Activity 1: Playing the Conductor

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Lesson overview:

Students will experience and demonstrate changes of dynamics in music by acting as a conductor and representing these changes with their instruments.

 

Watch

1. Elements of Music: Dynamics.

2. Dynamics Exampls

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What do you know about this role of a conductor?.

You will have a chance to "conduct" and this activity will help you to explore how dynamics work in music.

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ACTIVITY STEPS

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1. Brainstorm different ways the conductor could move their hands/body to indicate changes in dynamics.

 

For example:

The conductor could move their hands up to command greater volume and down to command a quieter volume. Fast movement between low and high could indicate a fast change in dynamics.

 

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2. Decide on the exact signals you will use as the conductor. 

Choose a family member to play the role of musician and give him/her an un-tuned percussion instrument that can be play simply by shaking or striking. This allows him/her to only focus on playing louder or softer.

 

They can create quieter or louder sounds by varying how gently or powerfully they shake or strike their instruments. You may wish to sing, choose a song that you are familiar with.

 

Focus is on the changes in dynamics. A very simple approach to this activity is to drone one long sound (e.g. a vowel sound [ooo, iii, uuu]). Your family member must pay close attention to YOU the conductor, watching and listening for dynamic changes and adjusting their playing/singing accordingly. 

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Please submit a video up to one minute of you conducting your family member playing the dynamics as you conduct.

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