Finlandia Theme

• Christa Schmidt
• Posted 9/22/21
• 0 comments

Practice Solfege fa

Suggested Grades: 3-5 

National Core Arts Standards

#1 – Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work. 

Objectives

• Practicing fa

Materials

• Recording: Finlandia theme by Jean Sibelius 
• Sorting cards: Finlandia Theme 
• Song: “Son Macaron”

Suggested Pre-Teaching

Before introducing the lesson from Finlandia, it is recommended students have familiarity with these concepts:

• Read fa on the staff
• Reading and performing do, re, mi, fa, so, and la 
• Familiarity with folk songs and other music containing the mi-fa-so and so-fa-mi-re-do motives

Suggested Teaching Process

I have found the best results in teaching this lesson when I introduce smaller segments over several days.

Lesson 1: Son Macaron

Teach the song and game to “Son Macaron.” 

Game directions:

1. Formation: seated circle. 
2. The students hold their left hand on their left knee, palm up.
3. They place their right hand palm up on top of their neighbor’s hand. 
4. Next, the students pass the beat around the circle.  
5. Whoever is tapped on “out” is out. 

Lesson 2: Solfege fa Practice

1. Review “Son Macaron” playing the game. 
2. Sing through each song using solfege while pointing to a tone ladder. 
3. As a challenge, use short motives from the Finlandia theme as students sing the matching solfege. 

Lesson 3: Finlandia

1. The teacher points to the tone ladder using drmfsl tone set. 
2. Refine the patterns to include phrases from Finlandia. 
3. Play the Finlandia theme for the students while pointing to the notes on the tone ladder. 
4. Encourage students to sing along in their heads. 
5. Play the theme again while pointing to the solfege written in stick notation.  
6. Students sing the first two phrases.  
7. Play memory: Students sing through the entire first two phrases on solfege.  On each repetition, the teacher removes several notes. 

Lesson 4: Sorting Cards: Finlandia Theme

1. Review the theme of Finlandia singing from the tone ladder on solfege.  
2. Divide students into small groups. 
3. Give each group a set of sorting cards with phrases from Finlandia written in solfege.   
4. The students work together to put the phrases in the correct order. 
5. Once the cards are in the correct order, students sing the entire theme. 

Lesson 5: Transferring to the Staff

1. Review the theme of Finlandia singing from the tone ladder on solfege.  
2. Review the hand staff. 
3. Review the placement for fa on the staff:
   • If mi is on a line, and so is on a line, fa is on the space in between. 
   • If mi is on a space, and so is on a space, fa is on the line in between. 
4. Identify the starting pitch or the placement of do. 
5. As a class, or individually, students fill in the notes for a single phrase Finlandia theme. 
6. Repeat if desired with additional phrases of the Finlandia theme.  

Extension:

• Play the theme on barred instruments in the key of C. 

---

Shop This Lesson