Learning Activity

Exploring Form - Working With Sound

Subject Area

Arts Education

Grade(s)

7

Overview

Similarity and contrast are essential to the aesthetic experience. In this lesson, students will identify, download, and edit, two contrasting pieces of music to experience the aesthetic impact of AB, ABA, and ABACABA (rondo) form. First, the students will identify two pieces of music with contrasting characteristics on Free Music Archive (for example, one work is performed at a fast tempo, while the other at a slow tempo). Then, the students will download the sound files and import them into a digital audio editing software program (for example, Audacity). The student will use the editing features in the software to create a 60-second soundtrack that demonstrates AB form and one that demonstrates ABA form. Finally, the students will import an additional piece of music. With these three pieces of music, the students will create a soundtrack in ABACABA (rondo) form that is 60 seconds long.

This activity was created as a result of the Arts COS Resource Development Summit2.

Arts Education (2017) Grade(s): 7 - Music

AE17.MU.7.2

Select, organize, develop, and document personal musical ideas for arrangements, songs, and compositions within AB, ABA, or theme and variation forms that demonstrate unity and variety and convey expressive intent.

Unpacked Content

UP:AE17.MU.7.2

Vocabulary

Rhythm
  • Phrase
  • Notation (standard, invented, or technological)
Melody
  • Phrase
  • Notation (standard, invented, or technological)
Harmony
  • Phrase
  • Accompaniment
  • Progression
Form
  • Binary form (AB)
  • Ternary form (ABA)
  • Style
  • Genre
  • Structure (melodic, rhythmic, and harmonic)
Expression
  • Tempo
  • Dynamics
Other
  • Age-appropriate audience and performer etiquette

Essential Questions

EU: The creative ideas, concepts, and feelings that influence musicians' work emerge from a variety of sources.
EQ: How do musicians generate creative ideas?

Skills Examples

Performing
  • Perform rhythmic, melodic, and/or harmonic phrases that are self-created or created by peers.
  • Perform on instruments or using technology harmonic accompaniments consisting of more than two chords.
  • Perform harmonic accompaniment to a simple melody using I, IV, and V chords.
  • Perform middle level literature on a variety of classroom instruments.
  • Sing alone and with others middle level literature with proper technique.
Creating
  • Improvise melodic and/or rhythmic phrases vocally, with instruments, or technology.
  • Compose melodic and/or rhythmic phrases.
  • Compose accompaniments using I, IV, and V chords.
  • Compose, using standard notation, iconic notation, and/or technology, pieces in AB or ABA form.
  • Create musical compositions in AB form using instruments or technology.
  • Examine, with guidance, how musical compositions are arranged for various ensembles.
Reading/ Writing
  • Compose melodic, rhythmic, and/or harmonic phrases using standard, iconic notation, and/or technology.
  • Sight read melodic, rhythmic, and/or harmonic phrases that are self-created or created by peers.
  • Using notation (standard, invented, and/or through technology) record musical ideas.
  • Cite specific example from music performed or composed that demonstrate the composer's musical intent.
Responding/ Evaluating
  • Develop, with the guidance of teacher, a plan to document the composition process including craftsmanship, originality, refinement of ideas, and final presentation and/or performance.
  • Respond, using appropriate vocabulary, to personal musical creations.
  • Respond, using appropriate vocabulary, to questions about expressive intent of personal music creations.
  • Develop, with peers and teacher, a rubric for the refinement of personal musical creations.
  • Create, with teacher guidance, rubrics to evaluate students' personal compositions, songs, and/or arrangements.

Anchor Standards

Anchor Standard 1: Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work.
Arts Education (2017) Grade(s): 7 - Music

AE17.MU.7.6

Present the final version of their documented personal composition, song, or arrangement, using craftsmanship and originality to demonstrate unity and variety while conveying expressive intent.

Unpacked Content

UP:AE17.MU.7.6

Vocabulary

Rhythm
  • Phrase
  • Notation (standard, invented, or technological)
Melody
  • Phrase
  • Notation (standard, invented, or technological)
Harmony
  • Phrase
  • Accompaniment
  • Progression
Form
  • Binary form (AB)
  • Ternary form (ABA)
  • Style
  • Genre
  • Structure (melodic, rhythmic, and harmonic)
Expression
  • Tempo
  • Dynamics
Other
  • Age-appropriate audience and performer etiquette

Essential Questions

EU: Musicians' presentation of creative work is the culmination of a process of creation and communication.
EQ: When is creative work ready to share?

