Making Musical Masterpieces

1
Making Musical Masterpieces

• By Paul Provencio,
• Townsend Elementary

2
Making Music Masterpieces - Reading
When he was in his early teens, Johannes Brahms
had a job playing piano in a tavern in Hamburg,
Germany. That may have been his first experience
lulling people to sleep. He was the composer of
Lullaby and Goodnight, which is also known as
Brahms Lullaby. Brahms himself did not sleep
like a baby-he was known to snore!
3
Making Music Masterpieces - Questions
What is your favorite lullaby or nighttime
music? Can you remember the words? Write down the
lyrics in your journal. The lines below
represent the melody of Lullaby and Goodnight.
Can you make up some words to go with Lullaby
and Goodnight? This melody has four phrases.
4
Making Music Masterpieces Teachers Page
General Tips for success First let class read
silently. Then read out loud as class.
Brain-storm to find out their schema and
stimulate ideas. Repetition of key words or
phrases is an important lyric writing technique.
When singing, making it up as you go think
about melodies that go high and low, fast and
slow, in steps or skips, loud and soft to create
interest. Dont worry about sounding like
Pavarotti. God gave you a voice, you give it
right back. Dont worry if your voice wont do
what you want at first. Keep trying until your
voice listens to you. Youre the boss. Tell your
voice you want to sing. Have fun and dont take
yourself too seriously. Laugh and look like your
having fun. Kids will follow. Work in structured
cooperative learning groups to create a classroom
song. Each group creating a variation on a theme
or different part of the song. Perform.
4
Activity notes
5
Making Music Masterpieces Teachers Page

• Activity 4
• Process Brainstorm a list of childhood songs.
  Pick one to write out. Teacher and class hum
  Lullaby and Goodnight while following along on
  chart with pointer. Teacher makes up example for
  class, singing
• Purple cow, you know how, to make me a laughing
  stock.
• Dont you know, where to go, flying over the
  neighborhood.
• Starry night, on your flight, visit me in my
  dreams,
• Starry night, on your flight, floating down on
  moonbeams.
• Make lyrics up as a class and then in groups.