Carol Ashey

9th Grade English

Subject: Music and Language
Materials:
Opinionairre handout, favorite song (hard or digital copy), Internet YouTube (Moonlight Sonata and
Moonlight Grenade)
Student Objectives:
Students will fill out survey and discuss answers
Students will consider how language changes over time and how that parallels with music
Students participate in Text Rendering activity and discuss
Procedure:
1. Teacher explains introductory activity and what student will do with it. Teacher will hand out
opinionairre for students to fill out. Before students begin, teacher explains that we will be
studying Romanticism, where the focus was on expressing emotion and beauty through the arts.
When students have finished, the class will discuss some of the answers given. Teacher will fill
out survey as well. Ask students about the classical music questions.
2. Teacher states brief over view of last class (beauty in the melody and what makes a song
beautiful). Teacher asks students to pull out favorite song. Text Rendering Activity each
student picks out one word, one phrase, and one sentence from their text (song in this case).
For the phrase, limit it to half of a sentence (one line from the stanza). The selections should be
those that the students find especially compelling, provocative, or meaningful. They then sit in a
circle and for the first round, each reads his/her selected word; then each student in turn reads
the selected phrase; and finally, each student reads the selected sentence. Following this
reading, the students pose questions or comment on the selections in a general discussion.
Teacher writes words, phrases and sentences on the board. Poetry connection set up. Text
rendering activity as creating Mashup?
3. Teacher talks about music as a form of language a language of the soul that has no words.
Teacher posits question of whether or not students think language changes over time (written
and/or spoken) and whether music is the same way. What qualities of music make it last for
decades? Go into Romanticismthe point of music was to evoke emotion and feeling in the
listener; it was radical for its time (especially Beethovens music).
4. Teacher plays video clip of Beethovens Moonlight Sonata. Teacher asks students if they felt
anything while listening; what did they think of? Teacher talks about the radical new music style
of Mashup. Teacher plays video clip of Moonlight Grenade.
5. Teacher talks about how thought in writing and in spoken language shifted focus from rational
and scientific, to flowery and artistic during the Romantic era as a means of expressing emotion
and how they felt about the world around them (proof that language changes over time)

6. Homework: Students will write a short piece/description based on listening to a selection of

music; focusing on how the piece of music makes one feel.
Use Music to Paint Scenes
1. Play an unusual piece of instrumental music. (Try works by Leo Kottke, Mia Jang, John Serrie,
Harry Parch, or Robert Tree Cody.)
2. Students will imagine the music playing in the background at some event. The event might be
happening today; it might have happened centuries ago; or it might be unfolding in the far
future. (or whatever comes to mind)
3. As the music plays, students will write a description or short scene including the sights, smells,
and sounds they picture.