Beethoven and 'Für Elise' I

As a secondary school music specialist I found learners often wanted to show off some seemingly basic piece of music learning. This might be for example that 'Auntie Joan' had managed to teach them to play the first few bars of Beethoven's 'Fur Elise'. Often, when they were then demonstrating this to me, others in the class would express admiration and even envy that they had achieved this much - even if it was only to the extent of the opening phrase. I've listened and observed across the years, what students proudly demonstrate in topical and other music achievements. There's 'Chopsticks' - perennial favourite - and a variety of simple repetitive pieces played on the black keys of the piano. Here in the 'Top End' children in every remote indigenous community can perform commendably accurate renditions of 'Wipeout' with a minimal set of percussive resources.
I learnt a long time ago to capitalise on these simple but powerful musical competencies by encouraging whole classes to be led by the few who could already play these musical 'tidbits'. And so 'Fur Elise'. If you decide to give this one a go I believe you will be surprised by just how many of your students take my simple arrangement on board. Even the most sceptical of students will join in - practically guaranteed. Don't get too carried away by the theory. If they end up able to read the notation well and good. But the primary outcome of all of your shared learning and teaching ought to be a playable class version of the music that gives great satisfaction for its achievement!

Applying the Teaching-Learning Sequence: For each piece of music selected it is recommended that most or all of the following steps be taken, in order, in the sequence.

1. Stimulus/ Discovery

1. Shared Task

'Discover' a piece of music together. This might be a piece prescribed by the teacher, or selected by the students. Play, sing or listen to the music with the students. Enjoy the 'first time experience' of it! Discuss this 'first time' feel. Listen to a recorded performance of 'Für Elise'. Students are asked to withhold opinions, comments etc and to enjoy the 'First-time experience' (for those who have never heard the music before).

Outcomes Areas

Arts responses. Enjoyment of a first time Arts experience

Assessment

Informal, observed

2. Discussion

Play the music again: Teacher and students then talk about ideas, opinions and other feelings they have about the music. The teacher uses 'Who, what, how, why, when, where, which' questions to help elicit appropriate answers, such as, 'What did we hear?' 'Who performs the music?' or 'Why do you think this piece of music was written?' 'How did you feel about it?' 'Why?' Ask if or how the experience of listening to it felt any different on a second hearing. Discuss ideas, opinions, feelings the students may have about the music. Did they find it sad, happy, scary etc? Identify key words from this discussion and highlight them on the board. Students summarise their first responses to the music in a single sentence in their Music Journals.

Outcomes Areas

Arts responses: an increased awareness of the emotional affective impact of music.

Assessment

A journal entry describing affective qualities of the first time experience. Negotiated identification of key words.

2. Shared listening & discussion

Teachers and students further explore the music together, planning how they are going to do this, then beginning together the process of learning to perform or listen more analytically to the music or to parts of it. This develops through the next steps of the sequence.

1. Shared Task

Begin by questioning, to identify different musical elements in the music. Help students to name or identify some of the following. Students should become aware of others as the unit proceeds

melody
harmony
rhythm
timbre and instrumentation
texture
organisation and form
dynamics
tempo
expression

Outcomes Areas

Exploring and developing ideas: Student has an increased awareness of elements or characteristics of music

Assessment

Elements correctly listed in music journals

Outcomes Areas

Arts responses.

2. Listening

The teacher and students identify and listen for and to different elements within the music, such as melody line, rhythm, harmony, timbre, texture, the way the music is organised into contrast and repetition and the balance and unity all of these give to create an effective performance. How is repetition used to create an impact in this song? What makes the contrast?

