Ed 3501 Natalie Cote

Lesson Plan

Subject: Music
SPECIFIC
OUTCOMES
FROM ALBERTA
PROGRAM OF
STUDIES

N/A

Lesson Duration: 20 minutes

Formative & Summative

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

ASSESSMENTS (How

(2-3, clear, and measurable)

will you know they met

learning objectives?)

Students will:

Examine the general learning outcomes of the music

curriculum and recognize important elements.
Investigate tools which allow all teachers to use music
in other subject areas.
Consider the impact music has on our society as a form
of enjoyment, accomplishment, and how it affects brain
development.
LEARNING RESOURCES CONSULTED

(Observations, Key
Questions,
Products/Performances
)
Recognize how all
aspects of this curriculum
are interconnected.
Discuss how, regardless
of musical background,
we can all use music to
learn.
Participate and discuss
how everyone is effected
by music.

Resource #1: How Music Affects Your Brain https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpUVMpX62nw

Resource #2: Program of Studies

MATERIALS/ EQUIPMENT/ SET UP

*
*
*
*

How Playing an Instrument Benefits Your Brain https://youtu.be/R0JKCYZ8hng

Laptop to play video on
Sticks to use for tapping rhythms
Handout with rhymes for tapping activity

PROCEDURE
Introduction ( 3 min.):
Attention Grabber:
When I say music, what do you think of? (popular music, band, choir, for entertainment, for exercising, etc.)
Assessment of Prior Knowledge:
I have decided to just simply ask if anyone has an understanding of music theory and terminology. Even if part of my
group does, I have planned my lesson assuming that I need to explain my terminology as I go since it is likely that at
least one person will not have a background understanding of this subject.
Advance Organizer/Agenda:
In order to understand how music is integrated into schools it is important to have an understanding of the curriculum
and know what the role of music is in our society today. I have gone through the POS and found information that I will
share with you to try and give a complete picture of this subject; then we will explore how music impacts us as people
and how to effectively integrate it in our classrooms.
Transition to Body:
But first, lets play with rhythm.
Body ( 15 min.):

What is the teacher doing?

Learning Activity #1: Tap the rhythm of popular rhymes and songs for children in partners, the second person will
guess what rhyme or song is being tapped.
For this activity:
- we will split into pairs

Ed 3501 Natalie Cote

each pair will be given two sticks and one handout containing lists of common childrens rhymes
one person will select a rhyme of their choice and, without telling their partner which rhyme they have
chosen, will use the sticks to tap the rhythm of the words on the table
their partner will have to guess the rhyme (using the list as a reference) by listening for familiar groupings
and emphasis
once guessed correctly, they will switch roles.

Elementary music mostly focuses on exposing children to the different aspects of music. The SLOs are very
activity based in order to help children to connect movement, sound, singing, and more to the act of creating music.
Here are some of the important concepts from the elementary and junior high POS for music:
(I will be very briefly expanding on and/or defining each of these terms as we go through)
Elementary
GLO: Enjoyment of music (this is my favorite GLO)
Concepts:
Rhythm
Melody
Harmony
Form
Expression
Skills
Singing
Playing Instruments
Listening
Moving (elementary only)
Reading (and writing)
Creating
Attitudes
Enjoyment of music
Positive attitude towards music
Junior High
Additional goals and objectives
Valuing
o Awareness of music history
o Music as personal fulfillment/career
Elective components: Enrichment
o Guest artists
o Jazz, orchestra, etc.
o Arranging/composing, improvising
o Concert attendance
o Student conductors/demonstrators/coaching
Formative & Summative Assessments:
Ask How do you think the activity we did addressed the learning outcomes we just discussed? Did this activity
address one or more outcomes?
Transition to Activity #2:
Just like how our activity addressed a wide range of musical aspects, and therefore many learning outcomes, music
in its essence affects the world we live in and impacts people of all ages. Next I want us to learn about how music
can even affect our brains and the way they develop.
Learning Activity #2: Watch How Playing an Instrument Benefits Your Brain from TED-Ed.
Other information about how music affects the brain and its development:

Ed 3501 Natalie Cote

Breathing and heart beat try to match the beat of the song
Pleasant music boosts serotonin and dopamine (chemicals responsible for good feelings)
Studying music increases lateral thinking and creative problem solving (by engaging more parts of your
brain on both sides)
Listening engages your hippocampus (long term memory storage, recovered memories through music)
Music affects your mental and physical reaction times (over 90 decibels has a negative affect)
Music therapy: Through studies we are discovering that music can be a stress reliever, pain killer (such as
when you exercise, music can help you think you arent working as hard as you actually are), and possibly
even a way to overcome addictions.

