Slurs, Ties and The Chalkboard Splash
It took me a surprisingly long time, as a student, to clue into the difference between slurs and ties. Music is usually completely logical so I couldn't understand why they would use that silly curved line to represent two totally different things. I assumed that if I had difficulty distinguishing between the two then my students would probably have trouble, too.
***Side Note*** I finished reading Total Participation Techniques over the break and am excited to use some of these techniques in my lessons. I went all hard-core and typed up a list of all the techniques and am posting them in my office to make sure I use at least one TPT (Total Participation Technique) in each lesson. I will start off by explaining the technique and then show how I used it with my students.
TPT #1 - Chalkboard Splash
I began this lesson by splitting my students up in to groups of three. I gave each group a small piece of chart paper, a package containing cards with examples of slurs and ties, a Similarities/Differences/Surprises sheet, a marker, and some sticky tack.
My only instructions for the students were that they should take a look at the package and sort the cards into two different groups. I didn't tell them to sort the cards into slurs and ties because I wanted to see if they could make the connection between the curved line that connects the same notes and the curved line that connects different notes.
Once the cards were sorted I told them to create a T-chart on their paper, come up with a label for each of the two groups, stick the cards on to the paper with the sticky tack, and write an explanation for how they sorted their cards. (I used sticky tack because I am cheap and didn't want to use a lot of extra paper. After the lesson, I took the note cards off to use with my next class). Students then posted their chart paper on my wall of cupboards.
Afterwards, the students observed at least three other groups' work and used their Similarities/Differences/Surprises sheet to jot down what they noticed about how the other groups sorted the cards.
I have two more classes to try this activity with but like I thought not many groups noticed the difference between the slur and tie. Next time, I am going to add a caveat. They can sort the cards any way they want but they can't sort them by number of beats per card. Most groups sorted this way and by adding that extra rule I think it will force them to look at the cards in a deeper, more critical way.
Stay tuned for part two of this lesson where I will actually go over the difference between slurs and ties.
Just for kicks here was one group's explanation. It made me shake my head.
***Side Note*** I finished reading Total Participation Techniques over the break and am excited to use some of these techniques in my lessons. I went all hard-core and typed up a list of all the techniques and am posting them in my office to make sure I use at least one TPT (Total Participation Technique) in each lesson. I will start off by explaining the technique and then show how I used it with my students.
TPT #1 - Chalkboard Splash
- Create a sentence starter/prompt/question
- Have students generate a response
- Have students copy their response onto random/designed places on chalkboards, whiteboards, or chart paper
- Students walk around, analyze & jot down similarities, differences, and surprises
- Get students into small groups to share what they noticed before asking volunteers to share with the large group
My only instructions for the students were that they should take a look at the package and sort the cards into two different groups. I didn't tell them to sort the cards into slurs and ties because I wanted to see if they could make the connection between the curved line that connects the same notes and the curved line that connects different notes.
Once the cards were sorted I told them to create a T-chart on their paper, come up with a label for each of the two groups, stick the cards on to the paper with the sticky tack, and write an explanation for how they sorted their cards. (I used sticky tack because I am cheap and didn't want to use a lot of extra paper. After the lesson, I took the note cards off to use with my next class). Students then posted their chart paper on my wall of cupboards.
Afterwards, the students observed at least three other groups' work and used their Similarities/Differences/Surprises sheet to jot down what they noticed about how the other groups sorted the cards.
I have two more classes to try this activity with but like I thought not many groups noticed the difference between the slur and tie. Next time, I am going to add a caveat. They can sort the cards any way they want but they can't sort them by number of beats per card. Most groups sorted this way and by adding that extra rule I think it will force them to look at the cards in a deeper, more critical way.
Stay tuned for part two of this lesson where I will actually go over the difference between slurs and ties.
Just for kicks here was one group's explanation. It made me shake my head.
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