Composition and Improvisation in Elementary General Music · Composition and Improvisation in...

CompositionandImprovisationinElementaryGeneralMusic

RogerSamsDirectorofPublicationsMusicIsElementary

www.MusicIsElementary.comroger@musiciselementary.com

BowWowWowfromPurposefulPathways,Book2

UsedwithPermission

PATHWAYTOMovementPlay:Traditionalsinginggame• Studentsstandinacircle,withpairsfacingeachother.• Theystomptheirfeetthreetimeswhensingingthe“Bow,wow,wow”motive.

Theygesture,movingtheirhandsapartwiththepalmsfacingup,tofillintherest.• Theyclaphandsthreetimeswhilesinging,“Whosedogartthou?”andthen

gesturefortherest.Thisgesturewillresembleagesturemadewhenaskingaquestion,likeashrug.

• Partnersjoinhandsandduring“LittleTommyTucker’sdog,”theystepleft,rotatingtogetheruntiltheytradeplaces.

• Onthefinal“Bow,wow,wow,”studentsstepinplacethreetimes,andonthelastbeatofthesongbothplayersjumpandturnaroundtofaceanewpartner.Thesongbeginsagainwithnewpartners.

• Repeatuntileveryonereturnstotheiroriginalpartner.• Noovertsinginginstructionoccurs.Studentslearnthesongwhileplayingthe

game.

PATHWAYTOEnsemble:ChordbordunwithUTPostinato• PattheBX/BMbordunpattern.Thestudentsjoinyouwhenready

(simultaneousimitation).

• TransfertoBX/BMandputtogetherwithsinging.• Readtherhythmforthehanddrumpart(clapping).

• Dividetheclassinhalf.Halfsingsthesong.Halfclapstheostinato.Trade

parts.• Transfertohanddrum.

• Dividetheclassinhalf.Halfdrums.Halfsingsthesong.Tradeparts.• Putitalltogether.

PATHWAYTORhythmicImprovisation:4-beatpatterns

• Singthemelodicpattern,fourtimesfollowedbysilentlycountingtofour.

• Studentsjoinyou,singingthepatternandcountingfourbeatsbetween.• Studentssingthepattern.Youmodelrhythmicimprovisationusingyour“dog

voice”(barking,growling,whining,etc.)duringthemeasuresofrest.Besuretokeepitrhythmicanduserhythmsthatarewithintherhythmicvocabularyofthestudentsatthisdevelopmentalphase.

• Yousingthepatternandthestudentsimproviseintheir“dogvoices.”• Pairthestudentsupanddistributethepairsaroundtheroom.Onestudentisthe

“singer”theotheristhe“dog”.Tradeparts.Repeatmultipletimestogivethestudentslotsofpractice.

• Repeattheprocess,butnowuseBPrhythmicimprovisationinsteadof“dogvoices.”

• Considercreatingasatisfyingformwiththesong.ItmightbeABAformoritcouldbeaGrandRondo,whichwouldallowtheopportunityforassessmentofin-tunesingingand/orimprovisationalskills.

OldMotherBrown

fromPurposefulPathways,Book3UsedwithPermission

PATHWAYTOPitch:Echopatternsusingdoremiso

• Leadsolfaechopatternsusingdoremiso.• Besuretoemphasizethedo-mi-sopatternsfoundinthesong.• Asalways,usestudentleadersastheyarereadyandtimepermits.

PATHWAYTOLiteracy:4 h 2anddo,re,mi,so

• Readtherhythm.Theserhythmsareveryfamiliar.Expectthestudentstoreadthemwithoutyourhelp.

• Readthemelodyfromsticknotationusingsolfaandhandsigns.Bepreparedtousethesolfatoneladderforremediationwhenthestudentsneedsomeextrasupport.

• Readthemelodyfromthestaffusingsolfaandhandsigns.• Addthetext

PATHWAYTOComposition:8-beatrhythmicostinato

• Theclasscomposesan8-beatrhythmicostinatobyselectingandarrangingfourbuildingblockcards.Forthehalfnote“whoa”havethestudentsclapandthenpretendthattheyarepullingonreignsforthesecond,sustainedbeat.

