Fun with Composers Pre K – Gr 3, volume i

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Ziolkoski, Deborah Lyn, 1968–

Fun with composers. Teacher’s guide, ages 3–6 / author,

Deborah Lyn Ziolkoski ; illustrator, Jim Fee.

isbn 978-0-9780360-0-3

ismn 0-9001385-0-7

1. School music--Instruction and study.

2. Music--Instruction and study--

Outlines, syllabi, etc. i. Title.

mt10.z795 2006 372.87’044 c2006-901023-4

second printing: 2008

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Fun with Composers

volume iA Simple, Fun Approach to Classical music

Teacher’s Guide

Pre K – Grade 3

by Deborah Ziolkoski

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Minuet in G Majormusic: bach; music map: d. ziolkoski

Bach wrote a min-u et one day, he played it on his clav - i - er

Such love-ly music played on a keyboard, three- hundred years a -go - -

His twen-ty child-ren loved this song, they sang and danced it all night long

It‛s a French dance so take the right stance and we will - all be gin - -

Lai lai, lai, lai, lai lai lai, lai, lai, lai lai lai, lai, lai, lai lai lai, lai, lai -

Loo loo loo loo loo loo 1 2 3 one twir - l please - -

Lai lai, lai, lai lai lai, lai, lai lai lai lai lai lai, lai, lai, lai

Loo loo loo loo loo loo 1 2 3 and we take a and we bow - -

A

B

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2.

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Minuet in G Tapping Sheet

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Minuet in G Majormusic: j.s. bach; arr/lyrics: d. ziolkoski

A

Bach wrote a mi nu- et- one day, he played it on his cla vi- er.-

Such love ly- mu sic- played on a key board,- three hun dred- years a go.-

His twen ty- chil dren- loved this song they sang and danced it all night long.

It's a French dance so take the right stance and we will all be gin.-

B

lai lai lai lai lai lai lai lai lai lai lai lai lai lai lai lai lai lai lai,

loo loo loo loo loo loo 1 2 3 One twir l- please

lai lai lai lai lai lai lai lai lai lai lai lai lai lai lai lai

loo loo loo loo loo loo 1 2 3 And we take a bow

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Minuet in G Majormusic: j.s. bach

GoalTo familiarize the children with the music “Minuet in G Major” by J.S. Bach. The children will sing, dance, and improvise to the music.

Related ConceptsExperience the phrasing of the music. Recognize the difference between part A and part B. Experience moving and improvising to music in 3/4 time (waltz time). Mirroring.

Suggested ThemesKings and queens, music and dance.

Materials requiredcd, hand drum, and mallet (if available).

Lesson One

ObjectiveTo familiarize the children with the lyrics to Section A, and the melody of Section B. Students will be introduced to the term “phrase.”

Suggested Teaching Process• TeachSectionAlyricsbyrote,phrasebyphrase,

having the children echo back each phrase. • Discusswhatthewords“minuet”(aFrench

dance) and “clavier” (a small keyboard) are.• Makeanimaginaryarcintheairwhileyousing

phrase one and ask the children to follow your arm. Tell them that this is called a phrase and that it looks like a line on a rainbow.

• Tellthechildrenthatphrasesaresupposedtosound very smooth, and the secret to making them sound smooth is not to take a breath until the end.

• Drawanarcontheboard,withalittlecaratthebeginning. Tell them that the car is not allowed to stop for gas until it hits the gas station at the end of the road (phrase).

• Askthechildrentopretendtobethatcar,takinga breath and pretending to drive their car (with their hand tracing the arc in the air) to the end of the road (arc). Did they make it to the gas station without taking an extra breath?

• Havethechildrentrymakingthisimaginaryphrase in the air with you as you sing through the lyrics to phrase one. Have the children echo you back, reminding them to sing smoothly, only sneaking a breath at the end of the imaginary line or phrase.

• Teachphrasestwoandthreeinthesamemanner.

Proper Singing Stance • Tellthechildrenthattheyneedtobesittingup

tall, as if there were two cupcakes balancing on their shoulders and a glass of water on their head. Tell them to be careful not to slump over, or the water and the cupcakes will fall off!

• Canyoumakeupsimpleactionstosuitthewords for Section A? This will help the children to remember the lyrics and personalize the music for them.

Introduce Section B• TeachSectionBbyrote.Sinceitdoesnothave

words, sing it on the syllable “lai.” Sing “loo” on the ascending run in phrase six.

• Whenthechildrenaresecurewiththis,reviewitfrom the beginning reminding them to practice singing with “cupcakes and water” (proper singing stance). Have them use their arms to draw imaginary phrases in the air while singing.

Distinguish the difference between sections A and BAsk the children if the first part (A) and the second part (B) sound the same (no). Are they able to close their eyes and raise their hand when they hear you are singing part B?

Lesson Two: “The Royal Waltz”

ObjectiveThe children will be introduced to the waltz step, and will experience moving to Section B using this step.TheywilllearntheRoyalWaltzandperformitfor the king and queen.

