Artsaround Music
Theme: Classics for Kids
Lesson Topic: The William Tell Overture
Grade 4: Rossini Rocks
You will need:
¨ one pair of rhythm sticks or
drum sticks for each student.
¨ a Smartboard, laptop and TV or
LCD projector to get online.
¨ word cards for: Gioachino
Rossino; opera; William Tell
Overture; Prelude; Storm;
Ranche de Vache;
Finale: March of The Swiss
Soldiers; parody; a cappella.
¨ to learn rhythm patterns to
William Tell music before the
class starts.
¨ William Tell Overture music on
your iPod.
The AIT acronym you see in this lesson refers to any Artsaround Integration Teacher whether
you are a classroom teacher, a planning time/prep teacher or an itinerant teacher. If you like
what you see in this lesson, be sure to check out www.artsaround.education website to see
some great testimonials and an overview of what to expect. Then sign up to become part of the
Artsaround Team of Professionals who find lessons easy to deliver Artsaround-style. You’ll see
our contact info at the website.
Specific Expectations from the Ontario Curriculum
C2. Reflecting, Responding and Analyzing: Students will:
C2.2 identify the elements used in the music they perform, listen to, and create, and
describe how they are used (e.g., identify the mood of a piece and describe how the
elements of music are used to create the mood) Teacher prompts: “Which elements
do you think the composer was focusing on when writing this piece? Why?” “What mood
do you think is created? How is it created?” “What different musical choices could you
make to alter the mood of this piece?” “How did Benjamin Britten
use the elements of music in the recording of Young Person’s Guide to the
Orchestra? How do you know?”
C3.2 demonstrate an awareness, through listening, of the characteristics of musical
forms and traditions of diverse times, places, and communities (e.g., medieval musical
genres performed by troubadours or minstrels, Indian classical music, music in Islamic
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GRADE 4
cultures, music performed by female musical artists in North American culture
Aboriginal powwow music)
Teacher prompt: “What kinds of songs did medieval troubadours perform? Where did
they sing these songs?”
Introduction
10 minutes
Note to AIT: This lesson works best right after studying the Orchestra or when
highlighting classical music or different composers. There are important connections to
Media Literacy and Media Arts. Today’s composer is Rossini and the song is the
William Tell Overture. Percussion is needed for this lesson with every student holding a
pair of rhythm sticks or drum sticks. You will need to study one you tube that is
identified for you-the AIT to watch- so you can become familiar with the accompaniment
to the William Tell Rhythm Stick version of the song. That you tube is here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wF5Bs2yh2T0 William Tell: Rhythm Sticks. This is
not for the children to see. This is to teach you what you need to know so you can teach
the various parts of this overture. This is your professional development.
Smartboard Version: If you have access to and know how to work with a Smartboard
there is a great unit on William Tell. You may want to extend this lesson to last longer by
checking this link: http://exchange.smarttech.com/details?id=84437eb2-cb2b-4d9c8ce2-1ee1e491bd70 If you don’t have a Smartboard you can hear the story below.
Meet Gioachino Rossini: Show the picture of Rossini included in this lesson, asking
the students who they think this man is? What can they tell about him by the way he is
dressed? Show them the word card that spells his name. Hang it up so the visual
learners will be happy. This man was a famous classical composer and that sketch of
him was done in 1828, the year he composed a famous opera called William Tell. This
was his last opera. Show the word card. “Who knows what an opera is? Yes, it is a
classical dramatic work in one or more acts, set to music for singers and
instrumentalists. In Rossini's day, the opening of a new opera was as exciting as the
opening of a new movie is for us. The opera is based on a legend about the Swiss hero
William Tell. According to the legend, William Tell was an expert with a bow and arrow
who shot an apple off his son's head. You can hear the political turmoil in William Tells
Switzerland in Rossini's music. Let’s listen to what this opera is about and what some of
the music is trying to create”. Link to Classics for Kids…
http://www.classicsforkids.com/pastshows.asp?id=40 The Story of William Tell. 5:58
The William Tell Overture
15 minutes
The William Tell Overture: Show the word card. The students now have enough
working knowledge of this Italian composer and his music. For the rest of the class and
next week, they will be singing, playing, moving and focusing on the overture itself. Most
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overtures (opening, prelude) do not become more popular than the opera itself. But that
was not the case with Rossini’s overture. It is one of the most popular overtures in the
world. Operatic music is used for dreamlike classical moments. Not the case with the
William Tell Overture. Many years ago on TV there was a weekly TV show called the
Lone Ranger. Let’s see if this show used the music because of its soft, classical nature.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMQuUDZUR8k Lone Ranger Trailer 2:16. When
you watch it see if you notice when the music is lighter, what is repeated and when you
hear the horses start galloping in. Can you tell when he is calling in the cows in
Switzerland? Notice a new interpretation of this classical piece.”
