lesson plan

Lesson Plan Overview: Little Fingers - Lesson 7

Ready to use this lesson plan? Use the button below to save a copy of this lesson plan in your account. After doing so, you will be able to modify the lessons as you wish.

Students will develop musical and physical coordination skills through engaging in rhythmic activities, body percussion exercises, rhythm play-along, hand signal demonstrations, and a fun freeze dance activity.

Lesson Objectives

By the end of the lessons, students will be able to:
  1. Engage in rhythmic activities, body percussion, rhythm play-along, and core exercises to enhance musical and physical coordination skills.
  2. Maintain a consistent beat.
  3. Combine movement and speech to create rhythmic patterns.
  4. Demonstrate understanding of hand signals representing different colors using the Tameda Method.
Materials Needed
Resources

Prodigies Login Information
To log in to the Prodigies website and access lesson videos, use the following steps:

Login Credentials:
Choose one out of the three emails to log in with.
Login Procedure:
  1. Click on "Login."
  2. Choose "App Login" from the options provided.
  3. Enter one of the emails listed above. If you encounter an issue indicating the account is in use, try using one of the other email logins provided.
  4. Select "Sign in with Password."
These steps should help you successfully access the Prodigies website and its lesson videos.
Document
Document
Document
Document
Document
Document
Document
Document

Lesson Plan Outline

If some classes do not complete this lesson in one day, do your best to cover as much as you can. When necessary, resume from where you stopped at the start of the next lesson.

Introduction (5 minutes)
  • Greet the students and introduce the K-Piano equipment and learning system.
  • Provide an overview of the lesson objectives and what students can expect to learn.
  • Review previously learned concepts. Heartbeat, Body Piano, and moving to Walk/Tiptoe
  • State the new learning concepts students will be able to build from lesson one and achieve in lesson two.
Class Expectations (5 minutes)
  • Read over classroom expectations for the Little Fingers class.
  • Have students describe what these behaviors look like and don't look like.
Ex: A good choice is following directions. A silly choice is to be laughing at your friends.

Movement Activity - Video (5 minutes)
  1. Begin with a movement activity to allow students to practice listening, maintain a steady beat, and release excess energy before class. Click on one of the videos to choose a movement activity, or ask the students which one they would like to do.
Rhythm Echo Challenge (5 minutes)
*Do not show slide. This is for teacher reference only*
  1. Read rhythm syllable patterns on the neutral syllable "bah" 4 beats at a time.
  2. Students echo
  3. Read patterns under "Rhythm Syllables" again using rhythm syllables "ta" and "ta-ti" 4 beats at a time.
  4. Students echo
  5. Remind students of the translation challenge from last week, where the instructor reads rhythms using neutral syllables, and the students echo the rhythms using rhythmic syllables, four beats at a time.
  6. Discuss beat of silence. Did it make a sound? (No) This is what it looks like - show quarter rest.
Translation Challenge (5 minutes)
*Do not show slide. This is for teacher reference only*
  1. Read rhythms as neutral syllable "bah".
  2. Students echo rhythms as rhythm syllables "ta" and "ta-ti" for the translation challenge.
Rhythm Review Activity - Instructor Drag & Drop (10 minutes)
This is a drag-and-drop activity meant for the instructor only. 

