Basic Information

Apprentice Teacher: Grace Arndt

VTPT Lesson Plans

Prerequisite Knowledge and Skills for this rehearsal

 Ability to match pitch

 Ability to keep a beat
 Understanding of the concept of “echo-translating”
 Ability to sing a major scale on solfege
 Knowledge of and ability to sing “marcato” and “legato”
 Ability to hold a melody when surrounded by others singing a different part

Behavioral Objectives
At the conclusion of this lesson, students will be able to:

 Accurately echo and echo-translate Level 1 rhythm patterns (simple and compound)
(INAS 4)
 Accurately echo and echo-translate Level 1 tonal patterns (major and minor) (INAS4)
 Accurately breath with proper technique and posture (INAS7)
 Accurately demonstrate the ability to switch between vocal registers (INAS7)
 Accurately demonstrate consistent quality production of the vowels [u], [o], [a] (INAS7)
 Accurately demonstrate consistent quality production of the consonants [t], [m], [k], [g],
[f], [n], [b] (INAS7)
 Accurately demonstrate the ability to sing an exercise in legato or marcato styles
(INAS7)
 Accurately sing a solfege exercise in a round while maintaining independence in own
part (INAS7)
 Dependently listen and adjust balance and blend while singing an exercise (INAS7)

Materials

 Piano or other instrument to get starting pitches

Procedures

Rhythm Echoing

 Prompt students: “Beat, beat, echo me.”

o Model keeping a beat on the body.
 Students begin keeping the beat on their body
 Speak the level one rhythmic syllables, allowing the students to echo after each pattern
 o Ta ta, ta-di ta, ta ta-di, ta-di ta-di, ta ta, ta-ki-da ta, ta ta-ki-da, ta-ki-da ta-ki-da, ta
ta
 In rhythm, instruct students to echo-translate as you speak the same rhythm patterns on
“pa”
o Give feedback on student responses, repeat some patterns if necessary

Level One (Simple Meter):

Level One (Compound Meter):

Tonal Echoing

 Major
o Establish key: “DMSMD: This is home.”
 Choose comfortable key
o Sing level 1 major patterns on solfege, allowing students to echo back.
 DMS, DSM, MSD, MDS, SDM, SMD
 Demonstrate when it is the instructor’s time to sing vs. the student’s time.
o Instruct students to echo-translate the patterns the teacher sings on “pa”
 Show feedback by repeating any patterns that are weaker or hesitant
 Minor
o Establish key: “LDMDL: This is home.”
 Choose comfortable key
o Sing level 1 minor patterns on solfege, allowing students to echo back.
 LDM, LMD, DLM, DML, MLD, MDL
 Demonstrate when it is the instructor’s time to sing vs. the student’s time.
o Instruct students to echo-translate the patterns the teacher sings on “pa”
 Show feedback by repeating any patterns that are weaker or hesitant

Respiration

 Have students stand.

 Model breathing exercise (in 4, out 4) with arm movements following a paper airplane.
 Students echo
 Repeat, increasing length of time breathing in and out (4, 8, 12, 16, 20) and providing
specific feedback on their breathing technique
o Go no higher than 20, then reverse back down to end on 4

Phonation
  Establish starting Key of C Major
 Model D~D’ DMSD’SMD (~ = glide) on [u]
 Prompt students to echo, modulate down by half steps until the key of Ab, then back up
until the key of G
o Assess the students’ ability to change registers
o Provide feedback to improve/reinforce

Resonant Tone Production

 Establish starting key of E major.

 Model DRT DRT DRT on [u], [o], [a]
 Students echo
 Repeat, moving up by half-steps
o Provide specific feedback on how to improve/reinforce
o Go no higher than C major.

Diction

 Establish starting key (C major).

 Model S S S S SFMRD on using vowels [i], [ɛ], [ɑ] [u] starting on consonant [b].
 Students echo
 Repeat, moving up by half-steps and providing specific feedback
o Change consonants: [t], [m], [k], [g], [f], [n] and provide feedback to
improve/reinforce

Expression

 Establish starting key of C major

 Model DMSMD on [du]
 Students echo
 Repeat, moving up by half-steps
o Every 2nd or 3rd modulation, call out a different articulation style for the students
to emulate (legato, marcato)
o Provide specific feedback to improve/reinforce their knowledge and application
of the articulations

Part-singing

 Establish starting key of D major.

 Prompt class to sing scale on solfege: D DRD DRMRD, etc. and back down: D DTD
DTLTD, etc.
o Students sing through whole exercise
 Split class in half down the middle
o Designate side 1 (left) and side 2 (right)
  Have side 1 start first, then cue side 2 to start when side 1 sings their second D.
 Provide feedback to improve/reinforce
 If there is time, switch the assignments of the sides, with side 2 starting first.

Balance/Blend

 Establish starting key of C major

 Prompt class to sing DMSMD on solfege at mezzo forte level
 Have students sing the exercise again but have half the class sing forte and the other half
piano.
 Ask “was that balanced?”
 Have students sing the exercise again at the same dynamic level of mezzo forte.
 Continue exercise, going up by half steps each time.
o Provide specific feedback about their balance and blend.