Lesson Plan Template, 4/21/17

Tara Cleveland, Vocal Music

Primary Subject Area: ​List the primary content area for this lesson.
Choral Music: 6th grade, mixed gender, emerging ensemble

Content Standard(s) and/or Common Core Learning Standard(s):

(1c: Setting Instructional Outcomes)
National Core Arts​ Anchor Standards​ used in this lesson include (these are posted in my room):
Performing: #4 Analyze, interpret, and select artistic work for presentation
Responding: #7 Perceive and analyze artistic work.
Connecting: #10 Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art.
Connecting: #11 Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural and historical context to deepen understanding.

Taken from the National Core Arts Standards for Music: Traditional and Emerging ensembles.
These are the fine arts standards that were written to align with the common core standards.
This lesson focuses on:
MU:Pr4.1.E.5a Select varied repertoire to study based on interest, music reading skills (where appropriate), an
understanding of the structure of the music, context, and the technical skill of the individual or ensemble.

MU:Pr4.2.E.5a Demonstrate, using music reading skills where appropriate, how knowledge of formal aspects in
musical works inform prepared or improvised performances.

MU:Pr6.1.E.5b Demonstrate an awareness of the context of the music through prepared and improvised performances.

MU:Re7.1.E.5a Identify reasons for selecting music based on characteristics found in the music, connection to interest,
and purpose or context.

Outcomes: ​What will students know and be able to do as a result of this lesson? Include if the outcomes will be
differentiated as part of the lesson, if applicable. Include a variety of different types of outcomes. Should be written:
“Student will learn….”
(1c: Setting Instructional Outcomes)
The students will learn to be active and critical listeners by listening to the piece twice through.
The students will learn to Identify their own part in their written notation.
The students will learn the differences between original source material and choral arrangements. The students will
discuss as a class the intent of Pop vocal music and how it differs from the original source in a variety of ways: sound
engineering, acoustics, age and training of original performer vs a choir of middle school students.
The students learn “Pop song musical form” through the use of the symbolic stage of music notation reading and will
be able to successfully navigate their choral music octavo with complex concepts such as 1st and 2nd endings and
repeat signs - also known as “musical form analysis”.

Lesson Procedures:​ ​The procedures should clearly describe the sequence of learning activities (identify the pedagogy
used with each activity). Include approximate time allocations for each portion of the lesson. Be very precise when
explaining the teacher and student tasks during the learning activities. Each activity should specifically connect to one
of the learning outcomes.

​(1a: Demonstrating Knowledge of Content and Pedagogy; 1e: Designing Coherent Instruction)
Students enter class, find assigned seat with folder.
Good News - (5 students to share) 5mins max
Attendance - Students free to have a short conversation but will need to give me a zero when I ask. The goal is 3
seconds or less to get to quiet.

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Remind Students this is the last day for the current raffle round. Prize will be drawn at end of the hour. This incentive
has increased active student engagement as well as increased student self management. Students are externally
motivated by rewards.
Physical and vocal warm- ups 6-8mins.

Physical stretches​ - Students at this age are constantly sitting in a slouched position due to personal electronics, video
games, backpacks and this leads to a breakdown in core strength. It is essential to maintain a strong core to support
your spine. Students that do not engage their core will not attain the breath management necessary for excellent vocal
production as the core supports our spine and the spine is crucial to posture and breathing.
Stretches that open the chest and relax the shoulders are also crucial. Tension of any kind is the enemy of any singer.
Keeping these muscle groups relaxed but in the correct position will free up the singer to sing with minimal tension.
Stretches used today​:
1. Chest opener - lace fingers together behind the small of your back a pull downward gently. This stretches out
the chest area and relieves tension created by slouching.
2. Reach high - Students lace fingers together and press up to the ceiling while also sinking the shoulders down
the back to separate the shoulders from the ears - creating space and lessening the tension held in the shoulders
and neck.
3. Arms across the body - Students stretch biceps and triceps to relax and release tension in the arms which hang
at our sides while we sing.
-​Breath management/production​ - breath should be low and expand the abdomen of the body. This is observable by
watching the students’ anatomy as they breath. There should be no shoulders moving and minimal clavicular movement
as they breath. The rib cage should expand and the belly may move outward in the inhale and retract on the exhale.
-​Posture​ (No hands in pockets, Arms up to sky, shoulder down the back, stretch chest with behind the back pull down)
students must have feet shoulder width apart, soft knees (not locked or bent too much), shoulders away from ears with
arms to the side body, a raised sternum and open chest, and chin should be parallel to the floor not raised or lowered.
-​Tone Quality​ - age appropriate tone (teacher ques ¨sound like an owl” ¨can you sound older?” ¨Add space inside your
mouth¨) Tone should be free and open - never forced. Mouth shape should be uniform throughout the ensemble for
each different vowel. Vowel placement should be mid mouth with good resonance and minimal breathy sound. There
should be no jaw tension.
Tone warm ups used today:
1. “Scooby doo” - The warm up starts higher in the students tessitura and comes downward in a sol, fa, mi, re, do
five finger pattern. Expanding the upper range first is recommended for this age group, especially young men
that are in the midst of a vocal change because it works the more difficult part of the range first.
2. M[i], M[ɜ], M[ɔ] - This warm up targets three different vowel groups - closed, mid, and open vowels. We start
with closed as move to open to help the students to learn about the aperture and placement of each vowel group
within the mouth.
3. Hippo - This is a super fun warm up that I use to teach breath management and mid vowel placement. It’s easy
to fall into “solo tone” in this warm up because the principal vowel used in tall [I]. Students need to regulate
their air between syllables and then continue on in a descending phrase without breathing in the middle of the
warm up. We add a fun dance to make it silly.
- ​Range Extension​ - These exercises are made to expand the tessitura of a young singer. It is beneficial to start these
warm ups in each directions and work to the opposite end of the spectrum. In this age group it is typical to reach up to a
Bb5 and down to a G3, Young men with changing voices are encouraged to sing the notes they have on that day. Sirens
and encouragement to us their head voice (falsetto) will benefit them in the long run but many are reluctant to try for
fear of sounding “girly”. An established trust between peers and teacher is necessary for proper navigation of this vocal
change.
Strategies used today:
Yaw - haw- haw​- Ascending in triads to expand range. we start in the very comfortable key of Dmaj and ascend an
octave and a third to reach the key of Fmaj. We end on high Bb. Students will use open vowel [ɔ].
- ​Vowel Unification​ - Vowels are the lynchpin of the choral music art. Blend and quality of tone are crucial. Vowels
should be age appropriate in their placement within the mouth. A vowel that is too forward in the “mask” will result in

