I. Curricular Framework

Concept:

Celebration

Essential Question:

What is the relationship of music to celebrations?

Bridge:

Feeling the Music

Content:

Lecture: Bernstein's Mass

Outcomes:

II. Standards Aligned

III. Instruction and Assessment

1. Connect: Connecting to the Concept Experientially

Objective: To stimulate students to think of music as a mode of celebration.

Activity:
1.) Teacher facilitates a discussion, beginning with: “Let’s make today a day of celebration. What shall we celebrate? How will we celebrate? Food? Clothes? Activities?”
2.)Encourage students to use their imagination to make this a day of celebration.
3.)Ask students: What about music?

Assessment: Involvment of students in discussion.

2. Attend: Attending to the Connection

Objective: To lead students to analyze the qualities of music used for celebration.

Activity: Ask students to compare the kind of music that might be used for different kinds of celebrations. Ask how they would describe music for a celebration? (fast, slow, major, minor, etc.?)

Assessment: Quality of student responses.

Assessment, Phase One, Level of Engagement, Fascination:

3. Image: Creating a Mental Picture

Objective: To stimulate feelingful response to Bernstein's Gloria.

Activity: 1) Tell students that they will listen to music written for a celebration (Bernstein, Gloria). 2) Listen. Ask students, "How does it make you feel? What do you like best--least--about this music as music for a celebration?"

Assessment: Quality of student responses.

Assessment, Phase Two, Seeing the Big Picture:

4. Inform: Receiving Facts & Knowledge

Objective: To present the facts about Bernstein's Mass, and to introduce concepts about complex meter.

Activity: 1) Tell them that the music they heard was written for the celebration of the opening of J.F.K. Center--using Mass. 2) Tell the class about the creation of Mass--Mass created in 1971--combination of many musical styles--'modern man's crisis of faith"--performance art of the 70's. Describe the combination of "popular" and "classical" traditions--an example of the performance art of the 70's. Contrast the contemporary style with the previous lesson--Beethoven. Discuss differences between Classic style (formality, balance, regularity) with the Bernstein example. 3) Read about Bernstein in text. 4) Facts--Bernstein died, Oct. 1990. 5) Read "unusual meter". 6) Remind students of previous lessons: duple, triple meter--or music that moves in 2 or 3. 7) Tell class: meter in 5--complex meter is a combination of 2 & 3 together.

Assessment: Attention of students to lecture.

Assessment, Phase Three, Success with Acquiring Knowledge:

5. Practice: Developing Skills

Objective: To have students practice recognizing and performing complex meter and relate concept to Gloria Tibi.

Activity: 1) Meter: --ask the class how the music is divided? (3 & 2). 2) Show 3 & 2 with words, gloria tibi 2 & 3 with words, Mary Jefferson. 3) Practice 3 & 2 pattern with clap on strong beats, tap on weaker ones. 4) Listen to music and practice the 3 & 2 pattern with the music.

Assessment: Involvement of students in activity.

Assessment, Phase Four, Success with Acquiring Skills:

6. Extend: Extending Learning to the Outside World

Objective: To encourage students to create their own musical experiences using complex meter.

Activity: 1) Divide students into groups of three--have students create four measures of pattern in meter of five using body percussion and non-pitched instruments--contrast on accented, unaccented beats (using 2 & 3, or 3 & 2). 2) Give students one minute to decide which "job" they will perform. (Tell them that the teacher will assign the jobs if they haven't decided among themselves within that time frame.) Jobs: a) Play accented beat. b) Play unaccented beat(s). c) Add a melody with recorder using G pentatonic to go with meter. d) Tell students to prepare their creations for class performance.

Assessment: Involvement and ideas of students.

7. Refine: Refining the Extension

Objective: To have students evaluate their works.

Activity: 1) Have class write down analysis of what works, what doesn't. 2) Teacher-check groups for concepts fitting to meter. 3) Collect papers of analysis.

Assessment: Quality of papers and discussion of the students.

8. Perform: Creative Manifestation of Material Learned

Objective: To share concepts learned by the groups.

Activity: Half of class performs for other half. Reverse.

Assessment: Quality of presentations and attention of fellow students.

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