Unit One: From Source to Expression

This unit focuses on developing the students' abilities to generate, explore and develop ideas for artistic expression, both individually and in groups.

Suggested Activities	Possible Resources
Getting Started The students will: discover different sounds from the natural and constructed environment that may be used for inspiration in creating sound compositions continue to use a variety of rhythmic patterns in their sound explorations create sound patterns using the voice and a variety of different instruments. Teacher Information Throughout the unit teachers should choose learning objectives specific to the elements of music and the principles of composition found in Appendix A.	Note: All resources listed in this column appear in Arts Education: A Bibliography for Grades 6 to 8, 1994. Citations appear in full in the bibliography, alphabetized by title.
Make a list of sounds that can be created in the classroom. Find adjectives such as dry, ringing, dead, loud, flat to describe the timbres. Organize the sounds into similar sound groups. For instance, group together all the sounds that are light and airy, those that have a mellow sound, those that are eerie, etc. Reclassify the sounds based on other criteria; for example, sounds that can perform assigned rhythms easily (such as striking a desk with a pencil) and sounds that are difficult to manipulate (such as ripping paper).	Instruments found in the classroom
In small groups, using a variety of traditional, found and homemade instruments, have students compose short rhythmic ostinatos that can be easily repeated. Have the players try to use instruments with similar sounds. Then have them try using contrasting sounds. Would a composer always use similar sounds? When would different sounds be appropriate? Have the students notate their rhythms using stick notation.	"Music by the Metre", p. 22, Composing in the Classroom, Opus 1
Discuss how variety in music can add interest and repetition can help hold a musical piece together. Principles of composition such as variety and repetition could also be taught by relating them to poetry. For instance, a teacher could demonstrate how repetition and variety can be found in poetry and are used to create and hold the reader's interest. Have each group record its favourite ostinato on tape. The groups will need to repeat their ostinatos many times. A minimum of 8 repetitions is suggested. Using one of the taped ostinatos, have each group create a different complementary ostinato that can be played live to the tape. Listen to each group's complementary ostinato along with the tape. Discuss why some of the live patterns worked better than others (the two rhythmic patterns were too similar, both were very complex). There needs to be a balance between repetition and variety.	Tape recorders
Suggested Activities	Possible Resources
Discuss the difficulties of playing along with something prerecorded (hard to know when it will start, difficult to get dynamics correct so each part can be heard). Try to find solutions for these problems (examples: have live performers start with the second repetition of ostinato; use instruments that can be heard over the volume of the tape; rehearse the tape once and record the correct volume for future performances; etc.).	Behind the Scenes with Max Roach: Rhythm (video series)
The students will: continue to discuss, analyse, and interpret music of various styles and cultures identify and apply their knowledge of metre, beat, tempo and patterns of duration in their own sound exploration and the music of others.
Research different works of music that are built around rhythmic ostinatos from a variety of cultures. In groups of four, have students explore the music of these various cultures. For example, one group might investigate Caribbean music, another might look at Indian music and still another could investigate Métis music. When the groups have finished their research, the groups could be rearranged so that each of the new groups would have one student from each of the previous groups. Each member of the new group could explain what they have learned about the music they investigated. Students should be led to discover the context in which the music was created. For example, what is music used for in the cultures being investigated? Invite a local Elder or community member into the class to discuss the traditional music with which they are familiar.	Listening "Music For Pieces Of Wood (Excerpt)", Nexus, p. 27, Music Builders VI Elk Whistle Singers, Prairie Variations (audio recording) "Song of a Seashore", Canada: Its Music Popular music groups Latin and Caribbean music groups African music groups Worlds of Music (recordings)
Suggested Activities	Possible Resources
Expressing Your Ideas The students will: increase the variety of ways they use the elements of music in their own work begin to use the principles of compositions in their own creations develop an awareness of problem- solving as basic and essential to the creative process.
