Music Unit Planner – Dynamics and Music Appreciation Tutor: Gwen Phillips

Music Unit Planner

UNIT/THEME/TOPIC: Music Appreciation (Carnival of the Animals) and

Dynamics (loud/soft) and Tempo (fast/slow)
BAND: Junior Primary
YEAR LEVEL: 1-2

OVERVIEW OF THE UNIT

Students will develop an understanding of different musical dynamics,
specifically the differences between soft/loud and fast/slow sounds, through
activities that involve listening and moving to Camille Saint-Saëns Carnival of
the Animals, and playing instruments in that style.

CLASS PROFILE:
Students in this particular classroom have done two previous units in music; a
unit focusing on getting students to recognise beat using chants, marches,
clapping games and songs, and a unit on pitch focusing on melody, that
required students to create a song and play it with a partner using two
different instruments. This unit also focused on exploring high and low sounds,
which students utilised when creating their song the unit’s theme, weather.

The students themselves have had very little music experience since they came
to school, apart from singing along with recordings of songs, and many
experienced their first chance at playing musical instruments in the last unit.

The class is involved with a SOSE unit focusing on the ethical issues involved
with keeping animals in zoos and as a result, several other subject areas are
using the theme of animals in their planning. The students have two zoo visits
planned (Adelaide Zoo and Monarto Zoological Park) to complement this theme
which they will undertake during this unit.

Essential Learnings focus:

❏ Futures ❏ Identity ■ Interdependence ■ Thinking ■Communication

Key competencies focus: ❏ collecting, analysing, organising

information;
■ communicating ideas and information; ■planning and organising activities;
■ working with others in teams; ❏ using mathematical ideas and
techniques;
■ solving problems; ❏ using technology.

ICTs: (e.g. camera, computer software, etc. ❏ ______________________

Music Unit Planner – Dynamics and Music Appreciation
Strand/s:
Key idea
Arts Practice Children spontaneously
express and communicate
their feelings and ideas
about the past, present and
future through the images
and forms they create.
relating to Outcome
1.1
Relevant Standard
1.1
Confidently uses play and
imagination to create/re-
create arts works within each
arts form.
Key idea
Children engage in arts
Arts Analysis and
Response experiences and
performances/presentations
as audiences/viewers/users
in a range of contexts for
different purposes. KC6 They
gain understanding of the
arts and use the variety of
communication and thinking
modes in each of the arts
forms.
relating to Outcome
1.4
Relevant Standard
1.4
Distinguishes between the
characteristic features of
each
arts form and responds to
performance/presentation
using appropriate
communication modes.
Weekly outline of lessons
Tutor: Gwen Phillips
Unit Outcome(s)
Conceptual
- Understand the
difference in the
dynamics (loud/soft) and
Tempo (fast/slow)
- Listen to and
appreciate different
genres of music
- Recognise that music is
played/created for a
purpose (i.e. to
represent an element of
an animal, such as he
pecking of the Hens and
Cocks)
Skills
- Enhance listening skills
- Move to music in ways
that complement the
music
- Play instruments in
ways that represent an
idea and image
Affective
- Develop a positive
attitude towards
different styles of music
- Develop and nurture an
interest in music
- Begin to develop co-
operative classroom skills
- To improve confidence
within students
Overall References:
Music Unit Planner – Dynamics and Music Appreciation Tutor: Gwen Phillips

Haines, B, Joan, E &

Gerber, Linda L 2000,
‘Children and Music’ in
Leading Young Children to
Music, Merrill Publishing,
Upper Saddle River, pp 3-
16

Marsh, K & Young, S 2006,

‘Musical Play’ in The Child
as Musician: A Handbook
of Musical Development,
eds McPherson, Gary E,
Oxford University Press,
Week 1 Oxford pp 289-310
Lesson 1 – Introduction and movement to fast
sounds Blooms Taxonomy
(Appendix 3)
In this lesson, students will listen to ‘The Aviary’
Track 10: The Aviary
piece from the Carnival of the Animals and will (1.21secs)
answer questions, and move to this piece of CD player
music.

[See Lesson Write-up A for full lesson outline]

Lesson 2 – Listening, visualisation and Movement

to The Swan (slow sounds)

Introduction:
Seat students on the floor. Explain to them that,
like the last lesson, we are going to be listening to
a song from the Carnival of the Animals, and that
the song that they are going to be listening to will
be about an animal.
CD player
{Play The Swan} Track 13: The Swan (3.15
seconds)
After listening to this piece, students will be asked
- What animal do you think this song is about?
- Why do you think it is that animal?
[it is important to accept all answers in this
activity]
Development:
Students will listen again to The Swan again, with
their animal in their mind and think of what that
Music Unit Planner – Dynamics and Music Appreciation Tutor: Gwen Phillips

animal may be doing, such as eating, moving,

sleeping etc. When they have an idea as to what
their animal is doing, they can move around the
classroom doing their action. Tell students there is
no right or wrong answer here. Encourage
individuality by praising different movements from
students

{Play the Swan, twice if necessary.}

Track 13: The Swan (3.15
seconds)
Once students have had a chance to practice their
movements, sit students in a circle and pick three-
four students to come into the middle of the class
and show their movements. Students in the circle
will be asked
- What animals did you see?
- What were they doing?

