Musical Imagery: Lesson 1

Fourth grade, University of Illinois Elementary, April 21st 2016, Carson

Satchwell
The musical problem/Objective: Students will be able to recognize and
represent a musical storyline graphically.
Prior Knowledge: Students have previous experience with listening to
visually descriptive songs.
Selection of Repertoire: Flight of the Bumblebee, The Sorcerers
Apprentice video clip from Fantasia 2000.
Materials needed: Paper and pencil, TV, laptop/cord
Suggested Sequence (in which the teacher makes connections to
prior knowledge and sets up the problem. Students work through the
problem and share their solutions).
Introducing the Lesson: When students get settled in, I will play Flight
of the Bumblebee all the way through. If this piece was a movie, what
do you think that movie would be about? [Gauge students perceptions
of the piece by letting a few of them share their thoughts. If nobody
mentions a bumblebee, tell the class the name of the piece]. [Hand out
paper and pencils]. Listen to Flight of the Bumblebee, and this time,
draw what you hear the bumblebee doing. [Invite students to share
their drawings, and ask them what they heard the bumblebee doing].
Developing the Lesson: [Play The Sorcerers Apprentice] Does this
piece create an image in your mind? How would you draw this piece?
[Invite students to share their thoughts]. [Play video of The Sorcerers
Apprentice].
Closing the Lesson: As the video concludes, I will invite students to
identify which elements of the music lent themselves to the creation of
a mental image. If you were one of the artists who created Fantasia,
would you draw and imagine this piece in the same way?
Assessments (that relate directly to the understandings students will
gain from the lesson and how they will demonstrate those
understandings):
Are students able to describe the various elements of music that
evoke mental images on a personal level?
Are students able to represent changes in style/dynamics/tempo
graphically?
Extensions: Ask students to compose a piece based on a piece of art

MUS 342 Spring 2016