Secondary General Music

Learning Activities for Secondary General Music classes for each part of the “Perform-Create- Respond” Venn Diagram

Perform 

• Using a Ukulele and your voice, learn a song using a lead sheet and then perform it while singing and playing an accompaniment 

• Using a keyboard and two students per group, have one student learn a melody and the other student learn a basic accompaniment (simple bass line or chord progression patterns.) Practice together, then have the students perform their “duets” for the class. 

Create 

• Using a guitar, create a chord progression for a verse and a chorus. Submit your chord progression and then students will select a progression that inspires them and they will write a melody to the progression for the verse and chorus. Students will pair and share their collaborative efforts. 

•  Choose a DAW (Garage band, Band Lab, Logic, Soundtrap, Audacity, etc) and choose 2 songs that are in the same key (or modify the songs with the DAW to be in the same key.)  Each song should be in a different style of music. Use the DAW to extract the melody of two songs. Put the melody of song #1 into song #2, modifying that song’s form as needed. Share your “new” song creation for the class.  

Respond 

• Students will listen to two versions of the same song (an original, and a “cover”) from a provided list. Students will work in pairs to list musical similarities and differences, and then research the time period from that song’s release/creation. Students will respond to this information using words or art to describe how the time period impacted the song’s musical or thematic content. 

• Over a 3-day time period, have students create a list of responses to sounds or songs they hear (background music at the grocery store, songs playing in cars as they drive by, music in class, songs on TV shows, video games, or instagram reels). Respond to the sounds/songs with comments on style, quality, appropriateness, feelings evoked. Then consider how a different song in the same context might affect the overall effect of the situation. For example, would a love song played over an action movie trailer have the same effect or result? How would it change for the worse or for the better? 

Create/Perform 

• Using a keyboard and a melody pre-selected by the teacher, create and perform an accompaniment that would go with the melody. Create this accompaniment using chords and accompaniment patterns for the left hand or both hands. To perform the song, sing the melody while accompanying yourself, or play along with a recording of the melody, or have your friend sing while you accompany them, or do any of the above options while recording yourself and then play the recording for the class. 

• Using a guitar, create an “extended technique” that is different from the traditional techniques learned in class. Find a way to notate it, then teach that technique to a small group. Have the group perform this technique in an interesting way.  

Perform/Respond 

• Learn a bass line for a popular tune using an electric bass and perform it for the class. Then write a response about what makes that bass line interesting, unique, and valuable. Alternatively, write a musical response to the bass line with an alternate melody from the original tune and record an audio clip explaining your musical decisions for your alternate melody. 

• As a class, break into groups and have each group learn a style of drumming (taiko, african, bucket drumming, and rock band drumming). Perform a piece of music using your style of drumming, and have the other classmates respond to the performances, comparing and contrasting the styles and execution of the performance. 

Create/Respond 

• Write the words to a 4-bar verse and a 6-bar chorus using a given prompt. Then switch words with another student and respond to their words, considering the rhyme scheme, syllabic structure, and overall form. Then respond to their words with a suggested melody to either the verse or the chorus. 

• Using a ukulele, create a new melody. Then share your melody with another student and have them respond to your melody in terms of structure, form, originality, ease of playing, and images that the melody evokes. Respond musically to the composer with a suggestion of 4 chords that might go well with the melody. Composer- respond to the suggested chords by either implementing them, changing them, or adjusting the chord’s order and justify why you did such using musical terms from the word wall. 

Create/Perform/Respond 

• Using a DAW with a loop-library, create a song that is between 30-second to 1-minute long that would go with a certain video (teacher selects 8 short video clips that are simple but different and shares them with the students.) Students play their song with the videos (in a performance) for the class and other students must respond to the created songs using musical terms from the word wall. They can also respond to the songs musically by creating a 15-30 second song (comprised of loops) that would either compliment or contrast with the first student’s work. 

• Form a “modern band” with 3-4 students and create a cover to a pop, rock, country, or rap song. Make musical decisions based on the instruments the students in your band play. Perform your song for the class during school hours, or the community at a coffee house, local library, or park. Respond to the composition and performance with a reflection essay or audio response, addressing the musical decisions, what went great, what things could have been improved, and what you would do differently with the addition of 1-2 more musicians/instruments.