Music Education Rehearsal Lesson Plan

Name: Isabelle Sufler Date:3/28/18

Ensemble: 7th Grade Flutes Voicing (choral): N/A
School/Town: Roland Hayes School of
Music; Roxbury, MA
Period/Time: 3rd period;
9:28am-10:24am

1. Measurable Objective(s): (Measurable learning objectives use action verbs to

describe what you want the students to be able to do by the end of the class, course, or
unit)
Students will be able to play tenuto and staccato notes in the middle register of the flute.
Students will be able to move their thumbs from the Bb to B key when appropriate.

2. Required Prior Knowledge and Skills: (What must students know to be

successful)

Students should be able to count the rhythm and play “Dragon Slayer” accurately from
m56 to the end

From previous lesson:

-fingerings for high D, C and Bb
-staccato vs. tenuto
-Bb vs. B thumb fingerings

3. Review Needed: (What needs to be reviewed to reinforce prior learning related to

this lesson)

Count and play “Dragon Slayer” from m56 to end

From previous lesson:

-air stream on high D, C and Bb
-staccato vs. legato

4. Materials, Repertoire, Equipment needed:

Instruments
White board and marker
“Dragon Slayer” flute and parts
“Allegro” from Suzuki flute book

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5. Agenda:

What will be on the board (big questions for the lesson)*:

How do you know where to put your thumb?
How do you play staccato and tenuto articulation?

6. Lesson Sequence (be sure to list time in the pacing section) Pacing

A. Brief Opening: (Teacher posted brief assignment that may be done

independently. Brief reading writing, editing, or problem solving activity to
ready them for learning – may be a question about the music that will be
rehearsed or at the younger levels it may be a learning activity setting up
for today’s lesson)
~7 min
Come in and get set up. Once you have your instrument together, please
begin warming up on your D minor scale, especially the high notes (Bb, C
and D). Practice getting a clear tone on those high notes, using fast,
focused air. Walk around and spot check posture and hand positions, as
well as progress on these high notes.

B. Warm-up and purpose of warm-up: (add more as needed)

After students are mostly set up and most are warming up on their D ~10 min
minor scale, hold a hand up and wait for quiet. “I’m scanning the room to
see who’s ready.”

D minor:
How many sharp notes do we have? (none)
How many flat notes do we have? Which ones?
Start on the high D. Show me what that fingering looks like and try to get
that note out, using fast air (walk around a take a look and listen).

Let’s play D-C-Bb together a few times on half notes.

Add the next few notes down to G. Who can demonstrate? As they are
demonstrating, I want to see everyone else doing the fingerings along.
Where should your thumb be?
(Play this together 2x)
Does our air stream change much between D and Bb here? (No, the
same fast, focused air through a small opening is still employed)

Now go D down to G, take a few minutes to practice playing D to G,

starting on the high one (with Bb’s). Walk around and spot check posture
and hand position. Does your air stream change much as we move D
down to G?
Let’s play that all together. From the high D, down to middle G, with Bb’s.
Back row only. Front row only.

Now let’s go down to E (demo). Just moving one finger at a time, let’s
play that on half notes. How does your air stream change as you move
from the high D toward the E?

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Now just add the D! What fingers move? Does air stream change much
from the E? Take a minute on your own and practice coming all the way
down from high D to your middle D. Walk around and spot check
posture and hand position, as well as air stream.
Play the whole scale together. Let’s play all together from your high D to
the middle D on half notes. How many beats does each note get? Where
should your thumb still be?

Sight-reading/aural training:

1. “Dragon Slayer”-working from the end backwards ~10 min

Starting at m69, count to the end. This is the last section, so our
energy has been building up to this point, and I want to hear that in
your counting! (Start them off, counting m69 with them, then drop out
and see if they can continue without you.)

Play that section now. What are those markings over every note?
How can we make those notes sound accented?
If we’re reaching a volume limit as a group, what could we do at m69
so that we have room to grow to the end of the piece?
Play this section twice, checking any problem measures (point
out crescendo in third measure from the end.

Go back to m61. What does this section look similar to? (m11)
Count this section, to m69.
Play from m61 to the end. How can we shape this dynamically toward the
end of the piece?

Go back yet another section to m56. What section is this similar to? Beats
3 & 4 of m59? Let’s not cut those notes short, but give those notes their
full value. The word for this is tenuto. Say it with me.

Count from m59 to m61. Before we play m59 to the end, how can we
shape this section dynamically so we can grow to our full potential by the
end of the piece?
Then play from m59 to the end (2x).

2. Take out the sheet that looks like this (hold up page from Suzuki ~20 min
book). We’ll be looking again at “Allegro” at the bottom of the page.
What key are we in? Make sure to slide your thumb over to the rectangle
key (demonstrate).

