Idea: cards with happy face on one side and sad face on the other - kids could show you the appropriate face for the appropriate music. If you haven't worked with them & movement before and if you know they aren't usually well behaved, you might be in trouble with the movement thing. Or start with cards and go on to moving around if they manage the cards well. I have a class with behavior issues, and I'd try to structure the lesson pretty heavily to avoid potential problems.
For happy/sad: I've played fast minor key and slow major key sometimes to see what they think of those. Often they think that slow = sad and fast = happy and get confused when the minor/major thing doesn't correspond. Something to think about in advance.
At the end - ask questions to see if they understood what the lesson was about.
I would avoid using the words "happy" and "sad" right away. Maybe play the two sections first, then have the kids pick a few words and corresponding actions to associate with the sections. Then have them move to it the second time they hear it. This way they decide for themselves the emotion the music expresses, and the second time they're listening to it, they actually are thinking about moving, not just eager to get up and skip around. I do a similar activity with "Pictures at an Exhibition" with my kids.
What is the purpose of your lesson? (I'm not asking cause there isn't one clear here, I"m asking for to help with your closure piece.) Whatever your goal for the kids to learn, that's what you want to close with. Review what they learned about the cello and how music can be happy and sad, so even the kids can leave and say "well, today I learned this
( ... )
I'm currently in my final semester of classes, and have been writing lesson plans like crazy. One way to make sure that your lesson is really clear is to consider the following (this is worded slightly differently than the comment above, which is why I replied to it.)
Create a clear, student centered objective. What is your goal for the class? What will students be able to do by the end of the lesson?
Create an assessment. How will you assess that students accomplished this objective? Will you mark down that they participated? That they did it correctly?
Create an evaluation. How will you grade your assessment?
Also, you might want to think about what "happy" and "sad" mean and maybe engage students in asking them why certain parts made them feel happy or sad. How does music effect emotion?
That's my two cents, take it or leave it. Best of luck!
I know you asked about closing, but I thought I would throw it out there that another way to plan your lesson would be to switch the order a little. You have them seated/inactive for a while there before they are fully engaged in the lesson.
Is the 1st Suite exercise an orchestral recording, and/or, is that why you open with questions about orchestra? If that is... then asking questions about orchestra might go a little smoother after they hear the excerpt. They have some immediate past experience that could give them more answers and/or make it more meaningful for them at the moment.
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For happy/sad: I've played fast minor key and slow major key sometimes to see what they think of those. Often they think that slow = sad and fast = happy and get confused when the minor/major thing doesn't correspond. Something to think about in advance.
At the end - ask questions to see if they understood what the lesson was about.
Great ideas above as well.
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Create a clear, student centered objective. What is your goal for the class? What will students be able to do by the end of the lesson?
Create an assessment. How will you assess that students accomplished this objective? Will you mark down that they participated? That they did it correctly?
Create an evaluation. How will you grade your assessment?
Also, you might want to think about what "happy" and "sad" mean and maybe engage students in asking them why certain parts made them feel happy or sad. How does music effect emotion?
That's my two cents, take it or leave it. Best of luck!
Reply
I know you asked about closing, but I thought I would throw it out there that another way to plan your lesson would be to switch the order a little. You have them seated/inactive for a while there before they are fully engaged in the lesson.
Is the 1st Suite exercise an orchestral recording, and/or, is that why you open with questions about orchestra? If that is... then asking questions about orchestra might go a little smoother after they hear the excerpt. They have some immediate past experience that could give them more answers and/or make it more meaningful for them at the moment.
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who's ever heard/seen an orchestra?
what kinds of instruments do you know that are in an orchestra?
does anyone know what a cello is?
...questions like that.
and then that's when i would take out my cello.
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