Blog Posts

So So Simple

3/17/2020

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Students play (or sing) the given “Question” phrase so-so-so (GGG). Teacher makes up and plays the “Answer” phrase. Teachers: select the concept you are working on, e.g., repeated notes (M1 and 2 below), thirds (M3 below), triads (M4 and 5 below), neighbor notes (M6 and 7), running notes, dotted rhythms, triplets, etc. in your Answer phrase.
Switch. Teacher plays the “Question” phrase (the so-so-so or GGG), students (one at a time) respond in an improvisatory manner with “Answer” phrases based on the parameters you provided (triads, neighbor notes, repeated notes, etc.).
Next step, work on writing down some of the improvisatory responses.
Use the “So, So, Simple” template and fill in the blank measures
(individually or in small groups).
Demonstrate a class composition with the whole group

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Another fun online composing tool

2/28/2020

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Fun online composing tool for the younger kids! Check it out at https://www.classicsforkids.com/games/compose_your_own_music.php

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Google's Song Maker

1/21/2020

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Fun composing on the online Song Maker! Try it out!
Song Maker https://musiclab.chromeexperiments.com/Song-Maker/

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Teachers Pay Teachers free download

10/14/2019

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https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Secret-Codes-Music-Composition-Lesson-Plan-3408912

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Top Seller

5/31/2019

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Our top seller this past school year has been "Music Composition for Teens - a Graded First Course" Available on amazon. Get yours now for the new school year. Enjoy!

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Introduce the topic: “We are going to compose cellphone ringtones”.
Listen to some well-known ringtones (select a few from your cellphone). Below I selected a few from my iPhone. Listen and discuss, e.g.:
Play the ringtone, have students identify the instrument, pattern, rhythm, melody and/or any other descriptors:
Ascending: ascending major scale on xylophone
Bell Tower: classic bell/chime melody
Marimba: short, catchy pattern on marimba
Piano riff: five melody notes on piano
Timba: drumming pattern, no melody
Xylophone: short melody, catchy rhythm on xylophone

Display the notation and practice one or two of the ringtones OR
Listen to the ringtones and try to notate the ringtone with your students.
End this explorative phase with quick Q & A: how long are the little
melodies? How many instruments are used per melody? Etc.

This lesson can be introduced in two ways:
1. Provide a sample ringtone to develop
  Students use a given ringtone, e.g. “Marimba” or “Timba” to inspire the composition of a “variation” ringtone. They use a given instrument, select the notes for a melody, select note values made into one or two rhythms, and through explorative play and improvisation come up with a short 5 – 10 tone ringtone. Depending on the age group and ability, these compositions may simply be recorded or otherwise notated.
2. Guided composition of a new ringtone
  Provide a rubric. Students generate a completely new ringtone based on the parameters. Teachers, generate the rubric based on your curriculum; note values you’re studying in class, note names you’re learning, etc.
  Ringtones are 30 seconds max.
  Ringtones “loop”: make sure beginnings and endings match to link.

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Tale Tiles

2/20/2019

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Students compose a piece of music directed by a set of graphic notation sound tiles which they will use to write a short narrative or poem and perform as multimedia orchestrated work for narration, sound effects, instrumental parts and/or images.

Step 1
Introduce the tile. Discuss how symbols on the tile may be interpreted. E.g.

Notice that sound has pitch: top of the tile would be high pitched. Diagonal lines downwards can suggest pitch drop. So this tile could be performed starting on a high pitched “ah” and dropping the voice to a very low pitch.
Notice that sound has volume. The larger letters and funnel shape suggests loud, the smaller letter and narrowing funnel shape suggests a decrescendo in sound.
Notice that the tile has a top and bottom (for high and low), and left and right (for sound progression).
Step 2
This lesson can be introduced in two ways:

Provide ready-made sound tiles
Students use the tiles to generate a story. They order the set of tiles in any order, associate an event, time or place to the tile, generate and hone the narrative, decide on the performance of the graphic notation tile (voice, instrument, sound maker) and assemble the composition for narration, voice, instruments and sound effects.
Provide the narrative
Provide a short narrative or poem. Students generate a set of sound tiles to indicate sound happenings in the story. Produce the tiles, order the tiles, perform the narrative and voice, instruments and sound effects.

