Symphony for Mallets (In the Style of Beethoven)
This lesson is adaptable for multiple grades and helps students learn about Beethoven while practicing their music.
Resources
- Xylophones
- Bass xylophone instruments
- A drum or two
- Glockenspiels
- Non-pitched percussion instruments
- Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony
- Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5, 4th movement
- Fur Elise
- Symphony for Mallets Supporting Material – Video
Fine Art Standards
3rd Grade Music: MU:Pr4.2.3 a, b & c with a heavy focus on a: Understanding of the structure in music selected for performance.
4th Grade Music: MU:Pr4.2.4 a, b, & c with a heavy focus on b: When analyzing selected music, read and perform using iconic and/or standard notation.
5th Grade Music: MU:Pr4.2.5 a, b and c with a heavy focus on c: Explain how context (such as social, cultural, and historical) informs performances.
6th Grade Music: MU:Pr4.2.6 a, b, c with a focus on b: As more music symbols are added to the written music.
4th Grade Music: MU:Pr4.2.4 a, b, & c with a heavy focus on b: When analyzing selected music, read and perform using iconic and/or standard notation.
5th Grade Music: MU:Pr4.2.5 a, b and c with a heavy focus on c: Explain how context (such as social, cultural, and historical) informs performances.
6th Grade Music: MU:Pr4.2.6 a, b, c with a focus on b: As more music symbols are added to the written music.
Integrated Standards
3rd Grade Social Studies Standard II: Students will understand cultural factors that shape of community.
3rd Grade Social Studies Standard III: Students will understand the principles of civic responsibility in classroom, community, and country. These both work well as we study Beethoven and Germany’s influence upon classical music during this period. We also discuss how each individual has a responsibility to their part within the music to help create the piece as one whole.
4th Grade Math: Measurement and Data: We compare measurement forms in other aspects and units to the concept of “measuring the values” of notes within music. This really helps them with understanding fractions.
5th Grade Reading Standard 5 & 6: We draw on the structure of the symphony and compare it to the structure of a story. For instance, movements are chapters, notes are words and we look for the meaning in both the literature and the music examples. We discuss how music is a spoken and written language and we compare the uses for both music and literature within our culture. We also discuss how cultures can be in danger of disappearing without a way to write down or store their stories and music.
6th Grade Math: Ratios and Proportional Relationships: This comes into play as students play all three movements together. Tempo has to be exact to layer triplets, eighth notes, quarter and whole notes on top of one another.
3rd Grade Social Studies Standard III: Students will understand the principles of civic responsibility in classroom, community, and country. These both work well as we study Beethoven and Germany’s influence upon classical music during this period. We also discuss how each individual has a responsibility to their part within the music to help create the piece as one whole.
4th Grade Math: Measurement and Data: We compare measurement forms in other aspects and units to the concept of “measuring the values” of notes within music. This really helps them with understanding fractions.
5th Grade Reading Standard 5 & 6: We draw on the structure of the symphony and compare it to the structure of a story. For instance, movements are chapters, notes are words and we look for the meaning in both the literature and the music examples. We discuss how music is a spoken and written language and we compare the uses for both music and literature within our culture. We also discuss how cultures can be in danger of disappearing without a way to write down or store their stories and music.
6th Grade Math: Ratios and Proportional Relationships: This comes into play as students play all three movements together. Tempo has to be exact to layer triplets, eighth notes, quarter and whole notes on top of one another.
Objectives
With the older students we add more dynamics, change tempos, and even add in quite a few auxiliary non-pitched percussion instruments for which they write down the parts. The younger students receive more help reading their notes and we spend more time practicing the fourth movement to ensure that it comes together.