fundamentals of music g9-12 - ewing public schools

FUNDAMENTALS OF MUSIC GRADES 9-12

EWING PUBLIC SCHOOLS 2099 Pennington Road

Ewing, NJ 08618 Board Approval Date: August 29, 2016 Michael Nitti Produced by: Music Teachers Superintendent In accordance with The Ewing Public Schools’ Policy 2230, Course Guides, this curriculum has been reviewed and found to be in compliance with all policies and all affirmative action criteria.

Table of Contents Page Focus 1 Scope and Sequence of Essential Learning:

Unit 1: Properties of Sound-Basic Notation 2 Unit 2: Rhythm 5 Unit 3: Meter and Meter Signatures 8 Unit 4: Scale Structures and Scales 12 Unit 5: Intervals 16 Unit 6: Key Signatures 20 Unit 7: Triads 24

1

Focus

The focus of your work in Music Fundamentals will be to understand and learn to use the basic set of musical building blocks, or elements, that inform all music. This is important regardless of the type of musician you consider yourself to be, because no matter what the style, the fundamentals of music always stay the same. What changes are the many different ways that composers have emphasized and combined these elements. To put it more succinctly, musical styles change over time, but the fundamentals of music do not. So, no matter what kind of music you listen to, and want to write and play, the way to begin is to learn the fundamentals. You will always be able to apply them to any style of music you may come to love, including ones that haven’t even been imagined yet. But what exactly do we need to learn that will make us more musical? Fortunately there are certain aspects of music so fundamental that all musicians, regardless of the style of music they play, will profit from a deeper understanding of them. These are the four characteristics of musical sound and the six basic elements of music. No matter what style of music you like - from metal, rap, electronic and hip hop, to Broadway, gospel, Tin Pan Alley and pop, all the way to classical music by Bach, Mozart, Beethoven and Mahler - all musical sound has the same four characteristics and all styles of music use the same six basic elements. Learning about these building blocks of music will help all of us become better musicians.

2

Unit 1: Properties of Sound-Basic Notation Why Is This Unit Important? Sound is created when an object vibrates. These vibrations are received by our ears and then sent to our brain. Our brain, in turn, analyzes these signals and lets us know what type of sound we are hearing. Music is differentiated from other sounds because it has certain qualities. All music must be written before it can be read, understood and played by musicians. To do this, a system of notation has been developed that gives musicians the information they need to play music as the composer intended. Enduring Understandings:

• Students will understand that music is a universal language that expresses human experiences and values.

• Students will understand that creating and performing music are forms of self-expression.

• Students will understand that everyone has the opportunity and ability to experience music in a unique and personal way.

• Students will understand that the creation of new music and the performance of new and existing music are essential.

• Students will understand that music has a fundamental connection with history and culture.

• Students will understand that cooperation and collaboration shape all musical experiences.

• Students will understand that individual life experiences influence the appreciation and enjoyment of music.

• Students will understand that music can be analyzed and evaluated. Essential Questions:

• What is sound? What causes it and how do we hear it?

• Sounds may be perceived as pleasant or unpleasant. What are these sounds that we hear?

• What are vibrations?

• How do I use the tools I have to produce the sound I want?

• What does quality music look and/or sound like?

• What makes a piece of music, performance, composer or musician enduring?

• How does knowing the context of the piece affect how I listen to it?

• Why do people have different interpretations of the same piece?

3

Acquired Knowledge:

• Humans from a young age have robust knowledge and sensitivity to the music in their culture.

• The vertical and horizontal aspects of organization in music together form a set of grammatical rules which a listener must use in order to understand and appreciate music as an art form.

• The material essence of music lies with its melody, harmony, rhythm and dynamics.

• Sound begins with the vibration of an object.

• Music is based on definite pitches.

• Music has several different characteristics.

• Music is differentiated from other sounds because it has certain qualities. Acquired Skills:

• Distinguish music from other sounds by recognizing the four main properties of musical sounds: Pitch, dynamics (loudness or softness), tone color and duration.

• Identify the four elements of music.

• Identify the four main properties of musical sound.

• Demonstrate and apply critical listening skills to increase musical sensitivity.

• Use and apply critical listening skills to describe the characteristics of music.

