Title – A Music Lesson on Form

By – Ashley O’Shields

Primary Subject – Music

Grade Level – 2

Concept:

Melodies are divided into smaller parts called phrases (Form)

Standards Addressed:

1a, 1e, 6a

Specific Objectives:

To identify aurally a musical phrase and to demonstrate that recognition by singing and by changing movement directions on each phrase

Required Materials:

Shoo, Fly


Hand drum

Step-By-Step Procedures:

1. Introduce the hand drum. Playing steady beats on the hand drum, have students move to a space in the room where they can do forward and backward movements. After students are in their places, tell them the hand drum will tell us when to move and when to stop. When you hear the hand drum, walk forward. But when the hand drum stops, you stop, too. Before striking the hand drum, give preparatory counts such as ONE, TWO, READY, GO. Play four steady beats: students should take four steps forward. Continue with students trying four steps backward (without stopping in-between). Teacher might play on the edge of the instrument to signal the different directions.

2. Let’s see how that four-beat stepping fits the
   
   Shoo, Fly
   
   song. Sing refrain and play the hand drum as students repeat their stepping.
   
   Shoo, Fly
   
   has four phrases, with each phrase four beats (steps) long: forward four beats, backward four beats, forward four beats, backward four beats. Review the words and repeat until students can comfortably sing the refrain with their stepping.

3. To try a folk dance for
   
   Shoo, Fly
   
   , arrange students in a circle facing center with hands joined. Students should raise arms as they move forward four beats and lower arms as they move backward four beats. Repeat, but add singing with the movements for the four phrases.

4. Continue the dance with the verse part of
   
   Shoo Fly
   
   . Students can slide clockwise, facing center with hands joined, on the first half of the verse and counterclockwise on the second half of the verse. Finally, have them return to the forward/backward movements for the refrain. (Refrain/Verse/Refrain)

Closure:

Ask how many phrases are there in the

Shoo, Fly

part of our song? (four) Have them demonstrate their understanding by singing just the

Shoo, Fly

part and holding up fingers for each phrase (1, 2, 3, 4) as they sing. Play steady bears on the hand drum once again, until all students have moved back to their seats.

Assessment Based On Objectives:

As students sing a familiar song, they show the phrases by stepping in different directions and raiding consecutive fingers as they sing.

Adaptations (For Students With Learning Disabilities):

Students can move a hand puppet or any other prop to show forward and backward stepping. Encourage students to sign the key words.

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Ashley O’Shields

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