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Lesson Plan #3 can be opened or downloaded as a Microsoft Word file by clicking or right-clicking in this link.

 

Patrick Hait
Instrumental Music Lesson - Eighth Notes
   
Grade Level: 4th grade beginning band.  This should take place approximately 5 months into the curriculum.
Approximate Time: 1 class period (40 minutes).  The following lessons will include further development and review.
Objective: By the end of one class period, the students will be able to read, verbally count and play eighth notes on their instrument.
Standards: MENC 1 (Singing alone and with others)
MENC 2 (Performing on instruments, alone and with others)
MENC 5 (Reading and notating music)
NY 1 (Creating, Performing and Participating in the arts)
NY 2 (Knowing and using arts materials and resources)
Materials: White Board
Procedure:
  1. Warm up by playing the Concert Bb scale in half notes.  Up and down.
  2. Draw two eighth notes (♫) on the board and ask students if they have ever seen them before.
  3. Review the durations of the whole note, dotted half note, half note, quarter note.
  4. Teach students that the pair of eighth notes ♫ = 1 beat.
  5. How much does one of those eighth notes get?  ½ beat.
  6. ½ + ½ = 1
  7. Ask students to define 4/4 = time signature.  “The top number means that there are _______”   Four beats in a measure.
  8. Draw 4 quarter notes.  Have the students count that.  Be sure that students are tapping their feet to the beat.
  9. “Where are your feet when you say the numbers?”  On the floor.  Count again so students realize that their feet are in fact in the down position while they say the numbers.
  10. Draw a measure full of eighth notes on the white board below the measure of quarter notes.
  11. “To count these notes … The first note gets a 1 because it is the first note in a measure.  His partner, … we will talk about him later.  Since we have used up all of beat one, we go on to beat ___” Students will answer with “2”.
  12. Write in 1 2 3 4 under the appropriate eighth notes.
  13. Tell students that “We are going to call this guy And ‘A N D.’  We write it like this ‘+’.  We count it like this: (make sure the students say it along with the teacher.) 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +.  Be sure the students are tapping their feet correctly.
  14. Count the quarter note measure while tapping feet.
  15. Count the eighth note measure while tapping feet.
  16. Play quarter note measure on the instrument on a particular note.
  17. Play the eighth note measure on the instrument on a particular note.
    1. In my experience, most students will play it the same as the quarter note measure.  Sometimes, one student will play it correctly.  N.B. I do not give the students the answer.  We count it over and over again and then try to play it correctly.
    2. If the students still have a hard time playing it, I have them sing it “G G G G G G G G.”  Most of the time, they will play it correctly after this step.
  18. “Are you ready to get more confused?!”  Write 1 2+ 3 4 .. (in notation).  Ask a particular student for the correct counting.  Then ask the whole class to count it, then ask the whole class to play it.
  19. Write out one example for each member in the class.  Include quarter rests.
   
Evaluation: There are several areas for assessment built in to the procedure of the lesson plan.  If it appears that students are having difficulty with the particular rhythms, modifications to the lesson should be made.

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