• Recognize rhythms when they are played. Major Assessments:

• Complete oral examination demonstrating the musical dynamics at random, as well as in order of volume level (piano, forte, etc.)

• Define concepts of intervals, music notation, chord structure and rhythm/meter Instructional Strategies:

• Discuss the basics

• The Staff

• The Treble Clef

• The Bass Clef

• Time Signature

• Review the parts of a note (note head, the stem, and flags) Instructional Materials: http://www.wikihow.com/Read-Music http://www.musictheory.net/

4

Accommodations or Modifications for Special Education, ESL or Gifted Learners: Demonstrate Skills and have students model them Give Short oral directions Make verbal instructions clear, short and to the point Make assignments that call for original work, independent learning, critical thinking, problem solving and experimentation Use concrete examples to introduce concepts List of Applicable NJCCCS/CPIs Covered in This Unit: 1.1.12.B.1-2 1.3.12.B.1-3 Suggested Learning Experiences: Provide each student with a music notebook that they will utilize to take notes and complete activities related to:

The Staff: Note Durations: Clefs Dotted Notes The Grand Staff Rests Measures Accidentals

Notes Ties and Slurs Notes written on the Staff Articulation Ledger Lines Dynamics Repeats Time Signatures

5

Unit 2: Rhythm Why Is This Unit Important? Rhythm, like a new language, has a notational system all its own. It offers a way for composers to show how long each of the musical notes should last and how the notes should relate to one another in time. Rhythm is the essential ingredient in all music. You can mix together any sounds you want, but if there is no underlying rhythm to the sounds, there is no music. For example, listen to the intro of “Money” by Pink Floyd. They took the unusual sounds of a cash register and set them to a consistent rhythmic pulse. Suddenly sounds that never sounded like music before sound like music. Rhythm is the key element of music. Enduring Understandings:

• Students will understand that listeners tune into rhythm more than anything else.

• Understand that rhythm is, and will always be, a large part of the evolution of music.

• Rhythm is the common denominator in music.

• Understand that anytime something doesn’t seem to be working the first thing you should question is the rhythm.

• Understand the rhythm section is the backbone of the band.

• Understand that rhythm adds a whole new dimension to music.

• Understand that rhythms can be simple or complicated.

• Understand that rhythm is the timing of the notes. Essential Questions:

• What is rhythm?

• What is a quarter note?

• What are silences?

• What are rests?

• What is meter?

• What are measures?

• What are tempo markings?

• What are the three manifestations of rhythm?

• How do humans perceive rhythm? Acquired Knowledge:

• Every rhythm is made of two elements: something odd and something even.

• Rhythmic hierarchy is divided into three regions: foreground, middle-ground and background.

6

• The more one listens to a particular stimulus, such as a song, the more dimensions of rhythm one is able to perceive.

• There are as many rhythms in the world as there are stars in the sky.

• Every culture has dozens, if not thousands, of rhythms related to dance and language.

• Rhythm is implicit in every musical gesture. Acquired Skills:

• Read and create rhythmic notation.

• Recognize rhythms when they are played.

• Perform specific rhythms accurately, either while reading them or immediately after hearing them.

• Perform a rhythmic ostinato (suitable to the student’s age and musical experience) as an accompaniment to a recording, keeping an accurate rhythm and beat.

Major Assessments:

• Students will receive slips of staff paper with bar lines creating a 4-bar single score pre-marked in ¾ time. Students will then receive 2 minutes to create a rhythmic composition with eighth, quarter, half, dotted quarter and dotted half notes.

• They will then randomly be assigned to groups of 4 and practice their two compositions together to reinforce ensemble playing with rhythms that are the same and different.

Instructional Strategies:

• Clap or play (on a rhythm instrument) any short rhythm (or, for students learning to read music, have the student read a written rhythm).

• Have a student clap or play the same rhythm back to you, at the same speed.

• Make the rhythm a collection of claps, stomps and other sounds. Have the students copy it using the correct sounds.

• Make the rhythm a collection of sounds on any percussion instrument.

• Let the students have their turn making up short rhythms for each other to imitate.

Instructional Materials:

• Rhythm http://cnx.org/content/m11646/latest/

• http://cnx.org/content/m11031/latest

7

Accommodations or Modifications for Special Education, ESL or Gifted Learners:

• Demonstrate skills and have students model them.