Structure: Show the prelude word card. “The Prelude is a slow passage. The
overture’s four parts transition from one to the other without any breaks. The
instruments playing in this slower passage are cellos, playing a call and response with
the basses. An impending storm is hinted at, by two very quiet timpani rolls resembling
distant thunder.” Have the class listen with this purpose to just that section of the music.
Make sure that you download this music to your iPod as you’ll be using it again and
again. It is at the Artsaround site.
The Storm: Show the word card. “This dynamic section is played by the full orchestra.
It begins with the violins. Their phrases are punctuated by short wind instrument
interventions of three notes each, first by the piccolo, flute and oboes, then by the
clarinets and bassoons. The storm breaks out in full with the entrance of the French
horns, trumpets, trombones, and bass drum. The volume and number of instruments
gradually decreases as the storm subsides. The section ends with the flute playing
alone. Let’s listen for this now.” Let the class listen to just this section of the music.
Ranz des Vaches: Call to Cows: Show this word card. “This pastoral section signifying
the calm after the storm begins with a Ranz de Vache or "Call to the Cows", featuring
the English horn. The horn then plays in alternating phrases with the flute, culminating
in a duet with the triangle accompanying them in the background. The melody appears
several times in the opera, including the final act. This segment is often used
in animated cartoons to signify daybreak.” .Let the class listen to just this section of the
music.
Finale: March of The Swiss Soldiers: Show the word card: The Finale often called the
"March of the Swiss Soldiers" in English but is an ultra-dynamic gallop heralded by
trumpets and played by the full orchestra. It alludes to the final act, which recounts the
Swiss soldiers' victorious battle to liberate their homeland from the Austrians. Although
there are no horses or cavalry charges in the opera, this segment is often used in
popular media to denote galloping horses, a race, or a hero riding to the rescue. It’s
most famous use in that respect is-drum roll please- as the theme music for The Lone
Ranger.
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GRADE 4
Parody in Popular Media: The Magic of Media: Show the word card parody. “Does
anyone know what this word says and means? A parody is an imitation of the style of a
particular writer, artist, or genre with deliberate exaggeration for comic effect. The
William Tell Overture is a classical genre in music. We already know that cartoons
interested in daybreak use this music and so did the Lone Ranger show. In the ’you
tube’ you are about to see, a young man who decided he wanted to try to sing all
sections of the orchestra….with just his voice. When someone sings without
instrumental accompaniment, it is called a cappella. (Show that word card.) Let’s listen
to see how he manages to do so: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQgHw9xvHdk
Rossini: A cappella Cover” It helps if you discuss with the children how this guy has
been able to make this happen. If you read what he wrote below, he sends a message
to the kids:
“This is my version of Rossini's William Tell Overture! The recording is 100% vocals and
100% my own voice and the tracks are all unaltered. (Except for the horse neighing :)
The audio was recorded with a Blue Snowball microphone on Garageband, and the
video was recorded with a Canon EOS 7D camera on Adobe Premiere.
Keep on singing, my friends!” Good words of advice from a ‘you tube’ sensation!
