Lesson Plan by Laurie Tretter

My students have lesson plans three times a week totaling 90 minutes and they have been playing for one school year. I love this lesson because I can recreate it and use it over again. There are a great many nursery rhymes that children are familiar with; therefore, I can choose one with simple rhythms, such as Wee Willie Winkie, or a more difficult rhythm or complex meter.

The children very much enjoyed creating their own piece. They took pride in their work be cause they were composers in the process.

Mrs. Mayrose's class decided on the title Teaminator because they felt like they had shown good character by working cooperatively as a team.

The inspiration for Mrs. Ross' class title, Dominoes, was the game by the same name. One student thought the piece sounded as if it were dominoes falling down.

We had a very extensive conversation about the piece using musical terminology. The most satisfying part came when the students were evaluating the lesson.

A student told me he would like to go home with the piece and rewrite it. But this time he was going to add an "E." I knew at that point I had touched that student with the power to create his own music. That sense of musical expression is the best gift I could give.

Download PDFs of the lesson plan and sheet music.

Lesson plan

Teaminator

Dominoes

Download MPEGs (video) of the students playing their compositions (Warning: Large files requiring fast. Internet connection.)

Mrs. Mayrose's class

Mrs. Ross' class

Download MIDIs (sound only) of the compositions.

Teaminator

Dominoes

Lauren Tretter receiver her master of arts degree in educational administration from Lindenwood University in St. Charles, MO. She also received a bachelor of arts in music with an emphasis in music performance and music education from Lindenwood. She is currently working as an elementary music specialist for the Mehville School District in suburban St. Louis. Tretter also received her Kodaly and Orff Level I certifications from Webster University in Webster Groves, MO. A lesson by her is published in the January/February 2008 issue of Music K-8 Magazine.

The lesson plan was inspired by an Orff lesson created by Brian Crisp, music atelierista and specialist at The College School in St. Louis. In addition to being course director of Orff-Schulwerk Teacher Training at Webster University, Crisp teaches the Orff-Schulwerk course at the University of Kentucky.