4 h ridepo-ny

h 4 po-nyride

4 4 rideride

2 Who----a!

h h po-nypo-ny

• Claptheostinatotogether.(Makesurethestudentsareshowingthesustainedhalfnotebypullingonthereigns.)

• Dividetheclassinhalf.Halfsingsthesong.HalfperformstheostinatoonWBorUTPinstrumentofchoice.Regardlessofwhatinstrumentyouchoose,you’llprobablyneedtouseaspecialinstrument,likethesuspendedcymbal,toprovidethesustainedsoundofthehalfnoteon“Whoa!”Tradejobs.

• Smallgroupsofstudentscomposetheirown8-beatostinatiusingbuildingblockcardsthenperformonUTPtimbreoftheirchoice.

• Eachgroupsharestheostinatotheycreated,firstaloneandthenwiththeremainderoftheclasssingingthesong.

PATHWAYTOEnsemble:I-VwithUTPostinato

• ModeltheBX/BMostinato(mirroring)andsingeitherthetext,absolutepitchnames,orsolfa.Studentsjoininwhentheyareready(simultaneousimitation).

• Dividetheclassinhalf.Halfsingsthesong.HalfpracticestheBX/BMostinato.Tradeparts.

• TransfertoBX/BM.• CombinesingingandBX/BMwithsomeofthestudentcreatedUTPostinati.

ChickenonaFencepost

fromPurposefulPathways,Book3UsedwithPermission

PATHWAYTOMovementPlay:Singinggame

• Studentslearnthesongbyrotewhileplayingthegame.• Twostudentsareselectedasfarmers.Theyleavetheroomorgooutofviewand

listeningrange.• Theremainderoftheclassisintwoconcentriccircles,holdinghands.Itis

determinedwheretherewillbetwogatewaysattheendofthesong,oneineachcircle.Agatewayisproducedwhentwostudentsraisetheirjoinedhandstocreateanarch.

• Studentsinconcentriccirclessingthesongastheywalkthebeatandmovetheir

circlesinoppositedirections.Theinsidecirclemovescounterclockwise.Theoutsidecirclemovesclockwise.

• Attheendofthesongthecirclesstopmovingandthetwogatewaysarecreated.Thefarmersracetofindthegatewaysandpassunderthemattemptingtobethefirstpersonintothecenterofthecircle.(Teachersoftenhavearubberchickeninthecenterofthecirclewaitingtobeclaimedbythevictor.)

• Aftertheraceeachfarmerpickstheirreplacementandthegamerepeats.

PATHWAYTOImprovisation:4-beatechopatternscontaining4 h H • Usethetempleblockstolead4-beatechopatternsincludingsixteenthnotes.Ask

thestudentstopattheirechoes,alternatinghands.• Putthetempleblocksinthecenterofthetwoconcentriccirclesforthegame.

Aftertherace,thefarmerwhowinsgetstoleadthepatternsbeforetwonewfarmersareselectedandthegamebeginsagain.

PATHWAYTOEnsemble:Splitbordunwithostinato

• PattherhythmoftheBXostinatowhilesingingthesong.Askthestudentstojoinyouwhentheyareready(simultaneousimitation).TransfertoBX.

• StudentsreadtherhythmoftheAXostinato.Havethempreparetoplayitbypattingononeleg,alternatinghands.TransfertoAX.

• Putthesplitborduntogetherwiththesong.• StudentsreadtherhythmoftheSXostinatoandtheyprepareforinstrument

playingbypattingononeleg,alternatinghands.Besuretheyusetheirbodiestophysicallydemonstratetherests,bypulsingintheairortappingtheirshoulders.TransfertoSX.

• Putallthreeinstrumentalpartstogetherwiththesong.

PATHWAYTORhythmicImprovisation:H

• StudentssingthesongandpatH hwhenevertheysingthewords,“Chickenonafencepost.”

• Studentsplaytheflooreverytimetheysingthewords,“Chickenonafencepost,”whilesingingthesong.

• Repeat.Thistimetheyaudiatethesongandplaythe“Chickenonafencepost”rhythm.

• Repeat.Thistimemodelimprovisationduringtherests.BesuretoincludeHinyourimprovisation.

• Dividetheclassinhalf.Halftheclassplaysthesetpart.Halftheclassimprovisesduringtherests.Tradeparts.