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Suggested PropsA piece of velvet to show students what many of the costumes were made of in Bach’s time. Crowns for the king and queen to wear. Class chairs designated as “thrones.”

FormationScattered for the general teaching. Students will form two lines (with partners facing each other) to preparefortheRoyalWaltz.

Suggested Teaching Process• Singthroughtheminuettogether.Introducethe

children to waltz time through the following body percussion: Patsch, clap, clap, patsch, clap, clap. (Patsch means slapping both thighs; then they clap their hands.)

• Wheneveryoneiscomfortable,startsingingtheminuetinitsABform.Werethechildrenable to keep this pattern going? Slow down if necessary. Keep it simple and fun, encouraging the children. If needed, just patsch or clap on the first beat of each measure.

• Askthechildrentostand,listeningasyouplaythat same pattern on the hand drum (skin, rim, rim). Accent the skin on the first beat, since the waltz rhythm is a strong, weak, weak feel. Play it a few times so that they get the feeling of 3/4 time.

*If you don’t have a hand drum available, keep the rhythm going on your body—patsch, clap, clap.

• Demonstrateasimple“step-toe-toe”waltzstepmoving side-to-side, alternating feet. Keep it very slow and simple. You can turn around and ask the children to move with you as you slowly do the step. Even if students just move from side to side on the strong first beat, they are off to a successful start!

• Trymovingaroundtheroomwiththisstep.Withthe children scattered on the floor, move all around in every direction as you say “step, toe, toe” aloud while keeping the accented skin, rim, rim pattern flowing on the drum. (Or clap, snap, snap on your body.)

• Trysinging“step,toe,toe”tothemelodylinewhilemoving around the floor—I find this works well.

• Whenthechildrenfeelcomfortablewiththepattern on the hand drum, try waltzing around while singing the actual lyrics to the minuet.

• Makeitfunandchallengingbyaskingstudentsto freeze when they hear the drum stop. This encourages good listening.

ImproviseAdd variation by asking the children to copy you while you do a few creative versions of the waltz step; e.g. a tall waltz step, a happy, sad, crazy, waltz step. Ask different children to show their special type of waltz step to others.

Royal Waltz

Royal Attire: Let’s Use our Imagination!After the children have waltzed around the room many times in different ways, tell them that they are so good that you think they should perform in front of the king and queen, just as Bach did.

Since it would not be appropriate to wear just anything when performing in front of the king and queen, they need to change into their special attire. (Pretend to put on the special attire together.)

Ladies have to wear their finest, beautiful silk dresses and, of course, not forget to put on their matching shoes and gloves!

Gentlemen have to wear their blazers, ruffled blouses, long silk stockings, and velvet knickers. Remind the boys to put on their special wigs made especially for this grand occasion!

Dance Formation

Variation #1 (perfect for three and four-year olds)Ask the children to form two parallel lines, calling them line number one and line number two. The person directly across from them will be their partner. Tell the children that they will all have a turn to pretend to be both the lady and the gentleman. Begin with line number one being the “ladies” and line number two, the “gentlemen.”

• Tellthechildrenthatbeforetheybegintheirspecial dance, they must always perform the royal bow to each other. Ladies can do a curtsy (demonstrate, pretending to hold out your royal gown), while gentlemen do a formal bow (one hand against the tummy, the other on the small of the back or removing their top hat).

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Practice this a few times asking the ladies to curtsy first and the gentlemen to bow back.

• AskthechildrentosingSectionAwhiledoingsimple actions (make them up as a class) on the spot.

• WhentheygettoSectionB,tellthechildrentoperformtheRoyalWaltz,waltzingacrossfromtheir partners.

• Thegoalistohavethechildrenmirroringeachother, all moving in the same basic direction. This works best when the teacher pretends to be the “leader” of line one or two, and all the students move in the same direction as the teacher.

• Trythewaltzafewtimeswithoutholdinghands; then, if possible, try it with each child holding hands with the partner directly facing them. This may help the children move in the same direction. The children can gently sway their arms in the same direction that they are moving.

• Reviewfromthebeginning.Remindthechildrenof the sequence: royal bow, Section A, singing while doing simple actions on the spot, and then singing Section B on “lai” with or without holding hands and moving side to side doing the step-toe-toe waltz step.

Add in a fancy twirl… or create your own version. Improvise!In Section B when you are singing “loo,loo,loo…,” try having both partners move their hands up together, following the flow of the music, then adding in either a simple fancy twirl, where they let go of their hands and twirl when they hear the words “1,2,3, one twir-l please.” Older children may like to try a more complicated dishrag twirl where both partners turn around while holding hands.

Another variation on the “loo” section would be for partner one to hold up their hand while partner two twirls around once. Remind the children that they should keep moving their feet to the step-toe-toe waltz step. Can they do this step while turning?

