lesson plan

Lesson Plan Overview: Little Fingers - Lesson 9

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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. Students will identify and differentiate between musical notes "so" and "la" by listening and playing them on the xylophone.
  2. Students will understand the concept of ascending and descending notes, and demonstrate this understanding through musical practice.
  3. Students will learn to apply solfege singing (using "so" and "la") while playing corresponding notes on the xylophone.
These shorter lessons aim to reinforce what students have learned so far and prepare them for upcoming recitals.


Materials Needed
Resources

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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)
  1. Read over classroom expectations for the Little Fingers class.
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. 
Rhythm Echo Challenge
*Do not show slide. This is for teacher reference only*
  1. Read rhythms as neutral syllable "bah"
  2. Students echo
  3. Repeat with rhythm syllables "ta" and "ta-ti"
  4. Students echo
Rhythm Translation Echo Challenge
*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
Movement Activity - Video (5 minutes)
  1. Freeze Dance Video
  2. Students dance along to the video. 
  3. Draw students' attention to slow motion. 
Learn the Song "Dreams"
*For Instructor Reference Only*
  1. Instructors sing only the melody for students to hear one time.
  2. Instructor: "I have some questions for you now. When I am finished singing, can you tell me how many times I sing the word dream?"
  3. The instructor sings the whole song again. Students answer after the instructor finishes (3)
  4. Instructor: "After I am finished singing, Where is the person going?"
  5. The instructor sings the whole song again. Students answer (sky)
Review Clouds Song
  1. The instructor sings the whole song for students to hear one time.
  2. Instructor asks Students if they remember the song. Have students sing the song with you. Then hear students sing song alone. 
  3. Review any sections that students need extra support in. Be aware of measure 3 that students clear feel the pick up eighth note.

Song Review & Practice with Xylphones
  1. Ask the students to sing "Clouds" again, but this time, move in slow motion as they sing. You may need to explain the connection between moving in slow motion in freeze dances and moving slowly while singing the song.
  2. Students who can sing the song and move slowly may receive xylophones.
  3. Have a discussion about do, re, and mi on xylophones, including their corresponding colors and identifying which bar is the biggest and smallest.
  4. Demonstrate how to sing solfege and play drm on the xylophone using fingers only (without mallets). Have students echo your demonstration.
  5. Show students how to sing solfege and play mrd on the xylophone using fingers only. Students should echo your demonstration.
Adding "So"

*For Instructor Reference Only*

*Note: If students struggle to maintain a steady beat or start rushing, pause and have them sing the song again while dancing in slow motion to feel the song's movement.*
  1. Sing the first measure of "Clouds" using solfege (dssm).
  2. Ask the question, "What note did I add?" (so).
  3. Follow up with, "What color is 'so'?" (green).
  4. Prompt the question, "Will 'so' produce a high sound or a low sound?" (high).
  5. Ask, "Will 'so' be played on a big bar or a little bar?" (little).
Playing "So" on Xylophones
  1. Ask students to touch "so" with their fingers to see if they can identify the note.
  2. Sing and demonstrate how to play the first measure of the song using solfege and fingers. Have students echo your demonstration.
  3. Once students can successfully sing the solfege and play with their fingers, they may start using mallets.
Adding Second Measure

If there is no more time, we will start at this point and continue with the remaining slides in the next lesson.

*Instructor Reference Only*
  1. "Now, I will begin playing from 'so.' Can you tell me if the second note is higher or lower than 'so'?"
  2. Play the sequence and have students answer once you finish playing the second measure (higher).
  3. Ask, "Which note is higher than 'so'?" (la).
  4. Play 'so' and 'la' and confirm with the students, "Is that correct?" (yes).
Adding La
  1. Students will play and sing "so" and "la" using fingers (without mallets).
  2. The instructor plays the second measure again and asks, "Is the note after 'la' going to be higher or lower than 'la'?" (lower)
  3. Ask, "What note is lower than 'la'?" (so)
  4. Next, ask, "How many 'so's do I play at the end?" (2)
  5. The instructor demonstrates the second measure on the xylophone, and students sing solfege and play the second measure with their fingers. If successful, students may transition to using mallets.
Measures 7-8

*For Instructor Reference Only*
  1. Ask the student to listen. Start by singing the last phrase of the song for the students. After singing measures 7-8, ask them whicha part they already know how to play. ("White sheep, white sheep")
  2. Ask, "Is the ending the same or different from what you just learned to play?" (Different)
  3. Then ask, "Does the ending go higher or lower?" (lower)
  4. Have the students play "White sheep, white sheep" again and stop after the second "sheep." Ask them, "What note did we end on?" (mi)
  5. Follow up by asking, "So if the ending goes lower, what note is lower than mi?" (re)
  6. Play measure 7 and the first note of measure 8. Confirm by asking, "Is that right?" (yes)
  7. Repeat the same process for the rest of measure 8.
  8. Have the students sing measures 7-8 with solfege, then add fingers on xylophones. Progress to mallets if the students can successfully sing solfege and play with their fingers.
  9. Review measures 1-2 and 7-8 with the students.
Conclusion: Movement Activity - Video (5 minutes)
If you have time, finish up with a movement activity.
  1. Have students follow along with the Super Yoga video.
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.