Skills Examples

Performing
  • Perform rhythmic, melodic, and/or harmonic phrases that are self-created or created by peers.
  • Perform on instruments or using technology harmonic accompaniments consisting of more than two chords.
  • Perform harmonic accompaniment to a simple melody using I, IV, and V chords.
  • Perform middle level literature on a variety of classroom instruments.
  • Sing alone and with others middle level literature with proper technique.
Creating
  • Improvise melodic and/or rhythmic phrases vocally, with instruments, or technology.
  • Compose melodic and/or rhythmic phrases.
  • Compose accompaniments using I, IV, and V chords.
  • Compose, using standard notation, iconic notation, and/or technology, pieces in AB or ABA form.
  • Create musical compositions in AB form using instruments or technology.
  • Examine, with guidance, how musical compositions are arranged for various ensembles.
Reading/ Writing
  • Compose melodic, rhythmic, and/or harmonic phrases using standard, iconic notation, and/or technology.
  • Sight read melodic, rhythmic, and/or harmonic phrases that are self-created or created by peers.
  • Using notation (standard, invented, and/or through technology) record musical ideas.
  • Cite specific example from music performed or composed that demonstrate the composer's musical intent.
Responding/ Evaluating
  • Develop, with the guidance of teacher, a plan to document the composition process including craftsmanship, originality, refinement of ideas, and final presentation and/or performance.
  • Respond, using appropriate vocabulary, to personal musical creations.
  • Respond, using appropriate vocabulary, to questions about expressive intent of personal music creations.
  • Develop, with peers and teacher, a rubric for the refinement of personal musical creations.
  • Create, with teacher guidance, rubrics to evaluate students' personal compositions, songs, and/or arrangements.

Anchor Standards

Anchor Standard 3: Refine and complete artistic work.

Phase

During/Explore/Explain
Learning Objectives

Learning Objectives

Students will

  • learn how to use digital audio editing software
  • edit pre-existing music tracks
  • organize music into traditional AB, ABA, and ABACABA forms
  • communicate their understanding of form as a musical element in the composition process

Activity Details

Opening Activity

  • the teacher will play a short piece of music for the students that uses form to maintain interest (“Frightening” from Robert Schumann’s Scenes from Childhood is a good example)
  • the teacher will ask the students to describe the musical characteristics that are different in each section
  • the teacher will inform the students that they are going to create a music composition of their own using music recordings with different characteristics
  • the teacher will access the Free Music Archive website (or other Creative Commons site)
  • the teacher will demonstrate the process for reviewing and downloading the music files
  • the teacher will demonstrate the process for importing an mp3 file into Audacity or another audio editing program
  • the teacher will show the students how to edit the length of the file and how to copy and paste edited clips of the file into the same track
  • Finally, the teacher will demonstrate organizing the clips into an AB form

Core Activity

  • the students will access the Free Music Archive website (or other Creative Commons site) and search for two music selections with different characteristics
  • the students will download the mp3 files from the web and import them into Audacity (or another audio editing program)
  • the students will edit the sound files so that the duration of each is 30 seconds in length
  • the students will copy and paste the clips into one audio track so that the music is in AB form and the track is one minute in length
  • After all of the previous steps have been completed, the students will use the same sound files to create a new audio track that is in ABA form and also one minute long

Closing Activity

  • the students will download and import a third mp3 file that is different from the first two files
  • the students will edit and organize all three sound files so that they are within an audio track that is organized in ABACABA form and is 1 minutes in length
  • the students will write a one-page reflective paper describing their observations and opinions of the AB, ABA, and ABACABA forms.
  • the students will play their audio track for the class
  • the students will share their thoughts about form with the class
Assessment Strategies

Assessment Strategies

The students will provide the teacher with the audio tracks as digital files either as email attachments, uploaded to Google Drive or through the school’s Learning Management System.

 

The teacher will

  • evaluate the audio tracks for evidence of contrasting musical elements
  • evaluate the audio tracks for adherence to AB, ABA, and ABACABA forms
  • evaluate the students’ reflective paper for insights and understanding of the ways in which form influences our listening experience

Variation Tips

Students can work individually or in small groups.

Background and Preparation

Background / Preparation

The teacher should be familiar with the website and audio editing software before teaching this lesson.

The lesson would move more smoothly if the students had previous experience with the audio editing software.

 

Digital Tools / Resources

Free Music Archive
http://freemusicarchive.org

Approved Date

Owner (Author)

mzelenak
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