Lesson Plan
Teacher: Robert Morton / Date:Content Area: Music Theory
Topic: Creating chords and chord progressions using notation software
Grade Level:11-12th grade
Duration: one class period (approx. 40 minutes)
Academic Content Standards
State/Concentration Area: NETS*T
Standard: 5
Benchmark: C
Indicators:
State/Concentration Area: Ohio Music Content Standards
Standard: 2
Benchmark: B
Indicators: 6 (grade 11), 5 (grade 12)
State/Concentration Area: Ohio Technology Content Standards
Standard: 3
Benchmark: B
Indicators: 1
State/Concentration Area: Information Literacy Standards
Standard: 4
Benchmark: 1
Indicators: B
Introduction/Scenario
Students will learn to use either Finale or Sibelius notation software to help understands how chords are built and how they progress throughout a piece, eventually creating a short musical piece.
Objectives
After completion of this lesson students will be able to:
Have a better understand how chords are built
How chords progress throughout music and how they cadence
How to use Finale or Sibelius to notate music
Procedures
Day 1
Gain Attention: Yell loudly to quiet down and pay attention
State Objectives: learn the basic chords, progressions and their cadences, and some of the rules with progressions. And how to notate it in music notation software, such as Finale or Sibelius
Recall Prior Knowledge: Recall the definitions of chords, progressions and cadences.
Present Material: Go over some basic chord progressions (ii-V-I) or (iii-vi-ii-V-I), (IV-V-I) and basic Cadences (V-I or V-vi) and how they are written in the notation software and maybe play some progressions on the piano to help
Provide Learning Guidance: If students are having problems working the software or not understanding what chord progresses to what, answer questions to help them get on the right track.
Elicit Performance: Let the students work with the notation software, exploring what button or option does what and how different chords sound
Provide Feedback: walk around lab and give feedback to the students for how they are doing and answer questions they might have
Assess Performance:
Enhance Retention Transfer:
Day 2
Gain Attention: Same as Day 1
State Objectives: Continue learning chord progressions and how the notation software works.
Recall Prior Knowledge: review what was taught the day before
Present Material:
Provide Learning Guidance:
Elicit Performance: Let students work with the program more and start creating longer and more complex chord progressions.
Provide Feedback:
Assess Performance:
Enhance Retention Transfer:
Day 3
Gain Attention: Same as previous days
State Objectives:
Recall Prior Knowledge:
Present Material:
Provide Learning Guidance:
Elicit Performance:
Provide Feedback:
Assess Performance: give the students a verbal quiz to see if they understand what they have learned
Enhance Retention Transfer: Students turn in the piece of music they spent the past 2 days working on and
Evaluation
(How will you know when students have met the indicators/objectives?)
Before: have some understanding of chord progressions/cadences
During: have an understanding how finale/sibelius works and how to write music in these programs
After: have created a small musical piece featuring several progressions/cadences
Rubric: Students have the following done:
Created a piece that lasts approximately 10 measures
Incorporates progressions discussed in class
The overall chord progression makes sense musically.
The piece of music overall looks neat (no corrections of mistakes written on the paper)
The student concentrated on doing the assignment, not goofing off in class or doing something that did not have anything to do with the assignment.
Materials
Computer lab or several in class computers with necessary software
Presentation to help show students what to do
Students’ notes on how chords progress
Piano or Keyboard of some sort (for day 1 for students to hear how chord progressions sounds before going to computer lab or onto the computers)
Technology Integration
Instead of writing the progressions out on a piece of manuscript paper, using music notation software, the work will look cleaner and doesn’t show erased mistakes
Adaptations/Differentiation
If there is no computer labs or software available in the district, instead of using the software, just write out the project on a piece of manuscript paper, making sure when handed it is still clean and free of corrections made.
Notes/Remarks
Dr. Arnold Lesson Plan Template