Let’s play keyboard!
Larisa Vedensky
[email protected]
University of the Arts
TI:ME Technology Areas Addressed:
Electronic Musical Instruments
Level:
Elementary
Class:
General Music
Equipment:
electronic keyboard
Duration:
40 Minutes
Prior Knowledge and Skills:
Students don’t have to have any specific knowledge of keyboard or notation
NAfME Standards of 1994 Addressed:
NAfME Standards of 1994: Performing on instruments, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music.
NAfME 2014: Performing
Materials:
electronic keyboard
Objectives:
Concept: keyboard sound exploration,learning how to play simple melody
Objective: Students will be able to become familiar with keyaboard and recognize different registers of keyboard; students will be able to find white and black keys and groups of two black keys (“twins”) and three black keys (“triplets”). Students will be able to play “Old MacDonald” song by using just black keys.
Grade Level:2 and 3
Procedures:
The teacher will ask students to try different sounds on keyboard; students will be able to find low and very low keys and high and very high keys;then, students will be able to locate the middle area of keyboard. When students will be searching for low and very low keys, theacher can help them to find it by asking questions as “imagine a big-big giant walking on the street; what sound – low or high – do you think would be a better match for walking giant?”
After the keyboard’s registers’ exploration, teacher woold show how the keyboard is organized and look for the patterns of two (“twins”) and three (“triplets”) black keys.
The final step will be to teach students how to play popular songs – as “Old MacDonald” song – on the black keys.
Evaluation:
1)Students will be asked to find low and very low keys and high and very high keys.
2)Students will find patterns of two and three black keys.
3)Students will play “Old MacDonald” song using only black keys.
Follow Up:
On the next lesson, teacher can teach students how to play
one more song on the keyboard – “Mary has a little lamb”.
Teacher will continue by introducing the middle C key and step by step keys of D and E.
