Lesson Overview:

This lesson explores the power of music to personify a character. Students explore composer David Maddox's music from The Nightingale. Then, as a class, students create an original composition that personifies the nightingale. Students are then asked to select a character from texts provided and to compose an individual composition that represents that character.

Length of Lesson:

Two 45-minute periods

Instructional Objectives:

Students will:

• create an individual composition that represents the traits of a character in a story, following the guidelines provided for composition.
• make connections between the musical elements in a composition and the character traits that they represent.
• participate in the compositional process of trial and error.
• read a variety of fairy tales and fables and select a character from the stories provided that will be represented in their musical composition.
• personify in musical compositions the character traits identified in the story.

Instructional Plan:

Warm Up

As a class, listen to the nightingale's song in the soundtrack recording of Nightingale composed by David Maddox. (Track 4, length: 2:09). Discuss the composer's use of rhythm, voice(s), pitch, dynamics, tempo, and any other student-raised musical traits that the class believes personifies the character of the nightingale.

Introductory Activity

As a class, review the following musical composition terms and symbols:

• treble clef
• the letter names of lines and spaces in treble clef
• quarter note
• pairs of eighth notes
• half note
• 4/4 time signature

Students should note these terms and symbols on the available staff paper.

(For a useful interactive review of the musical staff, clefs, and notes, see the lesson entitled Staff, Clef, Ledger Lines at Musictheory.net.)

Guided Practice Activity 1

Note to the Music Teacher:

You may wish to set up the melodic percussive instrument so that the notes available are limited. For beginning composition students, you may wish to leave notes available that span the interval of a sixth, allowing students three options to create the interval of a fourth. For more advanced students, you can leave more options available. It is best to set up the instrument so that "C" is the lowest note available.

Note to the Non-Music Teacher:

If you have limited musical experience, you may wish to consult with your school's music teacher as you prepare the lesson. When leading the class in composing an original piece, you may wish to set up the melodic percussive instrument so that the notes available are limited. For beginning composition students, you may wish to leave six bars or bells available, in a row. The best note to have at the far left would be a "C." Students will be asked to compose using the interval of a fourth. This simply means that when they play two notes at the same time, there should be two bars or bells in between those notes. If you count the bottom note of the interval, the two notes in between, and the top note in the interval, you will have four—thus a harmonic fourth. If there are six bars or bells available, then the composer will have three options to create a fourth. For more advanced students, you may leave more options available.

Tell the class that it will work together to create a group composition that personifies the character of the nightingale. Give the students the following guidelines:

The composition should be four measures long, in the 4/4 time signature. It should use harmonic fourths and the following note values: quarter note, pairs of eighth notes, and half notes.

Ask for volunteers to write the composition on the blackboard as the class composes it. A different student should notate each measure on the board. All students should be notating the composition on the staff paper provided.

Remind the students that "trial and error" is an important part of the process of musical composition. If the composition needs to be altered to make the music flow or to better connect with the traits of the character, then the class must be willing to change a part for the good of the whole.

Guided Practice Activity 2

As a class, the teacher or a student should read a teacher-chosen fairy tale or fable out-loud. One character from the story should be chosen, and the traits of the character should be listed on the board. The list of character traits should be reviewed, and musical traits should be compared.

An example might be the "Tortoise and the Hare":

Tortoise: slow, consistent, plodding
Hare: quick, inconsistent, arrogant

Tortoise: slow tempo, repetitive notes, notes with long durations (half notes)
Hare: fast tempo, irregular rhythm, forte (loud) dynamics

Independent Practice

Students should read at least three to five fairy tales or fables in order to find the character they wish to personify through musical composition. Students should keep short notes regarding each story and the character in each story that catches his/her interest. Once the character has been chosen, the student should list his/her character's traits. Students should create a list of musical traits that could be used to personify their chosen characters in composition.

Pair and Share or Check by Instructor

Students should share the results of these trait lists with other students or with you at this time. The student examining the work of another is simply reading to see if the connection seems natural.

Independent Practice

Students should begin their personal musical compositions. These compositions should be melodic, meaning that only one note should be played at a time. The guidelines for this composition are listed on the accompanying Composition Guidelines. Students must remember that music composition is a process. The composition will probably need to be altered many times before the product is complete.

Assessment:

Evaluate students on the degree to which they meet the following criteria:

• demonstrated the ability to create an individual composition that represented the traits of character in a story, by following the guidelines provided for composition.
• demonstrated an understanding of the relationship between the musical elements and the traits of the storybook character, through composition.
• demonstrated an appreciation for the compositional process of trial and error, as they worked to create their individual compositions.
• demonstrated the ability to read a variety of fairy tales and fables by taking appropriate notes and selecting a character from the stories provided that was represented in their composition.
• demonstrated an understanding of the character traits identified in the story by attempting to personify those traits in their composition.
• demonstrated an appreciation for the connection between character traits and the traits of a musical composition by completing the composition process, following the composition guidelines.

Extensions:

A musical tribute can be written to honor anything or anyone. This process could be used with another story character, a friend, a teacher, a family member, etc. Students should always list character traits of the subject and parallel musical traits before the compositional process begins.

Sources:

Print:

• Aesop, The Aesop for Children. New York: Checkerboard Press, 1947.

  Andersen, H./ Zwerger, Lisbeth. Hans Christian Andersen’s Fairy Tales. New York: North South Books, 2001, c1991.

• Andersen, H./ Gennadi. Little Mermaids and Ugly Ducklings. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2001.

• Andersen, H / E. Hauggard. Hans Christian Andersen: The Complete Fairy Tales and Stories. New York: Anchor Books / Double Day, 1974.

• Jacobs, J. The Fables of Aesop. New York: The MacMillan Company, 1967.

• Pinkney, J. Aesop’s Fables. New York: Sea Star Books, 2000.

Media:

• Maddox, David. Nightingale. Willie Bell Music. Audio CD. [This recording is available from Willie Bell Music at 1630 Euclid St., NW; Suite 131; Washington, D.C.; 20009. Call 202-232-6625 or see http://www.davidmaddox.com for more information.]

Authors:

• Leslie Thomas, Teacher
  Thomas Pullen Arts Magnet School
  Landover, MD