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Title - Repeat Signs
by - Jason Levy
Subject - Music - Repeat Sign, D.S. al Coda, D.C. al Coda, repeat measure
Grade Level - 6-8
Time Frame: 30-35 minutes

Lesson Objective:
Introduce music notation Work on reading skills

Materials: Worksheet for all the students in the class that has a verse that has many repeated words (example: Roses are Red, Violets are Blue, Skunks really stink, and so do you! Roses are red violets are blue skunks really stink and I do too.)

Procedures:
1. Talk about how composers are so busy that they do not have enough time to keep writing the same material over and over.
2. Draw on the board a repeat sign and ask the class if anyone knows what this is? (Any kids that are in band will probably know but give the other students a chance to guess).
3. "Musicians like to use shortcuts when they write music. If a portion of a song is going to be sung twice the composer will use these repeat signs or repeat signs and multiple endings." Maybe you have seen those boxes with one and two over them, well those are for repeating.
4. Show the kids a copy of music with either repeat signs or repeat signs and multiple endings. (In our book the star spangled banner has two verses) Did these shortcuts help you get lost in the music rather than help you get to the end?
5. Pass out the hand out with the poem on it (and write it on the board so you can refer to it).
6. "Say the verse together with me and find its meter where the strong pulses are. The pulses are grouped together is sets of??????
7. Since they said two we will put a two next to the first line to remind us of the meter.
8. Now place vertical lines in the verse to separate the words into two beat units - measures. (Then show them what you mean by putting the bar lines in the first line of roses are red).
9. Draw a circle around all the words that repeat.
10. Ask the students if they know how to write a shortcut so we won't have to write all these repeated words twice? Draw on the board what it would look like in a piece of music using repeat sign.
11. Point to each repeat sign and explain why there has to be two (one at the end of the line and one back at the beginning).
12. Now have the students add a third line on their papers Roses are red, Violets are Blue, Skunks really stink, and teachers too (Most students will add a third ending, but some will forget to add a repeat sign at the end of the second).
13. Why is this repeat sign required after the second ending??
14. Another short cut that people use is the D.C. al Coda which is then followed by a Coda (Draw a coda and tell them what is does).
15. Show them a piece in their music book and then have them read the text using the short cut.
16. Show them a repeat measure sign and tell them what it does.
17. Finally show them the D.S. al Coda sign and show them what it does (Find a piece of music in their books that uses these and have them read the text using this short cut) Evaluation: The evaluation is how well the students are able to follow the symbols when reading in class.

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