by David E. Knauss
Students Learn Harmony Beginning With Small, Calculated Steps. Teaching students (SS) to hear harmonies and vocally produce them is a step-by-step (simple to complex) process of teaching multi-leveled inner hearing (audiation) involving both rhythm and tonal skills. The following seven simple harmonic skill activities focus on small tonal and rhythmic motifs ranging from 2 notes to 1-2 measures. Teaching Harmonic Skills Part 2 progresses into whole phrases and songs.
1. Echo Songs. Step one in singing and learning harmony is teaching students (SS) how to echo sing short melodic motifs with 100% accuracy. An echo song is one in which the teacher (T) sings a short melodic motif and the students echo-sing the same words and pitches. “The Bear Song” is a fine example of an echo song. So also is “Down By The Bay.”
2. Response Songs. A response song is one in which the teacher (T) sings a short melodic motif and the students (SS) respond with different words and different pitches. “Oh, John the Rabbit” is an example of a response song in which the students continually sing, “Oh yes” on the same response pitches.
3. Rhythm Rondos. A rhythm rondo is a rondo form with the SS chanting and clapping each A rhythm while the T performs rhythm patterns for B, C, D, E, and so on. These rhythms are usually 1 or 2 measures in length. When the students achieve competency, T and SS may reverse parts. Contact Dr. Knauss for sample rhythm patterns if you want to try out some on your students.
A = SS: Perform Triple Rhythm #6b
B = T: Performs Triple Rhythm #59
A = SS: Perform Triple Rhythm #6b
C = T: Performs Triple Rhythm #20
A = SS: Perform Triple Rhythm #6b
D = T: Performs Triple Rhythm #48
A = SS: Perform Triple Rhythm #6b
And so on.
4. Rhythm Ostinatos. A rhythm ostinato may be 2 or more rhythmic ostinatos that accompany a poem or nursery rhyme chanted rhythmically. Examples are “Two Cats of Kilkenny” and “Way Down South Where Bananas Grow.”
5. Rhythm Rounds. A rhythm round uses rhythm patterns that are 1 or 2 measures in length. The T performs the rhythms one-after-the-other while SS echo the same 1 measure after the T. The canon performance should go on for 16 or 32 measures. For variety, divide the class into groups and have the groups echo at the interval of 1 measure in canon sequence. For example: (1) T presents initial rhythm and continues for 16 or 32 measures, (2) SS group 1 echo after an interval of one measure, (3) SS group 2 echo, and (4) SS group 3 echo. “Body Percussion Canon” is an example of how overlapping rhythms rhythmically complement each other.
6. Tonal Rondos. A tonal rondo is identical to a rhythm rondo except, instead of chanting and clapping rhythm patterns, tonal patterns are sung and performed with Kodály (Curwen) hand signs. When the students achieve competency, T and SS may reverse parts. Contact Dr. Knauss for sample tonal patterns if you want to try out some on your students.
A = SS: Perform Tonal Pattern #65
B = T: Performs Tonal Pattern #66
A = SS: Perform Tonal Pattern #65
C = T: Performs Tonal Pattern #70
A = SS: Perform Tonal Pattern #65
D = T: Performs Tonal Pattern #69
A = SS: Perform Tonal Pattern #65
And so on.
7. Tonal Ostinatos. A tonal ostinato song is one in which the SS sing a regular melody with text and sing all the melodic Orff instrumental ostinato accompaniment parts using note names as text. A fun example of a tonal ostinato song is “Agalina Hagalina.” (Alter the octave notes in the alto glockenspiel (AG) part to two repeated notes.)
Please feel free to contact me at any time, as often as you please, with any mentoring, music teaching, music curriculum, or classroom management questions.
presently is an adjunct music education professor at Baptist Bible College.
David E. Knauss
Ph.D. in Music Education.
www.classroom-music.info
Dr. Knauss mentors student teachers and regular teachers into teaching excellence. He taught for 3 decades in inner-city public schools, winning over street kids into being like family, became one of the principle curriculum writers for an award-winning, internationally-recognized music department. He retired from public schools, completed a Ph.D. in Music Education, and presently is an adjunct music education professor at Baptist Bible College.
