Procedures: Opening Activity

 T: “Today we’re going to learn about the Erie Canal. Does anyone know what
the Erie Canal is, where it is, or what it was used for?”
 T: “Let’s learn the song and see what we can find out. I’d like you to pay
attention to both the lyrics of the song and the melody, because the music is also
giving you a lot of information about what’s going on in the song.”
 T plays a recording, passes out sheet music, or sings song in its entirety.
Students sing song by looking at the sheet music (by note).

Erie Canal
Thomas S. Allen, 1905
 Procedures: Music Analysis

 T: “First, let’s think about the music. Can anyone tell me how many sections
there are to the song? Where does the second section begin?” T plays or sings again if
necessary, and students also sing. (Second section begins at “Low bridge.”)
 T: “This is known as AB form, which means that the music contains two
distinct sections. How can you tell that the sections are musically different?” (There is
a slowing down at the end of the first section. It sounds different than the first. The
pitches and scale sound different.)
 T: “The ‘slowing down’ is caused by two fermatas, which means ‘hold’ in
Italian. The symbol looks like an eye. When a note has a fermata on it, you hold it for
about twice the length of time.”
 T: “Let’s sing ‘Buffalo’ again to practice the fermatas.”

 T: “The other musical clue that you’re hearing is that the song is actually in two
different modes or scales. The first part is minor, usually associated with sadness or
melancholy, and the second part is major, which is usually associated with happiness
or joy.”
 T: “Can you think of another song that’s in minor that is an unhappy one?”
(“Hey Ho Nobody Home,” “Johnny Has Gone for a Soldier,” etc.)
 T: “What do all of these songs have in common emotionally?” (Sadness,
loneliness, melancholy)
 T plays and shows the pitches of the major and minor scales. Students sing D R
M F S L T D’ for major and L, T, D R M F S L for minor. If T has an instrument,
have students guess which scale is being played. If not, T can play clips from other
songs or have them sing other short songs to reinforce the concepts of major and
minor.

F Major D Minor

 T: “Why do you think the composer chose to end the first section with
two fermatas?” (To help the singer recognize the two sections, and to distinguish
between the minor and major parts of the song)

Procedure: Literary Analysis

 T: “What’s happening in the song?” (Various answers summarizing the text)

 T: “What was the Erie Canal used for? Why do you think the Erie Canal was
built?” (To transport things easily on water as there were no trains, or trucks at the
time)
 T: “What types of things?” (Lumber, coal, and hay)
 T: “Which towns does the canal connect in New York?” (Albany and Buffalo)
 T: “Why does the composer write about a mule? What was the mule used for?”
(Hauling barges)
 T: “Good! Does anyone know what a barge is?” (A flat-bottomed boat for
carrying freight)
 T: “How do the barge and mule drivers know they are coming to a town?”
(Because they cross under a low bridge)
 T: “How does the singer feel when they are coming to a town?” (Happy)
 T: “How do you know this?” (Because they talk about meeting neighbors and
pals)
 T: “Is there something in the music that also tells you that the singer feels
happy when coming to a town?” (Yes, the major scale is used in the second part of the
song)
 T: “Good, what in the music tells you that the singer is not happy about losing
their work hauling the barges?” (The minor mode)

Procedure: Integrated Context

 T: “When thinking of the lyrics and the music, why might the composer have
set the first part of the song to sad or minor music, and the second part to happier or
major music?” (The first part is talking about work and hauling barges, and the second
is talking about coming to a town and meeting your neighbors.)
 T: “There’s also another part to the history of this song. It was written just as
the last mules were being used to haul or pull the barges and were being converted to
steam power. If this is the case, why does the singer talk about the mule as a ‘friend’
or ‘pal’?” (Because they’ve been working together for years, and now they aren’t
going to be working any more pulling the barges.)
 T: “Now I’d like you to deduce something first by not looking at the map. We
know that the canal goes from Buffalo to Albany, but can you tell me which great lake
the canal connects to? Think! The song tells you.” (Lake Erie)
 T: “Now, let’s look at the map. Can anyone see which waterway the canal
connects to in Albany?” (The Hudson River, leading to the Atlantic Ocean through
New York City)
 T: “Albany is not on the Atlantic Ocean, so the Hudson River was used to
connect the two waterways.”

Closure and Extension