The Weather Song

Goals:

1. SWBATperform the Weather Song with proper mallet technique and

by reading written notation.
2. SWBATdefine and implement melodic ostinatos in creating a new
section of the piece.
3. SWBATanalyze and label the form of the Weather Song.

Standards:

1.1.8.B.2 Compare and contrast the use of structural forms and the
manipulation of the elements of music in diverse styles and genres of
musical compositions.
1.3.8.B.1 Perform instrumental or vocal composition using complex
standard and non-standard Western, non-Western, and avant-garde
notation.
1.3.8.B.2 Perform independently and in groups with expressive
qualities appropriately aligned with the stylistic characteristics of the
genre.
1.4.8.A.7 Analyze the form, function, craftsmanship, and originality of
representative works of dance, music, theatre, and visual art.

Materials:
Weather Song ppt
Xylophones and mallets
Tambourine
Glockenspiel and mallets
Procedure:

1. Introduction
a. What did everyone think of the cold weather we got? (Snow
day/two-hour delay reference if applicable)
2. Teach melody
a. Speak and clap words in rhythm
b. Teach melody repeat after me style
c. Sing entire chorus until known and from memory
3. Add Bass Line
a. Clap rhythm (top line)
b. Play on instruments
c. Can anyone think up words to help us remember this rhythm?
d. Clap rhythm (second line)
e. What do you notice about the notes in the first two measures?
EBE

i. Alternating hands
f. Play entire bass line together
g. Bass Xylophones play bass line while the rest of the class sings
and claps melody
4. Add Xylophones
a. Assign notes E, G, and B evenly
i. Does anyone know what these three notes form? A
chord, more specifically a triad starting on the tonic (home
note key of e minor, remember?)
b. Play your note in rhythm with the melody wherever the melody is
outlined in the blue box MAKE SURE YOURE STILL SINGING THE
MELODY WHILE PLAYING!
c. Play chorus with sung melody, bass line, and xylophones
5. Add Glockenspiel
a. Select 1-2 students to play Glockenspiels
b. Everyone else can learn the glockenspiel part on their own
instrument for now so everyone knows it.
c. Can we think of some phrases or words for the glockenspiel
part?
d. Play chorus with everything up to this point
6. Add tambourine
a. Alright, we have one more part to this section of the song I
need one person to play the tambourine.
b. Everyone clap the tambourine rhythm together
c. Student plays on the tambourine while everyone else claps
d. Play entire chorus
So theres our first section well call it the A section. Were going to create
a new section off of some stereotypes of attitudes towards weather, which
Im sure some if not all of you will be familiar with.
7. Learn weather-man ostinato
a. Lets speak and clap this line
b. Can you read what it says underneath? Nasal sounding. Can
you make it sound nice and nasally and ugly?
c. Assign 3 Bass Xylophones to this part
8. Learn Facebook ostinato
a. Lets speak and clap this one has a lot more words so watch
out!
b. What does it say under this one? Gossipy. Can I hear what that
sounds like? Be extra dramatic!
c. Assign 3 Xylophones
d. Combine weather-man ostinato and Facebook ostinato
i. Bass xylophones play weather-man while everyone else
plays or claps Facebook ostinato
9. Learn Cancun ostinato

10.

a. Speak and clap

b. Now we all know those people who escape the cold, right? And
they are very happy about it so put some energy into this one!
Were going to play this one with the glockenspiels because its
nice and bright.
c. Combine three ostinatos
i. Start with Weather-man after one statement
Facebook enters and after that first statement Cancun
enters
ii. Keep going until I cut you off if you get lost, pause for a
second and listen to pick it back up
1. Mistakes are fine and supported, but giving up is not
acceptable
Learn Angry-Cat ostinato
a. Speak and clap
b. You all know what Im going to say at this point. Make it
dramatic. What do we see under the third measure? A crescendo
so do it!
c. Final xylophones and tambourine assigned
d. Lets hear what our entire section sounds like
i. Staggered entrances
ii. How many times do we want to repeat our ostinatos once
they are all in?
iii. Reiterate the format of the verse what are we
deciding when we are choosing how many times to repeat
things? Form! What is form?

So if we called the first section A, and this one is completely different lets
call it B. What do you think we should do after section B? Return to A! So
what can we label the form of this piece? A-B-A or what we call ternary form.
Its one of the most common structures for songs.
11.
12.

Final Performance
a. Perform entire piece
If-time
a. Play around with the order of the vocal ostinatos and see if there
is another order that students like best. Why or why not?

Closing:
Return all mallets and instruments to their rightful place and talk to your
neighbor about something you learned today.
Students share with the class their answers.
Terminology review:

A pentatonic scale has.5 notes

E, G, and B form what in the key of E? Triad/chord
An ostinato isa continually repeated musical phrase or rhythm
Form isthe structure of a piece of music
A-B-A is also known asternary form