Lesson 2: Visualization  - 4th grade

Music Standard:
 A. Students will compose and arrange music within specified guidelines:
I.        Students will create and arrange music to accompany readings or dramatizations.
II.      Students will create and arrange short songs and instrumental pieces within specified guidelines.

Objectives:
A.      Students will create a short piece of music, related to the scenario they are given.
B.      Students will discuss how the instrumental piece helps us vision the scenario
C.      Students will explain why the music must relate to the text

Why is it important that the students will learn my lesson?
This lesson will help students learn the importance of music in helping someone create in their mind, what is going on in a piece of literature.  This can easily link to a literacy lesson on visualization.  We are able to visualize what is going on because of the type of music. 

Materials:
A.      Instruments: drums, xylophones, shakers, bells, and rain sticks (can do piano/keyboard if available)
B.      Four typed out scenarios that can be put to music.
C.      Copy of “Carnival of the Animals” suite

Background for Teachers
The students are learning why music is important for setting the mood in movies, musicals, plays, and even in books.  Today, we will see how music is key in helping a person create an image to go with a plot line.  They key is to help students connect the feel of the music to the words on the paper.

Introduction:
Remind the students of their previous discussions how music can make you feel.  Have the students give examples.  Tell the students that today we will be demonstrating what music makes you see. 

Body:

  1. Tell the students that music added to a piece of literature can help you visualize it much better than just reading the literature.  But for this to happen the music has to fit the piece of writing.
  2. Let the students know that they are going to be listening to parts of the piece “Carnival of the Animals” by Camille Saint-Saens. 
  3. Give background information on the piece of music:
    1. Written in 1886 when Camille was vacationing in a small Austrian village.
    2. What makes it cool is it is suppose to be humorous, each part of a play off anther piece of music.
                                                               i.      Example: the tortoise is a slow version of the normal fast Can-can.
    1. Each animal has verses read before it to show what the piece of music is describing. 
  1. Tell the students you will be playing clips from three parts of the suite.   After each clip, they will discuss why the instruments represent that animal and verses.
  2. Play the three parts and discuss
    1. Aviary, tortoise, cuckoo
  3. Finish this part up by reiterating that music helps you visualize what is going on in the written story.
  4. Tell students that they are now going to create a piece of music to go with the scenario that I give them. 
  5. Put students in groups of three and pass out scenarios.
  6. Have students get out instruments and plan a short song to play that relates to their scenario.
Closure:
Each group plays reads their scenario and then plays their music.  Their peers say if the music matches the words, and why or why not (being able to picture the scenario should come into play here).  Then instruments will be put away.

Assessment:
-          Create a rubric: Was the students’ performances related to the feel of the scenario?  Could the music help you visualize the text?
-          Students’ participation in the discussion of the “Carnival of the Animals”: did they see the connection between the music and the text?

Adaptations/Extensions:
 For students with limited fine motor skills, the group that they are in will be given a piece of music that involves a drum.
 Pass out a copy of all of the lyrics if there are any students who are hard of hearing.

Next Steps:
 Students will continue to create music that provides a sound image.  This skill with be worked upon until the students can compose their own mini play based on their arrangement.