ENSEMBLE REHEARSAL PLAN

Conductors Name: Stephen Castaneda

Ensemble Name: Senaca High Mixed Choir
Title of Piece: Bethlehem Spiritual (Alfred Choral Designs Publications 23901)
Composer/ Arranger: Donald Moore
Grade of Piece: High School (SSAB)
Learning Goals (Objectives)
What singers will:
Be able to do (behavioral): The singers of the Senaca High Mixed Choir will be able to
sing and perform Behtlehem Spiritual with artistic integrity.
Understand (cognitive): The singer will interpret the relationship between the music of
the spiritual and slavery by researching the history of the spiritual.
Encounter (experiential): The singers will experience the art of the Negro Spiritual.
Construct Meaning (constructivist): Members of the Senaca High Mixed Choir will
realize the special connection between the spiritual and gospel music.
Technical Skills (Breath, Intonation, Rhythmic Accuracy, and Diction)
An understanding of the functions of ties and how to accurately execute tied
rhythms. They will nee to also be able to execute dotted rhythms. Proper vowel shapes
will be needed to unify vowels and also create a richer tone. Proper breath support will
be needed for longer phrases. Common with many negro spirituals, the text is written in
the dialect of African-Americans at the time. Special attention will be needed to make
sure singers pronounce these unique words right.
Musical Concepts (Minor Tonality, Vocal Range, Harmony)
The music is written in a minor key. Many members of choir may be unfamiliar
what a minor key is. There are some challenging low notes for Basses and high notes
for Sopranos. Several times the pieces features parts in SSA, so singers will have to be
condent of their note in the chord.
Empowering Musicianship (Stylistic Integrity, Historical Perspective, Condence with
Rhythmic Dictation)
By learning to sing this piece, the singers will have experienced the art of the
Negro Spiritual and understand what it takes to perform such a piece with stylistic
integrity. There are some challenging rhythms for most of the singers in the choir. After
learning these rhythms they will have more condence when singing rhythms of the
same difculty.
Process
Partner: (Differentiate instruction by collaboration with ensemble members predicting
the performance challenges. Pose problems and brainstorm solutions together.
Encourage singers to respond.
Singers in the Senaca High Mixed Choir will be asked to listen to a piece entitled
The Battle of Jericho arranged by Moses Hogan. Hogan is a well respected composer
of the Spiritual and students will be informed of this and other facts about the composer
before the clip is played. Students will pair up with a person sitting beside them. They
will be informed that during the recording they are to think of the following questions:
How did the group sound? What were things you noticed about their singing? What may
be some of our challenges getting this kind of sound into the piece we are doing? In
addition to these questions students will be asked to use the internet on their phones to
answer the question, What is a Negro Spiritual? After a few minutes of deliberation
students will be rst asked to share the information they found about the Negro
Spiritual. Next, we will have a short discussion regarding the Hogans arrangement of
the spiritual. After they decide the challenges we will have, I will ask them How can we
conquer these obstacles and make sure we are successful performing this piece?
Present: (Sequence of the rehearsal steps. Present the steps to scaffold and allow time
for singers to practice independently on their own. Differentiate instruction through
questioning, clarifying, summarizing, and connecting.)
1) Play a recording of the piece found on the JW Pepper website of a professional choir
singing the piece. Ask the choir to decide on breath marks as well as general
dynamic marks. After a general consensus is made have students mark their scores
appropriately.
2) Conductor distributes copies of Bethlehem Spiritual composed by Donald Moore. We
will speak through the text as a group. After speaking the text the students will be
asked to nd difcult rhythmic passages in the piece. Anything students cant resolve
themselves have the class speak or clap the rhythm together. After a general
consensus is made students will mark their score appropriately.
3) Start in the middle of the piece on page 5. This is a section where the whole group is
singing in unison. Have them rst speak the rhythm of the phrase. Pay close attention
to diction on words like manger and child.
4) Next play the melody for them on the piano. Then sing it for them demonstrating
proper vowel shape. Ask them to sing with you.
5) Next divide the group into sectionals. Basses will stay and the female voices will go
with Mr. DiLauro.
6) In Bass sectional go to the beginning of the piece. The song starts off with Bass solo,
tell them how important there part is to the success of the piece. Speak through text
with them playing close attention to words like: tiny, baby, and born.
7) Next after xing any diction or rhythm issues, teach the part on pitches. First, inform
them that their opening phrases starts on the Soufege syllable Do, Re, Me. (These
are the same syllables used in the warm up)
8) Next sing the song for Basses and have them sing it with you.
9) After Basses are condent on their part bring the whole choir back together. Run
through the piece listening for any problem areas.
10) Where there is harmony notes may need to be sung slowly, sometimes freezing on
notes that may be difcult.
11) After everyone is condent on notes even more detail will be paid to proper phrasing
and dynamics.
12) If there are problems with proper vowel shapes and diction those areas will be
rehearsed further as well.
13) Occasionally during the teaching of the piece sectionals will be held, where students
will evaluate their progress on the piece and what it is they can improve.
Personalize: (Make the learning personal to the singers. Provide opportunities for
ensemble members and their conductor to collaborate as musicians to create a musical
experience and add value to their lives.)
As the singers become more familiar with the piece and the stylings of the Negro
Spiritual, the conductor and choir members will return to the original discussion of the
Spiritual. The choir will be asked once again, What is a Negro Spiritual? Furthermore,
they will be asked What have you learned about the Negro Spiritual through this
piece?
Next they will be asked to break into groups of 3-4. They will be asked to imagine
a tough time in their life where music was the only thing that got them through. As a
group ask them to begin to put these thoughts on paper in the form of lyrics to a song.
Ask them to construct their own melody and if they can to think of accompaniment.
Tell them for homework they are asked to nish their compositions. Tell them they
can bring in instruments from home for their accompaniment to their song. They will also
be allowed to use instrumentals as well if they desire. Tell them they will be asked to
perform their song for the class. After their performance they will have to answer the
question, In what way does your song relate to what you know about Negro Spirituals.
Performance: (Demonstrate teaching music when singers perform.)
The ensemble performs the piece, Bethlehem Spiritual by Donald Moore at the
Holiday Concert. Students who are willing will also have a chance to perform their own
Spiritual arrangements at the conclusion of the piece. They will also be asked to
explain how their piece relates to the Negro Spiritual.
Assessment:
Formative: The singers will demonstrate their awareness of the art of Negro
Spiritual as it relates to expression, interpretation, and historic context in daily choral
rehearsals throughout the semester. As the weeks progress, the conductor will lead
several class discussions reviewing the historic importance of the art form and its
relationship to the text and expression of the piece. Through the creation of their own
Spirituals piece students will demonstrate what they know about Negro Spirituals
through the creation of their own Spiritual.
Summative: The singers will demonstrate their mastery of musical and artistic as
they relate to the Negro Spiritual by performing the piece, Bethlehem Spiritual in
concert.
Integrative: Conductor journal entry prompt questions: Were my students able to
sing and perform the piece with artistic integrity? Were they able to interpret the
relationship between the music of the spiritual and slavery? Did their construction of
their own Spirituals add value to their lives? In what ways can I improve if ever teaching
this song again?