Who can tell me what those dots above the notes mean? How
should we play those notes? Who can play the first measure with all
four notes nice and separated? (Take a few volunteers)

Play the first measure all together, and see if you can all play those notes

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so separated that there’s a clear space between every note. Look at the
next measure; I’ll play and you finger along. Let’s play the first two
measures together (2x).

Hear groups of three players play the first two measures, listening for
focused air and separation of notes.

Next two measures: take a minute and work out the notes and practice
playing them staccato. (Walk around and spot check posture and hand
positions)
Hear front row only play the first two measures. Hear back row only play
the first two measures. Whole group play first two measures.

Look at the next two measures. As I play it, do the fingerings along with
my playing. Take a minute on your own to work out your fingerings and
practice playing staccato. (Walk around and spot check posture and hand
positions)

Theory:

If I see one flat in front of my music, I know I could be in one of two keys,
either major or minor. What minor scale did we play last week that had
one flat? (D minor) So we could be in D minor or what other key, that
would be major?
Take a look at Dragon Slayer; which key are we in? What clues are
there to help you figure that out?

Marked score: (problems/challenges to be addressed from score study)

“Dragon Slayer:”
-m69: bring dynamic back, maybe not FF, but shooting for MF so we
have somewhere to grow to til the end
-observe crescendo in m68
-m61: dynamic shape to m69, aim for MP so we have somewhere to go
when we get to m69
-m56: huge dynamic, FF, accents
-m59: legato on beats 3&4, quarter notes
-observe decrescendo in m60 into m61

“Allegro:”
Staccatos markings throughout to be observed

Title/Composer:

“Dragon Slayer” by Rob Grice

“Allegro” from Suzuki flute book

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C. Assessment: (What evidence will show that the students understand?
Describe the assessment used – formal and informal assessments based
on learning objectives)

Hearing individuals play short, high notes individually and in groups of

two will allow me to hear who is progressing with their use of fast,
focused air and understanding of the staccato vs. tenuto concept.

D. Closing/Wrap-up: (This is a recap of the key learning of the day to

check for understanding. Could be a ticket to leave as individuals or ~2 min
group answers)

Remind me:
What does this thumb key do? (Bb)
What does this thumb key do? (B natural)
Which requires faster air, high notes or low notes?

E. Assignment/Follow-up: Practice measures 1-4 and look ahead to

measures 5-8. When you’re walking to school or on the bus, practice
blowing slow, warm air as you would for low notes. Then practice blowing
fast air through a small opening, as you would for high notes. Blowing
onto your hand can help you feel the difference.

7. Accommodations: (a. Special Needs, b. ELL etc. )

The entire curriculum of the whole term is already accommodating a class filled with
students who are struggling.
If anything, there are accommodations that need to be made for students who are able
to advance more quickly.

8. Teacher Reflection/Self-Evaluation: (a. Reflect on the process and include

student responses b. Rethink & Revise - what could you have done differently to
improve the outcome of this lesson)

9. National Standards: (Creating, Performing, Responding)

MU:Pr4.2.E.Ia Demonstrate, using music reading skills where appropriate, how compositional devices
employed and theoretical and structural aspects of musical works impact and inform prepared or
improvised performances.
MU:Pr4.3.E.Ia Demonstrate an understanding of context in a varied repertoire of music through prepared
and improvised performances.
MU:Pr5.3.E.Ia Develop strategies to address expressive 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.Ia Demonstrate attention to technical accuracy and expressive qualities in prepared and
improvised performances of a varied repertoire of music representing diverse cultures, styles, and genres.
MU:Re7.2.E.Ia Explain how the analysis of passages and understanding the way the elements of music are

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manipulated inform the response to music.
MU:Re9.1.E.Ia Evaluate works and performances based on personally- or collaboratively-developed
criteria, including analysis of the structure and context.

10. State Standards: (Singing, Reading & Notation, Playing Instruments, Improvisation
& Composition, Critical Response, Purposes & meaning in the arts, Rose of artists in
communities, Concepts of style, stylistic influence & stylistic change, Inventions
technologies & the arts, Interdisciplinary connections)
2.5 Read whole, half, quarter, eighth, sixteenth, and dotted notes and rests in 2/4, 3/4, 4/4, 6/8, 3/8, 9/8, and
alla breve meter signatures
2.7 Identify, define, and use standard notation symbols for pitch, rhythm, dynamics, tempo, articulation,
and expression
3.7 Perform on at least one instrument accurately and independently, alone and in
small and large ensembles, with appropriate posture, playing position, and
technique
3.8 Perform with expression and technical accuracy on at least one string, wind,
percussion, or classroom instrument, a repertoire of instrumental literature
with a level of difficulty of 2, on a scale of 1 to 6 (level 3 for instrumental
ensemble)*
5.1 Perceive, describe, and respond to basic elements of music, including beat, tempo, rhythm, meter, pitch,
melody, texture, dynamics, harmony, and form
5.3 Use appropriate terminology in describing music, music notation, music
instruments and voices, and music performances