Lesson Plan: Anacrustic Releases

Class setting: A one-on-one lesson with a junior student registered for secondary saxophone
lessons. He has past experience playing saxophone, clarinet, and organ. He currently plays
saxophone in the All-Campus Band and has plans to audition as a music.
Overall Goals:
1. Defining anacrusis
2. Teaching the idea of playing before the beat
3. Displacing the emphasis of the beat while performing scales
4. Accurately displaying the emphasis of the beat
Behavioral Objectives:
1. The student will be able to define the term and correlate anacrusis to pick-up
2. The student will be able to play scales using three different kinds of anacrustic releases
before the beat. These include starting scales with one, two, and three sixteenth note
pick-ups.
3. The student will be able to demonstrate convincingly when they have arrived on the
down beat
Prior Learning: Students should have a solid foundation of pulse and rhythm. For this exercise,
they should already be able to play scales starting on the down beat.
Materials:
1. Trent Kynaststons Daily Studies for the Development of Saxophone Technique, or any
scale book
2. A metronome
3. Saxophone and corresponding equipment
Procedures:
Define
1. Ask the student if they have heard or know of the world anacrusis
2. Relate it to the more commonly used term pick-up
3. Define the term and explain that one begins playing before the beat
Syllables
1. With the metronome and, I will demonstrate by using letters where the beat comes in.
For example, where the vertical bar represents a barline, I will say C|D making sure the
student sees the relationship between the ticking metronome and where my C and D are
in relation to it.
2. I will continue and demonstrate two sixteenth note pick-ups. For example, CD|E
3. Lastly, I will demonstrate the three sixteenth note pick-up as in CDE|F
4. I will explain that in each of these cases, the emphasis of each note has changed.
Perform

1. I will perform with the student and we will use scales that the student is already familiar
with to introduce this new concept: C, F, and G major scales.
2. We will start first with C major and play scales with one sixteenth note pick-up
Closure
1. I will close out the lesson plan by offering ideas for further exploration into the topic. I will
mention the idea of practicing scales in different groupings such as in sextuplets and
performing scales in different meters such as in compound meters.
Assessment:
1. I will use questioning to determine if the student understands and to keep the student
engaged
2. By performing the scales, I will be able to asses if the student has understood the
concept.
3. I will check in next week when I meet with them to perform scales using anacrustic
releases