Grade Level: 7 - 12
Curriculum Area: Language Arts, General Music
Time: 5 - 10 days
Materials: Band in a Box™ Music Software, word processing software, computers, various MIDI keyboards (optional), various examples of blues artists and recordings.
Telecommunication Resources: Online Lyric Server; Internet sites with examples of artists such as B.B. King, Louis Armstrong, Cab Calloway, House of Blues,etc. Download MIDI files of Blues selections.
Major Objectives:
- to learn a brief history of the blues, musicians, and it's relations to American popular music.- to analyze blues lyrics for content, rhythmic pentameter, form, style, and overall theme/message.
- to collaboratively work in small groups to write, arrange and perform a short blues composition.
- to learn basic elements of a 12 bar blues and a blues scale.
- to utilize technology in assisting students with and with out musical background to participate and create a musical composition.
Summary:
The blues is a type of jazz music created by African-American musicians in the United States in the early 1900's. It uses a 12 bar form that is improvised. Common topics contained in the lyrics are love, personal misfortune, or loneliness. Musicians sing the Blues to take the blues away.Students, through utilizing various resources, will learn about the history and songwriting of the blues. Students will be presented examples of Blues as American popular music. Through the use of the Online Lyric Server, students will find lyrics to blues songs to use as examples of writing. Lyrics must be appropriate and acceptable for use in class. Students will discuss the various elements involved in the compositions and the ideas the composers/authors are portraying.
Students will compose a 12 bar blues song that will demonstrate the students knowledge of the specific style of musical composition that existed in the Jazz era. Students will work in groups (3 - 4 members) and give each member appropriate jazz names, including a name for the group.
Using the following 12 Bar Blues Form student will write, using an appropriate topic suitable for the Blues, several sets of lyrics. The form/verse (found below) is in the key of "A":
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Students compositions will consist of three phrases in each verse. Phrases 1 and 2 should use the same lyrics, and phrase 3 should be a response to the previous phrases. The end of phrase 3 should rhyme with the last words in phrase 1 and 2. Students will write 3 verses.Students will enter the chord progression (as listed above) into Band in a Box™ music software and arrange the form and style along with other basic elements for the musical accompaniment. Students will experiment with different voicings and rhythmic styles, changing the characteristics of the progression. Students will be responsible for establishing the correct amount of verses to match the lyrics.
If the MIDI music software is unavailable other arrangements for different instrumentation should be made for this lesson. Blues MIDI files are also available on the Internet that can be played over the computers speakers. The example included below, can also be used as a student resource.
NOW PLAYING: I've Gotta 12 Bar Blues Baby! The final element is the incorporation of the lyrics into the song structure/ arrangement. Since the Blues is a predominately improvised form, students will experiment with adding melody (improvising the lyrics) above the chordal structure. Students will also, after explanation and demonstration, use the blues scale (lowered 3rd and 7th notes of the scale) in the incorporation of improvised melody. Students will determine how lyrics will be sung using a variety of different ways (solo, duet, trio).
Students will develop, practice, & rehearse arrangements for presentation to peers.
Assessment:
Students will display knowledge of subject area through the completion of the described project. Students will hand in copies of printed lyrics as established in the song structure. Lyrics will be checked for content, rhythmic pentameter, form, style, and overall theme/message.Students musical arrangements will also be checked for overall quality and understanding of musical concepts. At the conclusion of this project, students will give performances of the final arrangement. Performances will be recorded and presented to each student. Performances excelling in all aspects of musical composition may be used for public performances.
Students will utilize a performance assessment worksheet for partial grading.
