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Type of Lesson: Multimedia
Title: Beginning Piano Skills
Discipline: Music
Target Population:
Grade Level: High School (9-12)
Population Characteristics: This lesson is designed for a music performance class of between 10-15 students.
Lesson Groupings: Students will have opportunities to work alone, in small groups and as a class to complete various activities throughout the lessons.
Curriculum Links:
The lessons in this site are designed for the high school musician that has some experience either playing an instrument other than piano or in voice. Students should already know how to perform instrumentally or vocally, how to read music at least at the most basic level and have some prior knowledge of general music theory. Students will already have experience in how to use the various multimedia tools within some of the lessons. The lessons and activities in this site will be followed up with a more in-depth view of piano theory including chords, arpeggios and more advanced playing as well as more advanced composition. The lessons/activities within this site follow the NYS standards for music education. Each lesson directly involves students with content standard one which states that students will create, perform and participate in music alone and with others and content standard two which states students will know and use music materials and resources
Objectives: The students will be able to......
-Sit and perform at the piano demonstrating correct posture, arm, hand and finger placement
-Identify the names of the white and black keys on the keyboard
-Play simple patterns of notes using correct fingerings
-Identify letter names of notes on the grand staff and apply them to the keyboard
-Play a song in "C" position using correct fingering
-Perform various note values in correct time
-Perform whole and half steps on the piano
-Perform a "C" major scale hands alone and together
-Create a short melodic composition to record
Media Literacy Objectives:
-Create original works as a means of personal or group expression
-Interact, collaborate and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital environments and media
-Troubleshoot systems and applications
-Contribute to project teams to produce original works or solve problems.
Materials and Timing:
Pianos, computers, microphones, internet.
The lessons will take five days to complete. A sixth day will be used to hear music compositions.
Scope and Sequence:
Day 1
-Students will learn about piano posture
-Identify and practice letter names of keys on piano
-Identify letter names of lines/spaces in both treble and bass clef on the Grand Staff
-Practice C position and piano fingerings
-Use patterns sheet to practice different fingering patterns and c position patterns
Day 2
-Learn and identify note values
-Learn time signatures
-Practice playing different note values on different notes in 4/4 time
-Use song sheet to play a melody in C position using hands alone and together
-Learn and identify whole and half steps
-Practice various examples of whole and half steps
Day 3
-Learn the pattern for building major scales
-Practice the C major scale using hands together and alone with correct fingering
-Working in pairs use the digital story sheet to create a digital story that shows the contstruction of another major scale beginning on another note
Day 4
-Work in groups to begin creating piano composition
-Use composition sheet to create composition
-Practice compositions as they are being composed
-Start recording compositions as they are finished
Day 5
-Record compositions
-Upload MP3 recording of compositions to podbean
-Use design song label sheet to develop artwork with adobe photoshop for individual group compositions
Day 6
-Finish developing artwork for compositions
-Perform compositions for class
-Listen to each group's podcast of composition
Evaluation of Students:
Evaluation of Lesson
I will evaluate the lessons and activities based on how well the student can meet the objectives throughout the lesson. Students will need to show a working knowledge of the material included in the lecture and will need to show they understand the proper piano playing posture included in the digital story. Students will need to show they understand basic piano music theory including grand staff note names, note values, whole and half steps, major scales and composition through the activities within the lesson. Students will also need to demonstrate that they can play a song in c position. In addition the lessons and activities will be successful if students can draw from their prior music knowledge (basic theory and performance skills in other areas) to help work through the activities and practicing throughout the lesson. Lastly, the lessons will be considered successful if students are able to work alone and in small groups to use various forms of multimedia to create and share music.
Title: Beginning Piano Skills
Discipline: Music
Target Population:
Grade Level: High School (9-12)
Population Characteristics: This lesson is designed for a music performance class of between 10-15 students.
Lesson Groupings: Students will have opportunities to work alone, in small groups and as a class to complete various activities throughout the lessons.
Curriculum Links:
The lessons in this site are designed for the high school musician that has some experience either playing an instrument other than piano or in voice. Students should already know how to perform instrumentally or vocally, how to read music at least at the most basic level and have some prior knowledge of general music theory. Students will already have experience in how to use the various multimedia tools within some of the lessons. The lessons and activities in this site will be followed up with a more in-depth view of piano theory including chords, arpeggios and more advanced playing as well as more advanced composition. The lessons/activities within this site follow the NYS standards for music education. Each lesson directly involves students with content standard one which states that students will create, perform and participate in music alone and with others and content standard two which states students will know and use music materials and resources
Objectives: The students will be able to......
-Sit and perform at the piano demonstrating correct posture, arm, hand and finger placement
-Identify the names of the white and black keys on the keyboard
-Play simple patterns of notes using correct fingerings
-Identify letter names of notes on the grand staff and apply them to the keyboard
-Play a song in "C" position using correct fingering
-Perform various note values in correct time
-Perform whole and half steps on the piano
-Perform a "C" major scale hands alone and together
-Create a short melodic composition to record
Media Literacy Objectives:
-Create original works as a means of personal or group expression
-Interact, collaborate and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital environments and media
-Troubleshoot systems and applications
-Contribute to project teams to produce original works or solve problems.