Students Learn Harmony Beginning With Small, Calculated Steps. Teaching students (SS) to hear harmonies and vocally produce them is a step-by-step (simple to complex) process of teaching multi-leveled inner hearing (audiation) involving both rhythm and tonal skills. The following seven simple harmonic skill activities focus on small tonal and rhythmic motifs ranging from 2 notes to 1-2 measures. Teaching Harmonic Skills Part 2 progresses into whole phrases and songs.
1. Echo Songs. Step one in singing and learning harmony is teaching students (SS) how to echo sing short melodic motifs with 100% accuracy. An echo song is one in which the teacher (T) sings a short melodic motif and the students echo-sing the same words and pitches. “The Bear Song” is a fine example of an echo song. So also is “Down By The Bay.”
2. Response Songs. A response song is one in which the teacher (T) sings a short melodic motif and the students (SS) respond with different words and different pitches. “Oh, John the Rabbit” is an example of a response song in which the students continually sing, “Oh yes” on the same response pitches.
3. Rhythm Rondos. A rhythm rondo is a rondo form with the SS chanting and clapping each A rhythm while the T performs rhythm patterns for B, C, D, E, and so on. These rhythms are usually 1 or 2 measures in length. When the students achieve competency, T and SS may reverse parts. Contact Dr. Knauss for sample rhythm patterns if you want to try out some on your students.
A = SS: Perform Triple Rhythm #6b
B = T: Performs Triple Rhythm #59
A = SS: Perform Triple Rhythm #6b
C = T: Performs Triple Rhythm #20
A = SS: Perform Triple Rhythm #6b
D = T: Performs Triple Rhythm #48
A = SS: Perform Triple Rhythm #6b
And so on.
4. Rhythm Ostinatos. A rhythm ostinato may be 2 or more rhythmic ostinatos that accompany a poem or nursery rhyme chanted rhythmically. Examples are “Two Cats of Kilkenny” and “Way Down South Where Bananas Grow.”
5. Rhythm Rounds. A rhythm round uses rhythm patterns that are 1 or 2 measures in length. The T performs the rhythms one-after-the-other while SS echo the same 1 measure after the T. The canon performance should go on for 16 or 32 measures. For variety, divide the class into groups and have the groups echo at the interval of 1 measure in canon sequence. For example: (1) T presents initial rhythm and continues for 16 or 32 measures, (2) SS group 1 echo after an interval of one measure, (3) SS group 2 echo, and (4) SS group 3 echo. “Body Percussion Canon” is an example of how overlapping rhythms rhythmically complement each other.
6. Tonal Rondos. A tonal rondo is identical to a rhythm rondo except, instead of chanting and clapping rhythm patterns, tonal patterns are sung and performed with Kodály (Curwen) hand signs. When the students achieve competency, T and SS may reverse parts. Contact Dr. Knauss for sample tonal patterns if you want to try out some on your students.
A = SS: Perform Tonal Pattern #65
B = T: Performs Tonal Pattern #66
A = SS: Perform Tonal Pattern #65
C = T: Performs Tonal Pattern #70
A = SS: Perform Tonal Pattern #65
D = T: Performs Tonal Pattern #69
A = SS: Perform Tonal Pattern #65
And so on.
7. Tonal Ostinatos. A tonal ostinato song is one in which the SS sing a regular melody with text and sing all the melodic Orff instrumental ostinato accompaniment parts using note names as text. A fun example of a tonal ostinato song is “Agalina Hagalina.” (Alter the octave notes in the alto glockenspiel (AG) part to two repeated notes.)
Please feel free to contact me at any time, as often as you please, with any mentoring, music teaching, music curriculum, or classroom management questions.
presently is an adjunct music education professor at Baptist Bible College.
David E. Knauss
Ph.D. in Music Education.
www.classroom-music.info
Dr. Knauss mentors student teachers and regular teachers into teaching excellence. He taught for 3 decades in inner-city public schools, winning over street kids into being like family, became one of the principle curriculum writers for an award-winning, internationally-recognized music department. He retired from public schools, completed a Ph.D. in Music Education, and presently is an adjunct music education professor at Baptist Bible College.
