Composing with "Stuff" Music Composition Lesson Plan

Overview
Lesson Plan
Music Composition
Elementary – Middle - High
1 lesson
Students will compose a melody using a random selections of manipulatives (“stuff”), e.g. buttons, string, post-it notes, etc., to establish pitch, but within certain structural and tonal parameters. They will practice and perform the melody.
Objectives
Within one lesson, students will compose a melody. In the process the student will:
• Explore rhythms as per their curriculum guide
• Explore line-space-line, or skips, or the steps of a scale
• Learn, review and practice basic writing techniques such as line, space, skips, note size, grammar or writing, spacing of
notes, placing notes on a staff, stem directions, etc.
• Explore basic techniques of starting a composition
• Acquire, review or practice basic staff notation
Concepts
• Melody
• Rhythm
• Pitch
• Staff
• Home note
• Stepwise and skips
• Pitch relationships