Mortimer | Free Music Lesson Plan (Solfege)

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Sing your way through Robert Munsch's "Mortimer" as Mortimer's guests go up and down the stairs. Students will sing the steps of the Solfege scale for each stair step... and bang on pots, pans, and everything they can get their hands on! Massively fun!

Level

Grade 1-3

Objective

Students will be introduced to solfege. Students will be able to sing from Do to Do forward and backward. They also will understand that each note of the scale has its own solfege syllable. This lesson is designed to fulfill Standard #5 of the National Standards for Music: Reading and notating music.

Materials

Mortimer by Robert Munch
2-3 Orff Glockenspiels
Pots, Pans and Non-Pitched Percussion Instruments


'Mortimer' Music Lesson Plan (Solfege)

Step 1
Read the story of Mortimer to the students.

Step 2
Tell the students, "We will be learning about solfege today. Solfege is a method that helps singers learn new music. Solfege uses seven syllables - Do, Re, Mi, Fa, So, La, and Ti - one syllable for each note of the musical scale."

Step 3
Draw ascending steps on the white board. Above each of these steps write a solfege syllable Do, Re, Mi, Fa, So, La, Ti, Do.

Step 4
Explain that you are beginning and ending on Do because musical scales always begin and end on the same note.

Step 5
Underneath the ascending steps, write the alphabet letters: C (Do), D (Re), E (Mi), F (Fa), G (So), A (La), B (Ti), C (Do).

Step 6
Perform the scale ascending and descending for the class and then ask them to sing it with you.

Step 7
Select 2 or 3 students to play the scale on the Orff glockenspiels.

Step 8
Practice the scale ascending and descending with the students playing the glockenspiels.

Step 9
Ask the class to sing the solfege scale with the glockenspiels.

Step 10
Tell the students that each time in the story that someone goes upstairs to tell Mortimer to "Be Quiet" or descends the stairs, we will play and sing the 'steps' of the solfege scale.

Step 10
Select one example from the story and practice this musical element.

Step 11
Teach the students Mortimer's song:

 

CLANG, CLANG, RATTLE, BING, BANG,
GONNA MAKE MY NOISE ALL DAY.

CLANG, CLANG, RATTLE, BING, BANG,
GONNA MAKE MY NOISE ALL DAY.

Step 11
Pass out the pots, pans and non-pitched percussion instruments. Each student should have something to play.

Step 12
Tell students, "Each time we sing along with Mortimer, we will add a little clanging and banging with our instruments."

Step 13
Ask students to play one sound on each beat of Mortimer's song. Ask the students to listen to an example and then try it for themselves.

Step 14
Tell students, "I will read Mortimer again. This time we will sing along with Mortimer and sing the Solfege scale as each person goes up or down the stairs."

Step 15
Read the story.

Step 16
Switch the students playing the glockenspiels and read the story again.

Closure

Perform Mortimer for the homeroom teacher when he/she returns to demonstrate understanding.


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