Grade 4 Lesson Plan

Learning Rhythmic Composition

with a Sequencer

Objectives
Students will be able to input an original rhythmic accompaniment sequence on the Grid
Instrument. This rhythmic sequence may be composed prior to sequencing. They may
physically input it themselves, or with the aid of the teacher via question and response.
(MU:Cr1.1.4b, MU:Cr2.1.4b)
Students will be able to evaluate and improve upon an existing rhythmic accompaniment
sequence, reflected in the changes made to the sequence, suggestions made in class, or
by responding to questions. (MU:Cr3.1.4a)
Students will learn to musically perform simple electronic effects on the rhythmic
accompaniment sequence. They can be performed with the use of knob/fader MIDI
controllers, or gesture controlled MIDI controllers for students with special physical needs.
(MU:Pr6.1.4a, MU:Pr4.3.4a)
Students will be able to perform a familiar song on recorder while matching beat to the
accompaniment made in class. (MU:Pr4.3.4a)

Assessment
a. Consistent checking for understanding of prior knowledge is facilitated at the start of the
lesson by a “question-posing” style of teaching, instead of direct instruction.
b. Different students are given a chance to have hands-on experience with the grid
instrument at every stage of progress including performance, thus aiding informal
assessment by the teacher.
c. Student feedback is requested at the end of each stage of learning to inform if students
are engaging in critical musical evaluation and self-assessment.
d. For formal assessment, each student will be asked to create a rhythmic sequence on
either:
○ A magnetic board with rhythmic strips
○ Printed sheet of music staves

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 ○ Printed sheets of blank “piano-roll” style squares resembling the Grid Instrument.

○ They will then input their rhythmic sequence into the Grid Instrument and listen
back to it to strengthen their understanding of notation, and how written music
translates to sound.

Prior Knowledge
a. Students are able to read rhythmic notation from whole notes to 8th notes. (Can be
reviewed by notation input with the grid instrument starting from whole notes, gradually
filling in the space between until the 8th note subdivision)
b. Students are able to comfortably play a simple rote song on recorder/another acoustic
instrument to play along with the accompaniment sequence. (A quick rehearsal can be
used for review)
c. Students are able to distinguish between low and high drum sounds, namely kick, snare,
clap and hi hat. (This can be strengthened by the teacher playing the student’s sequence
on an acoustic drum set)
d. Students know how many beats there are in a 4/4 bar.

Accomodations
a. Visual Learners
○ Colours are used on the Grid Instrument to split different beats and instruments.
b. Auditory Learners
○ Students listen back to their compositions by inputting what they created into the
Grid Instrument, allowing them to change, in real time, their composition ideas.
c. Kinesthetic Learners

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 ○ The Grid instrument is a highly visual instrument that shows playback in real time,
and responds to a student’s touch with it’s light up squares.
d. ESL Students
○ A vocabulary and number list is prepared at the beginning of the semester which
has large printed translations of commonly used words and numbers.
e. Advanced Learners
○ Questions which require more descriptive answers are posed. Students may also
be asked to come up with a setting of effects which apply to piano, mezzo-forte
and fortessimo dynamics.
f. Attention Deficit Disorders
○ Students are given alternative seating to ensure they have space to move around,
or stand up and play.
○ Students are given effects that have large changes of stimuli to control.
○ An easy instruction plan is displayed on the board at the beginning of the lesson.
g. Physical Special-needs
○ Students use gesture-based MIDI controllers such as the LeapMotion or Ring
Controller to create effects.
○ Students input their compositions into the grid with the aid of the teacher, or by
filling out a grid on paper of how it should be reflected on the grid.

Materials & Resources

Teacher:
a. Laptop
b. MIDI Controller
c. Grid Instrument
d. Audio Interface

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 e. Recorder
f. Handouts (Printed Sheet Music, Printed Piano Roll

Students:
a. Recorder
b. Pencils

Learning Sequence
Opening (5 minutes)
1) Laptop and MIDI Controllers are set up.
2) The instruction plan is put on the board so students know an outline of what to expect.
3) The concept of splitting whole-notes to 8th notes are revised with a visual chart and a
clapping exercise.

Main Lesson (30 minutes)

1) The Grid instrument is introduced.
a) “This is known as a sequencer. Does anybody know what a sequence is? It’s just
a fancy word for “pattern”. This machine plays your patterns!”
2) A volunteer student is asked to come up to the Grid Instrument.
a) “What is a pattern? Something that repeats.
b) Can you turn on any 4 squares in the lowest row?”
3) Play the sequence.
a) “What do you notice is happening?
b) Where does the purple line go after it moves past the final column?”
4) Move on to the second lowest row.
a) “Can you turn on four more squares? Does it sound different?
b) How many columns are there? Do each of these have a different sound?”
5) Relate the bar-long sequence to 4/4 time.
a) “Did anybody notice these numbers at the bottom? What numbers are there? How
many beats are there in a bar?
b) (Then offer suggestions to improve their beat, but do so by asking them to place
the beats in a musical position.)”

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 6) Students are given a chance to listen back and make compositional changes live.
Feedback from other students is welcome.
7) Another volunteer student is called up.
a) “Draw a random shape, or pattern on the remaining four rows from the top.
b) Listen back. Do you like how it sounds? How about you make a few changes and
see what happens?”
8) Another volunteer student is called up, they are going to insert effects to the pattern.
a) “What does each fader do to the sound? (Let them describe it in their own words.)
b) How would you play this at a piano dynamic?
c) How about mezzo-forte and forte?”

Formal Assessment (10 minutes)

1) Students perform Hot Cross Buns (or another familiar rote song) along to the rhythmic
accompaniment sequence.
a) “Let’s perform hot cross buns on your recorders, while we tweak the effects with
these faders.”
b) “Before that, let’s run through Hot Cross Buns without the accompaniment, and
note how that feels.”
c) After running through with the accompaniment “How did that affect the way we
played the recorder?”

Summative Activities (done in class, or as homework)

1) Each individual student chooses a rote song of their choice from a list of already familiar
songs that has been performed in class.
2) Each student then gets:
a) a printed sheet of squares in 4/4 time, or
b) a printed music stave, or
c) a metallic board with rhythmic manipulatives,

and composes their rhythmic accompaniment before coming to the sequencer, one by
one to program it in. This strengthens the relationship between sequencing and music
notation.

3) The main lesson is then repeated with each new song and rhythmic accompaniment.

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Notes
Further expansion activities include:

1) Exploring rolls (triplets, 16th notes, and other smaller subdivisions)

2) Other time signatures
3) Existing rhythms on the sequencer (house, reggaeton, trap)
4) Exploring other tempos