• Give short oral directions.

• Make verbal instructions clear, short and to the point.

• Make assignments that call for original work, independent learning, critical thinking, problem solving and experimentation.

• Use concrete examples to introduce concepts. List of Applicable NJCCCS/CPIs Covered in This Unit: 1.1.12.B.1-2 1.3.12.B.1-3 Suggested Learning Experiences:

• Have students echo the rhythms as a group rather, than individually. Count off for them. Count 2 or 4 beats and then give them exactly the same count to start theirs.

• Give students simple rhythm parts to accompany music they are learning. Have students identify the elements (instruments? A particular rhythm? Meter?) that most strongly suggests that style or genre.

• As much as possible, students should play different, complementary rhythms, instead of all playing the same rhythm. Break the class into smaller performing groups (with one student from each rhythm group) once the rhythms are learned, and allow the groups to perform for each other, giving each student a chance to play their rhythm independently.

8

Unit 3: Meter and Meter Signatures Why Is This Unit Important? At the beginning of a piece of music, you will find two numbers resembling a fraction. This is called the time signature or meter. The top indicates the number of beats per bar. The bottom number gives the type of note which gets the basic beat. The most common time signature used is 4/4. The top 4 shows there are four beats in every bar. The bottom states that the crotchet or quarter note gets one beat. It is important to remember that the time signature shows the number of beats and not the number of notes per bar. Notes of various lengths are mixed together and must add up to the proper number of beats required by the meter. In order to participate in making music, it is important to understand how to count in various meters. A melody is completely unrecognizable if the rhythm is incorrect. Enduring Understandings:

• Meter is a recurring pattern of stresses or accents that provide the pulse or beat of music.

• Meter is notated at the beginning of a composition with a time signature.

• Time signatures are always notated with two numbers, one on top of the other, much like a fraction in math.

• Once the meter is established, each beat can be subdivided into faster note values and these can be used with longer note values to create the specific rhythms of a musical composition.

• In any meter, the subdivision can be divided down further to create faster rhythms as needed.

• Meter can be categorized as simple, compound or complex.

• Meter signature is typically located at the beginning of the first musical staff of a piece or movement.

Essential Questions:

• What is subdivision?

• What is a compound meter?

• What is a complex meter?

• How is meter specified?

• What is musical meter?

• What is a meter signature?

• What is a triplet symbol?

• How can meters be classified?

• What is a borrowed division?

9

Acquired Knowledge:

• Conducting depends on the meter of the piece; conductors use different conducting patterns for the different meters.

• Meters can be classified by counting the number of beats from one strong beat to the next.

• To learn to recognize meter, you are basically listening for a running, even pulse underlying the rhythms of the music.

• Meters are not the same as time signature.

• Some music does not have a meter.

• Meters can be classified by counting the number of beats from one strong beat to the next.

• Meter organizes music by phrase, rhythm or by chord changes.

• The most common meter in music is 4/4. Acquired Skills:

• Identify the numerator and denominator of a time signature.

• Identify several common meters and their notations.

• Identify the three categories of meters.

• Identify odd meters.

• Identify the basic four or duplet meters.

• Identify the three common triplet meters. Major Assessments:

• Complete a Meter Table: Name Meaning Rhythmic Notation Two-four meter Three-four meter Four-four meter Five-four meter Six-eight meter

• Complete the chart on the basic subdivision of Simple Meters: Double Whole Note, Whole Note, Half Note, Quarter Note, Eighth Note, Sixteenth Note, Thirty-Second Note, Sixty-Fourth Note, One Hundred and Twenty-Eighth Note

10


• Define Musical Meter

• Provide structured overview of Meter Signature: 3/8 – Three beats in one measure-Eighth note receives one beat 2/2 – Two beats in one measure – Half note receives one beat 4/4 - Four beats in one measure – Quarter note receives one beat

• Explain Simple Meter

• Examples include: common time, cut time, 2/4 time, and 3/4 time

• Explain Compound Meter

• Examples include 6/8 time; for example, which contains two groups of three eighth notes.

• 12/8 time has four groups of three eighth notes, not three groups of four.

