Lesson Overview:

In this lesson, students learn about the ability of music to convey elements of storytelling, such as plot, tone, and characterization. Students participate in an interactive listening activity, responding to musical clips from the score to The Nightingale, by David Maddox.

Length of Lesson:

Two 45-minute sessions

Instructional Objectives:

Students will:

• listen to the soundtrack, and draw conclusions based on the musical elements used by the composer.
• understand that instrumentation, dynamics, tempo, and other musical elements can provide the listener with a personal vision of the story.
• appreciate the use of the musical elements by the composer to illustrate actions, settings, characters, emotions, and other story details.
• respond to the questions, using complete sentences, proper grammar, and accurate spelling.
• understand that while many of these questions have no wrong or right answer, they must be answered in a clear and concise manner.
• appreciate the process of transferring the listening experience to a written format.

Instructional Plan:

Warm Up

As a class, brainstorm a list of musical components that a listener could find in any musical excerpt. Feel free to list examples of the elements, such as dynamics (forte, piano, mezzo forte, mezzo piano, etc.), instrumentation, tempo (allegro, andante, largo, etc.).

Introductory Activity

As a class, discuss how music can affect the listener's emotions. Address both the use of the musical elements within an instrumental composition, as well as the function of lyrics in a vocal piece. You may wish to play excerpts from pieces that illustrate contrasts, such as a patriotic march and a peaceful piece like Saint-Saëns’ “The Swan.”

Guided Instruction

Tell students that they will now listen to several selections from a theatrical piece that uses music. Go to the Listening Activity. Listen to the first clip from The Nightingale, by David Maddox. Ask student where they think the story is set. Have students summarize the classroom discussion to formulate an answer, written in full sentences, on another sheet of paper.

Independent Activities

Before teaching this portion of the lesson, arrange for time in the computer lab. If students have limited access to computers, you may wish to assign times for them to complete the activity individually using a classroom computer, or assign the worksheet as homework.

Have students access the Listening Activity. Have students listen to the sound clips and answer the questions on a separate sheet of paper. Remind students to think carefully about the music, develop an opinion, and use the musical terms (i.e. tempo, etc) they have learned. They should answer the questions using complete sentences, proper grammar, and correct spelling.

Students should follow the writing process (pre-write, rough draft, final copy) to complete the essay question at the end of the assignment.

Closure

Have students share their responses to the listening activity. You may wish to listen to the entire soundtrack with the class and discuss the their responses in light of the additional information contained in the narration. Alternatively, you may wish to have students read "The Nightingale" by Hans Christian Andersen (on which the musical is based), and compare their interpretation of the story with their responses to the music. (For example, how accurate was their vision of the emperor's palace? Were they able to determine that the nightingale flew away at the end of the concert? Did they know that the nightingale would defeat the wind of death?)

Assessment:

Assess the students based upon the following criteria:

ability to listen to the soundtrack, draw conclusions based on the musical elements used by the composer, and answer relevant questions in a clear and concise manner.

level of understanding that instrumentation, dynamics, tempo, and other musical elements can provide the listener a vision of the story by using music vocabulary within their written answers.

demonstrated appreciation for the use of musical elements by the composer to illustrate actions, settings, characters, emotions, and other story details, by completing the written assignment.

ability to respond to the questions, using complete sentences, proper grammar, and accurate spelling, by completing the written assignment.

demonstrated appreciation for the process of transferring the listening experience to a written format.

Extensions:

Many pieces of music provoke a vision for the listener. Another listening assignment could be given where students are free to interpret a musical piece through writing or visual art. Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons” is a wonderful example.

Sources:

Print:

• Andersen, Hans Christian. Hans Christian Andersen’s Fairy Tales. Zwerger, Lisbeth (ed.). New York: North South Books, 2001.
• Andersen, Hans Christian. Little Mermaids and Ugly Ducklings. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2001.
• Andersen, Hans Christian. 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.
• Aesop. The Aesop for Children. New York: Checkerboard Press, 1947.
• 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