Outcomes Areas

Arts responses

3. A 'Road Map'

1. Mapping the event

Teachers and students prepare, as a shared task, a 'mud' or 'road' map depicting the music's form or organisation, where instruments will perform, speed, dynamics, expression and other elements identified above. What they may hear, that is evident in the music are some of the following that a ''visual road map' might help identify.

the first few notes in the melody comprise two that are very close in pitch ( a semitone apart) and repeat... how many times?
the opening melody is quite brief and also repeats
in the 'second' section there is a series of repeated melody 'profiles' or patterns that move ever downwards as they repeat... how many times? The musical name for these is 'sequence':

Outcomes Areas

Arts responses and Using skills, techniques and processes. Awareness of organisation and sequence of musical events in the development of a unified musical work

Assessment

Student's participation in the joint negotiated preparation of the 'road map' in context of accurate contributions.

2. Shared Task

Students and teacher attempt their first practical re-creation of the music. They analyse then attempt to sequence the melody, the chords, the rhythm lines, and other elements critical to the sequence of events in the performance of this particular piece of music. Have students decide which classroom instruments (keyboards, guitars, bass guitars, percussion) they would like to use for a re-created performance of the music. Introduce them orally to their parts by negotiating and demonstrating what each section will play.

furelise

Check the aural score here

Outcomes Areas

Arts skills and processes. Students develop their performance skills in playing an instrument and in re-creating music

Assessment

Level of ability and skills on instrument. Level of ability and skills in re-creating music

4. Performance Appraisal:

1. Shared Task

As a class, discuss and critically appraise the new performance. Play the recorded music heard in the opening of the unit and compare and contrast it with the class performance. Should it be the same as or similar to the original? What opinions does the class have about this? Students note in a sentence, or paragraph, their feelings about the recording and about the performance and observations about their own contributions and what they personally achieved from taking part.

Outcome

Students apply knowledge of critical comparison. Students offer opinions

Assessment

Active participation in class discussion. Collation of key concepts into journal entry
2. Student Skills Activities:
a. Musical Cloze Exercises:
The teacher or a student plays the melody, rhythm or chord sequence of the music, leaving out occasional notes or chords. Students raise their hands when they hear where these omissions occur, orally identifying the missing notes or chords or, alternatively, performing them correctly in the context of the music.

Outcomes Areas

Using skills, techniques and processes. Increased skill in predicting and anticipating musical events

Assessment

Observed - student participation and accuracy
b. Intonation, Stress, Chord and Rhythm Exercises.
These should relate to the music. Teacher takes a repeated pattern from the music and the class rehearses it together.
* Score - Written
The teacher plays one instrument's line of the music and students identify whose line has been played.
Outcome
Ability to recognise and recall musical themes
Assessment
Pencil and paper

5. Other Practical Performance Skills

1. Exercises

Students rehearse, under teacher direction, playing short scale sequences, echoing rhythm, melody lines, harmony activities, dynamics, tempo, recognising timbre, which occur in relation to the music under study.

a. Scale Practice

The teacher introduces the pitches of E Minor melodic scale, the scale of this arrangement, and those students with pitched instruments rehearse first together, slowly, then individually or in small groups, gradually increasing the speed.

Outcome

An awareness of the role of scales and 'tonality' in the aesthetics of music. Improved speed, dexterity and facility in the performance of the music, 'Fur Elise'

Assessment

Observed improvement of speed and movement in performance
b. Chord Exercise
Observation of individual and group musicians.
2. Rehearsal of Original Focus Piece

Group Activities

Teach-rehearse-perform each part and the whole, section by section and with the whole class until the class, as a whole, is comfortable that it are able to perform the music with reasonable mechanical accuracy. Select, with the students, sections or areas of the performance which need support or are proving difficult and give them more intensive attention. To help achieve a more satisfactory outcome encourage the class to break in to smaller groups.

Outcomes Areas

Using skills, techniques and processes. Arts skills and processes. Continuing improvement of ability and skills in playing an instrument. Continuing improvement of ability and skills in re-creating and interpreting music. Appreciation of need for critical and analytical reflection to improve performance. Improved individual performance through concentration on weak skill areas. Improved performance of the work.

Assessment

Level of improved ability and skills on instrument. Level of improved ability and skills in re-creating and interpreting music. Student's ability to identify aspects of performance needing modification or improvement. Individuals perform passages of the music on which they have focused.

Fur Elise 2

November 2005