Introduction to Notation
James Cirillo
jcirillo@queensburyschool.org
Queensbury Union Free School District
TI:ME Technology Areas Addressed:
Internet
Level:
Elementary
Class:
Instrumental
Equipment:
Computers with Internet access and an internet browser.
Duration:
45 Minutes
Prior Knowledge and Skills:
Students are beginning instrumentalists. They have only been playing for a few weeks by ear and have not been introduced to formal notation.
NAfME standard of 1994 Addressed:
NAfME standard of 1994: Performing on instruments, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music.
NAfME 2014: Performing
NAfME standard of 1994: Reading and notating music.
NAfME 2014: Creating
Materials:
Standard of Excellence Book 1 (or any other beginning lesson music)
Objectives:
Students will be able to identify and define the following music terms and symbols: staff, treble clef, bass clef, measure, time signature, duration, pitch, whole note, half note, quarter note, eighth note and sixteenth note.
Students will identify whole notes in their lesson book.
Students will identify the pitches of the whole notes in their lesson book.
Students will be able to read and perform whole notes on their instruments.
Procedures:
The students will warm-up by ear (7 min.). Students will then be asked how else they can play notes and songs other than by ear. Students and teacher will discuss how music could be written. This will also give students the opportunity to demonstrate any pre-existing knowledge they may have regarding notation (8 min.). Students will then be directed to the Internet to visit www.sfskids.org. Students will be given a worksheet which follows along with the basics section of the Music Lab page of the website (15 min.). When students have navigated through the Basics Music Lab and have completed the worksheet, they will come back together with the teacher to review and discuss the terms and concepts they found (7 min.). Next, the teacher can relate what they found to the written music in their lesson book. The students will be asked to identify the symbols that appear in example #4 of their lesson book. The students will also be asked to verbally identify whole notes and the pitches of the whole notes found in example #4 of their lesson book. The teacher will then perform an example from the students book. The students, as a group, will then try to perform the same example performed by the teacher (8 min.). Students will be assigned examples they have and have not performed in class.
Evaluation:
Students will complete a worksheet with 100% accuracy.
Students will identify whole notes in their lesson book with 100% accuracy.
Students will identify the pitch of the whole notes in their book with 100% accuracy.
Students will perform whole notes on their instruments as notated in their book with 90% accuracy.
Follow Up:
In future lessons students will learn to perform the other rhythms they were introduced to such as half notes, quarter notes and eighth notes. The sfskids.org website could be used to introduce and/or review other concepts such as rhythm, tempo, pitch and harmony (Each one of these topics has a step by step presentation). Students could also attempt to notate their own music either by hand or with Finale Notepad.
