Music and Expression with an Easel

1. Music and Expression with an Easel By Raquel Beckford and Adam Skaggs

2. Introduction • Intended for all 5th grade level 1 hour and 15 minuteafternoon Music classes, our “Music and Expression with an Easel” thematic unit seeks to expose students to different genres of music using both “lecture” and “hands-on” methods over the course of one week. In this thematic unit, students listen and learn about the different genres of music that interest students. At the end, they also get to create their own art while learning about the many facets of music and music expression. Over the course of one week and five lessons, students will make connections to music (old and new), music history, and on Friday (Day 5) hone into their personal artistic abilities through an “Art Easel” workshop.

3. Objectives • Students will learn about the history of music from different time periods and reflect on the experience over the week through reflections and discussion • Students will analyze music’s importance and make connections to their lives while exposing their musical interests to students with different genre tastes • Students will develop their own creative talents and appreciate the importance of art in human experiences. • Students will make connections between music and history. • Students will be able to express their feelings towards the music through art expression (painting/drawing)

4. Framework

5. Standards Taken from Connecticut State Department of Education State Standards MUSIC K-12 Performance Standards: Instrumental “Educational experiences in grades 5-8 will ensure that students will perform music representing diverse genres and cultures, with expression appropriate for the work being performed.” K-12 Performance Standards: Evaluation “Educational experiences in grades 5-8 will ensure that students will evaluate the quality and effectiveness of their own and others’ performances, compositions, arrangements and improvisations by applying specific criteria appropriate for the style of the music, and offer constructive suggestions for improvement.” K-12 Performance Standards: History and Cultures “Educational experiences in grades 5-8 will ensure that students will classify by genre and style (and, if applicable, by historical period, composer and title) a varied body of exemplary (that is, high-quality and characteristic) musical works, and explain the characteristics that cause each work to be considered exemplary.” K-12 Performance Standards: History and Cultures “Educational experiences in grades 5-8 will ensure that students will describe distinguishing characteristics of representative music genres and styles from a variety of cultures.”

6. Day Three

8. Evaluation • Class participation plays huge role in how students are graded. Students will be evaluated based on their overall participation and engagement in class activities. Students’ final activity during the art easel workshop will also aid teachers in grading the students. Students do not have to be experienced artists. However, they must express an understanding of the material presented to them over the course of the week through the workshop. As a result, this will show teachers how engaged students were over the course of the week. Furthermore, students will show teachers that they gained new knowledge through their participation in the various activities throughout the week.

9. Participation Rubric *Source: Chatfield Elementary School

10. Resources The following resources will be used throughout our thematic unit: Teacher Resources: • *http://library.thinkquest.org/15413/history/music-history.htm • *http://www.xtimeline.com/timeline/History-of-Music-in-the-U-S- • *http://www.music.com/ • *http://www.pbs.org/teachers/connect/resources/7908/preview Field Trip Information: • *http://companyoffifeanddrum.org/museum/ -Supplies • *http://www.jerrysartsupplies.com/ • CD’s