Transcript Variations on a Theme 'Hot Cross Buns'

Variations on a Theme
"Hot Cross Buns"
By JUNE RIGDEN
7/22/2015
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LEARNING OUTCOMES
Students learn to use Noteworthy
 Students demonstrate understanding
of note values and pitches
 Students create their own
composition and write it down
 Students analyze variations and use
such techniques

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RHYTHMIC PREPARATION
Students practice rhythms through
various songs, improvising within
basic time signatures.
 Students understand the values of
quarter, half, and eighth notes, and
how to group these together into
bars in common time.

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FORM PREPARATION
Class listens to Mozart’s Theme and
Variations on “Ah, vous dirais-je
maman” and describes a theme and
its variation.
 Class draws a basic shape, such as a
star or circle and makes the variation
shape similar, yet different in a way
that reflects the musical change.

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NOTATION PREPARATION

Students are given a printed copy of Hot
Cross Buns in the key of G Major.
 Students are shown how to enter time and
key signatures, quarter, half and eighth
notes, and bar lines in Noteworthy
composer (or similar program).
 Students experiment with the program by
entering the song as written, playing it
back, and printing it off.
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VARIATIONS

Students look at, play on recorder or sing,
and analyze the given variation, (as seen
on the handout from Music and You 6 for
recorder).
 Students decide on a technique for
creating their own variation and write it
down on their given handout.
 As they finish their hand-written variation,
they begin to enter it using Noteworthy to
the CIVIC site
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CIVIC FEEDBACK

During playback, students listen to their
own compositions, receive feedback from
peers and the teacher, and create a
version that they think is ready for upload
to Acadia’s CIVIC site.
 Teacher does a final check – for number of
beats in a bar and other such editing.
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UPLOADING PROCEDURES

A sample of the CIVIC site uploading page
can be done together with the class using
an lcd projector.
 Students practice filling out the “form” for
uploading, using a sample page. Once
hand-done, students are ready if their
composition is.
 Teacher logs onto CIVIC site, student fills
in the form on-line, teacher checks it, and
the composition is submitted.
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Scheduling Access to Computers
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Once all students have
had a turn “writing” the
theme using the computer
and printing it out as
proof for evaluation
purposes, then students
are scheduled onto
computers as they
complete their handwritten version. They are
permitted to edit and
change it while at the
computer.
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Ongoing Scheduling

It seems important
for all students to
get a turn to create
their own
composition, while
at the same time,
allowing for
revisions as
feedback from
CIVIC is received.
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

For instance, half
could be working on
their new
composition, while the
others do revisions.
Those waiting for
feedback could
become mentors to
those with less
experience using
Noteworthy.
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EVALUATION
Collect student compositions in a form of
portfolio (computerized or in a binder).
Provide such tools as checklists or
rubrics for teacher and students
themselves to evaluate such things as:
 Mastery of note-writing program
 Ability to organize quarter, eighth, and half
notes into bars of music
 Understanding of theme and variations
 Creativity and originality
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 Focus on task at hand
Current Status & Afterthoughts


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All students finally got, by the end of the year, to create a
variation, although some found it easier to work with a
partner. (Some preferred to work alone.)
About half of the class got feedback, but it was hard to get
them time to work on revisions, as we needed to get other
students onto the computers, too, not to mention do other
things.
Not all seemed to want to change their pieces. They would
rather write a new one.
Some were defensive about any criticism, no matter how
well-meant. It is extremely important to be positive and
helpful when we respond.
I would have liked to use the program with other classes as
well.
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Related Documents
View samples of the Themes and
Variations submitted to CIVIC from
Portland Estates.
 Examples: Note the originality of
even the titles.
 http://civic.acadiau.ca/

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