I. Curricular Framework

Concept:

Form

Essential Question:

How are meter and movement connected by a composer?

Bridge:

Images to Music

Content:

Meter and Movement in Handel's Royal Fireworks

Outcomes:

II. Standards Aligned

III. Instruction and Assessment

1. Connect: Connecting to the Concept Experientially

Objective: To relate various types of movement as affected by music students hear.

Activity: Play examples of music with which students are told to move (tape with examples of march, waltz, rock, slow jazz, electronic music).

Assessment: Observation of student responses.

2. Attend: Attending to the Connection

Objective: To help students understand that there is a relationship between movement and music.

Activity: Analyze and discuss movement in the music heard. What does music do to you in terms of your body? Encourage student analysis.

Assessment: Quality of discussion and class reaction to activity.

Assessment, Phase One, Level of Engagement, Fascination:

3. Image: Creating a Mental Picture

Objective: To help students understand that there is a relationship between movement and music.

Activity: Students listen to Handel’s Bouree/Minuet with regard to what types of movement might accompany this piece. Students draw an analog drawing of what that movement might look like.

Assessment: Quality of discussion and class reaction to activity.

Assessment, Phase Two, Seeing the Big Picture:

4. Inform: Receiving Facts & Knowledge

Objective: To introduce students to the bouree and minuet as dance forms (movement) in the 17th century, and to extend their understanding of the musical selection and the composer.

Activity: 1) Tell students about the music and the composer. Handel was commissioned to write Royal Fireworks Music. It uses dance forms - bouree and minuet. . 2) Use music text to read "About the Music". Discuss other music of Handel - especially popular, The Messiah. 3) Teach terms: bouree = folk dance, and minuet = court dance. Review or teach the concept of Meter, and music "swings" - in 2 or 3 - duple or triple meter. Show the class how meter signatures indicate meter. Write examples of 2/4, 2/8, 3/4, and 3/8 on the board.

Assessment: Attention and behavior of the class.

Assessment, Phase Three, Success with Acquiring Knowledge:

5. Practice: Developing Skills

Objective: To practice listening to music with an understanding of meter.

Activity: 1) Show class patterns to clap and tap as they listen to the music. (Use a hand-clap for the down-beat and a finger tap on palm for up beat.) 2) Ask class to decide which section is in 2 which in 3 as they listen to the Bouree and the Minuet. 3) After listening, ask class to raise their hands when asked: "Who thinks the Bouree was in two? in three? "Who thinks the Minuet was in two? in three?

Assessment: Correct response of the students. DAY TWO
Objective: To recognize meter signatures and to play instruments to demonstrate meter. (Review and extension of Day One lesson.)

Activity: 1) Look at p. 189. Ask: What are the signs in the music to tell you how the music "swings," i.e., what is the meter? 2) Divide into threes. Each group given non-pitched instruments. Play instrumental accompaniment to show meter of bouree or minuet (half of class assigned bouree, other half, assigned minuet). Show contrast in meter and strong beat, light beat, contrast. 3) Play music while students play instruments to Bouree or Minuet. (Listen to section not chosen to play.)

Assessment: Response of students to questions and instrument-playing of students.

Assessment, Phase Four, Success with Acquiring Skills:

6. Extend: Extending Learning to the Outside World

Objective: To provide students an opportunity to add creations of their own.

Activity: Pass out one glockenspiel or other melody instrument for each group. Have students create their own melodies in C Pentatonic to fit with meter.

Assessment: Involvement of students and attention to assignment.

7. Refine: Refining the Extension

Objective: To provide the students with the opportunity to evaluate what they have created.

Activity: Teacher checks each group - is the downbeat, upbeat differentiation appropriate to music? Is the melody appropriate to the meter accompaniment? Have students evaluate what they are creating. Write down what they think works, what needs to be improved, what questions they would like to ask when teacher comes to their pair. (Papers to be turned in to teacher.)

Assessment: Quality of questions and papers

8. Perform: Creative Manifestation of Material Learned

Objective: To relate meter, movement, and music.

Activity: Half of groups perform to music, while other half of class moves to music. Reverse.

Assessment: Quality of the response of the students.

Assessment, Phase Five,Performance, Creative Use of Material Learned: