BATTLE OF THE BANDS
Rachel Atlas
rfatlas@cps.edu
PEDAGOGY
Unit 1: Guitar
Unit 2: Keyboard
Unit 3: Adding in the Bass and the Drums
Unit 4: Battle of the Bands
UNIT 1: GUITAR
• 1. Em, E, Am, and A
• 2. C, D, F, and G
• 3. Chord Progression of a chosen song
UNIT 2: KEYBOARD
• 1. Teach “C” position with both hands so
they learn finger numbers and basic
music notation
• 2. Chords with only white keys
• 3. Chords with white and black keys
UNIT 3: BASS AND
PERCUSSION
• 1. Teach how to read a bass chart and
show how they correlate to the strings and
frets
• 2. Demonstrate the “back beat” and have
students who want to drum try it
• 3. DRUM AUDITIONS: Select 1 student to
be your class drummer and one back-up
drummer
UNIT 4: BATTLE OF THE
BANDS
• 1. Instrument choice with direction of
teacher
• 2. VOCALIST AUDITIONS: Make sure you
select wisely if your students will be
holding a microphone
• 3. Putting it all together: Have students
vote on a song (do not let different classes
play the same song
National and Illinois State
Standards (FUN FUN FUN!)
• National Standards:
• 1. Singing, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music
• 2. Performing on instruments, alone and with others, a varied
repertoire of music
• 5. Reading and notating music
• 6. Listening to, analyzing, and describing music
• 7. Evaluating music and music performances
•
• Illinois State Standards:
• 25. Know the language of the arts
• 26. Through creating and performing, understand how works
of
arts are produced
Good Song Options
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1. Safe and Sound by Capital Cities
2. Demons by Imagine Dragons
3. Counting Stars by One Republic
4. Radioactive by Imagine Dragons
5. Hall of Fame by The Script
6. When I was Your Man by Bruno Mars
7. Iris by The GooGoo Dolls
8. Grenade by Bruno Mars
9. Bring Me To Life be Evanescence
10. Let Her Go by The Passenger
Let Her Go by Passenger
• 8th graders
performing on
Stage in Battle
of the Bands
Bring Me To Life by
Evanescence
• 8th grade
keyboard
soloist in
Battle of the
Bands
Safe and Sound by Capital
Cities
• 5th graders
rehearsing in
classroom
When I was Your Man by Bruno
Mars
• 7th
graders
rehearsing
in
classroom
TIME TO JAM
• Jump on an instrument of choice
• Grab a chart for “Let Her Go” by Passenger
• Verse Chord Progression: (2 counts/chord)
Em C
D Bm Em C
D7
D
Chorus Chord Progression
C
G
D Em C
G D7
D