Lesson+Plan

Dan Irvine
 * Author:**

Music
 * Subject:**

Guitar Notation Through Tablature
 * Unit and Topics:**

6
 * Grade Level:**

To clearly explicate the structuring, notation, and reading of guitar tablature as well as an introduction to a few basic guitar techniques.
 * Teacher Goals:**

Reading and writing music for an instrument is fundamental to the performance and expression of students within the arts, and may assist students in creating interdisciplinary connections between science, math, and literature.
 * Learning Context:**

Students are to leave the lesson with knowledge of basic guitar techniques: bend, hammer-on, pull-off, slide, vibrato, and the ability to translate from notation to guitar as well as an ability to translate from instrument to guitar
 * Student Learning Objectives:**

Students will be assessed on their ability to convert written tablature into a performance on their instruments. A final assessment piece of notation that demonstrates the techniques discussed will be provided. Students’ ability to identify, define, and translate tablature with the techniques learned coupled with their behavior, attention, and effort will be the means of assessing the student’s overall growth.
 * Assessment of Stated Objectives:**

5.31 Students use the elements of instrumental music. 5.32 Students translate an idea into music notation or sound.
 * Standards:**

In order to make as many connections with the students and their past experiences as well as their varied learning strategies, the lesson employs a variety of differentiated material. From the audiological aspects of instrumentation, the image intensive presentation on the web, to the tactile aspects of creating a guitar neck, practicing, and performing on the guitar the lesson has a number of differentiated means to connect with the students.
 * Differentiation:**

To start I will have the students break into groups and spend five minutes generating ideas on the most zany, original, and creative noises they can concoct using just their voices. Coupled with this the students must create a symbol or notation for expressing the sound they have created. After the initial five minutes of generating the students will share their sounds and notations with the class. At this a transition can be made from notating the sounds of our voices to notating sounds of our instruments—guitars.
 * Procedure**:

Accompanying our discussion several images have been prepared in advance to explain the anatomy of guitars as well as provide a basic introduction into tablature notation. These images include the name and number of strings, the parts of the guitar, tablature examples, and neck orientation. Following this brief introduction the activities would begin.

The first activity in the lesson would be to create your own practice guitar neck out of cardboard, yarn, construction paper, tape, and markers. These necks will then be used later for children to practice their fingering either in the classroom, while waiting for an instrument to become available, or at home if no guitar is readably available. Once the children have fastened together their guitar necks the second activity will ensue.

The second activity will be that of creating sound within a set of guided standards. Each group will be given a neck chart with plots on it that represent notes in different scales. The students will be asked to play these notes on their instruments in any order they choose but they must create at least one line of tablature. After one line is achieved the students will be encouraged to write a song with possibility of lyrical accompaniment about “Eddie” a fictional character that we will employ to teach us the names of the strings.

The third activity is that of strengthening the students with the instruments. In pairs the students will be given a guitar. With this guitar they are to echo the second activity of creating sound but by means of using provided tablature. These songs will be at a very basic, introductory level but will be challenging to the students. Each pair will be given four sheets for both of the songs. One student will be initially familiarizing his/herself with piece one while the second student holds a copy of the tablature of the same song to help with corrections. After several minutes they will exchange roles of performer and apprentice.

The students would be working in heterogeneous groups of three during the hook of the lesson then, of my choice, in pairs during the activities. Though their learning is supported by each other during the activities instrumentation is an individual event and we will be assessed as so.
 * Collaboration**:

The preparation and management issues I foresee are restricted to that of behavioral in nature. First, I believe is patience. While there are obviously not going to be enough instruments for everyone, students must be willing to share. In order to help some students cope with this down time, the constructed guitar necks from activity one will hopefully prove effective in both practicing and while waiting for an instrument.
 * Management Considerations:**

Secondly, instrument responsibility. Students may generate a list of events or treatments they would not find acceptable for their own personal belongings and apply it to that of the instruments in class (e.g. not to bang, jump on, kick, or hit either the instruments or each other with the instruments).

For this lesson I will use: four guitars (two electric and two acoustic), several images from the web that I have manipulated, several guitar necks that students construct made from: cardboard, two gauges of yarn, a hole-puncher, markers, tape, paper, rulers, and scissors. We will also be using several tab books for reference and visuals as well as handouts.
 * Resources and Materials:**

Depending on the amount of depth the class and myself choose to cover the lesson could take days. However, given the restraints of this particular presentation I will be dividing the lesson within an hour from start to finish. Including: the introduction activity, briefing, guitar neck construction (which has been completed and provided already for sake of time), song writing, song learning, and final assessment performance.
 * Time Allotment:**

Introduction Activity: 10 Minutes Briefing: 10 Minutes Activity One: 20 Minutes (For the sake of time these will be provided) Activity Two 10 Minutes Activity Three 15 Minutes Assessment 15 Minutes