Garage Band

Lesson Plan for 3rd Grade

Objectives:
1. Students will maintain a steady beat by creating ostinato patterns along with a
metronome.
2. Students will compose/create their own song over a topic that is agreed upon between the
entire class.
3. Students will utilize Garage Band as a resource to create their own song.
4. Students will improvise their own rhythms to include in the song.

Standards:
MU:Cr1.1.3b – Generate musical ideas (such as rhythms and melodies) within a given meter.
MU:Cr2.1.3b – Use standard and/or iconic notation and/or recording technology to document
personal rhythmic and melodic musical ideas.
MU:Re7.2.3a – Demonstrate and describe how a response to music can be informed by the
structure, the use of the elements of music, and context (such as personal and social).

Materials:
- GarageBand
- Projector
- Hand Drums
- Whiteboard
- Metronome
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tx1XIm6q4r4

Sequence:
Warm-Up: Teacher will clap different rhythms and have students clap the rhythm back.
Activity 1: Students will come up with a topic to create a song over and come up with different
words that they want to incorporate in their song.
1. Teacher will guide students onto the path of deciding what they want their song to be
about whether it be animals, colors, princesses, superheroes, etc.
2. After agreeing upon a topic, students will work together to create different words that
they want incorporated into the song that relate to the topic that they chose.
Activity 2: Students will find a loop that they want to play in the background of their song. After
finding the loop that they want students will be provided a tempo/pulse in which they will create
their ostinatos.
1. Teacher will have GarageBand projected on the screen. The teacher will play 5 loops for
the students that they will get to choose from.
2. After students have chosen a loop, students will pat a steady beat against the loop to show
that they have an understanding of steady beat and feel the pulse for the song that they
will be creating.
Activity 3: Students will put rhythms to the words.
1. Teacher will have 6 different rhythms that have been reviewed in the previous lesson
written on the board.
 2. Teacher will clap these rhythms and ask students to identify what they are clapping with
the rhythms on the board.
3. Students will put their words that they agreed upon to the rhythms on the board.
4. Teacher will record ostinatos with students.
Activity 4: Students will pair up and create their own 4 beat improvisation on a hand-job.
1. Teacher will have students pair up.
2. Students will have 5 minutes to create their own improvisation.
3. Students will perform their ostinato in front of the class.
4. Teacher will bring out hand drums and have them perfrom their patter on the hand drum
while recording.