- Parent Category: Lesson Plans
- In: 2nd to 3rd Grade Lesson Plans
Submitted By: James Berry, North Conway, NH
Objective: Students will learn the concept of harmony, through creating their own harmonic ideas and listening to others examples. Students will also be able to distinguish between major, minor, diminshed and augmented harmonies.
National Standards Covered: Listening to, analyzing, and describing music (6), Evaluating music and music performances (7)
Materials:
A Recipe for Harmony Worksheet
(optional) Computer w/Internet Access
(optional) LCD projector or TV/computer hookup
Pencils
Piano
Procedure:
1. Explain to students that a tune that a person sings is considered a melody and what changes underneath of it is called a harmony. Perhaps give examples on the piano, playing Twinkle, Twinkle with various harmonies below it. For younger kids, I call a major harmony - happy, minor - happy, diminished - creepy, and augmented - dreamy.
2. (optional) Display the website regarding harmony from the San Francisco Symphony Click here to access that. It has several excellent activities regarding harmony that will help students understand this concept better. Use the computer hooked to an LCD projector or TV hookup for this activity.
3. Explain to students that they will be composing original harmonies with a partner. Break them up into partner groups (however you choose to do this) and have students pick a melody, dynamic level and harmony. You may need to refresh these terms with the students.
4. Give them about 5-10 minutes to complete this worksheet and then have students come back together and hand in their completed form. Play each of the students requests - for instance if they asked for Frere Jacques, pp, and creepy - play a quiet diminshed harmony for Frere Jacques. Have students guess the harmony and perhaps the student groups as well that picked that request.
5. Wrap up the lesson by asking students to describe again what harmony is and how it differs from melody. Students find this lesson quite fun and be ready to play Star Wars a lot!
Assessment / Extension:
Challenge students by playing other melodies with new harmonies and have them guess both the melody and harmony.
Download this lesson in PDF Format
