Grade Level: 9th-12th grade

Title of Lesson: Polishing for state assessment

Concepts: Students can use their warm-ups, sight reading skills, and prerequisite knowledge of their repertoire to define and refine their future performances.

Behavioral Objectives or Learning Outcomes: Students will connect phrases appropriately throughout their warm-ups and repertoire.

Students’ language Needs:

Academic Language Function: Connect phrases and/or musical sentences throughout the rehearsal.

Vocab: Phrasing, connecting, musical sentences.

Syntax: A phrase is grouping certain measures together, like a musical sentence. In band, phrasing can be 4 measures grouped together. In choir, we can use the words we are singing to make our musical sentences. For example, think of the words for Like a Mighty Wind. I wouldn’t sing “Like a mighty wind. *big breath here* Over rushing waters”, I would connect those phrases (or measures) together. “Like a mighty wind over rushing waters”. (m. 21-23).

Discourse:

Verbal discourse: responding to questions and directions throughout the rehearsal, speaking rhythms and solfege.

Aural discourse: speaking rhythms, speaking solfège, and singing in response to four beat preps by the teacher.

Kinesthetic discourse: using solfège in sight reading, use arm movements and other body movements during warm-ups, arm and other body movement to show phrasing.

NAfME Standards and Alabama Course of Study Standards:

• MU:Cr3.1.E.8a Evaluate and refine draft compositions and improvisations based on knowledge, skill, and collaboratively-developed criteria.

• MU:Pr5.3.E.8a Develop strategies to address technical challenges in a varied repertoire of music and evaluate their success using feedback from ensemble peers and other sources to refine performances.

• MU:Pr6.1.E.8a Demonstrate attention to technical accuracy and expressive qualities in prepared and improvised performances of a varied repertoire of music representing diverse cultures and styles.

• MU:Pr6.1.E.5b Demonstrate an understanding of the context of the music through prepared and improvised performances.

• MU:Re7.2.E.8a Describe how understanding context and the way the elements of music are manipulated inform the response to music.

• 4. Evaluate and refine draft compositions and improvisational skills based on knowledge, skill, and collaboratively developed criteria.

• 9. Develop strategies to address technical challenges in music and evaluate their success using feedback from ensemble peers and other sources to refine performances.

• 10. Demonstrate attention to technical accuracy and expressive qualities of music representing diverse cultures and styles.

• 11. Demonstrate an understanding of the context of the music through prepared and improvised performances.

• 13. Describe how understanding context and the way the elements of music are manipulated inform responses to music

Procedure:

Warmup: Physical

• Arms up, stretch side to side

• Roll shoulders forward and backwards

• Bend over, deep breathing, slowly raise up in singing posture.

Warm-up: Breathing

• In 4 beats, hold 4 beats or sip, sip

• Out 8 beats (on “sh” sound)

Warm-up: Vocal

• 5-4-3-2-1 descending hum #8 5-4-3-2-1 ascending yaw #3 ascending

• #13 ascending

• Single pitch: choral vowels

Sight-reading: #140

• Speak rhythm Speak/sign solfege

• Establish key: scale, arpeggio, starting pitch

• Sing

• Sing and sign

Rehearsal:

Like a Mighty Wind

m. 21-29

Sing through

Parts (SA and TB) Connecting/Phrasing Dynamics (if time allows)

Hallelujah, amen

Section D (m. 24-30)

Sing through

Parts (if needed) Connecting (m. 26-28) Dynamics (if time allows)

Exit slip Sticky note: what is a phrase? Last 10 minutes

Assessment:

Informal Strategies: The class as a whole will answer questions throughout the rehearsal.

Formal Strategies: the exit slip

Informal Assessment: Identifying notes and solfege during sight-reading and phrases throughout our repertoire.

Formal Assessment: Exit slip: the students will each get a sticky note and define what a phrase is or an example. The example can be from our repertoire or something they come up with.

Show Choir and SPCA/Spring

Grade Level: 9^th-12^th

Central Focus: Warmups, sight singing, and prepared planning of concert repertoire help lead an efficient rehearsal.

Behavioral Objective: Students will participate in various warmups, their regular sight singing procedures, and a music rehearsal to prepare for their next performance in a thirty minute period.

Academic Language:

Function: Students will and are expected to participate the entire time.

Vocabulary and/or Music Symbols: speak-count: speaking the numbers of a melody without actually singing. Meter. Legato.

Syntax: Students can count rhythms, sing pitches, and sing words to a steady beat.

Discourse: Having the students clap their rhythms will help with learning their parts. Speak-counting will help the students know what pitch should be sung on a particular beat. Having the students change dynamics and tempos during rehearsal will help them hear other parts and check themselves.

NAfME and State Course of Study Standards:

• MU:Pr4.3.E.8a Demonstrate understanding and application of expressive qualities in a varied repertoire of music through prepared and improvised performances.

• Anchor Standard 4: Select, analyze, and interpret artistic work for presentation. Demonstrate how knowledge of formal aspects in musical works informs prepared or improvised performances.

• Level 3 #3: Perform a varied repertoire of four-part literature, including selections in a foreign language.

Procedure:

Motivating Introductory Activity: Physical warmup: We will do various stretches to warm up and wake up our body. These will include neck stretches shoulder shrugs, and ragdoll.

Breathing: Now for this breathing exercise, inhale for 10 counts and two sips of air. (I will count to ten, say “sip” they sip “sip” they sip again). Then we will exhale for 20 counts, hissing in eight notes. Inhale the same amount, exhale 20 counts on one sustained hiss.

Vocal: 5-4-3-2-1 while humming

5-3-4-2-3-1-2-7-1 on an “ee-oh-ee-oh-ee-oh-ee-oh-ee”

5-4-3-2-1 descending scale on the word “bee”.

5-8-5-3-1 on an “oh”

Sight singing: First let’s clap our rhythms together.

What type of meter is this? (4/4). I will call on a specific section to clap if necessary. Can anyone tell me what key we are in? F major. I will ask each part to tell me what number they start on (Baritone: 3, Alto: 1, Soprano: 5).

I will have everyone speak-count count the baritone part. Next, soprano and alto will count-speak the alto part while the baritones speak-count their own. Then, the sopranos will count-speak their part along with everyone else. I will play a F major scale and arpeggio, give them their starting note, and they will sing through the exercise on numbers.

Rehearsal: Each piece has their own personal goal. Procedure for each will be similar: We will sing through as a group and then break down what is needed. For example, have the sopranos sing with the altos to help them hear their part. We will also sing the pieces a cappella to help check pitches. The goals are procedures are as followed:

• Hydom, Tiddlydom: m. 32-48. Work on the legato section, dynamics and transition into the key change.

• Mary, Did You Know?: m.79-89. Check pitches and entrances for each voice part.

• Carol of the Bells: entire piece. We will sing at a slower tempo to check pitches.

Closing/Review: I will ask the students how they felt about the rehearsal and remind them how close their concert is (5 days)