Teachers Role in the Creative Process [Using OMEA lesson plans & Incorporating Indigenous Educat...

1. How can we include indigenous education in teaching music?

1.1. Discuss traditional instruments

1.2. Discuss Pow wows

1.3. throat singing? Explore

2. Link to indigenous recordings and sounds: Replace songs on OMEA pre planned lessons with samples

3. The creative process

3.1. Teachers Role

3.2. Students Role

4. Allow room for creativity, freedom, experimentation and play

5. As a facilitator of student learning it is important to ask questions. Questions may come up in the moment or may be pre planned as some of the teacher prompts that are available on formatted lessons such as: "What different sounds did we make with our bodies? What other sounds can you create with your partner? What element of music are we learning about? (timbre) How many of you have been caught in a rainstorm? How can you describe rain?

6. Plan the next steps / extension activities, example: Extension: Have students create different combinations of body percussion with a partner and incorporate them into an activity, e.g. stomp, clap, snap, partner hands touch"

7. Rainstorm Activity Create dynamic sounds of rain using body percussion, e.g. light rain-rub hands together, heavy rain-clap hands. Create at least four dynamic levels of rain ranging from light (soft) to heavy (loud). Post this list, with the sounds and the dynamic levels marked, e.g. piano/forte. Discuss how a crescendo is created when performing the dynamic levels from soft to loud and a decrescendo if performed loud to soft. . Have students seated in a circle. Teacher begins creating the light rain sound - piano/soft, choosing the softest sound on the students’ list, e.g. rubbing thumb and two fingers together. Have students, one at a time, ‘pass the sound’ around the circle: the student on one side of the teacher begins the sound, then the next student adds by playing the sound, not stopping until the teacher ‘passes’ them the next sound from the list of dynamic levels, e.g. tapping palm of hand. Continue the process through all four levels. After the downpour sound has been created in the circle, perform the sounds in reverse order, back to the light rain effect. End with two seconds of silence for effect.

7.1. Teacher Prompts: How does the change in dynamics affect the rainstorm soundscape? What musical term means: gradually getting louder? When did you hear a crescendo? A decrescendo? Can someone draw the signs for crescendo and decrescendo on the board? How can you show them with your arms?

8. Challenging and inspiring Teacher: introduces initial idea, challenges, asks questions, models, establish exceptions etc. Asking open ended questions allows for creativity to flow - giving multiple entry points and opportunity for more than one answer to be successful is important in fostering creativity through out the creative process

9. Initial reactions - describe - help students come up with new words to describe their experience and view points

10. Consider cultural context - create a focus on specific contexts to make cross curricular links and external connections

11. Provide descriptive and constructive feedback

12. Learning goals: Learning Goals: At the end of this lesson, students will be able to say: At the end of this lesson I can: · use my voice in different ways; · use my voice and body percussion to create a soundscape that would sound like a rainstorm; · make sounds with body percussion and include dynamics to effectively create a particular mood; · describe what timbre means; · describe what dynamics means; and explain how timbre and dynamics can help create mood in a piece of music.

13. Ensure assessment is ongoing and decide how progress will be tracked - How will you know when students have been successful

14. ASK QUESTIONS: "In what way did you hear the sound of falling rain in this song? (so-mi–do; falling pitches). What must you remember so that you can produce a good singing voice / a good speaking voice? What is the difference between singing and speaking voices? When singing back the lines of the song, what strategies did you use to match the rhythms and the pitches? e.g., attentive listening, singing back softly, keeping a steady beat Which of our senses are we using? e.g., hearing (listen/echo sing), seeing (tracking words)"

15. The creative process

16. Unit selected: "Going Green"

16.1. Lesson Selected: Drip Drop Splash

16.1.1. Title: Drip, Drop, Splash! Lesson #1 A Lesson on Timbre, Dynamics and Mood

16.2. “This unit focuses on a variety of rhythm-based activities using environmental issues as subjects for texts. Through these activities, students are provided with many opportunities to create, perform, listen, reflect and respond. (Critical Learning)”

16.3. I chose this unit of lessons because I felt that environmental issues are very important to discuss in learning and I am interested to see how connections can be made through teaching music. I also feel that environmental topics and sounds of nature can easily be linked to indigenous conversations of culture and further studies through age appropriate context.

17. Teacher: uses curriculum expectations to guide teaching. Clearly outline expectations, learning goals and success criteria when planning lessons.

17.1. Example from this lesson of curriculum links: Curriculum Expectations: C1 Creating and Performing: apply the creative process to create and perform music in a variety of purposes, using the elements and techniques of music; C1.1 sing, in tune, unison songs, partner songs, and rounds, and/or play accompaniments from a wide variety of cultures, styles, and historical periods; C1.2 apply the elements of music when singing, playing an instrument, and moving; and C1.4 use the tools and techniques of musicianship in musical performances. C2 Reflecting, Responding, and Analyzing: apply the critical analysis process to communicate their feelings, ideas, understandings in response to a variety of music and musical experiences; C2.2 describe ways in which the elements of music are used in the music they perform, listen to, and create.

18. Exploring expression and dynamics in music. Engagement - selecting a poem to be chanted and ask students about the expression. Teacher role: be expressive, engaging and model high, low, loud, quiet etc.

18.1. What were the ways that I made my voice expressive? (e.g. loud/soft, high/low, detached/smooth) Have students clap the beat and echo the poem, line-by-line. Repeat until the poem is well-known and students can perform it accurately in unison, with expressive voices, while clapping the beat.

19. Students clap the beat and echo the poem, line-by-line. - Students learn by doing, repeating and free inquiry. Allow time for fun in classroom learning

19.1. Add movement: Movement/Body Percussion Activity Have students walk to the beat around the room chanting the poem with expression. Have students follow the beat chart and perform the given movements (body percussion) with a partner while maintaining the beat.

19.2. Discuss differences of beat vs rhythm

20. Imaging/Generating: listen and observe! Let students bring forth their own ideas - provide choice

21. Planning / focusing - help students narrow down work so that it is achievable and meets the success criteria

22. Articulate interpretations