Introduction
o “We will be exploring the effect that music has on our emotions. Can you think of a time that music influenced your mood, either intentionally or unintentionally?” Have students share their responses with a partner near them.
· Body:
o Play “Disturbed – The Sickness”
§ Ask students to describe the emotions that they felt during the song. Record their answers on the blackboard.
§ Ask the students to describe the qualities/elements of the song – was it loud/soft, fast/slow, hard/soft, etc.? Record their answers next to their responses for the previous question.
o Play “Richard Cheese – The Sickness”
§ Ask if they noticed any similarities between the songs. Point out that, even though the words were the same, this song probably had a very different effect on them emotionally.
§ Repeat the process of recording feelings and song qualities/elements on the board.
o Ask the students to make connections between the elements of the songs and the emotions that were provoked in them.
o Divide students into small groups and ask them to pick an emotion that they would like to convey through music.
§ Once they have chosen an emotion, allow them time to experiment with several instruments, tempos, etc. to create a short composition that conveys their emotion.
· Closure:
o Each group will play their composition for the rest of the class.
o Depending on the class, the group may either reveal their emotion before they play or the class could guess what they were trying to express after the group plays their song.
· Assessment:
o Students will be assessed on their ability to describe the elements of music and relate them to the emotions provoked by a song.
o Students will be assessed on their ability to convey an emotion by manipulating the elements of music.
Adaptations/Extensions:
If a student in the class has a limited ability to manipulate and control an instrument the group may use vocal sound effects (humming, beat-boxing, etc.) to create their composition.
Next Steps/Connections to Other Subjects:
·This lesson could be used as an introduction to the various terminology (tempo, pitch, etc.) used in music. Students have started to identify these elements in this lesson and will continue to learn the proper terminology in following lessons.
·This lesson could supplement a unit in language arts exploring descriptive language. Students must search, and possibly expand, their vocabulary to describe the elements they hear in the sound clips used in this lesson.
