Learning Activity

Creating Story Music

Subject Area

Arts Education

Grade(s)

K, 1

Overview

In order to create music to the story Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See by Bill Martin, Jr., the students will:

  • Sing a call and response
  • Play a steady beat
  • Create rhythms on rhythm instruments

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

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

AE17.MU.K.2

Generate musical ideas.

Unpacked Content

UP:AE17.MU.K.2

Vocabulary

Rhythm
  • Steady beat
  • Long/ Short
  • One and two sounds per beat
  • Silent beat
Melody
  • High and low
  • Pitch set: So, Mi
  • Musical alphabet
Harmony
  • Accompaniment/ no accompaniment
Form
  • Like and unlike phrases
  • Echo
Expression
  • Speak, sing, shout, whisper
  • Solo/ Group
  • Unpitched percussion
  • Flute, trumpet, violin, piano
  • Loud/ Soft
  • Fast/ Slow
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
  • Chant, move, play, and sing grade level skills.
  • Echo simple rhythmic patterns.
  • Echo a three-pitch melodic pattern using the correct syllables and hand signs.
Creating
  • Perform an improvised rhythmic pattern within a framework of four beats.
  • Perform an improvised melodic pattern on a pitched percussion instrument set to the pentatonic scale within a framework of four beats.
  • Improvise short songs and instrumental pieces using a variety of sound sources, including traditional or classroom sounds, body percussion, and sounds produced by electronic means.
  • Explore musical sources freely using found sounds, electronic sounds, or sounds from voice or instruments found in classroom, remembering to use sound and silence.
Reading/ Writing
  • Create a visual representation of sound.
Responding/ Evaluating
  • Respond to a musical call or question with an age- appropriate musical answer.
  • Evaluate peer performance to determine steady beat/no steady beat.

Anchor Standards

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

AE17.MU.K.3

Demonstrate and choose favorite musical ideas.

Unpacked Content

UP:AE17.MU.K.3

Vocabulary

Rhythm
  • Steady beat
  • Long/ Short
  • One and two sounds per beat
  • Silent beat
Melody
  • High and low
  • Pitch set: So, Mi
  • Musical alphabet
Harmony
  • Accompaniment/ no accompaniment
Form
  • Like and unlike phrases
  • Echo
Expression
  • Speak, sing, shout, whisper
  • Solo/ Group
  • Unpitched percussion
  • Flute, trumpet, violin, piano
  • Loud/ Soft
  • Fast/ Slow
Other
  • Age-appropriate audience and performer etiquette

Essential Questions

EU: Musicians' creative choices are influenced by their expertise, context, and expressive intent.
EQ: How do musicians make creative decisions?

Skills Examples

Performing
  • Chant, move, play, and sing grade level skills.
  • Echo simple rhythmic patterns.
  • Echo a three-pitch melodic pattern using the correct syllables and hand signs.
Creating
  • Perform an improvised rhythmic pattern within a framework of four beats.
  • Perform an improvised melodic pattern on a pitched percussion instrument set to the pentatonic scale within a framework of four beats.
  • Improvise short songs and instrumental pieces using a variety of sound sources, including traditional or classroom sounds, body percussion, and sounds produced by electronic means.
  • Explore musical sources freely using found sounds, electronic sounds, or sounds from voice or instruments found in classroom, remembering to use sound and silence.
Reading/ Writing
  • Create a visual representation of sound.
Responding/ Evaluating
  • Respond to a musical call or question with an age- appropriate musical answer.
  • Evaluate peer performance to determine steady beat/no steady beat.

Anchor Standards

Anchor Standard 2: Organize and develop artistic ideas and work.
Arts Education (2017) Grade(s): 1 - Music

AE17.MU.1.1

Create musical ideas for a specific purpose.

Unpacked Content

UP:AE17.MU.1.1

Vocabulary

Rhythm
  • Quarter note, quarter rest, paired eighth notes
  • Strong/ weak beat
  • Steady beat/ rhythm
  • Allegro/ adagio
Melody
  • Pitch set: Mi, So, La
  • Steps/ skips/ repeated notes
  • Melodic direction
  • Modified staff
  • Line notes and space notes
Harmony/texture
  • Rhythmic ostinati
  • Simple bordun
Form
  • AB, ABA
Expression
  • Legato, staccato
  • Piano (p), forte (f)
  • Classroom instrument classifications
  • Clarinet, trombone, cello, drum
  • Orchestral music: ballet
  • Non-Western music celebrations
Other
  • Proper singing posture
  • Age-appropriate pitch matching (C4 -C5)1
  • Mallet/ drumming technique — hands together

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 original rhythmic compositions containing quarter note, quarter rest, paired eighth notes.
  • Perform original melodic compositions containing quarter note, quarter rest, paired eighth notes and using the pitches mi/so/la.
Creating
  • Improvise 4-beat melodic phrases containing mi/so/la, both vocally and on pitched percussion instruments.
  • Construct 4-beat rhythmic patterns using manipulatives, such as note cards, popsicle sticks, or blocks.
Reading/ Writing
  • Read 4-beat melodic phrases on a modified staff on which mi is indicated.
  • Notate from dictation 4-beat rhythm phrases using manipulatives such as note cards, popsicle sticks, or blocks.
  • Identify melodic patterns on a modified staff when played on a pitched instrument.
Responding/ Evaluating
  • Create rubric for evaluation of peer compositions.
  • With guidance, apply peer suggestions to personal compositions. Select an original composition for performance.

