Standards: MU:Pr6.1.2a Perform music for a specific purpose with expression and technical accuracy.

Objectives: Students will hold and play on mallet instruments with small wooden sticks using proper
mallet technique. Students will perform the correct rhythm and sticking patterns to the A & B section of
“I know how to play”.

Materials: Book “Not a stick”, Wooden dowel rods, visual aid with solfege syllables and letters, visual aid
of barred instrument

Activity #1: Magical Stick/ exploring proper stick placement non-verbally

1. Students sit in a circle formation while the teacher places a single stick in the center of the
formation
2. Teacher pantomimes with the “stick” ex… baseball, golf, flute
3. Teacher invites students to allow the stick to become something new
4. Without talking T places the rest of the sticks into the middle of the circle
5. T grabs two sticks and invites S to do the same.
6. T has S mimic after her as she explores the correct way to hold the stick
7. T will pantomime pinching the sticks in the wrong and correct areas so that by the end of
the activity S will be holding their two sticks with proper mallet technique

Assessment: 70% of the students will have come into the circle and pantomimed a certain activity with
the magic stick. Students will be holding their mallets with proper technique.

Transition: “This book is about another stick that was just like ours in the fact that It, Was Not, A, Stick!”

Activity #2: Read book “This is not a stick”

1. T: “All the parts that are in brown, the adult see’s, all the parts in blue the child sees”
2. T will read “This is not a stick”

Assessment: S have listened attentively and without interruption.

Transition: T will sit back down in circle as begins speaking the initial words to “I know how to play”

Activity #3: Rhyme “I know how to play”

1. T says “I know how to play” gestures for S to echo

2. T says “I know how to play” gestures for S to echo
3. T says “I know how to play with sticks” gestures for S to echo
4. T repeats this beginning phrase in an echo format with students
5. Once S have the first three lines T will interject with her “Hey!”
6. T “That ‘hey’ is just my part for right now”
7. T has S echo in three lines the “I know how to play, I know how to play, I know how to play
with sticks”
8. T will have S say the rhyme by themselves except for the “hey”
9. T “Listen for where my ‘hey’ comes in”
10. When T says ‘hey’ she will click her sticks above her head
11. T&S will do this together
12. T “Now I’m going to do your part and you will do my part”
Assessment: S can speak the rhyme I know how to play with correct rhythm and format.

Transition: T will grab her sticks and demonstrate a pattern where the students cross one hand over the
other.

Activity #4: Sticking patterns

1. T will demonstrate a sticking pattern that has students crossing one hand over the other
that will later be transferred to the mallet instruments.
2. T “Pick one hand to start with, after using both hands cross the stick over”
3. As T says “I know how to play” she will begin to do the sticking pattern for students to
observe.
4. T “Pick one hand to start with” T will walk students through the sticking pattern
5. T “Can you start with the other hand now?”
6. T will verbally teach B section through echo
7. T demonstrates sticking pattern
8. T teaches new sticking pattern through echo and imitation

Assessment: S performs stick patterns with proper rhythm, hands and placement.

Closure: T “I enjoyed seeing everyone’s creativity let loose with our magic stick today! Tomorrow we’re
going to transfer these patterns on the ground to the barred instruments so think of these patterns
tonight and keep them fresh in your brain for tomorrow!”

Assessment for day one: Checklist

Did S have the confidence to come into the circle and pantomime an action? Y/N
Could S hold the sticks with correct mallet technique? Y/N
Did S listen attentively during the story? Y/N
Could S speak the rhyme with correct rhythm and form? Y/N
Could S speak and play the correct sticking pattern of the rhyme with correct form and hands? Y/N

Not a stick: Day 2

Activity #5: Transfer sticking pattern to barred instruments

1. T “I want you to play a B for me, what about, C, G, E, D, and A”

2. T “If you played a high E, can you play the lower one?”
3. T will ask students to play specific notes so they get a feel for the barred instruments
4. T will then teach the melody through rote and visual aids for the A and B section

Assessment: S can perform the melodic pattern with correct pitches, rhythms, and mallet technique.

Transition: T “Do you remember our special friend in our book the other day? He knew that his stick was
Not a stick! This is….”

Activity #6: Teach Accompaniment “Not a stick! This is….”

1. Teach accompaniment: Not a stick! This is

2. T will say “Not a stick, this is….” Etc…
 3. T will invite S to join in
4. T will begin to play the accompaniment on the visual aid
5. T will invite S to join in
6. T will have all S play that while T plays melody over top
7. T will invite certain instruments to join in with her

Assessment: S can maintain two part independency with the melody and one accompaniment.

Transition: T will mime and mirror the next sticking pattern in the air inviting students to do the same

Activity #7: Teach Accompaniment “E, B, E in quarter notes ‘Not a stick’”

1. T will say “Not a stick”

2. T will invitie S to join in
3. T will begin to play the accompaniment on the visual aid
4. T will invite S to join in
5. T will have all S play that accompaniment while T plays melody over top
6. T will divide instruments up between parts.

Closure: “Alright, here today on the (insert date) of February 2018 I give you the final
performance of Not A Stick! Performed by the second graders of Ware Elementary.” Students
will then play their arrangement one last time

Assessment: Student exit ticket

On the following piece of paper write down your answers. This could be about learning the
rhyme, learning how to hold the sticks, remembering the song, thinking of an idea for the stick
to be, listening to the story, or having more than one part playing at the same time.

What was one thing you noticed that was easy for you in this activity? What was one thing that
was hard for you in this activity?

Song form:

A section:

I know how to play

I know how to play

I know how to play with sticks

Hey!

I know how to play

I know how to play

I know how to play with sticks

B section
Right left keep it steady

Right left keep it steady

Right left keep it steady

Right left Stop!

Repeat A section