Alexander's Ragtime Band
Time Signature
- Cut Time (alla breve; 2/2)
Cross Curricular
- History / Social Studies
Theme
- Music
Content Type
- Choreography
Style
- Jazz
Dynamics
- Forte
- Fortissimo
- Mezzo Forte
Form
- Coda
- Dal Segno
- Verse/Refrain
Movement Type
- Choreography
Classroom Instruments
- Kazoo
Voicing
- 2-Part
- Unison
- Unison w/opt. Harmony
Language
- English
Rhythm
- Crotchet
- Crotchet Rest
- Dotted Quaver Rest
- Dotted Quaver-Semiquaver
- Minim
- Minim Rest
- Quaver Rest
- Quaver-Crotchet-Quaver Syncopation
- Semibreve
Metre
- Duple
Year Group
- Year 6+
See More
Year 2
Lesson 5: Rests
Year 4
Lesson 30: Organising Beats
Year 5
Lesson : Articulation Affects - Part 2
Year 6
Lesson 8: Mixed Metres
Year 6
Instrument Units
Lesson 0: Recorder Class Method - Unit 2
Instrument Units
Lesson 1: Guitar Class Method - Unit 1
Listening Maps
Lesson : Listening Maps
Disney Music Activities (EYFS & KS1)
Lesson 3: Very First Steps: Sound
Disney Music Activities (EYFS & KS1)
Lesson : Very First Steps: The Beat
Disney Music Activities (EYFS & KS1)
Lesson 2: Very First Steps: Singing
Musicals
Lesson 8: Surfin' Santa
Musicals
Lesson 9: Bugz
Musicals
Lesson 10: Bebop With Aesop
Musicals
Lesson : Once Upon a Starry Night
New Test Group
Lesson 30: Am I Hearing You Right?
New Test Group
Lesson 28: It's Dynamically Fun!
Global Drumming
Lesson 5: 5. Rhythm Complements
Global Drumming
Global Drumming
Lesson 4: 4. Double Bell (Gankogui)
Global Drumming
Lesson 3: 3. Question and Answer with Echo
Global Drumming
Lesson 2: 2. Low Tone on Drum; Bell
Global Drumming
Lesson 1: 1. High Tone on Drum; Rattle
Words and Music by Irving Berlin
Arranged by Mark Brymer
Copyright © 2011 by Hal Leonard Corporation
International Copyright Secured All Rights Reserved
Available Learning Resources
Alexander's Ragtime Band Credits
Words and Music by Irving Berlin
Arranged by Mark Brymer
Copyright © 2011 by Hal Leonard Corporation
International Copyright Secured All Rights Reserved
Teaching Plan
Alexander's Ragtime Band
Goals
- Learn a hit song from 1911 by Irving Berlin
- Identify ragtime as a style of music.
- Sing a song in two parts.
Materials
- Ball
- Six laminated facts about the song
- Optional: Recording of "The Entertainer" by Scott Joplin
- Optional: Kazoos
Instructions
-
As you listen to "Alexander's Ragtime Band," pass a ball around the circle to keep the steady beat. Once the beat is established, begin passing laminated facts about the song around the circle, such as:
- Irving Berlin
- 1911
- Bugle call:
- "Swanee River"
- Hit cover song
- Ragtime
-
After listening to the song, have volunteers read the laminated facts.
- Irving Berlin wrote this song. He was an American composer and lyricist, widely considered one of the greatest songwriters in American history. He also wrote "God Bless America."
- This song was released in 1911.
- It includes a sung bugle call. (Doo)
- It includes part of the famous song "Swanee River."
- Within 50 years of its release, this song had at least a dozen hit covers.
- Ragtime is a style of jazz piano music with a syncopated or "ragged" rhythm in the melody. This kind of rhythm places accents where they wouldn't normally occur. Another example of ragtime is Scott Joplin's "The Entertainer."
-
Sing the song. Let's practice the melody first.
-
Did you notice there is harmony in this song? Practice these parts:
- That's just the bestest band what am.
- Swanee River played in ragtime
- the echo: come on and hear, come on along, and up to the man
- ending: Ragtime Band
- Divide class in half to sing melody and harmony parts. Repeat and switch parts to allow everyone to try every part.
- Perform: Sing the melody and harmony. Add kazoos (for the students to keep) to the bugle call sung on doo.
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