Learning Activity

Connecting Musical Elements to Concert Programming

Subject Area

Arts Education

Grade(s)

8

Overview

Music directors organize concert programs in a variety of ways. In this activity, students will examine how the elements of music and expressive qualities are used within music selected for performance to contribute to the overall structure and intent. They will explore how music directors bring together music from a variety of cultures, styles, historical time periods, or genres to form a cohesive program. This lesson will prepare them to create their own concert programs.

This activity was created as a result of the Arts COS Resource Development Summit.

Arts Education (2017) Grade(s): 8 - Music

AE17.MU.8.16

Compare how the elements of music and expressive qualities relate to the structure within music programming.

Unpacked Content

UP:AE17.MU.8.16

Vocabulary

Rhythm
  • Tension and release
  • Phrase
  • Notation (standard, iconic, technological)
Melody
  • Tension and release
  • Phrase
  • Notation (standard, iconic, technological)
Harmony
  • Texture
  • Tension and release
  • Sequence
  • Notation (standard, iconic, technological)
Form
  • Arrangement
  • Song structure
  • Expanded forms
  • Introduction
  • Transition
  • Coda
  • Style
  • Genre
  • Structure
Expression
  • Timbre
  • Balance
Other
  • Sound sources (instruments, voices, found sounds, & technology)
  • Age-appropriate audience and performer etiquettes

Essential Questions

EU: Response to music is informed by analyzing context (social, cultural, and historical) and how creators and performers manipulate the elements of music.
EQ: How does understanding the structure and context of music inform a response?

Skills Examples

Performing
  • Perform a program of music that is for a specific purpose, interest, or experience and explain your choices.
  • Perform music from a variety of cultures, styles, historical time periods, or genres and discuss how personal interpretation and the composer's use of the elements of music influence expressive intent.
  • Compare and contrast the context of music selected for performance.
Creating
  • Compare and contrast the context of three or more pieces of music created by self or peers and explain how the elements of music and expressive qualities were used in each piece.
  • Compare and contrast how the elements of music and expressive qualities are used in multiple pieces from the same time period and/or culture, and/or genre to create meaning and expression.
Reading/ Writing
  • Analyze music using standard notation and appropriate vocabulary.
  • Compare and contrast how the elements of music and expressive qualities are used within music selected for performance to contribute to the overall structure and intent.
    • Cite specific examples and use appropriate vocabulary.
  • Analyze music of a variety of cultures, styles, historical time periods, and/or genres and compare the context and/or intent of the pieces.
  • Compare common terms and how they are used in various pieces to demonstrate intent.
Responding/ Evaluating
  • Compare and contrast programs of music for connections to history and culture.
  • Develop personal criteria based on personal knowledge and skills for including music in performance programs.
  • Develop personal criteria based on the elements of music for including music in performance programs.
  • Demonstrate (lecture, presentation, journal, etc.) how personal knowledge and experience contribute to enjoyment of music.
  • Identify how criteria based on the elements of music support personal preference for specific musical works.
  • Develop a rubric to evaluate musical performances and/or musical works based on personally developed criteria.

Anchor Standards

Anchor Standard 7: Perceive and analyze artistic work.

Phase

During/Explore/Explain
Learning Objectives

Learning Objectives

Students will

  • describe the characteristics of musical elements from a variety of musical works
  • compare and contrast musical elements between selected pieces
  • describe the organization of a concert program

Activity Details

Opening Strategy

  • The teacher will review music elements with students (pitch, rhythm, form, texture, dynamics, harmony, and timbre).
  • The students will listen to a musical excerpt and describe the characteristics of the musical elements.

Core Strategy

  • The teacher will organize the students into small groups.
  • Each group will be given the titles of four different musical works from a variety of genres and style periods.
  • The students will access YouTube or another Internet site with music content to find their assigned pieces.
  • Students will listen to excerpts from the works and identify the characteristics of the musical elements (pitch, rhythm, form, texture, dynamics, harmony, and timbre).
  • The students will determine which of the musical works could be performed on the same concert program and the performance order of pieces.
  • The students will develop a rationale for their decisions.
  • Each group will compile their thoughts and findings into a single document.

Closing Strategy

  • Each group will present the results of their explorations.
  • Each group will provide a brief summary of each musical work.
  • Each group will provide an explanation of why they chose certain pieces to be on their concert program and why other pieces were eliminated.
Assessment Strategies

Assessment Strategies

The teacher will determine if the students

  • identified the characteristics of the musical elements in their assigned pieces
  • were able to make decisions on whether or not their assigned pieces could be performed on the same concert program
  • supported their decisions with thoughtful rationales
  • submitted a compilation document to the teacher
  • presented their thoughts in class

The teacher can use a pass/fail, holistic rubric, or analytic rubric to assess the students' mastery of these objectives.

Variation Tips

If individual devices are not available, the teacher can lead the students through this activity using a single computer, projector, and sound system.

Background and Preparation

Background / Preparation

Students must have access to the Internet on individual devices (computers, iPads, etc.)
Students will need earbuds to listen to music examples.

The teacher must provide a musical excerpt to use in the opening strategy.

The teacher must provide the titles of four different musical works from a variety of genres and style periods to each group of students.  Musical selections for this activity could range from Mozart symphonies to Broadway musicals to pop selections by Bob Marley. One outcome of this activity is to expand the students' awareness of musical styles and genres.

Digital Tools / Resources

YouTube or other music streaming site
http://youtube.com

Approved Date

Owner (Author)

mzelenak
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