Dynamics Lesson:

Materials
● Notepad with p and f symbols
● Flash cards with the f and p symbols
● Notepad with fast slow
● Flash cards with fast and slow
● Drums
● Many Video examples ready to go
○ Use many different genres
○ Forte:
■ 1812 Overture Ending
■ Friend Like me
■ Make a man out of you
■ Bolero ending
■ Immigrant Song
○ Piano:
○ Tale as old as time
○ Kiss the girl
○ Piano ballads
○ Bolero beginning
○ Le Festin- Camille
○ Fast:
○ I wanna be like you
○ Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
○ Nations of the world
○ Separate Ways
○ Slow:
○ A Whole New World
○
Procedure
● Teacher will begin the class with a brief introduction
● Teacher will introduce the idea of dynamics in music
○ “You’ve learned about different types of music and different instruments. Today
we’re going to learn about one of the elements of music.”
○ Music can be LOUD, or music can be Soft
■ Loud music is called FORTE
■ Soft music is called piano
● Show the symbols on the board
● Ask over and over which is which until they get it right
● Have them in different colors
● Have them hold up piano
● Have them hold up forte
 ■ Forte is?
■ Piano is?
○ Show an example of soft music
○ Show an example of loud music.
■ Start the game of piano or forte
■ Freeze screen on the symbols
■ Play for several rounds
● THINK OF ANOTHER INTERMEDIATE ACTIVITY BEFORE GOING TO DRUMS
● Ask them to hold up either the f or p to say if they prefer loud music, soft music, or both.
● Review keeping a beat
○ Those who are able can march in place to a basic drum groove
■ Can clap or pat along as well
● Now hand out the hand drums
○ Try and keep the beat to the groove
○ Try and keep the beat to a Disney song
○ Try to keep a beat without music
■ If they need the music just use the groove for the next activity
○ Instruct the students to play at a piano dynamic
■ “Barely touch the drum, very light taps”
■ Try and hear them individually
■ Go around and listen
○ Now at a forte.
■ Hit it with some force
■ Not too hard
■ Go around and listen again
○ Go back and forth between piano and forte
■ Explain how to play louder if they don’t naturally know how.
■ Now point at the p and f symbols to see if they can play at the different
dynamics
● Be constantly pointing at the board and asking what each symbol
means
■ Play the game for a good while
■ Have someone else come up to the board and point at each one and lead
the group
○ Adding another layer
■ Introduce the idea of getting louder or softer
■ Use your hand to go from p to f.
■ Let them try it on their own
■ Lead them through several crescendos and decrescendos
● Have students come up and lead.
● Play until engagement stops
● Basically repeat the lesson with but replace dynamics with tempo.
○ Fast and slow examples from Disney, pop, and classical