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Cinnamon Hearts Listening Lesson

Denise Gagne

Materials Needed:

tub of cinnamon hearts (sold at Walmart)
plain white napkins.
drum
listening selections in 2/4, 3/4, 4/4 OR use selections suggested in Listening Resource Kit Level 2

Introduction:

Ask the students to move into the open area of your classroom. Play a 2/4 pattern on a drum and ask the students to move to the music. When you stop, they are to freeze. Ask them to tell you whether the beat was moving in twos, threes or fours. Have them move again as you play a pattern in 3/4 or 4/4. Exaggerate the meter so it’s easy for children to tell if it’s moving in twos, threes or fours. Stop, freeze and ask them again. Have them move again as you play a pattern in 3/4 or 4/4. Continue playing and moving until the students are able to answer correctly.

Cinnamon Heart Listening Activity:

Give each student a white napkin and 4 hearts. Play a piece of music in 4/4 time and ask the students to do the following ostinato with you as they listen: pat legs - tap, tap, tap (tap shoulders). ex. Listening resource Kit Level 2: 4/4 #31 Contradance, Mozart. Transfer the ostinato to you tapping on a 4/4 beat chart.

- Then have the students tap the 4 beats on their cinnamon hearts.
- Then play a piece of music in 3/4 time. Listening Resource Kit Level 2: 3/4 #20 Minuet, Bach

Ask the students to do the following ostinato with you as they listen: pat legs - tap, tap, (tap shoulders). Transfer the ostinato to you tapping on a 3/4 beat chart. Ask the students to tell you how the beats are grouped. (3’s). They need to eat one cinnamon heart and tap just 3 beats as the music plays.

Then play a piece of music in 2/4 time. Listening Resource Kit Level 2: 2/4 #25 Allegro, from “Spring”, Vivaldi, the Four Seasons.

Perform the ostinato, pat-tap, pat-tap. Ask the students to tell you how the beats are grouped. (2’s). They need to eat one heart and tap just 2 beats on their cinnamon hearts as the musicplays. If you don’t have the “Listening Resource Kit” (pieces also available in Listening on Musicplayonline.com) you could choose music from the Musicplay binder in 4/4, 3/4, or 2/4 time. Let them take the rest of the cinnamon hearts home with them.