Experience Design: Second Home

Designer: James Carroll

Summary/Overview: In this experience students will learn the basics of writing a song.
Students will ponder the question “what is music?” and identify various elements (chorus, verse,
bridge, bass, melody, harmony, rhythm, percussion, etc.) used to create a song. We will then
use this list of components to create our own composition, as a class and/or in small groups.
Within these parameters, students will decide on the process they take to create their songs.
They may choose what order to create the parts and are free to create any style of music they
desire. After creating their song, students will have the opportunity to perform it and record their
work. We will use the question “what is music?” as a basis to discuss what elements make
music enjoyable and how ideas can be expressed through music.

Rationale: This experience will introduce students to some basic principles of music
composition through an informal and exploratory project. This method allows students to choose
where they start, where they finish, and how they get there through the songwriting process. It
also encourages students to draw from their personal backgrounds in music, helping them grow
as musicians while allowing them to expand on individual skills and ideas. Furthermore, it helps
students engage empathetically to exchange ideas and address challenges together.

Standards:
 (5.3.2&3) The student will play a variety of pitched and nonpitched instruments alone
and with others including playing melodies and accompaniments of increasing difficulty;
and playing with expression.
 (5.6.1&2) The student will create music by improvising melodies and rhythms of
increasing complexity; and composing a short original composition within specified
guidelines.
 (5.11.2&3) The student will analyze music by experimenting with the science of sound;
and analyzing elements of music through listening and using music terminology.
 (5.14) The student will collaborate with others to create a musical presentation and
acknowledge individual contributions as an integral part of the whole.
 (6.2.3) The student will perform a varied repertoire of music, including singing or playing
music in unison and simple harmony.
 (MIB.14) The student will begin to use articulations, dynamic contrasts, and phrasing as
a means of expression.
 (MIB.20.2) The student will analyze and evaluate music by describing and interpreting
works of music using inquiry skills and music terminology.
 (MIB.21.1-3) The student will investigate aesthetic concepts related to music by
o proposing a definition of music and supporting that definition;
o identifying reasons from preferences among works of music, using music
terminology;
o identifying ways in which music evokes sensory, emotional, and intellectual
responses, including ways in which music can be persuasive
  This project incorporates all aspects of the National Core Arts Anchor Standards for
creating:
o Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work
o Organize and develop artistic ideas and work
o Refine and complete artistic work

I Can Statements:
 I can create a verse of rap within a specified number of syllables, to fit with a
predetermined beat.
 I can identity different parts that make up a song.
 I can compose a four-measure melody with multiple pitches and rhythms.
 I can use dynamic contrast and musical phrasing to express an idea, image, or mood.
 I can interpret and describe how different elements contribute to music using my music
vocabulary, through personal investigation.
 I can give a definition of music and support it with examples.
 I can use my music vocabulary to indicate and describe what I enjoy among works of
music.
 I can identify examples and experiences in which music causes a sensory, emotional,
and intellectual responses.

Materials and Visual Aids:

 Boomwhackers
 Colored expo markers
 iPads with GarageBand

Detailed Process:
Day 1
1. When students arrive, they will hear a beat playing quietly in the background and find a
flash card with an example word separated into syllables.
 Directions on the board will prompt students to create 1-2 lines of rap that fit with
the beat playing in the background. They can choose any theme for their words,
but the theme “what did you do over break?” will be provided as a starting point.
 Once everyone in the class has a chance to work on the opening endeavor,
students will have the opportunity to share their creations.
2. Next, I will ask the class to stand in a circle and distribute diatonic boomwhackers so that
the pitches ascend around the circle.
 I will then indicate who has the starting pitch for Jingle Bells and ask the students
to collaborate and experiment to play the rest of the song. I will help facilitate by
asking question like “is the next pitch higher or lower?” and “is the next pitch
close to or far away from the previous?”
 Once the students are comfortable playing the song together, we will rotate the
boomwhackers and see if we can recreate it with a different person on each
pitch.
  Finally, we will discuss ways this melody is effective and ideas we could
introduce to make it more effective or interesting. I will list these factors on the
board.
3. For the rest of class, the students will use the elements of effective melody they decided
on to create their own melody together.
 I will begin by introducing a game. The students can play their boomwhackers
whenever they want to, but only one person at a time. I will encourage them to
observe what is happening around them and come in when they think the music
calls for it.
 After this we will discuss times when the melody sounded good, times when it
sounded more random, and what factors led to this effect. I will list these factors
on the board.
 We will end class by playing the game again, trying to incorporate all of the
elements they decided on to create an effective melody.

