Beginning Music Theory 3rd Period Guitar 1026-1122

Lessons #1-3: Pitch and Rhythm

Materials: Staff paper (for student notes), packets (notes, rests, pitches), assessment, white board State Standards: 5. Reading and Notating Music MPS Standards: Level 1&2 "Basic Reading" Essential Question: What tools or skills will help me to read music?

Lesson 1: The Basics, an Introduction or Review

Starting with Pitch: the frequency of notes we hear or play Staff: - Clefs (Treble and Bass) - Note Names (letters for each staff) - Grand Staff (how these two staves fit together, comparing to the piano keys) Notes: - Accidentals: Sharp, Flat, Natural (what each does to a note) - Intervals: 1/2 & whole (Play examples on piano) Formula for a major scale: wwhwwwh - Must have all letters in the musical alphabet - Show example on C (E-F/B-C natural half steps) Show piano and all notes (small mention of enharmonics)

A#/Bb A^

C#/Db

D#/Eb

F#/Gb G#/Ab ^G^ ^A

^B - C^

^D^

^E - F^

Ask if there are any questions so far? - Do a few examples: Build a scale on F, on G Key Signatures: - Helps clean up the music (lasts through the whole section, until you see a new key signature, tells you all notes on that line/space are flat or sharp) - Order of bs and #s: BEADGCF (draw each on board) - How to figure out the name of the key/starting note Flats: second to last flat Sharps: one step/note above the last sharp - Ask for names of keys and then ask for number of sharps or flats in a given key (student hold up fingers instead of calling on one person)

Learning about Rhythm: the value of notes and rests Notes and Rests: Draw "tree charts" through 16ths for each Time Signature: What does this tell us in music? - Top #: How many of the given notes are in each measure. - Bottom #: What is the given note (value) Practice counting

Closure: What two main tools did we discuss today? Pitch/Rhythm Homework: go to www.readmusicfree.com, find a section you find helpful Youtube: find 1 quality tutorial on a basic guitar skill (holding it, tuning it, the pick, playing single note melodies, strumming, etc.)

Lesson 2: Review and Apply (Group Packets)

Opening: Discuss what was the most beneficial on the web site. Collect YouTube URL's. Review from last week: Ask questions from yesterday to check for retention (once someone has answered they cannot continue answering...so it pays to answer the easy stuff early on): 1. Name one of the three types of accidentals and its function. 2. What is the formula for a major scale? 3. What is a key signature? What does it tell us? 4. What is the order of sharps and flats? 5. Name notes/rests...show fingers for how many "beats" it gets. Are there any questions?

Group Packets: Quick note on good musical handwriting (spacing, stems, and rests) 1. Get into groups of three....spread out the kids that really get it. 2. Hand out packets (pre-made...will scan in if needed) 3. Each group must have the same answers on each paper, help the people having trouble and only ask questions when no one in your group knows the answer. 4. We will be switching and correcting tomorrow

Homework/Closure: Everything you are doing right now will go into your resource guide. Homework for tonight will be to find a professional performance by an acoustic guitarist and bring in the URL tomorrow. This will go into the resource manual.

Lesson 3A: Review with Assessment (combined pre and post knowledge)

Opening: Did anyone find a really amazing performance? Collect URL's

Group Packets: 1. Get back into your group of 3 and finish up the last of your packets. 2. Find one person that will give up their packet for grading (don't pick the person with the worst handwriting). 3. Look over packet from another group and make any connections. 4. When your group gets your packet back make sure everyone has those corrections. Ask questions if you don't understand the correction or why it was made. Final chance for questions on anything from the last few days.

Assessment: Put everything away except something to write with and on. - Some of the stuff you probably wont know...I am giving you a post-assessment of material we have gone over and a pre- assessment of stuff you may learn over the semester. - You will get 1 point for GUESSING and 1 additional point for a correct answer...so don't leave anything blank! - When you have finished, read or work on other homework quietly.

Lesson 3B: Corrections for the Quiz

Opening: Hand out resource manuals...walk the kids through each part and uses for that section. You should keep this with your notes and packets from the last few days and refer back to it when you have questions about reading music.

Assessment Corrections: Students use pen to correct their quizzes (I have circled what is incorrect and we will go through the quiz together, they receive points for fixing their answers).

(Lead Teacher took over to teach the students chords...I went to work with beginning band)

Corrections grades: Before: A: 6, B:5, C:5, D:5, F:2 After: A: 8, B:7, C: 6, D: 1, F:1