Tone Rows

Christine Dunleavy
cdallegro@comcast.net
Winslow Township Elementary School #5

TI:ME Technology Areas Addressed:

Electronic Musical Instruments
Notation Software
Music Production
Instructional Software

Level:

Middle School

Class:

General Music

Equipment:

Computer with internet connection, overheard projector, keyboards; Music Notation program such as Notepad

Duration:

35 Minutes

Prior Knowledge and Skills:

Students need to know how to read and notate music Students need basic knowledge of keyboard notes, scales, keys

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: Composing and Arranging Music within specified guidelines.
NAfME standard of 1994: Reading and notating music.

NAfME 2014: Creating 

NAfME standard of 1994: Listening to, analyzing and describing music.
NAfME standard of 1994: Evaluating music and music performances.

NAfME 2014: Responding 

Materials:

Computer with internet connection, overheard projector keyboards, Resonator Bells Music Notation Program, such as Notepad

Objectives:

Students will construct, notate, and play Tone Rows

Procedures:

Play example of atonal music, eg. Webern’s “Three Little Pieces for Cello and Piano”
Elicit responses to piece, discuss tonality/atonality
Using resonator bells (one per student), have 12 students aligned to play a chromatic scale, then have them randomly change places and play their bars
Experiment with order forwards, backwards, following the rhythm of a known piece or creating own rhythms
Using the Matrix generator of Ricci Adams’ music theory website
( http://www.musictheory.net/utilities/html/id98_en.html ), create tone rows (Prime) and play them on resonator bells to hear them
Create a rhythm pattern to use with tone row
Notate tone rows using Music Notation program, such as Notepad
Play tone rows on keyboards

Evaluation:

Students create a Tone Row (Prime) using a Matrix generator
Students create a rhythm pattern for their Tone Row
Students notate their Tone Row using Notepad
Students play their Tone Row on keyboards

Follow Up:

Create Tone Row pieces by using the submitted Tone Row (Matrix Generator)
Retrograde, Inversions, Retrograde Inversions
Explore other means of generating a Tone Row Matrix
Research composers: eg. Webern, Schoenberg, Berg
Web quest on history of Serial Music

Items to Purchase:

Computer, Keyboards, Overhead projector

When budget should be submitted:

6 months to a year ahead