Day 2
1. As students enter the classroom, the question “What is music?” will be written on the
board. Students will receive a sheet of paper with the same question and directions
asking them to write a one or two sentence answer.
 Five minutes into class, I will open the floor by asking students to share their
definitions of music. I will write the main idea from each student’s definition to a
list on the board.
 I will then facilitate discussion about details and examples in music that reflect
the individual and communal definitions on the board.
2. I will then introduce the class to GarageBand and split students into groups of 2-3
students.
 The groups will be given iPads opened to the beat making section of
GarageBand and I will instruct them to experiment with the different sounds to
come up with a measure long beat. Once groups are happy with the beat they
made, I will show them how to record it and add it to their their compositions.
 As groups finish their beats, I will introduce them to the other instruments
available in GarageBand and ask them to create a melody or bass line. I will also
encourage students to explore the program and decide on the type of sounds
they want to use in their music.
 When students finish their additions, I will show them how to record the new
material and add it to their song.
3. At the end of class, all the groups will save their compositions in GarageBand and then
have the opportunity to share their progress and explain their intent for the music they
made.

Day 3
1. When students arrive they will reform their groups and open their song in GarageBand to
continue working on their bass lines and melodies. I will then ask them to consider how
they want their song to progress. I will ask questions like “is there a first part and a
 second part?” and “do all of the instruments enter together or do they come in
separately?”
 Once students have their beat and one other element complete, I will show
where they can adjust each part to organize their composition.
 Students will then have a chance to continue expanding on their music, adding
as many elements as they desire.
2. Near the end of class, all the groups will describe the effect they were trying to convey in
their composition and share their completed work with the class. All the compositions will
be saved on the iPads for them to keep at the after-school program.

Assessment:
 Over the course of this project, I will informally assess students’ progress composing
and conceptualizing their music. I will ask questions regarding musical decisions to
assess students’ ability to make connections with their musical intent. I will also listen to
the groups creations as they progress to assess their comprehension of how different
elements of music fit together. During this time, I will give suggestions concerning
musical form and vocabulary, and assist students as needed.
 At the end of the experience I will assess the students group compositions using a rubric
that focuses on melody creation, accompaniment creation, form, attention to parameters,
and creative musicality.

Extensions: Students who progress quickly could move on to create a B section. This will
challenge them to think about form and contrast in their piece. Furthermore, they will need to
consider transitions and flow when deciding how one section will relate to another.

Adaptations:
 Size:
o Students who have trouble holding heavy materials will be given the smaller
boomwhackers to help them participate. A short table will also be available for
them to place their iPad on as the work with GarageBand.
o Students who require larger, more tactile objects to hold will be provided with
larger boomwhackers and an attachable handle to work with the iPad.
 Color:
o Boomwhackers come in a variety of colors, each one identifying a different pitch.
o In GarageBand, each instrument is identified with a different color as students
add new elements to their composition.
 Pacing:
o To help with pacing, the two days working in GarageBand could be broken down
to focus on the fundamental elements. This experience is designed to allow
student to progress at their own pace. On the second day, students may focus on
experimenting with the beat maker and spend more time creating this individual
part of their work. With a better foundation, students could then spend the last
day creating either a bassline or melody. This will give them more time to focus
 on the main two elements necessary for their song, helping them to create a
complete composition.
 Modality: (learning styles: kinesthetic, aural, cognitive)
o Kinesthetic learners may want to raise or lower their arms to practice the
changes in direction of a musical line.
o Aural learners may benefit from singing their parts or playing with a drone.
o To help cognitive learners, we could start with the boomwhackers out of order
and experiment to find the highest and lowest pitches, and then the ascending
pitches between those two. This allows the student to compare the pitches and
discover each notes place amongst the others.

Winding:

 Back:
o I can compose a two-measure melody with one or more pitches and rhythms.
o I can match relative volume with other members of the group.
o I can use dynamics express an idea, image, or mood.
o I can interpret and describe how different elements contribute.
o I can give a definition of music.
o I can indicate and describe what I enjoy among works of music.
o I can identify when music causes a sensory, emotional, and intellectual
responses.
 Forward:
o I can compose a four-measure melody and a contrasting B section with multiple
pitches and rhythms.
o I can match volume, articulation, and sound quality with other members of the
group through stylistic changes.
o I can use dynamic contrasts, and musical phrasing to express an idea, image, or
mood and can explain how using my musical vocabulary.
o I can interpret and describe how different elements contribute to musical style
and meaning using my music vocabulary, through personal investigation.
o I can give a definition of music and support it with details and examples.
o I can use my music vocabulary to indicate and describe what I enjoy and what I
might change among works of music.
o I can identify examples and experiences in which music causes a sensory,
emotional, and intellectual responses and give details why.