General+Music+Arranging+activity

This lesson is designed for a more mature 5th grade general music class that is able to understand and perform syncopated and sixteenth note rhythms. The teacher should take care to not let the class get out of hand; it is very exciting for them to perform a song they know, but the educational value must come first. The composition/arrangement is very important, and they must be able to follow directions and sing at the correct time. Taking volunteers for solos is encouraged, and singing it a few times so multiple students get to sing on their own is important.

I used this lesson for one of my observations and they kids LOVED it. They were the quietest and most focused I had ever seen them, and did very well with the arrangements. I would suggest keeping a grid of verses/choruses to keep track of who is singing when. They did great with the ending activity of hamming up the “rock star” persona, and it really energized the whole class.