Alton Peters

12/3/18
Experience Design

Gypsy in the Moonlight

Rationale
 The purpose of this experience design is to give students an opportunity to learn a song in
a new way. Orff Schulwerk includes a lot of playing instruments, singing, improvisation,
and dance. The great thing about this method is that it encompasses a wide variety of
learning styles. Through this activity, students will have the opportunity to learn this song
through rote and aural instruction, visual notation, and movement.

Understanding Statements
 The student can play all of the different instruments used in this song.
 The student will know how to identify the syncopated rhythm.

I Can Statements
 I can sing a melody based on a hexatonic scale. (VA SOL 4.1.1)
 I can read notated bordun lines. (VA SOL 4.1.3)
 I can play a dotted quarter followed by and eighth rhythm. (VA SOL 4.1.4)

Materials (for class size of 20, modify if needed)

 Ukulele (for teacher)
 Bass Xylophone (5)
 Metallophone (6)
 Any kind of hand drum (6)
 Shakers (2)
 Electric Keyboard (1)

Detailed Process
 Instruments should be set up in a circle when kids walk in.
o Keep mallets away so students don’t play with them
 Teacher sings first verse of song, accompanied by the ukulele
o Sing at least 3 times, ask students what they hear
o We are looking for the dotted rhythm to be mentioned
 Keep singing and have the students join in.
 Once they have seemingly gotten the song under control, put the ukulele down and have
them repeat after you. Tell this part as a story. This is the basic story but feel free to milk
it. (Students will repeat the highlighted sections).
o When I was growing up, I was the guy who never liked dancing. One time I was
in (insert name of cool place here) and I saw a group of people. They were all
just, Dancing, and dancing, and dancing, and dancing
 They repeat (rhythm of the drums)
 o They didn’t seem to get tired of it, they just kept dancing, Round and round and
round and round and
 They repeat (rhythm of the shakers)
o I was watching for a while because they were so good. All of a sudden one saw
me staring and started walking over to me chanting Dance, Dance, Dance, Dance
 They repeat (rhythm of the bordun and keyboard)
o Now remember, I really didn’t like dancing, so I tried to back up and sneak out of
there. Unfortunately for me, a crowd had formed, and they started chanting, You
can do it, you can do it
 They repeat (this is the rhythm of the metallophone)
o Review all of the different rhythms at least one or two more times.
 Have all students pull out mallets if they have them.
o Have instruments marked for the notes they play, or even take keys off of the
xylophones and metallophones
 Do this ahead of time
 Review the rhythms again, everyone plays each different rhythm on their instrument even
if it’s not the instrument assigned that rhythm.
 Start assigning the rhythms now and telling students which notes to play
 Once the arrangement is being played, play it a couple times with students singing too.
o Sing only 1st verse
 Students stop playing now, teach them the other 3 verses for the game by rote.
o Select one student to be the dancer first
o Student goes around circle as students sing the first verse.
o The student walks into the circle as everyone plays and sings second verse.
o Student sings 3rd verse on their own inserting the name of another student
o Second student joins the first student in the circle and they walk/dance around the
inside of the circle as the 4th verse is sung
o First student goes back to their spot in the circle
o Everyone shifts to one instrument over
o Process is repeated as many times as you want.

Assessment
 The assessment on the hexatonic scale and rhythm can be done when the student is the
solo singer.
 In terms of the hexatonic scale, this can be assessed as their ability to sing the pitches in
the song
o Wound back can be their ability to use their “singing voice”
o Wound forwards can be how accurate the pitches are
 In terms of the rhythm, students are assessed on their ability to sing the rhythm
correctly.
o Wound back can be the acknowledgement that there is a different rhythm
there even if they don’t necessarily get it right.