Read That Tune!

A WebQuest for 6th grade Music Students

Designed by
Pat King and Vicki Williams
williavl@rss.k12.nc.us
Created at the North Carolina Teacher Academy, June 2000

Introduction

Music is the universal language.  When you view a piece of music, do the symbols speak to you?  How can we have so many notes when there are only  five lines and four spaces? How can we possibly remember what each line and space is called? 

This WebQuest is designed to teach you the basic music symbols and then how to use them to read notes in the treble clef.  We will be using the MusicAce® software, various web sites and worksheets  as our tools to learn our new language. 
 
 

The Task
 Using Music Ace® and Internet resources, each of you  will complete several activities and worksheets to learn  the music staff, music alphabet and note names of the treble clef.  The class will be divided into small groups as you learn the note names of the treble clef.  Your group's final activity will be to notate a simple melody using Doodlepad®.  If you wish, you can perform the melody on your instrument for 10 bonus points! 
 

Resources
Music Ace® CD ROM 
Alfred's Essentials of Music Theory, Book One®
Mrs. Carrier's Middle School Music Page
http://users.massed.net/~carrier/
ThinkQuest
http://library.thinkquest.org/27153/index2.html
The Trouble with Treble
http://www.tldsb.on.ca/schools/huntsvilleps/99/lessons/music/index.htm
 
 

The Process
 

• You will begin your quest to learn to read music with several lessons with the whole class. 
• Then, you will be placed in small groups to complete the following activies.
• Follow the links to complete your tasks. 

1. Get the Music Jargon worksheet from your teacher.  Go to this link and click on the red button on the left. When the menu bar rolls over, click on the first red button. the Read the section on Jargon (vocabulary) and find the definitions for the words.   Music Jargon

2. Get a sheet of blank staff paper from your teacher.  Go to this new link and read the lesson.  Practice drawing notes on the lines and spaces and identify the notes.  Trouble with Treble 

 
3. Go to Lesson 7 in Music Ace®.  Complete the lesson and then get the lines and spaces worksheets from your teacher.  Complete the worksheets and make a poster with your group's favorite sayings to remember the lines and spaces.   Go back to the lesson and play the game.

 
4. Get the Treble Clef and Staff worksheet from your teacher.  Complete the worksheet and flip it over to the back.  Using the musical alphabet, make up as many words as you can, and write them under the staff. Then, draw the notes on the staff.

 
5. EXTRA CREDIT ACTIVITY  Go to Doodlepad in Music Ace®.  Make up a simple tune, or try to figure out the notes for a tune you remember from your far-distant childhood.  Notate the song, then try to play it on the virtual keyboard or your instrument.

Evaluation
 
 
 
 

Conclusion

When you complete this WebQuest, you will have learned and practiced naming notes on the treble clef staff.  You became a composer when you used those notes to write your own song.  You became a performer if you took the bonus challenge to play your song for the class.  If you want to practice more, play more games, or explore these topics further, check out these web sites. 
 
 
 

Credits & References

Bass clef graphics provided by http://www.skdesigns.com/internet/music/images/clef.htm
Other musical graphics provided by http://www.gograph.com
Music Ace®
Alfred's Essential of Music Theory, Book One®

This lesson teaches the following National Standards for Music Education.