In small groups, have the students take a phrase or short stanza of a poem and create a melodic phrase or line that can be sung using the words. Each group should keep in mind that a balance between repetition and variety helps to create a good melody. They might use an instrument to get a starting pitch if they like. Have the students explore ways of singing their line or stanza repeatedly with one member improvising an instrumental part that complements it. This instrumental part could be played on a rhythm instrument, adding only a rhythmic accompaniment, or a student could choose a melodic instrument such as a recorder or clarinet and add harmony to the melody.	Prairie Jungle (book) Any other suitable poetry resource Behind the Scenes with Allen Toussaint: Melody (video series)
Have the students solve their musical problems as best they can. If it is difficult to remember the melody, perhaps they could notate it somehow. If the melody is too high or low for each group member to sing comfortably, suggest that they make adjustments to the melody. If the melody or accompaniment is too monotonous suggest that they add some variety through dynamic changes, timbral changes, textural changes. In the large group, discuss the problems the students encountered and how they solved them. How might a composer or musician solve these sorts of problems when creating a musical work?
Listen to and sing the song "Wimoweh" (p. 18, Music Builders VI). Discuss how the increase in texture (the addition of melodic rhythmic patterns or ostinatos) makes the song more interesting. Also, listen for repetition and variety in the song and discover that variety can be achieved in a number of ways. The students will: discuss how they and others attempt to communicate their feeling and ideas through music.	"Wimoweh", p. 18, Music Builders VI
Look at the lyrics of a contemporary song that the students are not familiar with. Have them guess at what the music will sound like. For instance, do they think the music will be fast, mournful, hectic, sad, etc.? After discussing their ideas, listen to the song. Were the predictions accurate? Similar? How did the composer/musician interpret the lyrics musically? Did the composer/musician use a particular timbre, harmony, rhythm, dynamic or tempo to create the desired effects? Were there sounds the students were unfamiliar with? Use the liner notes and other resources to investigate these unfamiliar sounds.	Current contemporary singers and bands that the students may not be familiar with. Examples may be found on Prairie Variations audio resource.
Use the lyrics of a song the class will be singing. Discuss what this music might sound like. After singing the song several times, discuss what the composer did to interpret the words musically. For instance, if the subject is happy, does the tempo go fast? Is there a rising of pitch towards important words in the lyrics? What would the students do differently if they were the composer? Have the students explore sounds and sound patterns that they could perform along with the song while it is being sung. What instruments work best with the song? Why?	Songs "Echo Lake in Qu'Appelle Valley", p. 57, "By Land or Sea?", p. 52, "The Red River Cart Song", p. 60, "Les Raftsman", p. 98, "En Montant La Rivere", p. 102, Canada Is... Music 5/6 "Nova Scotia Song", p. 29, Music Builders VI
The students will: compare and discuss the works of various musicians and composers, including Saskatchewan and other Canadian musicians and composers begin to recognize that their background and experiences affect their reaction to and understanding of music examine musical compositions within the contexts in which they were created. Read the lyrics to "My Home Town" by the Ewert Sisters found on Prairie Variations. Discuss how the lyrics could be interpreted musically. What instruments would be appropriate? Should the tempo be fast or slow? Is the rhythm relaxed, forceful, or driving? After the students have expressed their predictions, listen to the song and follow the "Listening to Music" process described previously in this guide. Discuss how the composer interpreted the words that she wrote. How did she use the elements of music? How did she organize the sections (form)? Has she used repetition and variety effectively?	"My Home Town", A Love of the Music: Prairie Variations (audio recording)
Suggested Activities	Possible Resources
When students have completed their discussion of "My Home Town" read the lyrics to "The Family Farm", also by the Ewert Sisters on Prairie Variations. What is the theme of this song? Compare it to the theme of "My Home Town". How does the composer's environment affect her music? Do the lyrics lend themselves to a fast or slow tempo? Relaxed or forceful rhythm? What can you discover about the form or structure by reading the lyrics? Will the mood be cheerful, melancholy, angry? Has the composer effectively portrayed her feelings about rural Saskatchewan life through the lyrics? Listen to the song using the process "Listening to Music". Were the students accurate in their predictions? Are they satisfied with how the Ewert Sisters chose to perform this piece? What would the students do differently? Compare the two selections by the Ewert Sisters. Discuss how the composer/performers' backgrounds affect the style of music written and performed. Discuss how the students' backgrounds affect how they receive this music. What might the students write about if they were composing a song? What factors in their own background affect the way they view the world? The students will: discuss how they and others attempt to communicate their feelings and ideas through music.	"The Family Farm", A Love of the Music: Prairie Variations (audio recording)