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Leitmotif Composition Lesson

10/10/2018

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What is a Leitmotif?
For example: explore, look and listen to the following contemporary style leitmotifs:

The theme for the shark in the movie “Jaws” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvCI-gNK_y4
The theme for Darth Vader in the movie “Star Wars” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bzWSJG93P8
The theme for Harry Potter in the Harry Potter movies https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Htaj3o3JD8I

For example: Listen to the leitmotif associated with Jaws

Class Discussion
Compare an image (projected), the nature of the character (protagonist/antagonist) and the theme music and identify:
- What mood must be created? Happy/sad/scary/threatening/haunting, etc.
- What are the features of the character? Strong/mystical/magical/threatening, etc.
- What are the qualities in the music that represents the character?
  Pitch/register/chords/rhythms/tempo, etc.
1. What do you notice about the leitmotif associated with Jaws?
2. How does it inform the viewer?
3. How long is the leitmotif?
4. How many notes are used to create this effect?
5. Is it a successful leitmotif? Why?
6. What is the timbre (tone color) of the leitmotif? What instrument is used to make this
  leitmotif? How is the selection of tone color (instrument) important?

Compose
Short 2-8 note motifs similar to the "Jaws" leitmotif.
- Choose a character from a book, text, play or movie.
- Identify his/her/its characteristics
- Compose a rhythm only or melodic leitmotif.

Perform
_ Project the image of your character
- Perform the matching leitmotif

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Professional Development in South Carolina

9/30/2018

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I spent a lovely week in Spartanburg, South Carolina earlier this month working with teachers at an elementary school: two full days of professional development with the focus on integrating music and literacy followed by classroom demonstrations. Amazing team, well-organized, very receptive faculty - thank you for the invite! I trust I left you all with some ideas, a broader scope for integrating creative activities into the curriculum and a renewed enthusiasm for arts integration.

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New publication launch

7/7/2018

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Music Composition for Teens and Pre-Teens

Now available on amazon.com, $24.99

This book is written to provide lesson plans or exploratory activities for the music teacher who wishes to incorporate meaningful, creative compositional exercises in the general music classroom, the music appreciation classroom, or the piano studio.
The purpose of the book is to provide inspiration, additional ideas, creative activities, and contemporary techniques for the innovative teacher.
Photocopiable pages are provided.
All lesson plans include Exploratory, Composition and Performance sets.
The lesson plans are written as general guides for the teacher and are not grade specific.
All lessons can be adapted to suit multiple age and ability levels.
Teachers are encouraged to adapt lessons: include own materials, connect to concepts
studied in the curricula, and utilize additional resources.
Lesson features include
- Standard notation: pitch, staff notation, letter names, rests, note values and basic theory such as measures, bar lines, time signatures, etc., are covered.
- Graphic notation: Twentieth-Century techniques, graphic notation, alternative music symbols, found sound, body percussion, electronic sounds, and digital techniques are included.
- Compositional techniques: repetition, sequence, motif, phrase, 4-measure phrase, form, augmentation, diminution, inversion, etc., are explored.
- Technology: ringtones on phones, composition apps, computer software, online tone- generators, voice memo apps, video, and slide show presentations are included.
- Multi-media: Compositions include speaking parts, drama, images, slide shows, story, technology, live or recorded performance, spatial components, etc.
- Harmony: several lessons include chordal work (mainly the primary chords I, IV and V) to start establishing the idea of harmonic progression.
- Graphic Organizers: Most lessons include graphic organizers either to serve as work charts for the student groups, to clarify listening analysis or the format of the composition, or simply to plot out initial ideas for a composition. Teachers are encouraged to pursue multiple forms of organizing initial, pre-composition ideas, e.g., Venn-diagrams, flow charts, bullet points, etc.
- Novelty: Student engagement is at its peak when novelty and variety are present. To this end many lessons have included fun, surprise and novelty elements.