Music For Everyone VMEA – November 2014 Berta Hickox Alice Hammel DIFFERENTIATING ASSESSMENT FOR ALL LEARNERS

 Our literacy sequences are commonly linear, and rerouting or remediating becomes difficult in a general music classroom.  In every class, students begin to fall behind as they skip steps or get lost in our teaching sequences.  We commonly encounter students who are entering our classroom after other students have had years of sequenced instruction. RATIONALE FOR “WINDING IT BACK”

 We also frequently teach students who have already mastered our current, and perhaps future, goals and who are hoping for a challenge or for more difficult content in music class.  By ‘winding back’ or ‘winding forward’ we can accommodate the needs of all students while continuing to teach ALL students in our music classrooms. RATIONALE FOR “WINDING IT BACK”

 reading flashcards  writing with the flyswatter  Rhythm-Go-Round  beat flashcards  class set of flashcards  tone/rhythm ladder or tone set  rhythm rondo  2-part flashcards  part-work (conducting, HS in canon, adding an ostinato) ACTIVITIES TO KEEP ALL THE PLATES SPINNING AT THE SAME TIME

ABACADAEA RHYTHM RONDO

 The objective: T. speaks a 4-beat rhythm pattern (duple) including quarter notes and eighth notes; individual students decode the pattern into rhythm syllables.  Queen Caroline WINDING IT BACK – RHYTHMIC EXAMPLE

Sequential steps to achieve the objective:  1. review several rhythm patterns including the new rhythm (verbal association)  2. T. speaks 4-beat pattern on neutral syllable  3. c. echoes 4-beat pattern on neutral syllable  4. c. decodes 4-beat pattern in rhythm syllables WINDING IT BACK – RHYTHMIC EXAMPLE

Steps the students have previously performed to lead up to this activity = steps to ‘wind it back’  1. aural/oral patterning (neutral syllable to neutral syllable)  2. verbal association patterning (rhythm syllable to rhythm syllable)  3. duple rhymes  4. speak rhyme + patsch beat - solo  5. speak rhyme + point the visual – solo  6. speak rhyme + show beat division – solo  7. speak rhyme + show beat or beat division WINDING IT BACK – RHYTHMIC EXAMPLE

 8. speak rhyme + show beat + show beat division  9. speak rhyme + tap rhythm – solo  10. speak rhyme, switch between beat, beat division and rhythm  11. speak rhyme + show beat + tap rhythm - solo  12. speak rhyme, patsch quarter note/beat, tap eighth notes/beat division  13. name the beat “ta” and the beat division “ta-ti”  14. speak the rhyme in rhythm syllables, patsch quarter note/beat, tap eighth notes/beat division  15. speak all known rhymes in rhythm syllables  16. improvise using rhythm syllables WINDING IT BACK – RHYTHMIC EXAMPLE

Steps to ‘wind it forward’:  Student improvises a 4-beat rhythm pattern (duple) including quarter notes and eighth notes for the class or another student to decode  Student decodes a series of 4-beat rhythm patterns (duple) including quarter notes and eighth notes  Student decodes a series of 4-beat rhythm patterns (duple) including quarter notes and eighth notes while conducting a 2- pattern WINDING IT FORWARD – RHYTHMIC EXAMPLE

 The objective: Students sight sing unknown melodic patterns from a tone set containing sol and mi when s = space 3.  See Saw WINDING IT BACK – MELODIC EXAMPLE

Sequential steps to achieve the objective:  1. c. reviews the staff placement of the pitches when s = sp. 3  2. T. points an unnamed but familiar song on the tone set, c. sings the solfa and identifies the song  3. T. points several known melodic patterns on the staff, c. sings in solfa  4. T. points several less familiar or unknown melodic patterns on the staff, c. sings in solfa  5. T. selects from volunteers to perform step 4 individually WINDING IT BACK – MELODIC EXAMPLE

Steps the students have previously performed to lead up to this activity= steps to ‘wind it back’  1. vocal exploration and pitch-matching activities  2. aural/oral patterns (neutral syllable to neutral syllable)  3. verbal association patterns (solfa to solfa)  4. songs including only sol and mi  5. high and low activities (listening and responding to high and low pitches; stars & basket)  6. body solfa (high sounds = hands on head; low sounds = hands on shoulders)  7. sing known songs with text and body solfa - solo  8. sing known songs using the words “high” and “low” with body solfa.  9. name the high sound “sol” and the low sound “mi” WINDING IT BACK – MELODIC EXAMPLE

 10. sing known songs using solfa and body solfa - solo  11. hand signs for sol and mi  12. sing known songs using solfa and hand signs - solo  13. improvise using sol and mi (body solfa and/or hand signs) - solo  14. decode 2-4 pitch patterns into solfa - solo  15. “write” solfa patterns with melodic icons  16. introduce the staff  17. read known songs from the staff when sol and mi are line notes  18. read known songs from the staff when sol and mi are space notes  19. Students sight sing unknown melodic patterns from the staff when sol and mi are line notes  20. Students sight sing unknown melodic patterns from the staff when sol and mi are space notes WINDING IT BACK – MELODIC EXAMPLE