• Explain the difference between 3/4 & 6/8 Time: 3/4 time is counted: One-and-Two-and-Three and… 6/8 time is counted: One-two-three, Four, f-five, six… Instructional Materials:

• http://www.musicteacher.com

• http://www.musictheory.net

• http://fiddlerman.com/tutorials/beginners Accommodations/Modifications:

• Demonstrate skills and have students model them

• Give short oral directions

• Make verbal instructions clear, short and to the point

• Make assignments that call for original work, independent learning, critical thinking, problem solving and experimentation

• Use concrete examples to introduce concepts. List of Applicable NJCCS/CPIs covered in this Unit: 1.1.12.B.1-2 1.3.12.B.1-3 Suggested Learning Experiences:

• Given an aural example of music, the student will clap to the beat, distinguish weak from strong beats, and clap only on strong beats.

• The student will identify the meter of the music by determining the number of weak beats for every strong beat.

• Students will distinguish heard beat subdivisions by vocalizing with them, and to identify whether the meter is simple or compound.

11

• Explain double, triple and quadruple meters. Have students listen to a song. Encourage them to tap their toes on all of the beats. Then ask them to clap on the strong beats and/or count 1-2-1-2, or 1-2-3-1-2-3 or 1-2-3-4.

• Students will decide as a group, based on their clapping or counting, the meter of the song.

12

Unit 4: Scale Structures and Scales Why Is This Unit Important? Music scales are the structures that make up which notes are used and how chords are constructed within all the key signatures. All the world’s melodies are made from scales. The scale is the fundamental building block of music, much as the skeleton is the foundation of the human body. Scales have the ability to define and color music. Today, the two most important scales of Western music are the major scale and minor scale. Both of them are built from different combinations of whole steps and half steps. The major scale and minor scale are both seven-note scales having five whole steps and two half steps, yet they sound strikingly unlike each other because of the pattern of whole steps and half step is different. Scales contain the fundamental patterns upon which tonal music is built. Enduring Understandings:

• The major scale seems familiar because so many of the melodies and so much of the harmony you have heard throughout your life are based on it.

• The major scale is an interval patter of five whole steps and two diatonic half steps.

• There are fifteen different major scales-seven that use flatted notes, seven that use sharped notes, and one natural scale.

• Another way to think of major scales is as two tetra chords; that is, as two four-note patterns.

• As long as you reproduce the whole/half step pattern, you create a major scale from any pitch.

• Ancient Greeks, especially Plato, saw a strong connection between musical scales and human emotions.

• Musical scales are more than just ‘schemes of pitches’.

• The pentatonic scale is the basis for most of the world’s folk music and some of its classical music.

• “Auld Lang Syne” is one of the many well-known pentatonic folk melodies.

• Pentatonic scale is a scale with five tones per octave. It may have been one of the first scales ever used.

• The minor scale sounds less stable than the major scale.

• If you change a note of the major scale, you can destroy it.

• If you change a note in the minor scale it can sound more interesting. Essential Questions:

• What are scales and why are they important to music?

• What is tonal music?

• What is a pentatonic scale?

13

• What is the name given to a group of pitches?

• What patterns create major scales?

• What is a chromatic scale?

• How can you create a major scale from any pitch?

• What is another name for the first tone?

• What is another way to think of major scales?

• How many forms make up the minor scale?

• What are blues scales? Acquired Knowledge:

• A thorough knowledge of scales is basic to understanding and performing music.

• The major scale is the first of the diatonic scales.

• Another name for the major scale: the Ionian Mode

• A major scale has seven notes

• The first and simplest major scale is the C major scale.

• The C major scale is the only major scale that doesn’t have sharps (#) or flats (b).

• In solfege, the notes of the major scale are named like this: Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La, Ti.

• All major scales have a typical structure.

• Musical scales are used in the music of most cultures.

• One of the most common scales is called a Major Scale.

• Scales are basic; there is no substitute for knowing them. Acquired Skills:

• List the series of seven notes that make up the Major Scale.

• Describe the two most important scales of Western music.

• Create a major scale using the lower and upper Tetrachord pattern.

• List the three forms of the minor scale.

• Describe the difference between ascending scales and descending scales.

• Label the sharp sign and the flat sign.

• Recognize and write the major and minor pentatonic scales.

