Dustin+Maroon's+Page

Lesson Title: Learning and Mastering the Bar Chord
 * Technology Integration for Meaningful Classroom Use ** ** Daily Lesson GAME Plan #1-Problem Based Learning Lesson **

Grade Level: High School

Class: Guitar Class

Unit: Using technology to aid in learning the Major Bar Chord

**__ GOALS __** Students will understand and recite the correct fingering of the Major Bar Chord on Guitar.

Students will be able to successfully play the Major Bar Chord in multiple positions on Guitar.

Students will be able to apply the Major Bar Chord to a song and successfully perform/record it using Garageband software.

**__ ACTIONS __** The problem to be addressed would be mastering a new (and difficult) chord and being able to play it successfully in the context of a song. The following steps will be taken to ensure student success.

Before-Class Preparation:

Construct visual aid with correctly mapped finger positions for playing the new bar chord, as well as a chord diagram of the new song that feature the day’s new chord.

Secure recordings of popular songs previously known by students which utilize chords already known by students, as well as the new chord of the day.

Secure 10 Macintosh laptop computers with garage band software. During Class Have students separate to practice individually. Once chords can be physically played, have students decrease the track’s tempo by using Garageband, which will allow them to perform the song at a playable tempo. || Laptop Computers, practice rooms, Instruments & Music || Students may pick their own tempo within the program, which will allow the best performance possible. || Laptop Computers, practice rooms, Instruments & Music ||
 * Time || Instructional Activities || Materials ||
 * 10 Minutes || Discuss and review chords that are part of the new song to be learned today as well as teach the new bar chord fingering. || Instruments, White Board ||
 * 15 Minutes || Write out Chord progression to new song that uses new bar chord. Distribute computers with musical recordings of piece to be learned to students and have them practice the correct fingerings/chords.
 * 10 Minutes || Once a reasonable proficiency and speed are attained, have students record the new guitar track with the built in laptop microphone to document their abilities with the new content/material.

**__ MONITOR __** Ongoing Assessment(s): Once students separate to practice, I will float around the classroom/practice rooms to give assistance as needed. Undoubtedly some students will need further instructions on how to either finger the chord correctly, or tips for making it easier. Others may be fluent with the new material, yet may experience recording with the software, and may need assistance in recording themselves.

Accommodations and Extensions: This class of ten students has a wide range of abilities on guitar. A few students already know how to play this chord while others will struggle with it. Once the veteran players have recorded their piece, I might have them work with other students who are still struggling. This will not only aid those with difficulty, but those students who are helping teach are gaining insights to playing their instrument by teaching others how to play it.

Back-up Plan: The technology of slowing a piece of music down to learn it at a reasonable tempo is what is pivotal to this lesson’s success. If computers for some reason are not working correctly, I will use my CD Recorder/Slow-Downer and have the class learn the piece together, rather than individually in practice rooms. **__ EVALUATION __** Lesson Reflections and Notes: This activity will be evaluated in three categories. First I will consider the work ethic of students throughout the activity, were they focused, trying, and working to become better musicians. Another aspect would be the success rate of students actually being able to learn the piece with the instructions and technology they had, play the piece correctly, and then finally record the piece to document their success. Finally, giving students the chance to share their artifact/recording with other students or their families could be a consideration.

Dustin, This sounds like a well thought out lesson pan that incorporates lots of varied technologies while using a real world scenario to teach the students. I really like that you will use songs that the students already know to showcase the new chords to be learned, I can imagine that the students would really enjoy this. The ony advice I have would be that because you have such a small group of students with such varied backgrounds, maybe you could have the students who already know how to play the assigned cords work on something more complex and or maybe create a unique piece of music together with the other students who are at the same stage they are. I understand why you would want them to help the other students out and this is a valuable way for them to test their knowledge, however, I find that teachers often use this method so some students get tired of always teaching others. Just a thought, hope you might take it into consideration. Gayle

** Technology Integration for Meaningful Classroom Use ** ** Daily Lesson Game Plan #2- Online Collaboration Lesson **

Lesson Title: Composing with the Bar Chord Grade Level: High School Class: Guitar Class Unit: Using technology to aid in learning the Major Bar Chord **__ Goals __** Content Standards: Students will compose/arrange a chord progression within specified guidelines. Students will be able to improve melodies over a chord progression which they created. Students will successfully notate chord progression (and possibly lyrics) in an online wiki as well as record the progression for the following lesson.

ISTE NETS-Standards Students will use technology to foster creativity and innovation. Students will use technology to aid in communication and collaboration. Technology will aid in students progress toward digital citizenship and technology operations/concepts.

**__ Actions __** Before-Class preparation: Compile a list containing each chord that students have learned this far, as well as a list of typical chord progressions. Assign groups of two and locate a laptop for each group. Each list will also contain a list of free wiki sights, such as wikispaces for teachers wikispaces, or pbwiki. 1 overhead projector. || Guitars ||
 * Time ||  Instructional Activities  ||  Materials and Resources  ||
 * 25 Minutes || When students arrive to class, they will be placed in groups of two and issued a laptop. Located on each laptop will be the list of compiled chords they have learned thus far. They will then follow a step-by-step process of setting up a wiki, modeled by myself on my laptop, which will be linked to the overhead projector. Students will then record their wiki sight, name, and password for later homework use. || 6 Laptop computers with wireless internet capability as well as GarageBand software.
 * 20 Minutes || Upon successful completion of their wiki, groups will begin working on composing a song similar to one learned previously in class. The song must be written in correct musical form, utilizing verse, chorus, and bridge chord progressions. New content (the bar chord) must also be used in each section. If a successful progression is created, students will record the chord symbols to their wiki as well as an mp3 recording of the section. || Laptop Computer with wireless internet capability as well as GarageBand software.
 * Homework-20-40 minutes. || If students did not finish in class, all three chord progressions for each section must be brainstormed, created, and recorded on the wiki. Also, students must examine their partners recorded chord progression and evaluate its sound and playability. || A home computer with internet access. ||