• Studentsplayboththesetpatternandtheimprovisedparts.

ZudiofromPurposefulPathways,Book3

UsedwithPermissionPATHWAYTOMovementPlay:Singinggame

• Begininalong-waysset.Studentslearnthesongbyrotewhileplayingthegame.• Studentscriss-crosshandswiththeirpartneracrosstheset.Theypullandtugto

thesteadybeat,creatingatwistingmotion.• On“stepback”theybreaktheirholdandjumpbackwards,creatinganalley.One

memberoftheleadcouplestrutsdowntheaisleastheclasssingstheirname.Ontherepeat,theothermemberoftheleadcouplestrutstheirstuffastheclasssingstheirname.(Thisisatimeforshowingoff!)Eachpairmovestowardthetopofthesetastheleadcouplecomesdowntheaisle.

• Beginagainwithanewleadcoupleuntilallhavehadaturnto“struttheirstuff”.

TEACHERTALK:AdaptingtomeettheneedsofyourcurriculumThisisourabbreviated/adaptedversionof“Zudio.”Weareusingthefirsthalfofthesong/game.Thisportionservesourcurricularneeds(do-la).Wehaveadaptedthesinginggametothisshortenedversion.Ifyou’dliketodothefullversion,itiseasytofindonlineandinprintedmaterial.PATHWAYTOPitch:Focusondo-la

• Usingthesolfatoneladder,havethestudentssingpatternsyoupointout.• Endupworkingwiththefollowingtwopatterns,untilthestudentsaresecure

withthedo-laleap.

h 4 4 4 doremisola 2 2 do la

• Oncetheyaresecureonthedo-laleap,pointtothepitchesonthesolfatoneladderthatoutline“Zudio.”Askthestudentstosingthepitchesyoupointto,usinghandsigns.

• Analyzethemotivicform:aaab

PATHWAYTOInstrumentalTechnique:Playingthemelody• AcclimatethestudentstoC=dopentatoniconthebarredinstrumentswithsinging

andplayingsolfaechopatterns.• Teachtheinitial,do-la-so-labyhavingstudentsecho-singandplayonbarred

instruments.Havethemplaythatmotivethreetimes.Forpurposesofthissong,theymayuserepeatedhandsontherepeatednotes.

• Teachthesyncopateddescendingmi-re-domotiveusingechoimitation,asabove.• Putitalltogether.

PATHWAYTOComposition:C=dopentatonic,aaabform

• Reviewthemotivicformofthesong.Itisaaabform,witharepeatsign.Thissongisagoodmodelforcompositioninaaabmotivicform.

• Leadtheclassthroughthecompositionprocesstogether.Provideanexampleforthestudentsbeforehavingthemcreatetheirowncompositions,suchasthefollowing:

• Createanamotive.

• Playtheamotivethreetimes.

• Composeabmotive.ItisimportantheretohavestudentsidentifythatCisdo.EndingonCwillcreateastrongcadenceattheendofthecomposition.Thisisanimportantconceptatthispointintime.Havethestudentsnameanduseyourpreferredterm;hometone,restingtone,ortonicfordo.

• Playinaaabformwitharepeatsign.

• Puttogetherwithamotivicaccompanimentthatemphasizesdo-la.Thesampleaccompanimentmotiveborrowsfromtheplayingskillsusedpreviouslywhenplayingthemelodyof“Zudio.”

• Youmayuseouraccompanimentmotiveorhavethestudentscreatetheirown.

• Havestudentsformgroupsof2to4.Havethemrepeattheprocess,creatingtheirownuniquecompositionsinaaabform.RemindthemthattheywanttheirpiecestoendonC,thetonic.

TEACHERTALK:NotationDecidehowmuchfocusyouwanttoplaceonnotation.Thatmayormaynotbeimportanttoyouforthisexercise.Youwillfinditusefultoaskthestudentstonotatetheircompositionssothattheycanplaythemagainduringthenextclass.Somestudentswillbeveryparticularandwanttonotateitcorrectly.Otherstudentswillbequitecontenttocreatetheirownnotationalsystemthatworksforthem.Youcouldturnthisintoamajorprojectandnotatetheirfinalcompositionsusingmusicnotationsoftware.