Variation #2Review from the beginning. If the group is able to do the waltz comfortably, here are a few ideas for variations on the waltz formation you may like to try:

• Beginintwoparallellines,withbothpartnersfacing forward. Ask the children to hold each other’s inside hand (partner one’s right, partner two’s left) and raise it upwards just at the elbow sothearmslookliketheyareinaWformation.The outside hand is positioned on their hip.

• MoveforwarddoingthewaltzsteptoSectionA. Remind the children that they only move forward on the “step;” the “toe-toe” part is done on the spot. *Demonstrate this to the students starting with the right foot. If possible, have everyone start on the right foot. Note: The children actually move only eight steps forward.

• KeepSectionBthesameasVariation#1. (Do a waltz step on “lai,” and a fancy twirl either together or apart on the “1,2,3, one twir-l please.”)

Variation #3: “Challenge”• Askthechildrentoformtwoconcentriccircles

so that you have an “outside” partner and an “inside” partner.

• WithinsidehandsgraspedandslightlyraisedintotheWformation(sameasVariation#2), waltz forward in the circle for Section A.

• ForSectionB,ask“outside”partnerstowaltzon their spot with their hands on their hips, or gently swaying side to side, as “inside” students waltz on their own in the same forward direction. On the word “loo” they must stop at the closest partner and together hold hands and raise them as they did before, ending with a twirl. The children should all have a new partner.

After choosing your variation and practicing it a few times, ask one of the sets of partners to play the role of king and queen. Assign them a royal throne, and lettheRoyalWaltzbegin.

*Assigning royalty gives you plenty of reasons to try it over a few times, usually upon the children’s insistence. Perhaps you can try a different variation. Keep it simple and fun!

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Arts & Crafts

Minuet in G Majormusic: j.s. bach

The Royal Crown and CapeRequired supplies: poster board, glitter, ribbon, scissors, glue gun

1. Draw a crown shape on a piece of poster board and make sure to include the peaks of the crown.

2. Draw designs with glue and sprinkle with glitter. Glue on jewels, ribbon and fabric pieces.

3. Once dry, cut the crown out and roll the cutout shape into the form of a crown. Leave the opening large enough to fit on the student’s head. Glue gun the ends together.

4. Cut a rectangular piece of fabric for a cape. Fold it in half and cut a small section in the middle large enough for your head to go through.

5. Draw designs on the cape with glue and sprinkle them with glitter. Add ribbon and fabric pieces to match the crown. Let dry.

Wearthecapeoveryourclothesanddancethewaltzinyourcastlewhilelisteningto“Minuet in G Major”.

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Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)

Johann Sebastian Bach was born on March 21, 1685, in the small town of Eisenach, Germany. He was born into a family of great musicians, so he always had music around him. Johann’s father was the church organist and a court musician. He taught Johann how to play the violin at a young age. Johann looked forward to the many special family gatherings, where all his aunts, uncles, cousins, brothers, and sisters would sing, dance, and play music together.

Sadly, Johann Sebastian Bach’s mother and father died when he was just ten years old. But Johann had an older brother named Christophe who let him come and live with him. Christophe was a composer and played the church organ.

Christophe took very good care of Johann. He sent him to school everyday, and even gave him music lessons. He taught him how to play the clavier, a small keyboard instrument that looked like a piano. But Christophe would only allow Bach to practice for one hour.

For most children this would have been fine, but for Bach it was terrible! Bach loved playing the clavier so much that he wanted to play it all day long. He did not understandwhyhisbrotherwouldnotlethimpracticeforlonger.Whatharmcouldit possibly do?

After his daily practice, Christophe would tell Bach to go and do his school homework. Bach hated doing homework! Boring! He would beg Christophe to let him keep practicing the clavier, but Christophe was very strict and would always say no.

Bach knew that Christophe wrote music, and that he kept all of his music locked up in a very high cupboard. How Bach longed to get his hands on that new, exciting music! He asked Christophe if he could play his music, but Christophe always said no. Even though Johann promised to be very careful with Christophe’s special book of music, it didn’t make any difference—the answer was still no. Bach thought about that music all the time. He even figured out a plan for how he could get the music down from the cupboard:

One night, while Christophe was sleeping, Bach crept down the stairs in his pajamas. He felt really scared and nervous, and his heart was beating very fast in his chest. He knew that if his brother caught him he would be in very big trouble!

He tiptoed to the music room, and carefully shut the door. The moonlight was just bright enough so that he could see the music book in the cabinet. It was way up high, on the highest shelf. How could he possibly get it down?

Johann pulled a chair over to the cabinet, climbed up, and tried to reach for the book. He reached as high as he could, but it was still out of reach. Then he tried to pile a few thick books onto the chair, and carefully climbed up high. To his delight, his fingers were able to squeeze the book through the bars on the cabinet!

Johann was so excited that even his arm started to tremble as he carried the precious book back to his room. He got out some paper and began to copy down all the notes his brother wrote. He worked all night long, not wasting a single minute.