• Recognize and write the blues scale. Major Assessments: Finding the tonic: As a group, make a list of five melodies that most class members know well. These can be themes from your favorite television shows or songs from the movies, as well as melodies from classical, popular or folk music. Two things are important in making your choices. The first is to choose only songs in major keys. The second is to choose melodies that the class knows well and can sing.

14

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. As a group, sing the melodies you have chosen and identify the tonic of each by sound. Notice how often and in what places the tonic occurs. Are these places restful or active? After you have sung each melody and located the tonic, sing a major scale beginning on the tonic, and sing a major scale beginning on the tonic of that melody. Did you notice a relationship between the scale and tonic? Name the following scale degrees. 1. third degree 5. seventh degree 2. fifth degree 6. second degree 3. sixth degree 7. fourth degree 4. first degree Spell the following ascending major scales using letter names and any necessary accidentals. Remember that, when written, accidentals follow the letter name. Example: A B C# D E F# G# A 1. A

2. C

3. E.

4. D

5. F

6. C#

7. B

8. C

9. B

10. G

11. D

12. G

13. F#

14. E.

15


• Discuss and label on board the scale degrees in ascending order: Tonic Supertonic Mediant Subdominant Dominant Submediant Leading tone Tonic

• Have students sing the following melodies (“Michael, Row the Boat Ashore” or “Barbara Allen”) using a neutral syllable like la, the letter names of the pitches, or the scale degree numbers. Locate the tonic by sound. Write the sight-singing syllables below each note.


• http://www.bandnotes.info/tidbits/scales/half-whl.htm

• http://www.musicteacher.com/music

• http://www.scales-chords.com/choralscalefinder

• http://www.musiclearningworkshop.com Accommodations or Modifications for Special Education, ESL or Gifted Learners:

• Demonstrate skills and have students model them

• Give short oral directions

• Make verbal instructions clear, short and to the point

• Make assignments that call for original work, independent learning, critical thinking, problem solving and experimentation

• Use concrete examples to introduce concepts List of Applicable NJCCCS/CPIs Covered in This Unit: 1.1.12.B.1-2 1.3.12.B.1-3 Suggested Learning Experiences:

• Write major scales with proper accidentals on board

• Identify harmonic and melodic minor scales by raided scale degrees

• Write minor scales in all 3 forms on board with proper accidentals

• Write the major scales by major scale formula: 1, 1, 1/2, 1, 1, 1 and 1/2

• Write and identify scale degrees in major and minor keys in treble and bass clefs

16

Unit 5: Intervals Why Is This Unit Important? An interval is a measure of the distance between two pitches. It is referred to by both basic interval (number) and quality. The number of note names (or lines and spaces) spanned determines the basic interval, while the exact number of half steps determines the quality. Intervals are always read as ordinal numbers, so when you see a 2 you say second, when you see a 4 you say fourth, etc. The exceptions to the rule are unisons (1) and octaves (8). The intervals that can have a perfect quality are unisons, fourths, fifths and octaves. The intervals that can have either major or minor quality are seconds, thirds, sixths and sevenths. All intervals can be augmented or diminished. Inversions of intervals will always have a symmetrical relationship and add up to 9. Enduring Understandings:

• An interval is a measure of the specific distance between two pitches.

• We label intervals by basic interval and quality.

• The basic interval is the number, while the word (or letter) that precedes the number tells us the quality.

• The specific quality of an interval is determined by the number of half steps it contains.

• The smallest interval in traditional western music is the half step.

• If you play every note on the piano in order, including all the black keys, you are playing half steps.

• The interval is one of the basic units of tonal music.

• The first step in identifying an interval is to determine the size of the interval.

• The quality or color of an interval is related to the number of half steps contained between the two pitches.

• Only four kinds of intervals are called perfect intervals: the unison, the fourth, the fifth and the octave.

• For any particular interval, both the size and the quality must be correct for the interval itself to be correct.

Essential Questions:

• What are the two elements to the labeling of intervals in music?

• Why is it important to count the half step distance between two notes?

• What scale is used as a model to define the perfect and major intervals?

• What determines a perfect interval?

• What diminishes a perfect interval?

• What is the most common diminished interval?

• In more rare musical situations, what intervals might you encounter?

• How does a perfect interval become augmented?

17

• What determines a major interval?

• What are major seconds?

• What are the more common augmented intervals in music?