Formative & Summative Assessments:

Lower-Order Questions: How many of you are musicians? Have you ever played an instrument or sang?
Higher-Order Questions: What about listening to music? How much do you listen to music and for what purpose?
Do you think music affects all people (such as musicians, people who like listening to music, people who do not
appreciate listening to music, etc)?
Transition to Activity 3: Although music impacts people in various ways and degrees, it does have an effect on all
people. (give example of how the regularity of your heart beat is rhythm naturally built into us) Because of this,
music can be an important tool for use in many different subject areas, especially for those students who are
naturally inclined towards this method of expression and communication.
Learning Activity #3: I will give examples of how music can be used as a tool in all styles of learning.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Learning to skip count through a song (I will share how I learned my times tables through this method and
give an example of counting by 3s to the tune of Jingle Bells)
Read a book and ask students to create sound effects. This can teach students how to properly use
instruments or can be done without the use of physical instruments so the students can focus on relating
sound to emotions and events.
Learning the rhythm of spoken word and how it relates to lyrics in a song.
Musical form that gives structure to dance, allowing for easier memory of the dance and faster learning of
the material. (I will ask if they have ever learned a line dance and if they thought about the form of the
music, I will suggest that even if they dont think so they were probably aware subconsciously.)
Rhythm in music can help teach footwork in dance and gym. (I will share how I learned to do a triple
jump in track and field based on my understanding of rhythm.)
Using musical notation to teach simple math concepts such as addition, helps to involve more of your
senses into the learning.
Musical performance can instill confidence for public speaking and encourages collaboration.

We already looked at the elementary and junior high curriculum, now lets take a look at how music splits into
three branches in the upper grades.
Senior High
General Music
Theory: Focused listening, theory and note taking, ear training
Researching: music history (world and western music), relation to world history
The Musician as a Business Person
o Publishing and retail
o Instrument repair and manufacture
o Piano tuner
The Musician as a Creator
o Composition
o Music software developer: programming, computer languages
o Music and technology: science of sound, midi, sound reinforcement, etc.
The Musician as an Educator
o College or University
o Primary and secondary
o Private

Ed 3501 Natalie Cote

The Musician as a Listener

o Adjudicator
o Music critic
The Musician as a Performer
o Self-evaluation
o Performance
Jazz, Blues/Boogie/Early Big Bands, Swing Era, Bebop, Cool School/Hard Bop/ Post-Bebop, Free
Jazz/Fusion/Current Trends, Piano Stylists/Singers/Post-Bebop, Popular Music

Attitudes:
o Value the uniqueness of music as a communication skill
o Social value of group music making
o Contribute to themselves and their society by their creativity
o Expressive qualities of music
Instrumental Music
Performer
Listener, Evaluator, Consumer, Historian
Composer
Other
o Rhythm, range of playing ability, articulation, percussion, writing (clefs and key signatures),
history (periods and composers), terminology.
Choral Music
Vocal
Aural
Theoretical/Practical
Composition
Interpretation and Synthesis
Formative & Summative Assessments: Thinking about your own experiences with music, do you think you could
teach music? If not, do you think you could use a musical approach in teaching another subject?
Transition to Closure: Music is like a language, but yet it has qualities that transcend barriers that we can stumble
upon through the use of traditional languages. When you think about it this way, music can be used to connect us
with those around us even while we individually interpret it.
Closure ( 2 min.): * Connect your closure with learning objectives*
Consolidation/Assessment of Learning:
Imagine you are asked to teach a music class in PSI, do you feel like you would have some ideas of how to help your
students learn some of these concepts? Is there something that stood out to you? If you took music in school, do you
have a positive memory of learning about music or through music? I hope that through this overview you have gained
a better understanding of the role of music in schools, but also in our day-to-day lives.
Feedback From Students:
Do you have any questions for me?
Feedback To Students:
Thank you so much for participating! (I will share a favorite point of the lesson)
Transition to implementing music in your own teaching:
I hope that you have a better understanding of how music can also be used as a learning tool. Regardless if music is
something important to you or not, I encourage you to incorporate it into your teaching in the future because of its
practical and real world connections in learning.