Students who performed will be asked

- What their animal was?
- What their animal was doing?
- Did the action change? Why?
[Repeat this activity 2-3 times so that many
students have the opportunity to present to the
class]

Conclusion:
Students will be told that the piece of music is
called The Swan, and will be asked to listen to the
piece of music and imagine what the swan is doing.

If time permits, play the song again and allow

students to move to the music how a swan might. Track 13: The Swan (3.15
seconds)
- What do you think the swan is doing?
- Does the music match what the swan is doing?

Week2
Lesson 3 - Listening, movement and playing
instruments to The Kangaroo (loud/soft sounds)
Music Unit Planner – Dynamics and Music Appreciation Tutor: Gwen Phillips

Introduction:
Have students sit in a circle and give them the
name of an animal (elephant, lion, cow, dog,
Russell-Bowie, D. 2009
monkey, duck, sheep). When they hear the word go,
( 2n edition) MMADD
tell students to close their eyes and make the About the Arts-2; An
sounds of their animal. Using their listening skills, Introduction to Primary
students find other people that are the same Arts Education, Pearson
animals. This activity could be done several times, Education Australia,
swapping the animals over each round. Frenchs Forest, NSW

Development:
Have students sit on the floor comfortably. Explain
they are going to be listening to a song from the
Carnival of the animals called the Kangaroos.

{Play the Kangaroos}

CD player
After listening, students could be asked…
Track 6: The Kangaroos
- Why do you think this song is called the (0.50secs)
Kangaroos?
- What do you think the kangaroo is doing in this
song? Why? (here students should mention loud and
soft sounds. If not, mention whether they hear a
kangaroo hopping when listening)

Students will then be asked to move like they know

a Kangaroo moves. Once students have an idea,
give them an instrument and let them explore Instruments
hopping sound using instruments.

Give students the opportunity to play and explore

the instruments for a few minutes, then as them to
play their instruments replicating these scenarios
using loud and soft sounds
- A kangaroo hopping
- A mouse sneaking towards cheese
- An elephant stomping in the jungle
- A lion sneaking up on a dear
- Dog chasing a cat

Conclusion:
Music Unit Planner – Dynamics and Music Appreciation Tutor: Gwen Phillips

Sit students in a circle on the floor and ask 3-4

students (per example) to show the class how they
would play their scenario.
Students will be asked after playing
- Why they chose to play like that?
- Would you play it differently if (the elephant was
a turtle/the cat was chasing the dog/the mouse
was running?)? How would you play it differently?
What sounds would you use?

Week 3
Lesson 4 – Reviewing fast/slow and loud/soft
sounds and playing instruments for a purpose

In this lesson, students will play a game to review

their understanding of fast/slow and loud/soft CD player
sounds and will further this understanding by Music from the Carnival
of the Animals
playing an instrument while a partner moves to
it. Russell-Bowie, D. 2009
( 2n edition) MMADD
[See Lesson Write-up B for full lesson outline] About the Arts-2; An
Introduction to Primary
Week4 Arts Education, Pearson
Lesson 5 – Reviewing fast/slow and loud/soft Education Australia,
sounds and playing instruments for a purpose Frenchs Forest, NSW

[Note: by this lesson, students will have been to

the zoo and observed animal and the ways that
they move and behave]

Introduction:
Start the lesson by having students stand up in the
middle of the classroom so that they can not hurt
CD player
anyone else. Play a range of songs from the Carnival A variety of songs from
of the Animals and get students to move around like the Carnival of the
any animal they want. When they hear the music Animals
get quieter, tell them you want to see slow
movements, but when the music gets very loud, you Russell-Bowie, D. 2009
( 2n edition) MMADD
want to see quick movements.
About the Arts-2; An
Introduction to Primary
To extend the activity, introduce scenarios such as Arts Education, Pearson
Music Unit Planner – Dynamics and Music Appreciation Tutor: Gwen Phillips

- You are a tiger stalking its prey, what would Education Australia,
happen when the music got louder? Softer? Frenchs Forest, NSW
- You are a mouse, and have seen a cat! What might
be happening if the music got louder? Softer?
Let students move to these scenarios.