William Tell Overture Rhythm Circle
15 minutes
Note to the AIT: To teach this part of the lesson, you would have had to watch the link
to the video provided at the beginning of this lesson where the children teach the rhythm
patterns for each section of the William Tell Overture. If you know them, you are ready
to have fun with this popular piece of music. You won’t have time to do all sections
today. At least make sure you know the Prelude and the Storm. That’s a start.
Rhythm Patterns Playtime: After every student has a pair of rhythm sticks, do some
fun call and response games with you in the lead, chosen students calling and sections
playing different rhythm patterns. If you keep a steady beat on a tambour, drum or cow
bell, let the students choose their response in a drum circle.
The Rhythms of Language: Now get a little more formal so the children are focussed
with a purpose. Consider this procedure:
1. If necessary, introduce or review the concept of strong and weak syllables.
2. Assign one drum or sound (e.g. clapping) for strong syllables, and one drum or
sound (e.g. finger snapping) for weak syllables.
3. Let the students take turns.
4. One student says a sentence. Encourage long, creative sentences. ("I wish we
could have pizza for lunch today" rather than "I want pizza".)
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5. Another student beats or claps out the rhythm of the sentence (da-DUM-da-dada-DUM-da-da-DUM-da-da). Encourage them to mimic the natural rhythm of the
sentence as much as possible. After one person has played the rhythm, see if
the entire group can "play" the sentence together.
6. Ask the students: Is there a particular length or type of sentence that is easiest to
turn into a rhythm that everyone can agree on? Do the rhythms of the sentences
sound alike or different? If two sentences sound too much alike, what could be
done to make them sound different?
7. If you are also studying poetry, try this activity with poetry. Can the students
identify meter, line length, and poem type just from drum rhythms? Let them
demonstrate the rhythm to nursery rhymes, holiday songs, pop music if you are
stuck. Have your own song rhythms ready too.
William Tell and the Rhythm Sticks: In the demo on you tube the grade 4 students
were seated in a circle of a group of 12 students. Once your students understand the
rhythm patterns that accompany the overture, they can sit in circles of 12 or less.
However, for today’s purposes since students are learning these rhythm patterns from
you, it works easiest when they can all see you. For today’s teaching purposes, have all
of the children sit in a big drum circle where everyone can be seen.
You’ll only get as far as the time allows you to get but you have made a start. Next week
you can continue to build on the patterns they know and add more to keep things
challenging.
Following Week: William Tell Overture Continues
Note to AITs: Today, you’ll do another drum circle and percussion activities to warm
the kids up. Add movement too with scarves and/or tennis balls. Teach conducting
patterns and see what a Mom has to say as she scolds her child in her parody of the
William Tell Overture. If you would prefer to have all of that outlined for you, please go
to the Artsaround site to purchase the next lesson (which like this one will take 2 more
lessons to finish or sign up for our entire music package for your grade). If you’re
teaching drama and dance, consider those too.
About Today: You have more than enough content from last week’s lesson to still
follow up and give the students a sold grounding in the rhythm patterns to the William
Tell Overture and demonstrating how Rossini Rocks! The more they practice, the better
they get. We sincerely hope you enjoyed this lesson. Know there are many more
lessons filled to the brim with exciting, active, fun, challenging and integrated activities
throughout every lesson Artsaround produces. We welcome you to join our Artsaround
Team. (aka A Team) You won’t be disappointed.
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GRADE 4
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GRADE 4
Beat and Rhythm Assessment
Grade: _____ Teacher: ________________________ School: _________________
Level 1: Is making little progress towards mastery of the skill. (Student doesn’t
have it yet, but is trying).
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Level 2: Is making steady progress towards mastery of the skill. (I am getting
better).
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Level 3: Has mastered the skill and usually performs well. (I am successful.)
Level 4: Has mastered the skill and demonstrates this consistently each time he
performs. (I can do it all the time, and can add to it!)
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ROSSINI ROCKS
GRADE 4