Suggested Activities	Possible Resources
Have each student find a song that is written about a region or culture found in Canada. The students should analyse how the composer uses and manipulates the musical elements to reinforce or describe the lyrics or the message. Have the students play the musical work they discovered and discuss their findings.	"Adieu de la Mariée à ses Parents", p. 48, "Farewell to Nova Scotia", p. 39, "C'est l'aviron", p. 18, "The Kettle Valley Line", p. 51, Canada: Its Music
Sing songs about various areas of Canada. Have students suggest instruments they think would be appropriate to accompany the songs. For instance, would a stringed instrument like a fiddle be appropriate in Métis folk music like "Adieu de la Mariée à ses Parents"? Would a fiddle-like instrument also fit in Indian pow wow songs? What instruments or sounds seem to fit most vocal music? Why? Listen to a variety of Canadian folk music and have the students identify the instruments used. Investigate the traditional musical instruments found in various groups in the community. Discover what makes a particular style of music characteristic of a particular region of Canada. The students will: understand that instruments may be used in conventional and unconventional ways to create a variety of sounds.	Film/video Arm of Gold Fiddlers of James Bay A Love of the Music: Prairie Variations Songs of Indian Territory: Native American Music Traditions of Oklahoma
Have students sit in a circle. Pass around a variety of available instruments. Allow each student an opportunity to experiment briefly with the instrument. Have them try to find a new, unconventional way of making sound with the instrument. Discuss the various sounds. Discuss how each sound could be used in a composition. What other sounds would work well with it? Do the sounds remind them of any others they are familiar with? What kind of music would they think the sound would best fit?	Traditional, found and homemade instruments
Listen to recordings of the instruments of an orchestra. What sounds are familiar to the students? Which are unfamiliar? Ask the students to write in their journals words they would use to describe each of the instruments. Do this for instruments from various cultures, as well.
Invite community members or students that play an orchestral or band instrument into the classroom. Ask them to demonstrate how the instrument makes its characteristic sound. Are there other sounds that the instrument can make that are less common? What kind of music (style) does the guest play on his or her instrument? What other kinds of music are often played on that instrument?	"Sections of the Orchestra", p. 99, Canada Is...Music 7/8
The students will: expand sound explorations using an increasingly wide variety of sound sources from the natural and constructed environment discuss how they and others attempt to communicate their feelings and ideas through music.
Suggested Activities	Possible Resources
Listen to "Improvisation" by DUCT found on Prairie Variations. Notice the variety of sounds used. Can the students identify what they hear? Notice the use of the voice in a non- traditional manner. Can the students recognize any repeated patterns or sounds? Is the music predictable? Do the musicians regularly return to a familiar pattern? What effect does the lack of the regular use of repetition and variety have on the listener? Discuss the meaning of the word improvisation. Improvisation is more than just playing whatever you want. The musicians must listen carefully to each other and add sounds that will contribute to the overall effect. Watch the interview with the members of DUCT on the video Prairie Variations to understand the musicians' perspective. Have students work in small groups. Ask each group to choose a theme or a mood that they would like to portray through sound. Each person should then choose any available instruments that would be suitable for their theme. Perhaps homemade instruments will need to be prepared and brought to class. Remind students that they can use the voice as an instrument. Give the groups some time to discuss their intentions. Have each group, in turn, improvise a soundpiece around the theme or topic it has chosen. Guidelines as to the length of the improvisation may need to be established. Thirty seconds to one minute would be a reasonable expectation.	A Love of the Music: Prairie Variations (audio and video resource)
Afterwards, discuss how it felt to play and how it felt to listen. Was the audience able to understand the musicians' theme or idea? Were there sound combinations used that had an unusual, interesting effect on the listener? Ask the students to record in their journals their thoughts about being a composer/musician and being an audience member.	Student journals or portfolios
Listen to an improvisation in a totally different style, "Jazz Improvisation #1" by Jon Ballantyne on Prairie Variations. This composer/performer expresses himself very differently from DUCT. The common thread is improvisation.	A Love of the Music: Prairie Variations (audio resource)