Eight+Measure+Composition+Game


 * Eight Measure Group Composition Game **
 * Subject – Instrumental Music **
 * Time: 30 minutes **


 * __ Standards __**

PAZB03.01 - Demonstrate knowledge of music theory appropriate to music performance.

PAZB03.01.01.00 - Understand and apply concepts of rhythm, melody, harmony, texture, timbre, form, and basic composition.

PAZB01.01.02.00 - Demonstrate the ability to recognize and/or read musical symbols.


 * __ Objective __**

As a group, students will compose and a perform an original eight measure composition


 * __ Materials __**

Musical instruments, instrument accessories, dry erase board with permanent music staffs, dry erase markers


 * __ Procedure __**


 * Overview – ** Students will be divided into groups of three or four based on the instruments they play. Each group can only have one of each instrument (i.e. there cannot be two saxophone players in one group).The groups will be given a dry erase board and marker, with which they will take turns writing a composition one measure at a time. Students will need to take their group member’s playing ability into consideration in order to write and perform their song with success.


 * Rules – ** Each student in each groups is required to write at least two measures of the composition. Each measure of the composition must include at least __four different pitches__ and __three different lengths of notes__ (half note, quarter note, etc.) Students can decide to change a previously written measure of the music based on a majority vote.


 * Instructions: **

1) Students are divided into groups of three or four by their teacher based on the instrument they play. The teacher also assigns each student in the group a number of one through four.

2) On a dry erase board, student one will compose one measure of the composition with a marker. Afterwards, the other students in the group will assess the measure for validity and accuracy.

3) Once the group approves of the first measure of music, student two will write the second measure of music and the assessment process will be repeated. Students continue to take turns writing the composition until they decide it is completed.

4) When the composition is complete, the students will perform it for the other groups in the class. The teacher and students will study the written composition while they listen to the performance to assess its accuracy. The group that performs their composition most accurately wins the game.


 * __ Principles of Learning: __**


 * Active, Critical Learning Principle ** – All aspects of the learning environment (including the ways in which the semiotic domain is designed and presented) are set up to encourage active and critical, not passive, learning

* Each student is required to participate by writing original music in a social environment. Music composition requires active, critical learning skills.


 * Self-Knowledge Principle ** – The virtual world is constructed in such a way that learners not only learn about the domain but about themselves and their current and potential capacities.

* Students get the opportunity to learn about music composition and their own abilities as an instrumentalist.


 * Multimodal Principle ** – Meaning and knowledge are built up through various modalities (images, texts, symbols, interactions, abstract design, sound, etc.) not just words.

* Student learn to play and write music by using a variety of modalities (interactions, music symbols, sound, instrumental performance)


 * Insider Principle ** – The learner is an “insider,” “teacher,” and “producer” (not just a “consumer”) able to customize the learning experience and domain/game from the beginning and throughout the experience.

* Each student can customize the group composition by making it as easy or challenging as they want to. However, their success depends on writing a composition that is appropriate for all of the instrumentalist as a group.