A Creative Movement Lesson with “And Here’s To You!”

• Sandy Lantz & Gretchen Wahlberg
• Posted 10/12/20
• 0 comments

K-2 Lesson Plan with Creative Movement.

Objectives 

• Improvise creative movement to illustrate various characters in a story 
• Improvise creative movement to pre-recorded music selections for each character 
• Perform for classmates 
• Discuss relationships between music, movement, and characters 

Standards

MU: Cr1.1.2a  Improvise rhythmic and melodic patterns and musical ideas for a specific purpose. 
MU: Cr1.1.2b Generate musical patterns and ideas within the context of a given tonality (such as major and minor) and meter (such as duple and triple) 
MU: Cr2.1.2a Demonstrate and explain personal reasons for selecting patterns and ideas for music that represent expressive intent. 
MU: Cr3.1.2a Interpret and apply personal, peer, and teacher feedback to revise personal music. 
MU: Cr3.2.2a Convey expressive intent for a specific purpose by presenting a final version of personal musical ideas to peers or informal audience. 
MU: Pr4.3.2a Demonstrate understanding of expressive qualities (such as dynamics and tempo) and how creators use them to convey expressive intent. 

Overview

Download this free elementary music lesson plan with creative movement. Bring the story  And Here’s To You  by David Elliot to life using musical excerpts and improvised movement.  Students will analyze and discuss musical connections between the movement and the music that illustrates each character.  

Lesson Process

• Read the book,  And Here’s To You by David Elliott.  
• While reading, play the suggested listening examples. 
• The students listen to the story and the music excerpts. 
  Hint: Create a playlist or recording of the tracks in the order they are presented in the story. 
• On the 2^nd reading, encourage students to create their own movement to illustrate the characters with the music excerpts. 
  Hint: Brainstorm movement ideas as a class so that students who are less confident have some ideas to work with.  
• Next, divide the students into two groups. 
• Allow half of the students to perform their created actions for their classmates.
• Switch, so all students have the opportunity to perform and are also part of an audience.   
• Finally, have students analyze and discuss musical connections between the movement and the music that illustrates each character.  
• Perform a final time with all students participating.  
  Hint: This is a wonderful opportunity to record your students and share with parents – if you are really ambitious, include the discussion points students shared about the musical and movement connections.  

Music Excerpt Suggestions 

Birds: Carnival of the Animals – Aviary 
Fish: Carnival of the Animals – Aquarium 
Bears: Music for Creative Dance Vol I, track 5, Echo Lady 
Bugs: Music for Creative Dance, Vol V, track 2, All Speeds Ahead 
Cats: Music for Creative Dance, Vol IV, track 2, Up and At ‘Em 
Dogs: Music for Creative Dance, Vol. V, track 6, Stop into Rock 
Cows: Music for Creative Dance, Vol II, track 8, Skippy Ska 
Frogs: Music for Creative Dance, Vol V, track 8, Retro Future 
People: Music for Creative Dance, Vol IV, track 4, Bayou Both step 
Me: Music for Creative Dance, Vol. II, track 2, Bee Beat 

Extension Opportunities

Lesson

Create new characters and objects to extend the book and then music to illustrate the new characters and objects.

Standards

MU: Re7.1.2a Explain and demonstrate how personal interests and experiences influence musical selection for specific purposes. 

Find another free elementary music lesson plan with creative movement.