Sean McDonald

SAMPLE LESSON PLAN FOR A HIGH SCHOOL VARSITY CHOIR

Ensemble: High School Varsity Mens Choir Primary Goal: Solidifying Pitches and Rhythms in Down Among the Dead Men Secondary Goal: Improve diction; creating a unified vowel specifically

TEKS
Daily Participation TEKS 9.2-12.2 2. The student will be on task and focused during all rehearsals. 3. The student will have his/her music binder, pencils and supplies. 4. The student will be prepared to sing his/her part successfully. 5. The student will mark his/her music and take notes as needed. Skills TEKS 9.1-12.1 1. The student will be expected to improve individual music skills. Fundamentals TEKS 9.3-12.3 1. The student will be expected to improve individual music skills. Materials or Resources: Piano

Warm-ups (7-10 minutes)

1. Stretching a. Objectives: Loosen and warm body up for safe singing b. Assessment (informal or formal): Watch closely to ensure that everyone is stretching and doing so correctly so as not to injure their bodies or voices 2. Breathing Exercise a. Objectives: Forming good breathing habits, developing better control and smoother release of air b. Assessment (informal or formal): Walk around and listen while they are breathing out, watch for raised shoulders when inhaling, assess their breath management from the position of their arms during the arm/breath connection exercise 3. Lip Trills (On: D-R-M-F-S-F-M-R-D) a. Objectives: Get the students focused and to warm up their voices for singing b. Assessment (informal or formal): Watch the students to make sure that everyone is focused and participating 4. Half Steps a. Objectives: Get the students to sing using unified vowels while reviewing solfedge syllables we may not use very often.

Sean McDonald
b. Assessment (informal or formal): watch the students for handsigns and listen for correct

pitches

5. Thirds and Fourths a. Objectives: To get the students thinking about interval relations up and down the scale; pitch accuracy b. Assessment (informal or formal): Watching the students handsigns and listening for pitch accuracy. Sight-Reading (Time Needed: 10 min) Exercise #1: Music for Sightsing p. 70 #5.13 1. Objectives: Correct pitches and rhythms on solfege 2. Process: a. What Key are we in? b. What might mess us up? c. Play tonic triad; give guys 30 seconds to practice out loud d. Have the entire group sing the whole exercise and then evaluate as to whether or not we need to go over it again. 3. Items to anticipate: Dont Rush the dotted quarter in m.2; SI in m.7 4. Assessment (informal or formal): After 30 seconds, play the triad and have all or a select group of guys sing the passage, going back to ask other students point out issues we had and what we can do better. Exercise #2: Music for Sightsinging p.87 #6.25 1. Objectives: Correct pitches and rhythms on solfege 2. Process: a. What Key are we in? b. What might mess us up? c. Play tonic triad; give girls 30 seconds to practice out loud d. Have the entire group sing the whole exercise and then evaluate as to whether or not we need to go over it again. 3. Items to anticipate: dotted quarters throughout; R-S in m.5; R-T m. 9 4. Assessment (informal or formal): After 30 seconds, play the triad and have all or a select group of girls sing the passage, going back to ask other students point out issues we had and what we can do better. Exercise #3: Rhythm Reader p.26 73 1. Objectives: Correct pitches and rhythms on solfege 2. Process (could include any of the following): a. What key signature are we in? What peace are we singing that is in e-minor and had 4-bar

Sean McDonald
phrasing? b. 30 seconds to count out loud individually c. Have a small group chant the rhythm out loud, other assess where we slipped up. d. Assign tonic triad solfege to each of the lines, have the students sing each line on the solfege. 3. Items to anticipate: Lots of downward motion in the melody likely it will go flat. 4. Assessment (informal or formal): Listen to the students sing, going back to correct any errors Rehearsal (Time Needed: 20 min) Title of Piece: Down Among the Dead Men 1. Objectives: Solidify solfege in m.11-16; ensure that all pitches and rhythms are correct for m.1-16. (IF TIME: Start learning pitches and rhythms for m.17-26) 2. Activities/strategies/review: Review m. 1-10; Listen for correct pitches for; Baritones: m.1-2&6; Tenor 1&2: m. 1,5&9

3. Items to anticipate: E&D between basses and tenor2 in m.11; The students will feel where the line from m. 11-16 lands and will want to do just that on the last note of 16; The will have a tendancy to rush the eighth notes throughout the entire piece. 4. Assessment: informal: listening and assessing whether or not pitches and rhythms are solid, remind them that there will be a formal assessment tomorrow. Closure (Time Needed: 1 min) 1. Summarize objectives of lesson: Today we reviewed m. 1-10 on solfege, solidifing the accidentals and interval problems with each part. We also learned m.11-16 to complete learning the first section of the piece. 2. Communicate objectives for the next rehearsal: Next rehearsal we will learn measures 17-26 and we will discuss why it is important we all articulate each not the same way. Discover that m.2732 are exactly the same. Reflection on Lesson: This lesson will focus and clarify rhythms and pitches that we have already learned while also learning the final 6 measures of the A section and since the first and last verses are nearly the same the students have pretty much learned 2/3rds of the piece. Modifications for ELL or SPED: 1. Students in wheel chairs will be seated beside the choir risers or directly in front of that students section. 2. Students who cannot hold a binder on their own will share music with a neighbor. 3. Students who do not speak English can sing the notes on solfege until they feel comfortable singing on the English words.