Singinı
the Blues with Rock, Rapın Roll
Sixth-grade
General Music Blues Unit
Ann
Winze
OBJECTIVE
Students
will compose a Chicago blues arrangement with Rock, Rapın Roll software. The arrangement is to be three choruses
in length and will accompany blues lyrics previously written by the students.
PURPOSE
Sixth-grade
students have completed the following activities in their study of jazz and the
blues:
·
Listen to and discuss various jazz and blues recordings.
·
Perform and record ³Orffinı Blues² by Laurie Zentz on Orff
mallet instruments.
·
Write and record blues lyrics over a given 12-bar blues
progression in GarageBand.
The
Rock, Rapın Roll exercise will help students identify the instrumentation of
the Chicago blues and reinforce their understanding of 12-bar blues
progression. Students will also be
required to compose within a given form.
MATERIALS
NEEDED
·
Computer Lab with Rock, Rapın Roll CD ROM installed on each
computer
·
Administrative Computer with projection capability
·
Headphones for each computer
·
Microphone
·
Blues Lyrics
ANTICIPATORY
SET
·
Students listen to ³Mannish Boy² by Muddy Waters and identify
the instrumentation in their musical journals.
·
Students also listen to and identify the instruments used in
Robert Johnsonıs ³Cross Road Blues².
·
Compare and contrast the instrumentation of both pieces.
PROCEDURE
·
Students review the form of the 12-bar blues.
·
Open the blues page from the menu of Rock, Rapın Roll on the
administrator computer and demonstrate the various functions.
·
Allow students five minutes to experiment with the different
sound loops.
·
Instruct the students to begin by choosing from the bass lines
on the left of the screen.
·
Invite students to compliment their arrangement with the other
available loops and sound bytes (harmonica, etc.).
·
Explain that the arrangement is to have three choruses of the
12-bar blues.
·
The first chorus is an instrumental introduction and chorus two
and three will accompany the lyrics.
·
When the students have completed their arrangement, the teacher
will have the students record their blues lyrics into the song.
CHECK
FOR STUDENT UNDERSTANDING
Listen
to each arrangement and discuss choices with the students as they complete the
activity.
CLOSURE
·
Play examples of the studentıs compositions for the class and
discuss the results.
·
Listen to another recording by Muddy Waters and have students
compare their composition.
EXTENSIONS
·
Following this activity, students will be given the opportunity
to experiment with composing their own blues arrangement in GarageBand.