8 templates to kick off the school year with some structured activity. The templates are from very basic to more advanced. The template gives the teacher opportunity to assess prior knowledge, work on writing grammar (how to draw those notes!), and have a ready work sheet to ease the start of the school year writing activities. Objectives Within one lesson, students will compose a structured piece on a template. In the process the student will: • Explore rhythms as per their curriculum guide • Explore pitch as per their curriculum guide • Work on notation grammar: how to draw the notes, stems, size of notes, how to space notes in a measure, etc. • Learn, review and practice basic compositional techniques such as motif, repeats, long note endings, etc. • Explore basic techniques of extending a composition • Acquire, review or practice basic staff notation

Music Composition and Technology lesson plan: Ringtones II for Advanced. Students will compose or generate a ringtone, save it as a file, and upload to their cellphone/mobile. This lesson is for more advanced groups using the class set of iPads or their personal iPad or cellphone/mobile. The GarageBand app would need to be installed on the device. • Acquire a knowledge of how to compose a ringtone using GarageBand • Save the newly created composition in GarageBand and export as a ringtone • Find the ringtone on your phone’s settings and set as new ringtone Concepts • Ringtones • Composition length • Loop • Instrument • Timbre Included: screen shots for setting up the ringtone and student assignment sheet.

Students will compose a piece of “body music*” (Keith Terry, Crosspulse). They will name their compositions, and practice and perform the composition with an optional additional accompaniment (self-composed or backtrack). Templates, graphic organizers, composition plan included. Objectives Within 2-4 lessons, students will compose a piece of music inspired by body percussion. In the process the student will: • Acquire knowledge of the basic formal structure of a composition • Learn and memorize through practice to write a rhythmic motif • Learn, review and practice basic compositional techniques such as repetition and/or fragmentation • Practice short rhythmic fragments • Explore basic techniques of extending a composition • Acquire, review or practice basic rhythm notation • Acquire, review or practice concepts of meter, time signature, beat, pulse and rhythm.

Students will compose a piece of music that is inspired by a short narrative. This lesson is aimed at the piano studio, but works equally well for the general music class. Objectives Within 2-4 lessons, students will compose a piece of music based on a narrative. In the process the student will: • Acquire knowledge of how to characterize sound to be descriptive • Learn more about descriptive/program music • Learn, review and practice basic note values • Learn how to use basic notes and rhythms to produce a particular mood or character • Practice short melodic patterns on an instrument • Explore basic techniques of creating mood, character and description in a composition • Acquire, review or practice basic staff notation Included: sample composition and 9 short sample narratives to use

Aleatoric (Chance Music) Composition lesson for kids: Students will compose a melody using a random selector for pitch (paper pinwheel spinner) to generate pitches for a melody. Within one to four lessons, students will compose a melody and expand it to a larger piece. In the process the students will: • Explore the steps of a scale • Explore pitch • Explore rhythms as per your curriculum guide • Understand functional concepts about tones within the scale: home note/tonic (tonal center) • Learn, review and practice basic compositional techniques such as repetition, sequence and/or fragmentation if the melody is used to extend into a larger piece • Explore basic techniques of extending a composition • Acquire, review or practice basic staff notation or solfege writing

Students will compose a piece of music by using chord cards to form triads to create a melody and/or accompaniment. Objectives Within 2-4 lessons, students will compose a piece of music based on the three notes of a triad. In the process the student will: • Explore the concept “triad” and “chord”. • Explore thirds and how they form melody fragments, melodies and chords. • Write triads in root position. • Explore “block” and “broken” chords. • Write a melody or accompaniment pattern based on triad manipulation. Sample composition included.

