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Discovering ABA - Arts Integration

Grade 1-3

Materials:
•    Any music in ABA form (I use songs from the Nutcracker, the Imperial March, the Comedian – gallop, and Beethoven’s Minuet in G)
•    Flashlights – one per student
•    Tissue paper in warm & cool colors
•    Rubber bands
•    Large visuals – A, B, A, Warm & Cool
•    White card stock paper – one per student


Procedure:
•    Focus:  Discuss how some music is built like a sandwich (Bread – A, Meat – B, Bread – A)
•    Ask which parts are the same and which are different.
•    Tell students they will be listening for the same and different parts in the music.  They will do this by showing what they hear with flashlights. 
•    Have flashlights covered with warm and cool colored tissue paper, held on by a rubber band
•    Tell students any rules about flashlights you feel necessary.  I tell them their flashlight must be off if it is not their part in the music or their flashlight will be but away (then I can really tell who is listening to the music).
•    I give each student a flashlight and a piece of white card stock
•    During the A section only the “cool” colors will dance their flashlight on their paper and during the B section the “warm” colors will do the same.
•    Repeat the song and switch: “warm” on A and “cool” on B
•    Try with several musical selections
•    You can also have students project their flashlights through their paper or even add hand or finger shadow puppet

Assessment:
•    After the students get the hang of it assess them by watching when they turn their flashlights on or off in relation to where ABA is in the music