My matrix was based around a lesson plan that would be for teaching students the beginning steps in reading music. When starting a lesson such as this, it is important that the students can observe and have access to a staff easily. A traditional chalkboard can suffice but many times students can get lost or unfocused when only one staff is provided for an entire class, so instead I have arranged this lesson to be completed in a computer lab equipped with music notation software on each computer as well as a midi keyboard and midi software on each as well. Each computer will be prepared with a set of headphones and speakers to facilitate individual work when needed.
For the first portion of the lesson, students will be required to listen to a brief lecture explaining the staff and the order of the notes on the staff. At this point, each computer will be using the music notation software to facilitate a staff using the treble clef with each note-head and letter name corresponding to it so the students may observe, more closely and intimately, this concept. The teacher’s computer will also be hooked up to a projector so the students can make sure they are on track with their computers and software (or if any unforeseen technological difficulties arise, students will still have access to see the software in use and familiarize themselves with it). It is also important to note that each note on the staff can be clicked with the cursor to play it, so not only will speakers have to be provided for each computer, but the room itself must be equipped with a set of multimedia speakers for the teacher to model various sounds to the entire class.
The next portion of the lesson is dedicated towards analyzing how the notes work and relate with each other and how they operate on the piano and Orff instruments. Students will work in groups or pairs for this portion so they can acquaint themselves with the notes on the midi instruments (virtual instruments via Max MSP software will be available for students with any disabilities rendering them unable to use the midi instruments) with where they lie on the staff. A group discussion of this concept will follow so the teacher may assess that the students understand the relationship.
Finally, the last portion of the lesson will revolve around individual understanding and application of the concept. Students will be required to perform a C scale on their midi or virtual instruments with their headphones in, and students showing exceptional work may be recorded and modeled for the class (similar to the lesson in my last interactivity). The last few minutes of class, or even for homework if time does not permit, each student will have to create their own mnemonic sentence for the order of notes on the staff. The students can pick whether they want to create one giant sentence that includes the actual order of notes (EFGABCDEF), or if they’d rather create two separate sentences, one for lined notes (EGBDF), and one for spaced noted (FACE). These sentences will be typed in the provided text-editing program that is on the computer (more than likely Microsoft Word, Text Edit, or Pages) and print it for the teacher.
The technology in this lesson plan turns a beginning learning process of music into a collaborative and media friendly environment. Not only are the students learning to read music, but also they are indirectly learning how to work with computer software and technologies, like the midi instruments. To take the learning experience even further, students are also required to acquaint themselves with simple computer functionality such as opening up and navigating programs, using headphones, and powering up and shutting down the computer. Although the computer-centered learning is not the main goal of the lesson, it becomes an acquired knowledge in the end if these technologies are used with a plan of continuity. Students are also faced with more decision-making and independence in this type of atmosphere. Because each student is equipped to individually view the content on their own computer, and it is also projected for the class to see, students can make the decision to follow along precisely with the teacher, or to learn independently on their own computer. This also facilitates students that may be ahead of the class as they can choose to explore the next level of the lesson. Students may also have the choice if they want to use the midi instruments or the virtual instruments (although ideally the virtual instruments should be more for students who are physically unable to coordinate their fingers on the midi instruments).
The technological adaptations to this lesson make the classroom a well-rounded learning environment as well as create a more democratic atmosphere for the students. It is often forgotten that curricula should cross-reference multiple literacies, including technology and media literacies, so they can relate to a wide variety of contexts.
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