**__ Monitor __** Ongoing Assessment(s): Constant attention will be given when explaining the wiki setup to ensure that students are understanding and succeeding with their wiki design. Then when they separate to begin composition, I will float amongst groups to ensure proper work, function, and focus is being given to the assignment. Accommodations and Extensions: For those students who struggle with technology, I will give them extra assistance. For those students who rapidly finish the activity, I will challenge them to create a melody that works with their chord progression, whether it is played on guitar as well, or be written lyrics. This melody could also be added to the wiki, possibly through the aid of a music notation program such as Finale or Sibelius. Notating this in the program would aid in others learning the composition. Back-up Plan: For the composition aspect of this lesson, students could record all properties using pencil and paper. For the online/collaboration aspect, I suppose students could talk over the telephone to discuss options for the song. This would give them the chance to aurally hear the music being played as opposed to reading it on the wiki, however this would defeat the purpose of an “online collaboration” activity.

**__ Evaluation __** Students will be evaluated by their participation, attitude, and successfulness pertaining to technology used, as well as performing the bar chord on their instrument. The quality of song/chord progression will not be graded as this is a creative outlet for students and an early one at that.

Dustin, So your students are compsoing music? That is neat!! That definately takes a special talent. What if they are unable to strike the creative nerve and are unable to compose a song from the chords that they have learned? Will the students share their composed chords with the class? I have not taken a music class since 7th grade, so I dont know if all this is standard proceedure. I can't imagine it being done in a lot of classes. It really sounds like you have some amazing ideas to make you class exciting. Your class sounds like it would be a fun one!! Karl

Karl, Yes we're composing! It's actually not as difficult as it sounds, even if we're not in a creative mood. There are certain patterns and chords that work well together, similar to certain colors working well together in art. For example, many, MANY, song progressions have the two chords Aminor and CMajor together. They work well together and are very easy to play for inexperienced guitar players. There are also several other patterns like this that are easy and sound good, so using those two chords and adding adding a third chord, even if it sounds wrong, will usually work. Some of the best music out there "sounds wrong" at first, yet if repeated multiple times, it begins to "sound right." Some notes "grind" really hard against each other and create unpleasant sounds, but if the artist wants to convey a feeling of anger, uneasyness, or frustration, these "wrong" notes end up sounding right. Conventional music theory calls for certain progressions of Chords, for example in roman numerals: I vi IV ii V I, or 1 6 4 2 5 1. However, I'd say 95% of rock music ignores this progression and does what it wants. Every single Nirvana song ignores western music theory, but it worked...Thanks for your input and those wrong notes are the fun part of learning! It's that old Edison saying, he learned 999 ways not to make a light bulb before figuring it out, or something like that. Thanks, Dustin

** Technology Integration for Meaningful Classroom Use  ** ** Daily Lesson GAME Plan #3- Digital Storytelling Lesson  ** Lesson Title: Digital Storytelling to teach the Major Bar Chord Grade Level: High School Class: Guitar Class Unit: Using technology to aid in learning the Major Bar Chord ** __ Goals __ ** Content Standards: Students will improvise melodies, variations, and accompaniments. Students will compose and arrange music within specified guidelines. Students will read and notate music. ISTE NETS-Standards: Students will use technology to foster creativity and innovation. Students will use technology to aid in communication and collaboration, to create a “How-to” DVD guide, to teach their composed song. ** __ Actions __ ** Before-Class Preparation: In the previous lesson, students created/composed a new song that utilized chords, particularly the major bar chord, previously learned in class through the aid of wikis, GarageBand, and other technology. These songs will be recorded today as part of a digital storytelling lesson created by students. Five laptops will be secured and assigned to groups of two. During Class: || Teach and Show step-by-step process to open “IMovie” software. Give students a chance to practice pressing record to make sure all hardware/software applications are working. || Laptop Computer with IMovie, Projector ||  ||  Students will record their 3-5 minute instructional video for how to play their song. A word document will also be created to notate and show chord symbols to song. 25 minutes should give students ample time to record and rerecord their lesson until they are satisfied with the created artifact. || Laptop Computer with IMovie ||  ||  Students submit their “IMovie” Digital Storybook lesson, as well as their Word Document containing chord symbols/music. All movies/documents will be compiled to one culminating DVD so everyone will have a resource/reference to learn all songs pertaining to the new chord. || Laptop with DVD burning capabilities. || ** __ Monitor __ ** Ongoing Assessment(s): Throughout the lesson, students will be closely and constantly monitored to ensure that they are on-task. I will also float throughout the groups to give assistance with software issues when they arise. I will also be announcing the time as class progress to make sure everyone will finish in time. Accommodations and Extensions: Some students may struggle with trying to play newer material and worry about recording it simultaneously. If this occurs, I can assist them with either helping with the recording aspect, or possibly playing along (off camera) to give them confidence. Back-up Plan: If there are technology issues, students can practice and then simply give a “live performance/storytelling” during class, which could be recorded at a later date. ** __ Evaluation __ ** This activity and the students involved will be evaluated in three areas. First, students will be assessed on their success with using/recording with the laptops to create an artifact to demonstrate their progress. Second, students will be assessed whether they followed the correct criteria for writing a song, which was completed in the previous activity. Third, this overall activity will be discussed and evaluated as a class, to determine the lesson’s strengths and weaknesses, and if the lesson should be replicated in the future.
 * Time  ||   Instructional Activities   ||   Materials and Resources   ||
 * 15 Minutes
 * 25 Minutes
 * 15 Minutes