Subdivisions+and+Music+Story


 * In the preceding weeks, this class had been working on learning the different subdivisions of a beat in a duple meter. Adding the "rhythm words" really helps the students keep things straight. They can feel that the word "honor" has two stresses, so saying these words while marching to a quarter note beat, putting the subdivisions in different levels of the body, really cements the feel of subdivisions. Having learned this, I wanted the students to have an experience where they saw all of the different rhythms fit together in a song. Since they had been drilling the same marching exercise for the past several lessons, I added the singing and instruments to add some variety. Also, since we had been focusing on mainly theory aspects up to that point in the year, I wanted to give the students a chance to do some "expression" and "feeling" work. Practicing music without seeing the whole picture (and point of music) makes it boring, and makes the kids wonder when they'll ever use their musical skills in "real life." It is always good to practice keeping a beat, and I wanted the students to have something more focused to keep them on task, which is why I added the rhythm sticks.

Teacher Name:** Anne Marxhausen **Concepts/Skills/Values:** Application of Rhythmic Subdivisions, Musical Story Telling When students arrive, make a big circle.
 * Class/Grade:** 3rd Grade General Music
 * National Standards:** Sing, Play, Read/Notate, Listen, Evaluate, History/Culture, Related Arts
 * Behavioral Learning Objectives:** The students will be able to hold their part with rhythmic subdivisions while other groups are singing/playing other subdivisions. Students will be able to identify how their different subdivisions fit together within the music.The students will also be able to recognize sections of a piece which have a steady rhythmic pattern by clicking the beat, as well as the ability to match the sounds of music to a story.
 * Materials:**Djembe, triangles, rattles, rhythm sticks, CD player, Darrel Anger and the Republic of Strings, “Republic of Strings” CD (Specifically track 3, “Andre de Sabato Nuevo”), two chairs
 * Room Set Up:** Set up stations around the room for different instruments, with all of the triangles at one station, all of the rattles at another, etc. There will be two stations at the piano: one leading part, and one echoing part.
 * Subdivision Application:**

Use the Djembe to keep a steady beat. Review Rhythm Words. (Rhythm Words have been being used all quarter, so the students are fairly familiar with them.) Each rhythmic value is assigned a word, which helps students subdivide into one beat rhythms. Quarter Note = Praise Two Eighths = Honor Four Sixteenths = Hallelujah Two Sixteents and an Eighth = Glorify Eighth and Two Sixteenths = Thanksgiving. March, clap and chant the rhythms to the steady beat. March on a quarter note beat while clapping the rhythm of the rhythm words.

Number off the students 1-5. Each student goes to their number and stands in a line so that the groups are differentiated. Each group goes to a different station, but does not touch the instruments.

Different stations: 1. Triangles: Play "Praise". 2. Rattles: Play "Honor". 3. Rhythm Sticks play "Hallelujah" 4. Singing: Leaders 5. Singing: echos Practice each part with each group. Make sure everyone is paying attention, because everyone will end up doing every station. The rhythm groups are added one by one, in the order above, and then add the singing parts. Sing/play through one chorus of the songs. Rotate one station to the left. Repeat until everyone gets to do everything once. Cover duple meter echo songs in the Grandparents' Day program: I'm Being Changed From the Inside Out The Man of Gallilee (Not an echo, but children know the harmony part very well)

Explain the story of "Andre de Sabato Nuevo" (Andre and the New Shoes) Teacher tells the student this story: Andre lives in South America, and in his particular town, you are not cool unless you have really cool shoes. Andre doesn’t have really cool shoes, but he sees some in the store window and works very very hard for a long time to earn enough money to buy them. Once he has enough money, he spends every last penny he has and buys the shoes, throwing away his old shoes so that there is no going back. He starts strutting down the street, saying to himself, “These are really cool shoes.” People up and down the street see Andre and whisper to one another "Oh my goodness, look at those cool shoes!” As Andre swaggers down the street, he realizes that his new, un-broken in shoes pinch his feet and hurt. He ignores it and keeps walking. But then they start to hurt more and more. He keeps trying to look cool, but finally his shoes hurt his feet so much that he limps the rest of the way home. He finally gets there, sits down, thinks, and finally says, “I don’t care, these are still really cool shoes.”
 * Story Song:**

Throughout the story, be very physical, so that the students can get a taste of what they will be doing.

Students should form a circle. Before handing out rhythm sticks, go over rhythm stick rules: Anyone breaking these rules will get one warning, and then will have to give up their sticks (but still participate) for the rest of the activity. (We call these “Naughty Sticks.” Before starting, we always tell our sticks together not to be naughty.)
 * We only play where, what, and when the teacher says to.
 * When we are not playing, sticks should be tucked under the arms.
 * Do not hit anything but the specified surface with the sticks, this includes other people.
 * Do not hit the sticks so hard that they break.

Listen to the music as it plays (Especially in the intro): Can you hear the story in the song?

When there are steady rhythmic sections, this is where Andre is strutting down the street. Have the kid click sticks to the beat, and march. Encourage the students to march the way the music makes them feel, or how they think Andre must be walking down the street while he is strutting. Dancing is ok, too, as long as it stays in the line and in each person’s space. Don’t make too much noise, because the whole point is to listen to what the music is telling you. Go ahead and strut along with them to give them a model.

In the “free rhythm” sections, stop, crouch down, and grab your feet like they hurt. Kids can moan and groan and be very melodramatic. However, let them know at the start that there can be no yelling, screaming, or moving out of their own personal space. Again, the teacher should participate to give the students a model.

Don’t get into it so much that you can’t hear the music- pay attention! The point is to be able to switch back and forth very quickly as the music changes.

When the song is over, the teacher leads the line past the stick box, where they put their sticks away, and to the door to line up to leave.