Lesson Plan

Lauren Rowan

Class Type

GRADE
9th grade students. Intermediate players.

PRIOR EXPERIENCE
These students have 3 years of prior experience playing their instruments under their belt. At
this point, they can play their instruments, but still have growth ahead of them in mastering the
fundamentals and expanding upon more advanced concepts such as phrasing and musicality.

Objectives

At the completion of this lesson the students will be able to tongue 16th notes on a concert Bb
in a staccato style at 105 bpm for 1 bar in 4/4 — a total of 16 consecutive notes. The students
will perform this, playing 100% of the notes in time and with at least 90% capacity of true
staccato sound.

Materials

Students will need instruments and teacher will need a metronome.

Opening Activity

1. Teacher will ask students to sustain a concert Bb

2. Students will then sustain this concert Bb descrescendoing consistently for 4 beats at 60
bpm

3. Students will then perform this same exercise while crescendoing

4. Now they will perform it at 105 bpm crescendoing

5. Students will repeat this, emphasizing an increase of air speed

6. One final time the students will reinforce this concept

Procedure

1. Teacher will play a staccato concert Bb for students

2. Students will echo teacher

3. Repeat 3 more times with teacher playing and students repeating

4. Teacher will then play 4 staccato concert Bbs consecutively at approximately 60 bpm.

5. Students will echo this

6. Repeat this repetition 2 more times

7. From there, students will articulate verbally a bar of 4 counting 16th notes in the style of
‘1e+a’ at 105 bpm.

8. Students will then say ‘ta’ to the rhythm of 16th notes for 4 beats at 105 bpm.

9. Teacher will ask students if their air changed when they verbalized 16th notes by asking for
raised hands if they used more air, same air, or less. (Raise your hand if . . . more, ok less . .
. same?)

10. Teacher will ask them to play a crescendoing whole note just like in the intro activity

11. Teacher will ask students to use this same air speed and intention and now articulate 4
16th notes at 90 bpm staccato

12. Now students will play 4 16th notes at 100 bpm staccato

13. Students will finally play 4 16th notes at 105 bpm staccato

14. Repeat step 13

15. Now students will play 8 16th notes at 105 bpm staccato

16. Repeat step 15

17. Students will play 16 16th notes at 10 bpm staccato

18. Repeat step 17 twice more, enforcing the idea of playing staccato.

Closure

Teacher will now ask students if they felt more success playing fast 16th notes when they
slowly built up the tempo and the amount of notes they attempted to play at once. Then
teacher will ask if they think adding air speed helped as well. Teacher will now tell students the
tempo they began and ended at and suggest they practice that everyday, slowly increasing
tempo as it gets easier.

Assessment

I will be able to tell that learning has occurred in this lesson if the students are able to play
clearly 16 16th notes at 105 bpm. Furthermore, if I sense an overall improvement of staccato
sounds throughout the activity, I will know they are able to focus on the staccato tonguing will
working on overall tongue speed. Lastly, I will listen for an increase of sound to know that they
are pushing more air as they work through the 4 bars. Lastly, in our closing conversation I
should be able to gauge how much the students felt growth for themselves.