Hampton
At
Hampton we are off to a great start in 2013. The students at Hampton are not
singing the Blues. They are hard at work learning all there is to know about
the “Call and responses singing of spirituals”.
Hampton students are discovery and exploration singing to get ready for
their Opera. To get started in there exploration of their voices, we are studying
spirituals. At Hampton we are eagerly
learning all about the history of the folk song style of Spirituals. Originally monophonic and a cappella and
were antecedents of the blues- spirituals have a simple melodies and repeated
text, get learning tools for new singers, needing practice with their
instruments. Spirituals sometimes provided comfort and eased the boredom of
daily tasks. They were an expression of spiritual devotion and a yearning for
freedom from bondage. Sometimes they were a means of releasing pent up emotions
and expressing sorrow. But at Hampton we are studying the “Call and Response”
relationship of the singing of spirituals. My teaching partner Lisa Golda and I
began each class with a performance for three spirituals, “Wade in the Water”, “My
Lord What a Mornin”, “Sometimes I feel Like a Motherless Chil” Then we
performed each song in call and response, no matter what line I sang as the
call, Lisa sang it as a response. As always we had to have fun with, so we changed
the rhythms and pitch of ‘call and response’ to keep the class interested, and
they wanted to take part right away.
Take a
look at this Game for classroom: Tap Your Feet
Students will practice
following a pattern and become familiar with the concept of beat in music. They
will be introduced to tempo. They will gain experience playing the beat on
non-pitched rhythm instruments, at various tempos. This activity will culminate
in the creation of a rhythm piece.
Objectives:
- Students
will listen to, analyze, and describe music.
- Students
will gain experience performing on instruments, alone and with others, a
varied repertoire of music.
- Students
will gain experience composing and arranging music within specified
guidelines.
- Students
will gain experience in speaking and listening as tools for learning.
Materials:
- Computer(s)
with Internet access will be used for online activity
- Available
non-pitched rhythm instruments
- Picture
cards of non-pitched instruments with the names of the instruments written
below the picture
- Big
book stand, music stand, flannel board-anything to arrange cards in
sequence from left to right
Procedure:
- AccessPBS's Bandleader. Have the students work in
the first level to gain experience with following a pattern.
- Have
the group find their individual heartbeats by placing their hands on their
chests. Have them tap along with their heartbeat.
- Do
a few simple exercises/movements with the children to raise their
heartbeat. Immediately following this, have them find their heartbeat again.
Ask them what they notice. Is their heart beating faster or slower?
(Tempo) Explain that music can also have a fast beat or slow beat.
- AccessPBS's Bandleader. As a class, create a
composition. Listen several times and help the children keep the beat with
the created composition using a different type of body percussion (pat,
tap, clap, etc.) each time. Students will attempt to follow a pattern.
- Continue
to develop the concept of beat in music, creating a "beat"
composition using a variety of non pitched instruments. Have the children
select an instrument (i.e. hand drum) and play a group of four beats.
Allow children to take turns as necessary, while others practice with body
percussion.
- After
the students have practiced groups of four beats on the various
instruments; ask them to suggest a sequence for the instruments to play
in. Arrange the picture cards in the sequence the students have selected
from left to right. Guide them in playing this rhythm composition.
- Compose
a variety of these compositions. Play at various tempos. Try having
children play instruments in combinations (i.e. hand drum and maracas
together, triangle and claves).
Assessment:
- Students
should actively participate in all activities.
- Teacher
assessment of student's ability to keep a steady beat through observation.
Extensions and Adaptations
- Continue
to develop the beat by using it with picture books and poems. When reading
to children, look for text that is rhythmic. Help students select
appropriate places to insert beat patterns in the story/poem.
- Listen
to a variety of music with children and have them determine the beat and
play along.
Relevant National Standards:
Music
Performing on
instruments, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music.
Composing and
arranging music within specified guidelines.
Listening to,
analyzing, and describing music.
Language Arts
Demonstrates
competence in speaking and listening as tools for learning.
Cameron
At
Cameron we are off to a fresh new start for 2013. In the afterschool program at
Cameron, we now have a new day of the week( Wednesday) and a new time, so
students can take a fresh look at Opera for all at Cameron. I don’t want to Jinks
us, but we had more than twenty students this Wednesday, at some point or
another. Already to explore opera, staging and acting and improv games for fun.
The group of five 3rd graders, ten 5th and 6th
graders, and five 7th and 8th graders, loved Zip ZapZog
and “The Impossible Dream” from Man of La Mancha. This semester students will
focus on singing in groups and their cultures, to develop a story for the
Sharing at the end of the year. So getting the students to connect with the
inner opera singer and not be shy, was the Challenge of the Year. Check out the
video below of class.
Call and Response models ways to read fluently and with
meaning and invites students to participate in an aesthetic reading of a text.
For those students who have difficulty with reading, Call and Response provides
an opportunity to practice reading a text as a community without being singled
out. The activity Call and Response comes out of traditions in the African
American church and hip-hop concerts, where vocal participation is encouraged.
Duration: 10 minutes
Preparation: Before class, select a list of key phrases or
sentences from the designated text. Virtually any lines can work, though the
best choices are lines that carry an emotional or aesthetic punch and that are
essential to an understanding of the text.
Procedure: The class
gathers in a large circle. Everyone in the room needs to be able to make eye
contact with one another. Ask the students to pull their shoulders back, take
their hands out of their pockets, and avoid crossing their arms during the
vocal warm-up. This will help them to open their voices, to speak with
conviction and clarity. Next, walk into the center of the space and call out
lines of text. The students repeat the lines back in chorus. Read with emotion,
matching the tone of the text and encouraging students to match the energy and
quality of the reading.
You might then playfully point to individual students and
challenge them to match your level of energy. The warm-up continues with many
lines, moving back and forth between you, individual students, and the entire
group.
This activity can become a daily ritual in the classroom. As
students become comfortable, they can take over the lead, calling out the lines
to the rest of the group. It’s important for student leaders to review the text
carefully beforehand, choosing, marking, and practicing the lines they will
lead the class in reading. This makes an excellent and purposeful homework
assignment.
In Daniel and Kurt’s final performance at Brown Summer High
School, the Call and Response became the opening event. An entire class stood
on the stage in a U formation. Standing in the center, three student leaders
called out lines from Whitman. The class, and eventually the entire auditorium,
repeated the lines in response. The class then added a Brazilian choral melody,
accompanied by a guitar, between the calls and responses: “I celebrate myself .
. . and sing myself.”
Reflection: Based on the lines you heard in the Call and
Response, what predictions can you make about the text? What was your favorite line of today’s Call
and Response?
