Identifying and Writing AABA Form
Carol Carstensen
[email protected]
Safety Harbor Elementary
TI:ME Technology Areas Addressed:
Notation Software
Level:
Elementary
Class:
General Music
Equipment:
Computers with Sibelius and PowerPoint software
LCD Projector
Duration:
40 + Minutes
Prior Knowledge and Skills:
Students have critical listening skills to be able to discriminate melodies.
Students have discussed AB form and are very familiar.
Basic note reading and writing notation and pitches skills.
Basic notation software skills.
MENC Standards Addressed:
MENC 4: Composing and Arranging Music within specified guidelines.
MENC 5: Reading and notating music.
MENC 6: Listening to, analyzing and describing music.
MENC 7: Evaluating music and music performances.
Materials:
Teacher computer with Sibelius
LCD projector
Student computer stations with Sibelius
Scan or Sibelius file of “Over the Rainbow”
Scan of Listening Map of Khatchaturian’s “Galop” from
Masquerade Suite from Making Music by Silver Burdett
Signs that say A and B for each student
Objectives:
The students will be able to identify AABA form.
The students will be able to move in ways that reflect the A and the B parts.
The students will write an 8 bar song in AABA form with a partner.
Procedures:
1) Begin with a discussion of Form. This is to refresh the student’s memories about prior discussions.
2) Introduce new song, “Over the Rainbow.” Have students listen to it, concentrating on the form.
3) Discuss what the students heard in the song.
4) Pass out A/B cards, have students listen again and hold up their cards when they know which section it is.
5) Once they understand the sections, have students listen again, this time moving to the music. Explain that the A section gets one kind of movement and the B section gets another kind of movement. Scarves or ribbons can be used at this point.
6) Show the music on the screen, pointing out the A section and B section while it’s playing. Discuss with them the name of this form: AABA
7) Play Khatchaturian’s Galop to reinforce the AABA form. Have them use their A/B cards to show the form when they hear it.
8) Show the listening map for them to visually see the changes in the A and B section whil! e it plays again.
9) Once this is understood, partner them up to write their own AABA song in Sibelius. Restrict them to 2 measures for each section, maximum of 8 measures.
10) Play the compositions for the class and do peer evaluations.
Evaluation:
The students will be evaluated on their understanding of the material by the teacher watching their cards to see if they are correctly identifying the sections.
The teacher will also be able to evaluate the students by watching them during their movement section.
The students will also be evaluated by their peers on the success of their composition.
Follow Up:
You can follow up by listening to other songs and continue to identify the sections with A and B Cards.
Students can also make a listening map of their own for other AABA songs.
Items to Purchase:
When budget should be submitted:
