T2W2

TEXTURE

What you need:

• Music book (blue)
• Pencil case
• Resonator bars

Objectives:

• Sing and move to Funga Alafia in two-part canon
• Recap Dua Mata Saya in Malay, and Chinese if time permits
• Perform Dua Mata Saya with song and single bass-note accompaniment

Experience

Funga Alafia (Canon)

I greet you with my thoughts (tap on head twice)

I greet you with my words (tap on mouth twice)

I greet you from my heart (tap on heart twice)

With nothing up my sleeves (brush side of both arms, one at a time)

• Recap Funga Alafia from last week.
• Recap Funga Alafia with actions.
• Canon (Teacher-Class): Class sings first, Teacher tells class to keep on singing and not get confused by her, before coming in one bar later (i.e. start singing only after the class has finished singing 'Funga Alafia' and is moving on to 'Ashay Ashay')
• Canon (Class): Break the class into two groups. Last week's girl-boy groups is OK; your discretion is definitely good. Have one group sing first, while you lead the other group in two-part canon.
• Canon (Class with Actions): Add in actions now, so that the canon will take visual form and the class can see what's going on.

Concept

• Teacher asks pupils to describe their rendering of the song just now. How many parts are there? Who sings first and who sings later? Is it the same song or is it a different song?
• Teacher introduces the words "canon" and "texture", like layers of the same cake. 
• Pupils write 'Canon = Same song sung in parts at different times' and  'Texture = Layers' in their logbooks.

Application I

Funga Alafia (Movement Canon)

• Circle formation. Boy-girl-boy-girl positioning.
• Practise in unison: Sing song at least two times. Walk two steps into the circle at 'Funga Alafia'. Walk two steps out of the circle at 'Ashay Ashay'.
• Boy-girl canon: Boys start first, girls start a bar after, in two-part canon (singing and movement), at least two times. If done correctly, pupils will be able to see the girls walking into the circle as the boys walk out, and vice versa.
• Girl-boy canon: Swap parts so that each pupil gets an equal chance to practise.
• Add in actions if all goes well.

Application II

Dua Mata Saya (Melody & Accompaniment)

在我的脸面上

有鼻子和双眼

在我的双脚下

穿着我新鞋子

我还有两只手-

左手和右手

张开大嘴巴-

吃也吃不停

Dua mata saya,

Hidung saya satu.

Dua kaki saya,

Pakai sepatu baru.

Dua kuping saya,

Yang kiri dan kanan.

Satu mulut saya,

Tidak berhenti makan!

• Recap the Malay version of Dua Mata Saya with actions.
• Sing the Chinese version with actions. 
• Teacher tells class that they will now try singing Dua Mata Saya and accompanying themselves on resonator bells or xylophones/metallophones. 
• This type of texture is called 'melody and accompaniment'. 

1. Sing the accompaniment in steady beat together with pupils.
2. Sing the melody to pupils' accompaniment.
3. Get into groups of three. Number pupils one to three. Distribute resonator bells. Everyone chants the letter-name accompaniment while they take turns to play (e.g. 1 to play first, then 2, then 3).
4. Remember to sing in G major.

• Extension: Sing this song in Chinese, with melody and accompaniment, if all goes well.

      G       G       G      G
Du-a ma-ta sa-ya,

         G        G       D      D
Hi-dung sa-ya sa-tu.

      D      D      D
Du-a ka-ki sa-ya,

D    D           D       G      G
Pa-kai sepa-tu ba-ru.

      G        G         G      G

Du-a ku-ping sa-ya,
          G       G         D      D

Yang ki-ri dan ka-nan.
      D         D      D

Sa-tu mu-lut sa-ya,
D    D              D         C      C

Ti-dak berhen-ti ma-kan!

T2W1

STRUCTURE

What you need:

• Music book (blue)
• Pencil case

Objectives:

• Sing and move to Funga Alafia and Dua Mata Saya, with solfege and actions
• Describe that a song is made up of groups of notes, or phrases (demarcated by breathing points)
• Identify the phrases in Funga Alafia and Dua Mata Saya
• State that phrases make up a song's structure, like body parts forming the main skeleton, and identify the structure of both songs through music and movement
• Listen to and watch related videos and describe the structure of the songs 

Experience

Funga Alafia 

(Acknowledgement: http://www.slideshare.net/clasedemusica/funga-alafia-2545671)

• Action: Tap head, mouth, heart, brush side of arms, twice each, to steady beat.
• Action and words: Do above, while saying these lines to accompany each set of actions:

I greet you with my thoughts (tap on head twice)

I greet you with my words (tap on mouth twice)

I greet you from my heart (tap on heart twice)

With nothing up my sleeves (brush side of both arms, one at a time)

• Action and chant words of song:

Funga alafia (tap on head twice)

Ashay ashay (brush side of both arms, one at a time)

Funga alafia (tap on mouth, then heart)

Ashay ashay (brush side of both arms, one at a time)

• Action and sing song:

Funga alafia (tap on head twice)

Ashay ashay (brush side of both arms, one at a time)

Funga alafia (tap on mouth, then heart)

Ashay ashay (brush side of both arms, one at a time)

Concept

• Prompting for 'phrase', "If we can break this song into parts, like how you are seated in your colour groups as a class, which parts will go together? Why?" or " Which parts of the song do you find yourself taking a breath?"
• Teacher draws four small phrases on the board, for "funga alafia" and "ashay ashay", and calls a phrase a "group of notes" (see photo below).
• Prompting for 'structure': "Which words or melodies sound the same? How many times do they repeat?"
• Teacher writes 'A' for "funga alafia" and 'B' for "ashay ashay", making the pattern 'ABAB', calling it the "structure" or "skeleton" of the song.
• Teacher explains that phrases make up a song's structure, like body parts forming the main skeleton. This is how they are related.
• Pupils write 'Phrase = Group of notes' and  'Structure = Skeleton, pattern' in their logbooks.

Application I

Funga Alafia (ABAB = Girl/Boy/Girl/Boy)

• Visual representation of 'structure': Pupils break into two groups of girls and two groups of boys. Each girl group will sing, with actions, "funga alafia" and each boy group will sing "ashay ashay", making it ABAB.
• Solfege representation of 'structure': Teacher teaches pupils the solfege for 'Funga Alafia'. Now, pupils sing with solfege. Pupils are to realise that even though "ashay ashay" have different solfege, the rhythm is exactly the same in both occurrences, and its purpose is like an 'answer' to "funga alafia", justifying ABAB.

Application II

Bridging (Africa)

 

• Pre-video teaser questions for pupils: 1) Which musical element is this choir trying to explore with their body percussion introduction (Answer: Timbre)? 2) In the song itself, what patterns do you see? What skeleton does it have (Answer: Verse-chorus, or an approximate ABAB)?
• Pupils watch this MTV by Perpetuum Jazzile, featuring a choreographed body percussion prelude to Toto's 'Africa', and answer teacher's questions at the end.

Dua Mata Saya

•  Teacher does each action in accordance to each body part description in steady beat while reciting the following: 

I have two eyes,
I have one nose.
I have two feet,
To wear new shoes.

I have two ears,
One left, one right.
I have one mouth,

That eats and eats!

• Pupils watch video below once, repeating the actions they have learnt: 

 

• Pupils now sing along to the Malay words while doing the actions:

Dua mata saya,

Hidung saya satu.

Dua kaki saya,

Pakai sepatu baru.

Dua kuping saya,

Yang kiri dan kanan.

Satu mulut saya,

Tidak berhenti makan!

• Teacher and pupils figure out the phrases of the song. If pupils are receptive, teacher can introduce this song as a Malay poem, or a pantun (in ABAB form based on rhyme scheme).
• Groupwork: Pupils figure out the structure of the song by dividing their group into smaller groups of A and B to sing. After five minutes, they are to perform. Teacher can flash the lyrics of the song for groups' convenience, throughout this process.
• Chinese version: Pupils watch a teaser video of the song sung in two different languages, Malay and Chinese, if time permits:

(From http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=yzU-7g6P9Sg)

Weeks 9 & 10

FINISH, STRENGTHEN, RECAPITULATE

• Continue lessons that have not been finished (e.g. Tempo lesson)
• Pick hands-on extension activities in previous weeks' lesson plans for strengthening of concepts
• Vary Tepuk Amai-Amai with the different elements of music, for pupils to remember this song in a fun way for Term 2 testing
• Have a jamming session of past weeks' favourites
• Creative groupwork: Pick a favourite song of the class (chosen from past weeks' repertoire). Write different game cards using the elements of music that we have learnt (e.g. tempo, dynamics, pitch, timbre, rhythm). Each group will pick a card and perform the song twice, once in its original form, once in its varied form (e.g. a group that chooses 'tempo' might choose to perform the song faster).
• Videos: Visit http://muse-its.blogspot.sg/p/cool-vids.html for cool and inspirational videos involving pitch (first video, featuring Nick Pitera doing a one-man Disney movie with male and female voices), timbre (body percussion and second last video titled 'Cello Timbres') - and more!
• Other ideas that come to mind :)