Introduction to Vivaldi (Music Lesson)

Introduction to Vivaldi

Subject: Music Education

Grade Level: 1-2

Time Needed: one (40 minute) lesson

General Outcomes and Curriculum Connections:

New Brunswick Music Curriculum

• GCO 1: Students will explore, challenge, develop, and express ideas, using the skills, language, techniques and process of the arts. (Explore rhythm)
• GCO 2: Students will be expected to create and/or present collaboratively and independently, expressive products in the arts for a range of audiences and purposes
• GCO 5: Students will be expected to examine the relationship among the arts, societies, and environments
• GCO 6: Students will be expected to apply critical thinking and problem-solving strategies to reflect on and respond to their own and others’ expressive works
• GCO 7: Students will be expected to understand the role of technologies on creating and responding to expressive works

• GCO 8: Students will be expected to analyse the relationship between artistic intent and the expressive work

Specific Outcomes:

• To learn about Vivaldi
• To compose a rhythmic piece using percussion instruments and body percussion

Rationale:

This lesson is to make students familiar with Vivaldi and his work The Four Seasons

Materials and Resources:

• Copy of Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons
• Percussion Instruments

Introduction/Procedures:

• Students will be introduced to Vivaldi and The Four Seasons.
• They will listen to a some segments of each season and each segment sounds like each season

Body

• Students will brainstorm different ideas of what things can be seen or heard in different seasons
• Students will be divided into groups of three or four
• Using their bodies and/or instruments students will compose their own short version of a season (students may also add gestures to their composition or some vocal sound effects)
• Each group will keep their season a secret until performance at the end of the class
• When group is ready they will quietly sit in their spots
• When all groups are ready, each group will individually perform their composition. Then the rest of the class will have to guess which of the four seasons the piece represented.
• The performing group then must share the answer and what they were thinking of when they created it
• This will continue until each group as participated

Evaluation and Assessment:

• Observation (checklist)

• Did students follow-directions
• Can the students explain why they picked different variations on the instrument or body to represent the sounds of a season

Reflection:

For resources on Vivaldi go to www.artsalive.ca