Variations on a Theme "Hot Cross Buns"

Variations on a Theme "Hot Cross Buns" By JUNE RIGDEN

LEARNING OUTCOMES • Students learn to use Noteworthy • Students demonstrate understanding of note values and pitches • Students create their own composition and write it down • Students analyze variations and use such techniques

RHYTHMIC PREPARATION • Students practice rhythms through various songs, improvising within basic time signatures. • Students understand the values of quarter, half, and eighth notes, and how to group these together into bars in common time.

FORM PREPARATION • Class listens to Mozart’s Theme and Variations on “Ah, vous dirais-je maman” and describes a theme and its variation. • Class draws a basic shape, such as a star or circle and makes the variation shape similar, yet different in a way that reflects the musical change.

NOTATION PREPARATION • Students are given a printed copy of Hot Cross Buns in the key of G Major. • Students are shown how to enter time and key signatures, quarter, half and eighth notes, and bar lines in Noteworthy composer (or similar program). • Students experiment with the program by entering the song as written, playing it back, and printing it off.

VARIATIONS • Students look at, play on recorder or sing, and analyze the given variation, (as seen on the handout from Music and You 6 for recorder). • Students decide on a technique for creating their own variation and write it down on their given handout. • As they finish their hand-written variation, they begin to enter it using Noteworthy to the CIVIC site

CIVIC FEEDBACK • During playback, students listen to their own compositions, receive feedback from peers and the teacher, and create a version that they think is ready for upload to Acadia’s CIVIC site. • Teacher does a final check – for number of beats in a bar and other such editing.

UPLOADING PROCEDURES • A sample of the CIVIC site uploading page can be done together with the class using an lcd projector. • Students practice filling out the “form” for uploading, using a sample page. Once hand-done, students are ready if their composition is. • Teacher logs onto CIVIC site, student fills in the form on-line, teacher checks it, and the composition is submitted.

Scheduling Access to Computers Once all students have had a turn “writing” the theme using the computer and printing it out as proof for evaluation purposes, then students are scheduled onto computers as they complete their hand-written version. They are permitted to edit and change it while at the computer.

It seems important for all students to get a turn to create their own composition, while at the same time, allowing for revisions as feedback from CIVIC is received. For instance, half could be working on their new composition, while the others do revisions. Those waiting for feedback could become mentors to those with less experience using Noteworthy. Ongoing Scheduling

EVALUATION Collect student compositions in a form of portfolio (computerized or in a binder). Provide such tools as checklists or rubrics for teacher and students themselves to evaluate such things as: • Mastery of note-writing program • Ability to organize quarter, eighth, and half notes into bars of music • Understanding of theme and variations • Creativity and originality • Focus on task at hand

Current Status & Afterthoughts • All students finally got, by the end of the year, to create a variation, although some found it easier to work with a partner. (Some preferred to work alone.) • About half of the class got feedback, but it was hard to get them time to work on revisions, as we needed to get other students onto the computers, too, not to mention do other things. • Not all seemed to want to change their pieces. They would rather write a new one. • Some were defensive about any criticism, no matter how well-meant. It is extremely important to be positive and helpful when we respond. • I would have liked to use the program with other classes as well.

Related Documents • View samples of the Themes and Variations submitted to CIVIC from Portland Estates. • Examples: Note the originality of even the titles. • http://civic.acadiau.ca/

Variations on a Theme "Hot Cross Buns"