Millicent Atkins School of Education: Common Lesson Plan Template

Music Education Lesson Plan

Dr. Wendy van Gent
Teacher Candidate Name: Katie Appl
Grade Level: 9-12
Subject: High School Band
Date: April 11, 2018
PLANNING
State Standard(s)
 HSa.MUe.Pr.5.1.a: Apply and refine rehearsal strategies to address individual and ensemble
challenges.
 HSa.MUe.Re.9.1.a: Develop and justify evaluation of the music and performance based on criteria,
personal decision-making, research, and understanding of contexts.
 HSp.MUe.Cn.10.1.a: Demonstrate how interests, knowledge, and skills relate to personal choices and
intent when creating, performing, and responding to music.
Learning/Behavioral Objectives
Students will be able to:
 Breathe and play with a full tone as an ensemble.
 Apply listening skills to play with improved intonation, balance, and blend.
 Order musical concepts into a list according to importance and priorities.
 Participate in the rehearsal as an active listener and performer.
Rationale: Include pre-assessment and cite theories and theorists.
The students are prepared for this lesson because they have learned the majority of their notes and rhythms.
We have also focused on expressive qualities during the most recent lessons. In the previous rehearsal, we
have performed the piece and my cooperating teacher wrote comments as if she was a judge. I have organized
the feedback and areas for improvement into categories that will be taught in the musical concepts priority
order.
The high school students are either in Piaget’s concrete operational stage or formal operational stage. This
information means that the majority of the students should be able to process and apply multiple concepts at
once. The students in the formal operational stage will be able to use a higher level of abstract thought, which
will assist in developing their expressive qualities and interpretative skills. The students are can apply transfer
of knowledge between the concepts in the warm ups and pieces.
The lesson will incorporate differentiated learning. For a few of the weaker sections, the focus will be on
maintaining the pulse and performing rhythms correctly. For the more advanced sections, the focus will be on
stylistically performing articulations and exaggerating dynamics. I will incorporate Music Learning Theory
into teaching and reviewing a difficult rhythm. MLT promotes separating notes and rhythms from each other.
To teach the challenging rhythm, I will start with the snare drum and have students say ‘tu’ to the rhythm.
Then I will layer the sections in; again, I will start with the snare drum. As each section enters, I will have
them play the rhythm on a B flat concert pitch, so the focus is solely on performing the rhythm. This method
will also allow the students to actively listen and perform the rhythms and focus on repetition.
Materials and Resources

 Teacher Materials: baton, music stand, dry erase markers, musical scores
 Student Materials: instruments, music stands, chairs, music folders, pencil
Technology
No technology is required for this lesson.
Accommodations
I will differentiate instruction based on the ability levels of each section. For example, the flutes are a young
section and mainly need to focus with concepts at the top of the list including pulse and rhythm. The
percussionists can play their notes and rhythms accurately, so I will work on more complex concepts including
articulation, dynamics, and balance. My cooperating teacher can move around the room to assist any section
and provide an example as needed.
Classroom Management
Identify the management and motivational strategies you will use to meet student behavioral/developmental
needs in order to keep students on task and actively engaged throughout the lesson.
The class time will start with the typical routine, so the students are prepared and focused. I will keep the
lesson at a fast pace to ensure that students are listening and following along. Throughout the lesson, there
will be opportunities to respond, so the students can voice their concerns, opinions, ideas, etc. I will touch on
an area for improvement for every instrument section; one section will not be left out or ignored. As I am
working with a section, I will have the other students be involved by being a metronome, listening, and
providing feedback. My cooperating teacher will be moving around the room during my instructional time to
help students play or stay focused.
Implementation
Lesson Opening (hook)
B flat concert scale routine
Announcements/Objectives
Ensemble Breathing and Balance Exercise
 Draw a visual model: vertical line with four horizontal lines
 Slow breathing in for 4 beats; exhale slowly 4 beats – extend to 8 beats
 Emphasize the use of breath control and evenness
 Review how each instrument player should breathe
 Breathe in for 4 beats; play for 4 beats –extend to 8 beats
Tuning
 Review tuning procedure- If you can hear yourself, you are sharp. If you can hear the waves, you are
flat.
 Woodwinds A: flutes A, clarinets/tenor sax B, alto/bari sax F#
 Brass F: tuba/trombone/baritone F, trumpets G
Ensemble Breathing, Balance, and Blend Exercise
 First 5 notes up and down of B flat concert scale
 Listen for the trombones
 Breathe 4, play 8 up and down the scale
Teaching Procedures
Explain your procedures for the bulk of your class. Include specifics about techniques you will use such as: I
do-we do-you do; learning sequence activities (rhythm and tonal); musical activities within the literature;
rehearsal techniques, etc.
Musical Concepts Priority List
 Have a word bank of the concepts in a mixed order on the board.
 We are going to rank these by their priority.
 Give students a minute to read through the terms and determine an order.
 Ask for the order of the concepts one at a time.
 Answer: Tone, Pulse/Tempo, Rhythm, Notes, Articulation, Dynamics, Phrasing, Balance
 What other concepts did we focus on in our warm up? A: Breathing, Intonation, Blend
Up From Earth’s Center
 Rehearse in the order of the musical concepts priority list
 Tone: *timpani measure 5 – fix the strike
 Pulse/Tempo: *flutes/clarinets 97 – match tempo, add snare 8th notes for evenness; *full
band 193 – rallentando; *low brass 198 – transition
 Rhythm: *flutes 31 – review to develop consistency; *full band 212 – start w/snare w/out the
roll to establish the rhythm, add one section at a time to continuously layer the rhythm and for
repetition, play the rhythm on concert B flat
 Dynamics: *full band – last two measures bring down to a mp to exaggerate the crescendo;
*trumpets/mallets 113: ff descrescendo to mp, layout when the in-between dynamics should
occur; *full band 93-93 – bigger fp, wait for the crescendo until the 2nd measure to bring out
the sax/clarinet line; *cymbal rolls 37 – match the low brass dynamics
Lesson Closing (transition)
Depending on time, run through either sections of the piece or the full piece.
Ticket to move on: Name three concepts we worked on and how we improved them.
Reflect
Reflect on your instructional strategies, interactions with students, and classroom management strategies.
Describe what went well and what areas you need to revise in the future. Cite examples (from video) that
support your conclusions. Describe revisions that you could make if you were to teach this lesson again. Why
would you make each revision? Cite examples from the lesson plan, video and/or student work that would
prompt revisions.
I was impressed with the students’ behavior and focus during rehearsal today. They were calm for our first
full band rehearsal this week, and they were really listening to each other and working hard. I recorded this
lesson for my final observation, but I do not think the video affected the students very much. For the 6th
graders, they were a little nervous, but the high school students have met my university supervisor in person. I
still need to work on the full and efficient breathing with the students, but they haven’t had much experience
with breathing exercises, so I want to start simple and give them positive reinforcement. Even without my
reminders, they played with balance and blend throughout the exercise. I think our work today in the warm up
started a foundation that we can build on.
I honestly think the students enjoyed making the list of musical concepts. Most students were engaged during
this portion even though they weren’t playing their instruments. I ended the lesson early because of time. I
spent quite a bit of time on measure 212, but I think the students are developing an understanding of the
rhythm and are becoming more consistent. Today’s rehearsal was the clearest I have heard the rhythm, so I
am glad I spent the time. I will continue to rehearse down the list starting with dynamics. The ticket at the
end of the section did not get the response I was hoping for. In the future, I will ask specific questions and
guide them to a few ideas. Again, this is new to them, so it will take time for them to get used to reviewing
and reflecting at the end of the lesson.