Before sharing your screen in teach/mode, make sure "Student Devices" is unchecked, located at the bottom of the screen. You will use this slide to drag and drop notes to write notations in the heart.
  1. Review the visual representation of quarter notes and paired eighth notes by displaying examples of each.
  2. Explain that a quarter rest represents silence (no sound) and receives one beat. Display a quarter rest to illustrate.
  3. Instruct the teacher to drag and drop notes/rests onto hearts to form a 4-beat rhythm.
  4. Have students practice reading the rhythms they have created.
  5. Challenge students by creating 2-3 additional rhythms for them to practice reading.
Rhythm Read Along - We Don't Talk About Bruno ( 5 minutes)
The read-along video includes quarter notes, quarter rests, and eighth notes. The exercise aims for students to clap and use syllables (ta, ta-ti) while following along.
  1. Prior to starting the video, review with students the visuals of quarter notes, quarter rests, and eighth notes.
  2. Display the first rhythm and practice it as a class. Proceed to play the entire video once students demonstrate understanding of the concept.
  3. If students encounter difficulties with the patterns, pause the video and review the patterns together.
  4. Reinforce the visual representation and meaning of a quarter rest to the students.
  5. Practice reading along with the video.
Movement Activity - Video (5 minutes)
  • Select another movement activity to practice active listening, steady beat, and to provide a brain break.
Body Piano Tonal Practice (5 minutes)
  1. Create 4-beat patterns by improvising with the notes do, re, mi, fa, so using the neutral syllable "bum."
  2. Create 4-beat patterns by improvising with the notes do, re, mi, fa, so using solfege. Discuss the pitches of fa and so, whether they are higher or lower.
  3. Create 4-beat patterns using the notes do, re, mi, and the students are tasked with interpreting or "translating" these patterns.
Use the next slide, "Body Piano Tonal Practice" as a reference to create a pattern.

Body Piano Tonal Practice Reference Page (5 minutes)
*Do not show slide. This is for teacher reference only*
  1. Read each measure one at a time while singing on the neutral syllable "bum" and utilizing the body piano.
  2. Students echo each measure on the neutral syllable while also using the body piano.
  3. Engage students in a discussion about the new notes (fa and so) by asking "Are they higher or lower?" (Answer: Higher) Avoid labeling the notes for students at this stage.
Body Piano Translate Reference Page (5 minutes)
*Do not show slide. This is for teacher reference only*
  1. The teacher reads each measure one at a time while singing solfege and using the body piano.
  2. Students echo each measure on solfege while also using the body piano.
Tonal Reading Activity - Instructor Drag & Drop (10 minutes)
This is a drag-and-drop activity meant for the instructor only. 

Before sharing your screen in teach/mode, make sure "Student Devices" is unchecked, located at the bottom of the screen. Use this slide to drag and drop the notes onto the tonal ladder, positioning do, re, and mi.
  1. Ask students to construct a tonal ladder by identifying the lowest note (do), the next note (re), and the highest note (mi).
  2. Guide students as the instructor arranges icons in a ladder, positioning do at the bottom, re in the middle, and mi at the top.
  3. Point at each note on the tonal ladder and sing patterns of 4 beats.
Patterns:
  1. drmm
  2. ddr-
  3. dmm-
  4. rrr-
  5. ddrr
  6. m-r-
  7. dmm-
  8. rrr-
  9. ddrr
  10. r-d-
Are You Sleeping? Song (10 minutes)
*Do not show slide. This is for teacher reference only*
  • Before continuing, please get your xylophone or use a digital xylophone from this link: https://playxylo.com/
  • Request the in-class teacher to distribute the Xylophones. Then, instruct the students to place their Xylophones before them and listen attentively.
Please note DO NOT SHOW students the notation, they are learning by using the rote method.
  1. Have the students solfege song on the tonal ladder.
  2. Review the song with the students so they can learn the words.
Tonal Reading (5 - 10 minutes)
Students play the first phrase of the Are You Sleeping? song on xylos
  1. Instruct students to play the first phrase of the song on their xylophones.
  2. Have students practice a few times, correcting and issues.
  3. Invite student volunteers to attempt playing the first phrase.
Once students have practiced a few times, switch to reviewing the following songs:
  1. Rainbow
  2. Dinosaur
  3. Gently Sleep
Conclusion: Movement Activity - Video (5 minutes)
If you have time, finish up with a movement activity.
  • Select another movement activity to practice active listening, steady beat, and to provide a brain break.
Review (5 minutes)
Revisit what the student learned.

If some classes do not complete this lesson in one day, do as much as you can and resume from where you left off at the start of the next lesson.