Differentiated assessment: The teacher points to patterns from the tone set that correspond with the ability levels of individual students.  Students who have challenges with the task will read patterns that are extracted from known songs that the class has previously performed with body solfa and/or hand signs.  Students of average ability will be asked to read known patterns first, then will progress to more challenging patterns (i.e. patterns starting on mi or combinations of pitches that have not appeared in song literature).  Students in need of additional challenge will sing more challenging patterns such as those starting on mi or unfamiliar combinations of pitches, and may be asked to point to the tone set and sing solfa without teacher help. DIFFERENTIATED ASSESSMENT FOR MELODIC OBJECTIVE

The objective: Student selects and reads 5 rhythm flashcards containing the new rhythm concept  wise choices for self-leveling when selecting  rhythm syllables match the notation  correct meter  appropriate and consistent tempo  steady beat ASSESSMENT AND “WINDING”

 Read 3 flashcards containing familiar rhythm patterns with accuracy  Read 3-5 flashcards containing rhythm patterns from previous rhythm concept  Swatting the correct rhythm pattern from a selection of 3-5 flashcards, when spoken in rhythm syllables by the teacher  Swatting the correct rhythm pattern from a selection of 3-5 flashcards, when spoken on a neutral syllable by the teacher WINDING IT BACK

 Read a series of 4 flashcards containing familiar rhythm patterns with accuracy  Read a series of 4 flashcards containing unfamiliar rhythm patterns with accuracy  Read a series of 4 flashcards containing unfamiliar rhythm patterns while tapping an ostinato  Choose and read (on a neutral syllable) a rhythm flashcard from a selection of 5 flashcards for a classmate  Locate and correct the error in a 4-beat rhythm when the rhythm pattern is spoken on a neutral syllable by the teacher WINDING IT FORWARD

Sol-Mi Notation – Quarter-Eighth Notation (Presentation Stage) A MODIFIED PARALLEL CURRICULUM FOR A FIRST GRADE GENERAL MUSIC CLASS

Non-modified or adapted curricular goals Modified curricular goals Adapted curricular goals Students will decode quarter eighth patterns from chants that are well-known to them Student will tap the rhythm with words to chants that are well-known to him Student will derive quarter eighth patterns using popsicle sticks given as much time as necessary

Non-modified or adapted curricular goals Modified curricular goals Adapted curricular goals Students will apply new rhythm syllables to chants well-known to them Student will chant rhythms that contain quarter/eighth with other students Student will chant using rhythm syllables at a tempo of his choosing

Non-modified or adapted curricular goals Modified curricular goals Adapted curricular goals Students will sing sol-mi patterns using neutral syllables Student will approximate higher and lower pitches following individual prompt by teachers Student will sing sol- mi patterns using neutral syllables at a tempo of his choosing

Non-modified or adapted curricular goals Modified curricular goals Adapted curricular goals Students will show higher and lower with their hands and with the use of icons Student will show higher and lower through any modality he prefers Student will demonstrate higher and lower using icons and/or body motions

Non-modified or adapted curricular goals Modified curricular goals Adapted curricular goals Students will discover the two pitches (sol and mi) and their similarities as noted in several folk songs well-known to them Students will sing folk songs that contain sol-mi with other students Student will discover sol-mi in at least one folk song well-known to him

Non-modified or adapted curricular goals Modified curricular goals Adapted curricular goals Students will apply new solfege syllables to chants well-known to them Student will apply new solfege syllables to at least one chant well- known to him

The objective: The students will solfege unfamiliar patterns using only notes in the diatonic major scale (steps-no skips), and rhythms that include quarter, paired eighth, and half notes, and equivalent rests. CHARTING STUDENT LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Pitch Matching Sing major scale on neutral syllables, ascending ☐ Sing major scale on neutral syllables, descending ☐ Sing major scale with solfege, ascending ☐ Sing major scale with solfege, descending ☐ Sing pitches on a staff with solfege ☐ Find and sing “do” using a “do key” ☐ PITCH MATCHING STEPS

Reading Recognize staff ☐ Recognize treble and bass clefs ☐ Understand line and space notes ☐ Name the line in both clefs ☐ Name the space in both clefs ☐ Identify notes on lines and spaces in both clefs ☐ Recognize rhythms: half, quarter, eighth, and equivalent rests ☐ Recognize bar lines and measures ☐ Recognize time signatures 2/4, 3/4 and 4/4 ☐ READING STEPS

Rhythm Readiness Maintain steady beat ☐ Chant and clap ☐ Perform half notes and rests ☐ Perform quarter notes and rests ☐ Perform paired eighth notes ☐ RHYTHM READINESS STEPS

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL RHYTHM READING ADAPTED SEQUENCE

 *Actively teach students how to think: when and how to use strategies and how to problem-solve (metacognition)  *Strategize as a class, then in smaller groups: how would you approach a sight singing exercise? Learning a new dance? Improvise in triple meter? This type of work will support common core learning in other subject areas  Overtly teach the rubric so that students can self-assess: I was able to sing the song in my head voice, sing the correct words and rhythm, and maintain the melodic contour of the song, but I cannot yet maintain good intonation, so my score on the rubric is a 4.  Challenge ALL students at their individual levels. When the student achieves the goal, raise the bar. Think like a solfege teacher  Reward learning, not perfection; promote effort, risk, and change FINAL THOUGHTS

 Teaching Music to Students with Special Needs: A Label-Free Approach. Alice M. Hammel and Ryan M. Hourigan. Oxford University Press,  Teaching Music to Students with Autism. Alice M. Hammel and Ryan M. Hourigan. OxfordUniversity Press, BIBLIOGRAPHY

 Berta Hickox  Alice Hammel CONTACT INFORMATION