Ginastera Lesson Plan

The class this lesson plan is designed for is a 20th century music class. This class is used to learn

how the contemporary pieces of music we know about came to be and the compositional

differences that came with them. The main takeaways I would like this class to have from my

lesson is being able to analyze lyric and text to go along with the music. I would like to be able

to make a road map and even see how the music is able to support what the text says.

Format Grade Level/Class: 20th Century Music

Area(s) of Focus: Ginastera’s String Quartet No. 3 Mvt. 4

Lesson Objectives:

• Students will understand measure lengths and the importance of them for music

understanding (Knowledge)

• Students will analyze text and make connections to what they hear aurally (Skill)

• Students will gain a basic understanding of pulse (Skill)

Vocabulary and Academic Language

• Evaluate, respond, analyze

Prior Learning:

Students know some 20th century composers. Students have an idea of contemporary

compositions and the difference between contemporary and pre-20th century music.

Materials Needed: Projector, computer

Procedures:

• To begin class, I will separate students into groups. For the first ten minutes of class,

they will work together to find out everything they can about Alberto Ginastera (10 min)
• After the ten minutes, each group will announce to the class two things they learned

about the composer (5 minutes)

• I will then pull up Ginastera’s String Quartet No. 3 Mvt. 4 and the class will listen to it

one time as I hand out the score to the piece and the text translation. (3 minutes)

• Class will discuss their initial thoughts on the piece. I will call on them as they raise

their hands (2 minutes)

• I will then draw the students’ attention to the time signatures and bar lines of this piece

(or the lack thereof). I will give a brief explanation of what a time signature is and what

it explains about each measure (3 minutes)

• Students will then take five minutes to discuss with their peers why measures are

important to a performer and how it can help them. (5 minutes)

• I will call on students for their thoughts on how bar lines and specified measures help

the performer. Ideas to look for: phrasing, style, interpretation, time fluctuation, etc. (2

minutes)

• Students will listen to the recording of the string quartet again. They will be asked to

listen and follow along with the text translation I handed to them. (3 min)

• I will draw the students’ attention to how the text in music can often influence the notes

and rhythms themselves. I will use the example of the singer singing the word

“motionless” and holding out the note. I believe this is to emphasize that the soldier is

not moving. (2 minutes)

• Students will then choose a partner and brainstorm ideas of how the text and the music

work together in this piece. Students will use the score and text translation. I will also

play the piece two or three more times. (8 minutes)

 • I will call on pairs to present to the class what they have come up with and how they see

the text affecting the music or vice versa. (5 minutes)

• Students will then fill out an exit ticket to be handed into me on how they think modern

music today uses some of the same methods of having the text affect the music. (2

minutes)

Methods of Assessment

• Formal – I will assess students using their exit ticket to see if they have gained an

understanding of text-music relationships.

• Informal – I will assess students and their understanding of text-music relationships as I

walk around and visit pairs that are coming up with ideas.