Lesson Plan
Grade/Age: Sixth Grade Theme:
Calypso Music and the Struggle of the Plantation Worker
Musical Elements: Melody, syncopated rhythm, and
nontraditional accents of beat
Objectives:
Aesthetic Goals –
To
understand more about the musical style of Calypso and the syncopated rhythms
it utilizes. Also, to understand its
use as an emotional expression, its place in history as a folk song, and its
social context.
Theme Information –
Calypso
is a popular music style. It originated
in Trinidad, as island in the Caribbean Sea.
Songs in this style are usually full of life and are rhythmic and
humorous. They began as protest songs
against the harsh life of the sugar plantations.
Music Concepts –
Children
will demonstrate an understanding of 1) syncopated rhythms, 2) phrasing, and 3)
nontraditional accents of words and notes in melody.
Behavioral Concepts –
Children
will demonstrate the above concepts through a rhythmic warm-up to the song
“Babalu” and singing the song “Island in the Sun.”
Outline of Activities:
Opening Activity: A rhythmic
warm-up to the song “Babalu.” The
rhythms used are a steady beat to the quarter note and three other syncopated
rhythms found in “Island in the Sun.”
Lesson Content:
2. Teacher will present pattern
flash cards displaying the four rhythms used in the opening activity.
3. The teacher will then sing each patter separately with an on the beat guitar accompaniment of a D chord, pointing to the pattern before singing.
4. First, the patterns will be
sung by the teacher and then echoed by the students after hearing, “Ready now,
echo me…”
5. The students will then sing
along with the teacher after hearing, “Ready now, sing with me…”
6. The students will then sing
alone, with the teacher playing, after hearing, “Ready now, look and sing…”
7. The teacher will sing
“Island in the Sun” with piano accompaniment.
8. Teach the song phrase by
phrase, emphasizing the syncopated rhythms and nontraditional accents of words
and melodic notes.
Concept Reminder:
6. “Today we
sang the song ‘Island in the Sun,’ learned to use syncopated rhythms in
melodies, and became familiar with the musical style of Calypso.”
Materials
Recording
of “Babalu” by Desi Arnez, Guitar, Piano, and Pattern Flash Cards
Adaptations for Special Needs (if necessary)