Materials and Timing:
Pianos, computers, microphones, internet.
The lessons will take five days to complete. A sixth day will be used to hear music compositions.
Scope and Sequence:
Day 1
-Students will learn about piano posture
-Identify and practice letter names of keys on piano
-Identify letter names of lines/spaces in both treble and bass clef on the Grand Staff
-Practice C position and piano fingerings
-Use patterns sheet to practice different fingering patterns and c position patterns
Day 2
-Learn and identify note values
-Learn time signatures
-Practice playing different note values on different notes in 4/4 time
-Use song sheet to play a melody in C position using hands alone and together
-Learn and identify whole and half steps
-Practice various examples of whole and half steps
Day 3
-Learn the pattern for building major scales
-Practice the C major scale using hands together and alone with correct fingering
-Working in pairs use the digital story sheet to create a digital story that shows the contstruction of another major scale beginning on another note
Day 4
-Work in groups to begin creating piano composition
-Use composition sheet to create composition
-Practice compositions as they are being composed
-Start recording compositions as they are finished
Day 5
-Record compositions
-Upload MP3 recording of compositions to podbean
-Use design song label sheet to develop artwork with adobe photoshop for individual group compositions
Day 6
-Finish developing artwork for compositions
-Perform compositions for class
-Listen to each group's podcast of composition
Evaluation of Students:
| Objective |
4 Points |
8 Points |
12 Points |
| Sit and perform at the piano demonstrating correct posture, arm, hand and finger placement | Student
posture was hunched over; arm wasn't straight, wrist was bent and
fingers did not curve over the keys. |
Posture
was mostly correct with only one or two incorrect posture positions. |
Posture
was correct with no incorrect positions. |
| Identify the names of the white and black keys on the keyboard | Student
could not identify the white or black keys. Many mistakes in
identification were made |
Student
could identify names of white and black keys most of the time during
practice and performance of songs. |
Student
did not have and trouble identifying and remembering names of black and
white keys on the piano. |
| Play simple patterns of notes using correct fingerings | Student
had much trouble playing patterns of notes and remembering correct
fingerings. |
Student
could play patterns of notes, but had some trouble remembering
fingerings. |
Student
could play all patterns of notes and had no problems remembering
fingerings. |
| Identify letter names of notes on the grand staff and apply them to the keyboard | Student
could not associate the letter names of notes on the grand staff with
the letter names of keys on the keyboard. |
Student
could identify notes on the grand staff and only had minimal
difficulties applying them keyboard keys. |
Student
did not have any troubles applying grand staff note names with keys on
the keyboard. |
| Play a song in "C" position using correct fingering | Student
could not play a song in "c" position with correct fingerings. |
Student
had some problems with "c" position fingerings and used alternate
fingerings for some of the song. |
Student
was able to play the entire song with correct "c" position fingerings. |
| Perform various note values in correct time | Student
could not distinguish the various values of notes within a time
signature. |
Student
played some note values incorrectly. |
Student
played all notes in a time signature correctly. |
| Perform whole and half steps on the piano | Student
did not understand the difference between whole and half steps and
could not perform each correctly. |
Student
understood the difference between whole and half steps and could
perform them correctly much of the time. |
Student
could understand the difference between whole and half steps and was
able to perform them correctly all of the time. |
| Perform a "C" major scale hands alone and together | Student
could not perform a "c" major scale hands alone or together. |
Student
could perform a "c" major scale either hands alone or together but not
both. |
Student
could perform a "c" major scale both hands alone and together. |
| Create a short melodic composition to record | Student
could not create a short melodic composition that correctly displayed
concepts learned in the lecture. |
Student
created a short melodic composition but had some trouble displaying
some concepts from the lecture correctly. |
Student
was able to create a melodic composition that correctly displayed all
concepts from the lecture. |
| Create original works as a means of personal or group expression | Student
was not able to create original work with photostory, adobe photoshop,
or audio blog recordings within a group. |
Student
had some problems creating original work with photostory, photoshop or
audio blog recordings within a group. |
Student
was able to complete an original work within a group using photostory,
photoshop and audio blog recordings with no problems. |
| Interact, collaborate and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital environments and media | Student
was not able to work with others to use various forms of technology and
media. |
Student
worked with others but had some difficulty using various forms of
technology and media. |
Student
did not have any difficulties working with others in using various
forms of technology and media. |
| Troubleshoot systems and applications | Student
could not troubleshoot their way through the various forms of
technology used. |
Student
was able to troubleshoot but needed some extra assistance in their use
of technology. |
Student
was able to correctly and successfully troubleshoot when needed while
using technology. |
Evaluation of Lesson
I will evaluate the lessons and activities based on how well the student can meet the objectives throughout the lesson. Students will need to show a working knowledge of the material included in the lecture and will need to show they understand the proper piano playing posture included in the digital story. Students will need to show they understand basic piano music theory including grand staff note names, note values, whole and half steps, major scales and composition through the activities within the lesson. Students will also need to demonstrate that they can play a song in c position. In addition the lessons and activities will be successful if students can draw from their prior music knowledge (basic theory and performance skills in other areas) to help work through the activities and practicing throughout the lesson. Lastly, the lessons will be considered successful if students are able to work alone and in small groups to use various forms of multimedia to create and share music.