• How do major intervals become minor? Acquired Knowledge:

• Intervals are classified two ways: The basic interval of the unison, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh and octave; the type of basic interval (perfect, major, minor, augmented and diminished).

• An interval can be inverted by placing the upper note under the lower note and vice versa. For example, the interval C-E can be inverted by placing the E below the C or the C above the E.

• Intervals beyond an octave are usually referred to as compound intervals.

• Intervals are measured according to the spelling of each pitch.

• The basic intervals can be thought of as the letters of the musical alphabet.

• Basic intervals are counted from ‘one’.

• The basic intervals types are major, augmented, diminished and perfect.

• Always remember to determine the basic interval first, and then figure the type of interval.

• All major intervals invert to minor intervals; e.g., major second inverts to minor seventh.

• All minor intervals invert to major intervals.

• All perfect intervals invert to perfect intervals.

• All augmented intervals invert to diminished intervals. All diminished intervals invert to augmented intervals.

Acquired Skills:

• List the interval types.

• List the interval qualities.

• List the four perfect intervals.

• Explain the difference between simple interval and compound interval.

• List the five different terms used as the interval prefix.

• Identify and notate intervals by number and quality.

• Identify and notate intervals with numbers and quality by ear as dictated by the piano.

• Identify and notate inversions of intervals numerically and qualitatively.

• Identify and notate compound intervals numerically and qualitatively. Major Assessments:

• Write intervals with proper accidentals for quality on board and at seats.

• Identify intervals both numerically and qualitatively with flashcards.

18

• Write and aurally identify intervals as dictated by the keyboard.

• Write inverted and compound intervals with proper quality. Instructional Strategies:

• Examine how aspects of meter, rhythm, tonality, intervals, chords and harmonic progressions are organized and manipulated to establish unity and variety in genres of musical compositions.

• Identify major intervals by writing scales.

• Write major scales by recalling key signatures.

• Write the top notes of intervals.

• Identify intervals whose bottom notes are not key notes.

• Identify intervals in musical phrases.

• List and discuss the terms used to describe the quality of intervals: Interval Abbreviation Perfect P Major M Minor m Augmented A or + Diminished d or o Instructional Materials:

• http://www.musictheory.net

• http://www.teoria.com Accommodations or Modifications for Special Education, ESL or Gifted Learners:






• Identify intervals by interval size.

• Complete intervals by writing the pitch that is the correct interval size above the given pitch.

19

• Complete harmonic intervals by writing the pitch that is the correct interval size below the given pitch.

• Identify interval size between pitches in identified sets.

• In harmonic intervals circle the perfect unisons, fourth, fifths and octaves.

• Teacher or student will play various intervals, beginning on different pitches recognizable by ear.

• These will be played as either harmonic (sounding simultaneously) or melodic (sounding in succession) intervals. The following intervals have been grouped in limited combinations according to size and quality.

Major 2nds and Major 3rds Major 3rds and Perfect 5ths 1. 4. 7. 1. 4. 7. 2. 5. 8. 2. 5. 8. 3. 6. 9. 3. 6. 9. Perfect 4ths and Perfect 5ths Major 2nds, Perfect 4ths and Major 6ths 1. 4. 7. 1. 4. 7. 2. 5. 8. 2. 5. 8. 3. 6. 9. 3. 6. 9. All intervals from the major scale, including the Major 7th 1. 4. 7. 1. 4. 7. 2. 5. 8. 2. 5. 8. 3. 6. 9. 3. 6. 9.

• Identify the interval size between the pitches in each of the following sets. In lines 1 to 3, consider the second pitch to be above the first pitch.

1. E-F D-A G-B F-E 3. G-E B-E D-F A-D 2. F-A F-B A-B C-B 4. E-A G-B F-G F-A

20

Unit 6: Key Signatures Why Is This Unit Important? Key signatures tell us what notes are sharp or flat in a scale. When we say we are in the Key of F Major, we are saying that we are using the notes of the F Major scale. The Key Signature for the Key of F Major would be one flat, because there is one flat in the F Major scale. Any single Key Signature symbol will identify both a Major and (Natural) Minor scale, for example C Major and A (natural) Minor have the same Key Signature symbol. The Key Signature is a grouping, at the beginning of each staff, of all the accidentals found in the scale on which the piece is based. Key signatures are a very important concept to understanding the overall structure and form of songs and compositions. Enduring Understandings:

• Key signatures express the key of a song by displaying which notes have sharps or flats, if any.

