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Fifth Grade General Music
Supplies Needed:
Folder and Notebook
First Trimester: We begin this year learning about instrument families. We will spend time learning in-depth information regarding the brass, percussion, woodwind, and string families. There will be an assessment at the end of this unit.
Here is some of the information and vocabulary that the students need to know for their assessment:
Brass
Brass family instruments from highest pitch to lowest pitch: Trumpet, French Horn, Trombone, Tuba
Characteristics of the brass family: Bell, Mouthpiece, Brassy colored tubing
How a brass instrument makes sound: We create a buzzing sound with our lips that make vibration. This vibration travels through the tubing and comes out of the bell as sound.
How does a trombone change pitch? With the use of a slide.
How does a trumpet, french horn, and tuba change pitch? With the use of valves and by tightening or loosening a players lips for breath control.
Percussion
What kind of percussion instruments are used in an orchestra? Snare drum, Bass drum, Timpani
How do you play percussion instruments? Hitting, Shaking, Scraping
What kind of instruments are considered to be pitched-percussive instruments? timpani, xylophone, marimba, glockenspiel, vibraphone, chimes, celesta, piano
What instruments use mallets to play? Chimes, bass drum, marimba, xylophone, timpani, glockenspiel, vibraphone, snare drum, guiro, wood block, temple blocks, etc.
What is the difference between a vibraphone and a xylophone? Xylophone bars are made out of wood and vibraphone bars are made out of metal. A vibraphone has resonator tubes underneath of the bars and a xylophone does not.
What does the pedal do on a timpani? When you push a pedal on a timpani, it changes the pitch. The pedal, when pressed, makes the head of the drum tighter which makes the pitch higher.
Here is some of the information and vocabulary that the students need to know for their assessment:
Brass
Brass family instruments from highest pitch to lowest pitch: Trumpet, French Horn, Trombone, Tuba
Characteristics of the brass family: Bell, Mouthpiece, Brassy colored tubing
How a brass instrument makes sound: We create a buzzing sound with our lips that make vibration. This vibration travels through the tubing and comes out of the bell as sound.
How does a trombone change pitch? With the use of a slide.
How does a trumpet, french horn, and tuba change pitch? With the use of valves and by tightening or loosening a players lips for breath control.
Percussion
What kind of percussion instruments are used in an orchestra? Snare drum, Bass drum, Timpani
How do you play percussion instruments? Hitting, Shaking, Scraping
What kind of instruments are considered to be pitched-percussive instruments? timpani, xylophone, marimba, glockenspiel, vibraphone, chimes, celesta, piano
What instruments use mallets to play? Chimes, bass drum, marimba, xylophone, timpani, glockenspiel, vibraphone, snare drum, guiro, wood block, temple blocks, etc.
What is the difference between a vibraphone and a xylophone? Xylophone bars are made out of wood and vibraphone bars are made out of metal. A vibraphone has resonator tubes underneath of the bars and a xylophone does not.
What does the pedal do on a timpani? When you push a pedal on a timpani, it changes the pitch. The pedal, when pressed, makes the head of the drum tighter which makes the pitch higher.
- Project; Xylophone composition! Students will work in groups to compose a four measure musical composition. They will come up with rhythm values, a melody, and learn to work together in preparation for performance. This will take a total of three weeks.
Woodwind:
1. Name the woodwind instruments from highest to lowest: Piccolo, Flute, Clarinet, Oboe, Bassoon
2. Why is a saxophone considered to be a woodwind? It has a reed
3. What is a reed? A small piece of wood or bamboo attached to the mouthpiece of a woodwind instrument.
4. Which members of the woodwind family do not use reeds? Flute and piccolo
5. How do you change the pitch of a woodwind instrument? By covering the holes/valves along the column of the instrument
Strings:
1. List the strings from small large: Violin, Viola, Cello, Double Bass, Harp
2. What is the difference between the violin and the viola? The violin is smaller than the viola. The violin also plays a higher range than the viola. The violin has thinner strings while the viola has thicker strings. Typically, the violin plays melody and the viola plays harmony. The violin has a very bright and nasal sound while the viola has more of a mellow sound.
3. What does pizzicato mean? To pluck the strings with your fingers.
Second Trimester: Cultural Music
Emotional Music:
1. How does music create imagery?
2. What kind of music can you make from looking at a painting?
3. How are sound effects made?
Music from our World:
Music of Latin America and Africa
Music of Asia
Music of India
Aboriginal Music
Music of Australia
Bucket Drumming
This year we will be spending time learning all about bucket drumming! This is a new unit and will be updated as the year progresses.
Emotional Music:
1. How does music create imagery?
2. What kind of music can you make from looking at a painting?
3. How are sound effects made?
Music from our World:
Music of Latin America and Africa
Music of Asia
Music of India
Aboriginal Music
Music of Australia
Bucket Drumming
This year we will be spending time learning all about bucket drumming! This is a new unit and will be updated as the year progresses.
Third Trimester: Listening
Throughout the entire third trimester, we will be focusing on listening. It is my hope that students become better listeners when they turn on the radio or go to a concert. It is important to not only say if they like or dislike a song but WHY they like or dislike it.
Topics will include: genre (style), dynamics (loud or soft), tempo (fast or slow), tonality (major or minor), mood (feeling), instrumentation (what instruments they hear), personal opinion (why or why not), pitch (a certain instrument or voice is high or low), rhythm(steady or swing beat), and song meaning (what it is about, with or without lyrics).
Throughout the entire third trimester, we will be focusing on listening. It is my hope that students become better listeners when they turn on the radio or go to a concert. It is important to not only say if they like or dislike a song but WHY they like or dislike it.
Topics will include: genre (style), dynamics (loud or soft), tempo (fast or slow), tonality (major or minor), mood (feeling), instrumentation (what instruments they hear), personal opinion (why or why not), pitch (a certain instrument or voice is high or low), rhythm(steady or swing beat), and song meaning (what it is about, with or without lyrics).