Here is an example of a lesson plan that I taught at Lebanon High School when I worked with Mrs. Tennant and the orchestra during spring 2009.  The class period was shortened due to PSSA testing, so we only had time to focus carefully on one small section of the music.  I was very pleased with the progress the students made when they really focused on the task at hand.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

 

 

Christa Rusher

February 10, 2009

Bacchanale

 

I.                   Ninth through Twelfth Grade, Orchestra

II.                Musical Concepts

a.      Melody (Individual pitches, when compared to each other, may be higher, lower, or the same)

b.     Harmony/Texture (Two or more pitches may be sounded simultaneously)

c.     Style/Expressive Controls- Articulation (The quality of a sound is affected by the way the sound begins, continues, and ends)

III.             Students will be able to

a.      Listen to themselves play or another person play and decide whether they are flat, sharp, or in tune

b.     Make adjustments with their finger(s) on the fingerboard to correct intonation problems

c.     Play from the beginning to rehearsal one of Bacchanale with good intonation and balance

IV.            Students’ prior knowledge

a.      Ability to detect differences in intonation and make appropriate adjustments                                                            

b.     Ability to play eighth notes either on or off the beat

c.     Knowledge of basic fingerings and some chromatic fingerings

V.               National/State Standards

a.      Standard 2: Performing on instruments, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music (Pennsylvania State Standard 9.1)

b.     Standard 5: Reading and notating music (Pennsylvania State Standard 9.1)

c.     Standard 7: Evaluating music and music performances (Pennsylvania State Standard 9.3, 9.4)

VI.            Materials

a.      Tuner

b.     Baton

c.     Bacchanale score

VII.         Teaching procedures

1. Teacher tunes class

A. Using an electronic tuner, the teacher will tune instruments for those students who need help tuning.

2.  Introduction

A.  Teacher will begin with a brief discussion of the theme for the day, which is intonation.  To demonstrate the relativity of this, teacher will ask the concertmaster to take part in a little demonstration. 

B.  He will be asked to play an open D and then first finger E, leaving his finger down on the fingerboard.  He will then be instructed to play an open G and the same E, playing it just like it is for a few seconds and then moving his finger up or down on the fingerboard to make it sound in tune.  The class will be instructed to listen and figure out which way he moved his finger.  The concertmaster will play and students will identify that he had to lower the E.

C.  The concertmaster will be asked to play the same E and an open A, first exactly as it is and then adjusting for intonation.  Again, the class will have to identify the adjustment.  The concertmaster will play and students will identify that he had to raise the E.

D.  The teacher will conclude by pointing out that one note, E, had to be played three different places depending on the note to which it was being compared.  Teacher will ask students to listen that closely during the beginning of Bacchanale and make adjustments as needed.  Teacher will encourage students to try moving the finger one way or the other if they are unsure of which direction to go.  If they moved in the correct direction, the pitch will sound better; if they moved in the incorrect direction, it will sound worse.

3.  Bacchanale

A.  Violin 1C, Violin 2, Viola, Cello, and Bass students will play at the beginning through rehearsal 1.  Everyone will be instructed to play on the beat instead of echoing on the beat for violas, cellos, and basses and off the beat for violins.  A long bow stroke with separation between notes will be encouraged so everyone can hear when the chord changes.  Teacher will conduct slowly, giving students a chance to listen carefully and make adjustments.

B.  The same students will play from the beginning several times in the same manner, working into a faster tempo.  The teacher will provide suggestions for intonation problems if students do not fix them themselves, such as asking for a really low B-flat right next to the nut and a little bit higher C-sharp.

C.  For the final time before adding in the violin melody, the students will play the beginning as written, still focusing on intonation.  Teacher may have to remind students that even though the notes are now short, they still need to have a good tone produced by using more bow and less weight.  Both the on beat group and the off beat group should match tonally.

D.  All students will play from the beginning to rehearsal one.                                                                                           

VIII. Assessment of Students

1.      Teacher will informally evaluate student progress by listening for correct notes, intonation, tone, and balance