• Key signatures imply accidentals throughout a song, sit sharps or flats will not be marked in the body of the music.

• In common notation, clef and key signature are the only symbols that normally appear on every staff.

• Key signature and clef tell you what note is found on each line and space of the staff.

• Any key signature can also represent a minor key.

• Minor keys share a key signature with a major key.

• Key signatures contain a great deal of information that helps composers write their music, and help musicians understand it faster and more in-depth.

• Key signatures can specify major or minor keys. Essential Questions:

• The key signatures used in major keys are split between what two keys?

• Why is it a good idea to look at the first line of a song?

• Why is it important to study the circle of Fifths and Fourths?

• What two signatures have a consistent order and location on the staff?

• What is the Circle of Fifths?

• What is the primary concept to remember about key signatures?

• If one key signature can represent two different keys, how can we tell which key a piece is?

• What are related keys?

21

Acquired Knowledge:

• How key signatures can represent multiple accidentals within the music.

• The placement and order of sharps in sharp key signatures.

• The placement and order of flats in flat key signatures.

• The circle of fifths for major keys.

• How key signatures are often perplexing at the beginning, they never change, and are quickly mastered with practice.

• Without key signatures, most music would be sprinkled with an incredible number of accidentals, and the resulting clutter would make the music more difficult to read.

• How key signatures are important when reading tonal music.

• In identifying major key signatures that use sharp, the key is always the pitch a half step above the last sharp indicated in the signature.

• One key signature can represent two different scales-one major, one minor.

• Key signatures tell you which key you are in and which set of notes you are working with in a given passage of music.

Acquired Skills:

• Write key signatures, using either sharps or flats.

• Identify the correct major key, based on the number of sharps or flats.

• Identify the relative minor key for major keys.

• Identify the relative major key for minor keys.

• Identify minor keys represented by stated key signatures.

• Describe the parallel major-parallel minor relationship. Major Assessments:

• Write out major key signatures, using either sharps or flats. It is helpful to remember that the order of flats – B-E-A-D-G-C-F is the reverse of the order of sharps-F-C-G-D-A-E-B.

• Identify the correct major key, based on the number of sharps or flats indicated: 1. three sharps 8. two flats 2. six sharps 9. seven flats 3. one sharp 10. one flat 4. four sharps 11. five sharps 5. three flats 12. five flats 6. six flats 13. four flats 7. two sharps 14. seven sharps

22

• Teacher will play on the keyboard several of the musical excerpts listed below. After listening to each excerpt, decide whether it is a major or minor key.

Composer Title Bach Chorale from Cantata No. 180 Bach Courante from French Suite No. 2 Bach Minuet in G Minor Kuhlau Rondo from Sonatina, Op. 20, No. 1 Mozart Sonata in B Major, K. 570, III Scarlatti Sonata in C Minor Traditional “St. James Infirmary” Instructional Strategies:

• Introduce the circle of fifths key signatures with sharps and key signatures with flats.

• Use a diagram to show how all the major keys relate in the circle of fifths.

• List the fifteen different ways to write key signatures.

• Use staves to demonstrate the pattern of sharps for the sharp major keys, placing them in the right octave.


• http://www.Circleoffifths.net

• http://www.MusicTheory.net

• http://www.eMusicTheory.com

• http://www.Method-behind-the-music.com/theory/scales/keys Accommodations or Modifications for Special Education, ESL or Gifted Learners:





• Use concrete examples to introduce concepts. List of Applicable NJCCCS and Standards/CPIs Covered in this Unit: 1.1.12.B.1-2 1.3.12.B.1-3

23

Suggested Learning Experiences and Instructional Activities:

• Identify the relative minor key for the following major keys. 1. E major 8. A major 2. D major 9. C major 3. G major 10. B major 4. F major 11. F# major 5. C# major 12. D major 6. G major 13. E major 7. A major 14. B major

• Identify the major key and the relative minor key that have the given number of sharps or flats.

Major Relative Minor 1. two flats 2. two sharps 3. three sharps 4. four flats 5. seven sharps 6. five flats 7. six sharps 8. three flats 9. one sharp 10. six flats 11. five sharps 12. one flat 13. four sharps 14. seven flats

• Identify the relative major key for the following minor keys.