Music Composition Lesson Plan Students will compose music using a basic steady beat and introduce chanting/rapping speech rhythms to the beat. After the initial improvisatory phase, students will notate the rhythms they chanted to the beat. In the process the students will: • Introduce themselves at the start of the school year • Learn about steady beat, pulse, meter, metronome • Learn about chanting/rapping speech patterns to a rhythm • Learn about rhythm and basic note values • Distinguish between beat and rhythm • Improvise rhythm patterns using self-generated lyrics • Compose rhythm patterns using self-generated lyrics • Explore basic techniques of extending a composition • Acquire, review or practice basic theory knowledge • Perform to a steady beat (provided by a metronome or backtrack)

Students will compose a basic, short cellphone (mobile phone) ringtone composition. Within 2 lessons, students will compose a short piece of cellphone ringtone music. • Acquire a knowledge of the characteristics of a ringtone • Analyze well-known ringtones • Compose a loop pattern Concepts • Ringtones • Composition length • Loop • Rhythm • Notation • Timbre Included: sample ringtones and an assignment rubric handout

Students will compose a piece of music using found sound. They will focus on composing for an UNUSUAL instrument e.g. vegetables/straws/toys, name the composition, and practice and perform the composition. The composition assignment is designed for individual, pair, small group or whole group composition. Objectives Within 1-2 lessons, students will compose a piece of music inspired by a found object. In the process the student will: • Acquire knowledge of the sound production possibilities of an object • Learn about tone production, timbre, and pitch • Learn, review and practice basic compositional techniques such as repetition, sequence and/or fragmentation • Explore the principles of rhythmic variation • Notate and practice short rhythm sections • Explore basic playing techniques • Acquire, review or practice basic rhythm notation Composition template for handout included.

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

Students will compose a rhythm using Morse code. They will use Morse code to embed their names or other messages in musical code. They will practice and perform the rhythm composition. Objectives • Explore rhythms as per their curriculum guide • Explore note values and rests • Understand functional concepts about note and rest values • Learn the basics of Morse code • Acquire, review or practice basic rhythm reading Included: rhythm chart, Morse Code chart, sample composition

Students will compose a piece of music using a melodic technique that illustrates the meaning of words. Objectives Within 2-3 lessons, students will compose a piece of music inspired by a rhyme, poem or text. In the process the student will: • Analyze a text • Identify and define descriptive elements of the text • Make connections between text and music • Analyze how textual image and sound image are similar and different • Explore new writing and playing techniques to accommodate musical word painting • Explore word painting as compositional device Included: Graphic organizer for text analysis and sample Word Painting composition

Students will compose a piece of music based on musical fragmentation of the song "Auld Lang Syne". For Studio or School: Late elementary - High School. They will name their compositions, and practice and perform the composition with an optional additional accompaniment (self-composed or from the original sheet music). The composition assignment is designed as an individual composition (e.g. for use in the piano studio setting) or as a classroom composition (e.g. for use in schools). Objectives Within 1-2 lessons, students will compose a piece of music inspired by a given composition (in this example Auld Lang Syne). In the process the student will: • Acquire knowledge of the motivic structure of a composition • Learn and memorize through practice to fragment and develop a motif • Learn, review and practice basic compositional techniques such as repetition, sequence and/or fragmentation • Explore the principles of variation • Practice short melodic fragments on a melodic instrument • Explore basic techniques of extending a composition • Acquire, review or practice basic staff notation Concepts: • Melody • Rhythm • Motif • Repetition • Sequence • Fragmentation • Variation

Students will compose a vocal or instrumental piece using a melodic contour as guide. They will design and plot a contour with string, identify sound, select timbre, plan and write a melodic line in notation or graphic score, name the composition, and practice and perform the composition. This lesson is aimed at: Elementary School, whole group, general music instruction: Use basic, single line patterns transcribe to simple line and space note pieces. Middle School, whole group, general music or choral performance group: Use melodic contours as vocal warm up exercises, pitch/ range exercises, voice leading illustrations and two- or multi-part singing exercises. Objectives Within 1 to 2 lessons, students will compose a piece of music using a melodic contour. In the process the student will: • Analyze a visual image of melodic contour • Make connections between visual contour lines on the music staff and high/low sound production • Analyze how melodic contour and sound reflect each other • Explore improvisatory techniques • Explore basic music notation • Explore new writing and playing techniques to accommodate composition • Explore melodic contour as compositional device • Explore melodies as sound layers: monophonic, polyphonic

