Carly Sokol 11/18/14 Six-Week Instructional Unit- Saxophone

I created this six-week plan under the assumption that a beginner saxophone sectional
will meet 3 times a week (18 days total) and use etudes created by me as well as songs
from the Tradition of Excellence.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Week 1: Assembly, Posture, Mouthpiece/neck, getting a sound, embouchure/articulation
Lesson: Day 1 beginner things

Students will correctly and consistently assemble their instruments

Students, by the end of the week, will have mastered correct, healthy posture and
continue to use it.
Students will successfully sound an Ab from the mouthpiece/neck with proper
embouchure.
Students will get a clean, focused sound on concert Bb and work with only that note
for week 1.
Students will begin working on starting notes without the air fuah sound occurring
before the pitch.
Students will learn how far in to blow on the mouthpiece, get a feel for where their
teeth and tongue should be in relation to the mouthpiece, and keep a relaxed jaw.

Sample Lesson: Day 1

Objectives: Students will correctly assemble their instruments and handle them with
correct posture.
Procedures:
Students will watch closely as I assemble the saxophone, verbalizing the steps
I will dissemble my saxophone, and this time students will assemble theirs with me.
Once all students have successfully assembled their instruments, I will tell everyone to
stand
Students will adjust their neck straps appropriately, so the mouthpiece is comfortably
lined up with upper teeth. I will make sure students are standing up straight and not in
pain
Students will sit, keeping the same posture
Assessment: (informal)
Students will collectively go through the process of assembly and demonstrate proper
sitting and standing posture.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Week 2: do-sol concert Bb scale, scale degrees in relation to numbers (Bb = 1) learn to
read notes, fingerings
Lesson: Bb scale, handout/etude

Student will learn notes do-sol by me physically showing them correct fingerings, and
by looking in the Tradition of Excellence book for extra assistance.
Looking at a staff with only the first 5 notes of the scale written in, students will
finger then play the notes on their instrument.
I will explain time signatures, specifically 4/4.
Students will play an etude with only quarter notes in 4/4.
For the week, the class will continually assemble instruments, play the first 5 notes in
music (still only on quarter notes).

Sample Lesson: Day 4

Objectives: Students will demonstrate knowledge of the Bb major scale, do-sol.
Procedures:
I will tell students to have their fingering charts out and ready (from Tradition of
Excellence)
I will demonstrate the fingering for Bb and students will refer to fingering chart.
Class will play the note Bb on quarter notes
(The last two steps will repeat for C, D, E, F)
Class will play do-sol, four times on each note.
Assessment:
Students will complete playing quizzes in groups. Students will play do-sol and an etude.
Students will take a written quiz filling in the fingering for concert Bb do-sol and those
notes on a staff as well as the numbers that go to each note.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Week 3: do-sol, note values/duration, tone, embouchure
Lesson: Learn a song with the music

I will write on the board different notes (eighths, quarter, half, whole) and explain
what they all mean in 4/4 and in 3/4.
I will explain what both number means in a time signature.
Students will get more in-depth instruction on embouchure and work on getting better
tone.

Students will listen to professional examples and attempt to mimic their sound on
pieces from Tradition of Excellence that contain eighth, quarter, half and whole notes
in either 4/4 or 3/4.

Sample Lesson Day 8

Objectives: Students will demonstrate their knowledge of the concert Bb scale do-sol and
will illustrate accuracy and good tone by playing a song from Tradition of Excellence.
Procedures:
Students will open up to the song I choose from Tradition of Excellence
I will ask students what the starting pitch is.
Students will hold starting pitch.
I will sing the entire song on numbers.
Students will read the music and echo me in chunks.
Students will sing through the whole song.
Students will silently finger through the song.
Students will slowly play the song on instruments.
I will tell students to practice the song for next class.
Assessment:
Students will have in-class individual playing tests. While not testing, students will
complete a handout on note values and time signatures.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Week 4: do-do and number system, ear training/tuning, play a song in a round or with
several parts
Lesson: Learn song by ear and play in a round

I will physically show students fingerings for the rest of the concert Bb scale, and
students will refer to their fingering charts as needed.
I will play a drone and have students try to match pitch to it and to one another as an
exercise to start the day. Students will tune with triads (if times allows).
Between the 3 days, I will do call and response with students in order to learn a
simple song to eventually be played in a round.

Sample Lesson Day 11

Objective: Students will learn Frere Jacques by ear and play in a round.

Procedures:
Students will echo my singing of Frere Jacques in chunks on numbers.
Students will echo bigger chunks.
Students will sing the whole song.
I will play chunks of the song and students will echo in instruments.
Larger chunks
Students will play the whole song
Students will be broken up into parts and play song in a round.
Assessment: (informal)
Students will play Frere Jacques as a class in a round, each group starting and ending at
the right time and general note accuracy.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Week 5: Rhythmic improvisation
Lesson: Call and response, improv with a back track.

Students will echo rhythms I play (examples- quarter eighth eighth, eighthx4, quarter
eighth eighth quarter, etc)
I will have examples rhythms written on the board that students can choose from
Students will work in pairs or groups and practice call and response
Students will improv over a backtrack

Sample Lesson Day 14

Objectives: Students will improvise simple rhythms over a back track.
Procedures:
I will sing a short phrase on a single note on doo and students will echo.
I will choose a few students to come up with their own questions phrase and I will
response with an answer.
Class will listen to track of a chord progression (in key of concert Bb) a few times.
Students will individually have time to experiment with rhythms on their instruments
with the restriction of only using tonic and dominant, while the track plays.
Students will pair up and practice playing questions and answers to each other.

Assessment: (informal)
Class will assemble and take part in call and response with the track. One student will
start and pass a question to another student by making eye contact, and so on until
everyone has had a chance.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Week 6: Compose/variation using the concert Bb scale and perform for class
Lesson: Group variation on a song OR in class sample composition

Students will work in pairs or groups during class time and come up with a 8-12 bar
melody using the notes of the concert Bb scale
One day in class, the class will break off into groups and come up with a simple
variation to a song from Tradition of Excellence
Last day, students will perform their compositions.

Sample Lesson Day 16

Objectives: Students will create a variation to a song and perform in groups for the class
(this may be a helpful stepping stone to their compositions
Procedures:
Students will get into groups of 3-5 (depending on class size)
Groups will choose a song from Tradition of Excellence and have 5-10 minutes to create
some sort of variation to it (rhythmic, melodic)
I will walk around to assists students in need
Assessment: Students will perform their compositions for class and be graded on
credentials I specify (8-12 measures, Bb scale, eighth/quarter/half/whole notes w/
appropriate rests, etc.)
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Sample Rubric
Fundamentals Rubric for Playing Tests, 30 points being the highest score attainable
Posture

Note
Accuracy

Intonation

Rhythm

Articulation

Tone

Sample Handout

Sample Handout
Match the note to its name and label how many beats each note stands for.

Eighth note
______ beats

Quarter note
______ beats

Whole note
______ beats

Half note
______ beats
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Label each measure as either 3/4 or 4/4