Lesson

# 3 of 3

Central Focus: The central focus of this learning segment is to explore the ways in which music is used to enhance storytelling
on screen and stage.
National Arts Standards:
Anchor Standards:
7. Students will perceive and analyze artistic work.
8. Students will interpret intent and meaning in artistic work.
10. Students will synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art.
11. Students will relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural and historical context to deepen understanding.
Specific Objectives
Students will compare and contrast the ways in which music is used in musical theater, to how it is in film.
Students will take a story and enhance it by deciding where and how to add music.
Materials: Opening Clip from the Wizard of Oz, as well as one that shows underscoring, and one where there are characters
singing. Short story (Jack and the Beanstalk) , with copies for the whole class.
Sequence:
Est.
Procedures
Assessment
Time



Pre-class setup: have groups chosen, or have a method for quickly breaking the class into

groups when it is time.





Sequence:
Informal assessment
5 min.
1. As an introduction to this day, first play again the opening credits that the
Student participation in

class watched on the first day, with the opening sound track. Explain to the
class discussion

students how this is similar to the overture being played with a closed


curtain before a musical or an opera. Ask the students why they think this is


done. Why not just start in right with the story?




15 min.
2. Show clips from the Wizard of Oz that includes both music as soundtrack


(underscoring), and a song sung by one of the characters. Ask the students to

identify the two uses of music, and ask them to brainstorm why the


characters are singing (and are actively involved with the music) rather than

just having music as soundtrack. A possible connection to Arias/Recitative in

opera may be built here if there is time (driving the story vs. showing what


the characters are feeling).



Formal Assessments
15 min.
3. Pass out copies of the short story. Read the story as a class. Break into groups Students Annotated Story

of 3 or 4 and have the students decide how to turn the story into a musical.


Have the students annotate the story, showing where they will have


underscoring (and what is it?), where a character will sing, where there will


be a chorus number, (etc). Remind the students of what was talked about


yesterday with leitmotifs. Encourage the class to see if they can create


continuity by finding a theme or character throughout and pairing it with a


musical idea.




7 min.
4. In the last few minutes, have the class join back together to compare notes on
how they used music to enhance the short story.










Reflection of Teaching and thoughts for next lessons (if this is not the last in the sequence):