Students will compose a short composition based on math principles using Google Song Maker and save it as a file. This lesson is for all age groups using the class set of iPads or their personal iPad or cell phone. Within 2 - 3 lessons, students will compose a short piece of music. • Acquire a knowledge of how to compose a 4-bar melody (for younger students) or multiple bar melody (older students) • Use math skills of number knowledge: even numbers, odd numbers, prime numbers, square numbers • Make musical decisions on timbre, rhythm, pitch patterns • Save the newly created composition

Students will compose a melody using a question-answer design on a template for pitch, but within certain structural and tonal parameters. They will practice and perform the melody. Objectives Within one lesson, students will compose a question-answer melody. In the process the student will: • Explore rhythms as per their curriculum guide • Explore pitch as per their curriculum guide • Explore the steps of a scale • Learn question-answer motivic use • Learn, review and practice basic compositional techniques such as repetition, sequence and/or fragmentation if the melody is used to extend into a larger piece • Explore basic techniques of extending a composition • Acquire, review or practice basic staff notation Included: Composition template as a handout work sheet

This lesson is aimed at the general music or chorus class. Students will compose a piece of music by generating tongue twister lyrics based on digraphs, trigraphs, alliteration and assonance following a step-by-step guide to set it to rhythm and then to a melody. Objectives Within 2-4 lessons students will prepare a tongue twister song. In the process the students will: • Acquire knowledge of the different ways in which catchy tongue twister lyrics may be generated. • Scan the tongue twister sentence or phrase for strong syllables. • Set to a beat and rhythm. • Plan the structure of a composition. • Analyze the lyrics for melodic suggestion/word painting. • Learn, review and practice basic compositional techniques such as repetition, sequence and/or ornamentation. • Explore basic techniques of extending a composition. • Acquire, review or practice melodic and rhythmic staff notation. Included: Graphic organizer to generate digraphs, trigraphs, alliterations and assonance with examples.

Students will compose a leading motif (leitmotif) that illustrates a feature of the character to be represented. Within 2-3 lessons, students will compose a leading motif inspired by a character from a story, poem or movie. In the process the student will: • Analyze a character for specific features • Identify and define descriptive elements of the character • Make connections between character and music • Analyze how visual image and sound image are similar and different • Explore new writing and playing techniques to accommodate musical characterization • Explore leitmotif as compositional device Includes: Aslan from The Chronicles of Narnia leitmotif graphic organizer example, and a template to generate musical features ideas for the leitmotif. Adaptable for all grade levels. Particularly popular for generating leitmotifs for Disney movie characters or superhero movie characters.

Overview Lesson Plan Music Composition Elementary - Middle 2 - 4 lessons Students will compose a piece of music that has secret codes (their names, last names, birth month, etc.) embedded in the melody. They will name their compositions, practice and perform the composition with a provided backtrack for live recording of the final product. As follow-up activity in successive lessons, explore adding accompaniment. Objectives Within 2-4 lessons, students will compose a piece of music based on the 7 musical letters. In the process the student will: • Acquire knowledge of the 7 musical letters, ABCDEFG • Learn and memorize through practice to write the 7 musical letters on the treble staff • Learn, review and practice basic note values • Practice short melodic fragments on a melodic instrument • Explore basic techniques of extending a composition • Acquire, review or practice basic staff notation • Play a melody to a steady beat (provided by a backtrack)

Lesson Plan Elementary - Middle - High School 2-4 lessons Students will compose a piece of music based on word games. They will practice and perform the composition with an optional additional accompaniment (self-composed or backtrack) to match the composition topic. Objectives Within 2-4 lessons, students will compose a piece of music for voice and speech choir inspired by a play on the words “day”. In the process the student will: • Explore speech rhythms • Translate a speech rhythm to notation • Learn and memorize through practice to write a rhythmic motif and develop a motif • Learn, review and practice basic compositional techniques such as repetition, sequence and/or fragmentation • Explore setting words to music • Practice short fragments on a instrument • Explore basic techniques of extending a composition • Acquire, review or practice basic staff notation Concepts • Melody • Rhythm • Motif • Repetition • Sequence • Fragmentation • Voice parts • Triads • Setting words to a rhythm