Anchor Standards

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

AE17.MU.1.3

Demonstrate and discuss personal reasons for selecting musical ideas that represent expressive intent.

Unpacked Content

UP:AE17.MU.1.3

Vocabulary

Rhythm
  • Quarter note, quarter rest, paired eighth notes
  • Strong/ weak beat
  • Steady beat/ rhythm
  • Allegro/ adagio
Melody
  • Pitch set: Mi, So, La
  • Steps/ skips/ repeated notes
  • Melodic direction
  • Modified staff
  • Line notes and space notes
Harmony/texture
  • Rhythmic ostinati
  • Simple bordun
Form
  • AB, ABA
Expression
  • Legato, staccato
  • Piano (p), forte (f)
  • Classroom instrument classifications
  • Clarinet, trombone, cello, drum
  • Orchestral music: ballet
  • Non-Western music celebrations
Other
  • Proper singing posture
  • Age-appropriate pitch matching (C4 -C5)1
  • Mallet/ drumming technique — hands together

Essential Questions

EU: Musicians' creative choices are influenced by their expertise, context, and expressive intent.
EQ: How do musicians make creative decisions

Skills Examples

Performing
  • Perform original rhythmic compositions containing quarter note, quarter rest, paired eighth notes.
  • Perform original melodic compositions containing quarter note, quarter rest, paired eighth notes and using the pitches mi/so/la.
Creating
  • Improvise 4-beat melodic phrases containing mi/so/la, both vocally and on pitched percussion instruments.
  • Construct 4-beat rhythmic patterns using manipulatives, such as note cards, popsicle sticks, or blocks.
Reading/ Writing
  • Read 4-beat melodic phrases on a modified staff on which mi is indicated.
  • Notate from dictation 4-beat rhythm phrases using manipulatives such as note cards, popsicle sticks, or blocks.
  • Identify melodic patterns on a modified staff when played on a pitched instrument.
Responding/ Evaluating
  • Create rubric for evaluation of peer compositions.
  • With guidance, apply peer suggestions to personal compositions. Select an original composition for performance.

Anchor Standards

Anchor Standard 2: Organize and develop artistic ideas and work.

Phase

During/Explore/Explain
Learning Objectives

Learning Objectives

Students will sing a call and response, create musical ideas by choosing rhythm instruments, and create rhythms to play along with a story.

Activity Details

  • Show the students the book or SlideShare Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?
  • Instead of reading the book, we are going use our singing voices to sing the story.
  • The teacher will sing the words in the book using so and mi (see here) or by using the tune of the first two phrases of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star." 
  • After singing a few pages, invite the students to sing the question while the teacher sings the answers alone.
  • Explain that in music, this is called a call and response.
  • Have the students pat a steady beat while singing the story.
  • Invite a few students to play a steady beat on the xylophones using the pitch do.
  • Show the last page of the book that shows all of the characters that are in the book.  Invite students to choose instruments that they will play to represent each character. 
  • Sing the story and have the students play a certain rhythm when their character is introduced.  For example, the maracas could play quarter, quarter, eighth, quarter after singing "I see a yellow duck looking at me."
  • Ask students to explain how their chosen instrument and rhythm represents their character.

 

Assessment Strategies

Assessment Strategies

The teacher will observe the students singing the correct pitches during the call and response.

The teacher will observe the students playing rhythms they created using quarter notes and eighth notes.

The teacher will listen as students explain how their chosen instrument and rhythm represents their character.

Variation Tips

Perform the story music for a program.

Show 10 to 12 four-beat rhythms written on the board for the students to use as ideas for their character rhythms.

Play the 4 beat rhythms twice, or create 8 beat rhythms.

Background and Preparation

Background / Preparation

Purchase the book Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin, Jr. or check it out from the library.  If you are not able to get the book, you may use the SlideShare link to show the story on the projector. 

The students should be familiar with creating 4 beat rhythms and playing them on instruments.

The students should be able to play a steady beat on the xylophones.

Have a variety of rhythm instruments available for students to use.

The teacher should choose the key that they will use and have the xylophones set up to play the pitch do.

Digital Tools / Resources

SlideShare: Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?
http://www.slideshare.net/pet408/brown-bear-brown-bear-what-do-you-see

Approved Date

Owner (Author)

ccruz
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