1. F# minor 8. E minor 2. D minor 9. D# minor 3. A minor 10. F minor 4. C# minor 11. B minor 5. A# minor 12. E minor 6. G minor 13. C minor 7. B minor 14. G# minor

24

Unit 7: Triads Why Is This Unit Important? Like the primary colors to the painter, the triads provide a fundamental musical element for the creative musician. Triad in music, a chord made up of three tones, called chord factors, of the diatonic scale; root, third and fifth. The system of diatonic triads is the basis of tonal harmony in music. Triads are among the primary building blocks of tonal music. In studying triads, two things are important to keep in mind. Enduring Understandings:

• Understanding theory and executing the major triad is potentially of great importance to the emerging player of American music.

• Understanding the theory of the triad provides a solid basis for expansion of ideas for the emerging theorist.

• The triad is the basic chord of tonal music.

• Other chords-such as sevenths, ninths and elevenths are extensions of the triad.

• The quality of a triad is determined by the kinds of thirds it contains.

• Triads are three-note chords built of two superimposed thirds.

• When the triad is written in root position-that is, as two superimposed thirds-we identify the three notes of the triad from the lowest to the highest as the root, the third and the fifth.

• Triads take their name from the name of the root; that is, the lowest sounding pitch when the triad is constructed as superimposed thirds.

• When triads appear as two superimposed thirds, they are said to be in close position. That is, the three notes of the triad are all contained within an octave.

• Triads can be built on any note of the major and minor scale. Essential Questions:

• What are triads?

• What is close position?

• What is an augmented triad?

• What is a diminished triad?

• How many triads does the major scale produce?

• How do musicians identify triads?

• What are two other positions triads can appear?

• Of all the musical resources, what triad is the most widely used to create western music?

• Can we create a major triad on each of the pitches of the chromatic scale?

25

Acquired Knowledge:

• The basic structure of triads.

• In music theory, a major chord is a chord having a root, a major third and a perfect fifth.

• A major triad is a chord with a root, major third and perfect fifth.

• A minor chord differs from a major chord in having a minor third above the root instead of a major third.

• The major chord, along with the minor chord, is one of the basic building blocks of tonal music.

• In tonal music, the augmented triad differs from the other kinds of triad in that it does not naturally arise in a diatonic scale.

• How dominant triads must always be major.

• All dominant chords must be major, whether you are in a major key or a minor key.

• How triads are related to scales. Acquired Skills:

• Writing triads in close and open positions.

• Recognize and label inversions of triads.

• Identify the four types of triads.

• Identify the three ways of labeling triads.

• Describe how to invert seventh chords.

• How to recognize triads in actual music.

• Ability to identify chord progressions or even individual chords by ear.

• Identify the five main types of seventh chords Major Assessments:

• Practice writing major and minor triads in root position from the same given tonic note. Remember that major tonic note. Remember that major triads have a major third on the bottom while minor triads have a minor third as the lower third. Remember also that the interval between the root and the fifth always be a perfect fifth.

• Labeling triads in both major and minor keys.

• Write indicated triads in each key.

• Write indicated triads in root position. Ear Training:

• Teacher will play various chords. Some chords will be played as seventh chords, others as triads. In the following space, indicate whether you hear a seventh chord or a triad.

26

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.


• Construct triads on scale degrees.

• Label inversions to indicate whether a triad is in root position or in an inversion.

• Label augmented and diminished triads.

• Practice playing triads on the piano.

• Play a traditional hymn several times and have students try to identify the quality of each chord by its sound (major, minor, augmented or diminished.


• http://www.mymusictheory.com

• http://www.musictheorysite.com

• http://www.musictheory.net/lesson

• http://www.teoria.com/reference Accommodations or Modifications for Special Education, ESL or Gifted Learners:






• Identify the root of triads, and label each as major (M) or minor (m) in quality.

• Complete close-position major or minor triads.

• Identify the roots of triads and label the triads as augmented (A) or diminished (d) in quality.

• Provide five or six triads that will either be first inversion or second inversion. Identify the inversion, the root of the triad, and the quality of the triad.

fundamentals of music g9-12 - ewing public schools

Documents