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The Mood Melody Mixer

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Lesson Plan

The Mood Melody Mixer

Students will be able to identify and express basic emotions (happy, sad, angry, calm) by associating them with different musical elements (tempo, rhythm, style).

Understanding and expressing emotions in a healthy way is crucial for social-emotional development. Using music provides a creative, accessible, and non-threatening way for young children to explore their feelings.

Audience

K-2 Students

Time

30-40 minutes

Approach

Interactive discussion, musical exploration, and creative expression through drawing.

Materials

Mood Melody Mixer Slide Deck, Emotional Music Playlist, My Mood Music Worksheet, Crayons or colored pencils, Whiteboard or chart paper, and Markers

Prep

Gather Materials & Review Content

15 minutes

  • Review the Mood Melody Mixer Lesson Plan and familiarizing yourself with the content.
    - Prepare the Mood Melody Mixer Slide Deck for presentation.
    - Create or curate a short 'Emotional Music Playlist' (3-4 songs, 30-60 seconds each) featuring distinct musical styles/tempos for happy, sad, angry, and calm emotions. Examples:
    * Happy: Upbeat, fast tempo, major key (e.g., classical waltz, folk dance)
    * Sad: Slower tempo, minor key (e.g., classical lullaby, slow instrumental)
    * Angry: Fast tempo, strong beats, potentially dissonant (e.g., dramatic orchestral excerpt)
    * Calm: Slow tempo, smooth, sustained notes (e.g., ambient music, gentle classical)
    - Print enough copies of the My Mood Music Worksheet for each student.
    - Ensure crayons or colored pencils are available for students.

Step 1

Warm-Up: How Are We Feeling?

5 minutes

  • Begin by asking students: "How are you feeling today?" and have them share a quick feeling word or facial expression.
    - Explain that today, they will explore how music can sound like our feelings. Use Mood Melody Mixer Slide Deck Slide 1.

Step 2

Introducing Mood Melodies

10 minutes

  • Display Mood Melody Mixer Slide Deck Slide 2.
    - Introduce the idea that music can have different 'moods' just like people.
    - Play a short (30-60 second) excerpt from the 'Happy' song on your Emotional Music Playlist. Ask: "How does this music make you feel? What words describe it?" Guide them to 'happy' or similar.
    - Repeat for 'Sad,' 'Angry,' and 'Calm' music, using Mood Melody Mixer Slide Deck Slides 3, 4, and 5 respectively. For each, ask students to describe the music and the feeling it evokes. Discuss how the speed (fast/slow) and sound (smooth/bumpy) change with different emotions.

Step 3

My Mood Music Activity

15 minutes

  • Distribute the My Mood Music Worksheet and crayons/colored pencils.
    - Explain that students will draw a picture for each emotion in the worksheet, showing what that emotion looks like to them, or what kind of music makes them feel that way. Use Mood Melody Mixer Slide Deck Slide 6.
    - As they draw, you can play background music from the Emotional Music Playlist, rotating through the different mood melodies, or ask students to hum their own 'mood melody' as they draw.
    - Circulate and provide support, encouraging students to explain their choices.

Step 4

Share and Reflect

5-10 minutes

  • Bring the class back together. Display Mood Melody Mixer Slide Deck Slide 7.
    - Invite a few students to share one of their drawings from the My Mood Music Worksheet and describe the emotion and why they chose to represent it that way, or how the music helped them.
    - Conclude by reiterating that music can be a fun way to understand and express our many different feelings.
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Slide Deck

The Mood Melody Mixer

What Music Matches Your Feelings?

Welcome students and introduce the idea of exploring feelings through music. Ask a few students how they are feeling today.

Music for Happy!

Upbeat, Sunny, Joyful

Play the 'Happy' music from your playlist. Ask students: "How does this music make you feel? What words describe it? What does happy sound like?"

Music for Sad!

Slow, Gentle, Quiet

Play the 'Sad' music from your playlist. Ask students: "How does this music make you feel? What words describe it? What does sad sound like?"

Music for Angry!

Loud, Fast, Strong

Play the 'Angry' music from your playlist. Ask students: "How does this music make you feel? What words describe it? What does angry sound like?"

Music for Calm!

Soft, Flowing, Relaxed

Play the 'Calm' music from your playlist. Ask students: "How does this music make you feel? What words describe it? What does calm sound like?"

Your Mood Music Masterpiece!

Draw what happy, sad, angry, and calm music looks like or how it makes you feel!

Explain the activity: students will draw how different emotions look or feel, or what music for that emotion looks like. Emphasize that there are no right or wrong answers.

Share Your Feelings!

Tell us about your drawings and your mood melodies!

Invite students to share their drawings and explain their choices. Reinforce that music can help us understand and express our feelings.

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Worksheet

My Mood Music Worksheet

Draw how each type of music makes you feel, or what that emotion looks like!

Happy Music!

What does happy music look like? Or how does it make you feel? Draw it here!













Sad Music!

What does sad music look like? Or how does it make you feel? Draw it here!













Angry Music!

What does angry music look like? Or how does it make you feel? Draw it here!













Calm Music!

What does calm music look like? Or how does it make you feel? Draw it here!













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Script

Emotional Music Playlist Guide

This guide will help you select short music excerpts for the The Mood Melody Mixer lesson. You will need 30-60 second excerpts for each of the four emotions: Happy, Sad, Angry, and Calm. The goal is to choose music that clearly evokes these feelings through its tempo, rhythm, and overall sound.

Happy Music

  • Characteristics: Upbeat, fast tempo, often in a major key, bright instrumentation.
  • Examples: Classical waltzes, energetic folk dance tunes, cheerful children's songs, pop songs with a positive vibe.
  • Considerations: Choose something that makes you want to tap your feet or smile.

Sad Music

  • Characteristics: Slower tempo, often in a minor key, smooth and sometimes melancholic melodies.
  • Examples: Classical lullabies, slow instrumental pieces, blues music, reflective film scores.
  • Considerations: Look for music that sounds gentle, quiet, or a bit longing.

Angry Music

  • Characteristics: Fast tempo, strong and percussive beats, potentially dissonant or dramatic sounds, heavy instrumentation.
  • Examples: Dramatic orchestral excerpts (e.g., from a chase scene), rock music with a driving beat, intense movie soundtracks.
  • Considerations: Choose something that has a powerful, strong, or even a bit chaotic feel.

Calm Music

  • Characteristics: Slow tempo, smooth and sustained notes, often ambient or ethereal sounds, gentle instrumentation.
  • Examples: Ambient nature sounds with soft music, gentle classical pieces, meditation music, slow jazz.
  • Considerations: Select music that feels peaceful, relaxing, and quiet.
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