Jackson Kubaszyk Old Dan Tucker

Content and Achievement Standards

Singing, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music.

c. sing music representing diverse genres and cultures, with proper expression and articulation
manifest in the song.

Class Goals and Objectives

Continue to develop students skills through various singing activities.

Enable students to aurally identify, describe, and perform songs that include use of phrasing.

Materials

Old Dan Tucker with labeled phrases (no copies for students required)

Procedures
1. Students and instructor will discuss crazy uncles.

little

QUESTION: Who do you see when you have family reunions? Is there anyone in your family
who does weird things? Do you have anyone in your families who is a
crazy?
PROMPT:
I am going to sing a song about a weird old man named Dan Tucker. As I sing, try
to listen for some of the weird things that Old Dan Tucker does.

2. Students will keep a steady beat and listen as the instructor sings/models Old Dan Tucker.
QUESTION: Based on the song, what are some crazy things that Old Dan Tucker does?
PROMPT:
Lets now learn the song.
3. Students will echo Old Dan Tucker in small segments as modeled by the instructor in an effort
to learn the song by rote. The instructor will repeat this process many times, gradually increasing the
length of the phrase, providing enough repetition so that students will be able to sing accurate pitches,
rhythms, and lyrics.
PROMPT:

Now lets sing the whole song together.

4. The students and instructor will keep a steady beat and sing Old Dan Tucker. The instructor
will be sure to intone the starting pitch to make sure students can start together and sing accurately.
PROMPT:

Lets try singing Old Dan Tucker without me this time.

5. The students will keep a steady beat and sing Old Dan Tucker. The instructor will be sure to
intone the starting pitch to make sure students can start together and sing accurately. The instructor
will evaluate students ability to sing accurate pitches, rhythms, and lyrics as they sing.
PROMPT:

This time, I am going to sing Old Dan Tucker a little differently. Keep a steady
beat for me and notice what I do differently.

6. Students will keep a steady beat and listen as the instructor sings/models Old Dan Tucker, this

Jackson Kubaszyk Old Dan Tucker

time with closely specified phrases.
QUESTION: How did I sing Old Dan Tucker this time? How was my singing different from
the way we learned it?
PROMPT:
Now lets have you try to sing it with me in this new way.
7. Students and instructor will keep a steady beat and sing Old Dan Tucker with proper phrasing. The
instructor will be sure to intone the starting pitch to make sure students can start together and sing
accurately.
QUESTION: If you were a composer and you wanted your song sung this way, what symbolic
marks might you use in the music? What key words might you use?
8. After students have had the experience of singing with proper phrasing and speculated on how a
composer might indicate this in the music, the instructor will introduce the concept of phrasing to his
students and show a copy of Old Dan Tucker, demonstrating the standard way to notate a phrase.
QUESTION: Thinking about how we described Old Dan Tucker earlier, is phrasing
appropriate for the song?
PROMPT:
Now that we know the proper term for this type of singing, lets sing Old Dan
Tucker one more time with phrasing in mind.
9. To end the lesson, students will keep a steady beat and sing Old Dan Tucker with proper phrasing.
The instructor will be sure to intone the starting pitch to make sure students can start together and sing
accurately. The instructor will evaluate students ability to sing phrases accurately.
PROMPT:
you

Now that weve learned the song with phrasing, I want you to all remind me what
phrasing is. Write down a definition of phrasing and give it to me before
leave.

Assessment of Goals and Objectives

Assessment of singing skill will be informal and achieved by monitoring students during singing
activities. The instructor will utilize a checklist to indicate which students are singing with accurate
pitch, rhythm, and articulation. Knowledge of phrasing will be assessed with written definitions of
phrasing, having students write in the own words what phrasing means.

Follow up Lessons
Future lessons will focus on how to breathe properly for long phrases.