Development:
Sit students down and talk about how the music
that has been used in previous lessons has been
telling us stories about animals. Recount this, by
asking what the songs The Aviary/Kangaroos/Swan
were about.

Using the list of zoo animals that students

brainstormed in the previous lesson, choose one
and create another list of things that that animal Brainstormed list from
might do (i.e. eating, sleeping, hunting, playing, previous lesson
the sounds that it makes).

Get students into pairs and give one an instrument.

The student without an instrument will act out the
movement, while the student with the instrument Instruments
plays what their partner is doing (i.e. sleeping,
eating, hunting). Give students a few attempts,
them swap roles.

Conclusion:
Have students sit in a circle and choose several
pairs to show the class what movements and sounds
they came up with for the animal. The audience
can be asked to guess what the animal was doing
during the music.
The students presenting can also be questioned for
greater understanding
- What was your animal doing?
- What would have happened if…? Would the music
have changed? How would it have changed? Show
me (the entire class can participate here)
Music Unit Planner – Dynamics and Music Appreciation Tutor: Gwen Phillips

Assessment strategies

Teacher assessment of the work throughout the unit

This will be accomplished through observation of student work (Appendix 2a)
throughout the unit. Several areas of assessment will be focused on, including
the students ability to…

- Understand the difference in the dynamics (loud/soft) and Tempo (fast/slow)

- Listen to and appreciate different genres of music
- Recognise that music is played/created for a purpose (i.e. to represent an
element of an animal, such as he pecking of the Hens and Cocks)

Musical skills, such as their listening skills, the way they move to the music and
the way that they play instruments in ways that represent an idea and image
will also be assessed using observation. This assessment should be undertake
throughout the unit to take into consideration outside factors (i.e. one students
may be having a bad day), and to gain a greater insight into what students do
and do not know.

Questioning
Observational assessment will be backed up with questioning throughout the
lessons. Student understanding will be tested and their responses will show
what they know, what they have learnt, and what they still have difficulty
with. These answers can be recorded on the student observation sheet
(Appendix 2a), and can be used for further assessment at the end of the unit.

Student assessment of the unit

In order to gauge student enjoyment of the unit, a short questionnaire will be
handed out for students to fill in (Appendix 2b). This will then be used to
further develop the course for the following years.

Evaluation of unit outcomes:

At the end of the unit, students should have a basic understanding of dynamics
(loud/soft sounds) and tempo (fast/slow sounds) that can be built upon in later
music units. Students should be able to listen to and tell the difference
between these sounds, as well as why these different sounds are included in
music (i.e. to create mood, to tell a story, to describe something without
words, to make the music more interesting).

Students will also gain a greater appreciation of the range of different genres
in music and will listen to a variety of songs that they may never have heard of
before. Students will listen and move to these pieces and create their own
compositions in the style of these musical pieces, and will begin to understand
that all music has a purpose, whether it is to tell a story, paint a picture or
describe something.
Music Unit Planner – Dynamics and Music Appreciation Tutor: Gwen Phillips

Through listening and moving to the Carnival of the Animals, students should
also begin to recognise that music is played/created for a purpose (i.e. to
represent an element of an animal, such as he pecking of the Hens and Cocks).
This theme is emphasised throughout the unit, and provides a basis for further
music education.

Throughout the unit, several skills will also be emphasised and developed;
including the students listening skills, their abilities to move to music in ways
that complement the music, as well as he ability to play instruments in ways
that represent an idea and/or an image. Listening skills are particularly
important as they are an essential skill across the curriculum. At the end of the
unit, students should be able to describe differences in music, particularly
related to dynamics and tempo. They should also be able to listen to and
describe the mood and feel of a musical piece, as well as suggest what the
purpose of the piece might be.

The development of skills that include moving to music and playing instruments
to represent an image or idea are important as they are elements that will be
required for further music lessons, and as such, it is vital that a solid basis is
established in the early years. Students should be willing to participate, and
move to the music in appropriate ways (i.e. small movements to soft sounds,
large movements to loud sounds). Students also need to gain some experience
when playing instruments, and this unit will focus on letting students gain this
experience.

Positive attitudes towards music are also important to develop during the early
years, as negative musical experiences in the primary years can lead to an
aversion to music latter on in schooling. Therefore, it is important that this unit
helps students develop and nurture an interest in music learning while also
developing positive attitudes towards different styles of music. This will be
accomplished by making the lessons interactive, physically active and hands on,
and by having minimal teacher instruction time to focus on musical play.

Students can also develop skills that will be useful in other areas of the
curriculum areas, such as co-operative classroom skills as well as improving
confidence within students, by ensuring that the music classroom is a
supportive environment where all students input is valued.