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a tone that is metallic and too youthful. A vowel that is swallowed down the throat will result in tone that is too dark
and aged for this age group. students should aim for mid-mouth placement and resonance.
Strategies Students may use today​:
1. Hands up on face to help shape the vowel
2. Hand movements/self conducting to help achieve legato vocal line and “dome” within the mouth
-​ Part Independance​ - This concept is really about critical listening skills. The ability to hold onto one’s own part
while hearing another is a skill that only comes with intense practice. We use the musical form concept of a “round” to
demonstrate this skill.
8 count warm up​. Grouping students into two large groups and have them face each other for better listening and focus
so the other part is less of an issue. Eventually that luxury will go away and the class will experiment with other
groupings (by row, by age, by t-shirt color, by shoe type) to provide differentiation and increased rigor. This current
choir is not quite ready for that level.
Introduction to Pop music (Body of the lesson - 20-25mins)
- Pass out sheet music (take one and pass them)
- Have students notice Part I and Part II “You are all going to be reading part I for this concert”
- Initial listen through. “Please no singing this time - just listen and notice your part while you listen. Eyes
should be on your own music and not on me.”
- After first listen: Teacher apologizes for not prompting them to help navigate the 1st and 2nd endings with
repeat signs (musical form = V1/Pre Chorus/Chorus/1st ending/ V2/Repeat to Pre Chorus/Chorus/2nd ending
segue to Instrumental Break/Chorus/Tag)
- Teacher leads students through the “road map” or musical form of the piece. Students are asked to find certain
musical landmarks and make notes in their scores for reference. Students identify repeat signs and first and
second endings in their music. Teacher walks students through where they must repeat to and then how to
navigate the 2nd ending after they have repeated the necessary sections. During the second listen the teacher
will prompt students to help them navigate the musical form.
- Second listen: Students are given the opportunity to sight sing their part. It is crucial students understand that
this CHORAL arrangement of the piece will not make them sound like the original artist, Justin Timberlake.
They must read what is on the page and not what they believe they should be singing. Accuracy is important.
- Class discussion on how Pop music and choir go together and what the differences are between the original and
our choral version. What role does the sound engineering and music production industry play in the original
source material and why is choral music different.
Raffle Drawing for the headphone splitter (5mins)​ - Positive reinforcement for students who have earned tickets
throughout the last 5 class days.

Interdisciplinary Connections: ​Provide a listing of the subject area(s), in addition to the primary subject area that is
incorporated in this lesson with explanation.
(1a: Demonstrating Knowledge of Content and Pedagogy)
Tie in to ​Anatomy and Physiology​: How our body works for singing.
Physical and vocal warm ups always incorporate movement of the body with posture and alignment. Posture at the
middle school (or emerging ensemble) level is particularly important. As the voice develops, so should is the body. The
increased use of technology like computers and smartphones has breeded poor posture as a social norm. There is a huge
need to combat that by giving the students the tools they need to engage their core and stretch their crucial posture
muscles (ie: chest, shoulders, legs, arms, abdominals). Singing is extremely physical and singers must warm up before
they can be expected to perform well. You wouldn’t ask an athlete to run a race or play a game with cold muscles, the
same principle applies to vocal music.
Sound Engineering and Music Production: ​A brief discussion of how the big music industry superstars sound the
way they do and why choirs do not. Sound engineers are able to mix and autotune major industry artists to achieve a
specific tone or sound in a piece of popular music is the main difference between choirs and major artists. Even in
concert situation, there are effects that are able to be applied to the microphones and other technology so that it sounds
perfect rather than human Those technologies are simply not available to school ensembles and nor would it be
appropriate to use them.

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Close reading: ​sight singing music is much like a literacy strategy. We are looking for interesting things and portions
of the piece that may trip us up. Students should not expect to gain all the information the first time through but they
can notice things they struggle with or things that repeat/themes.

Anticipated Difficulties: ​What academic difficulties or possible misunderstanding do you anticipate that students may
encounter, if applicable? How will you prevent them from occurring?
(1a: Demonstrating Knowledge of Content and Pedagogy)
Possible Problem: ​Students will simply sing the melody of the song rather than actually using the notation on the page.
Popular music is a dangerous thing to perform with a student ensemble. Inevitably, the students will want to sound
exactly like the original artist’s version that they have heard on the radio or on YouTube. This can create discrepancies
and inconsistencies between ensembles both rhythmically and melodically. It must be emphasized that the students
must adhere closely to the written symbolic notation in front of them.
Rote learning has it’s place and many of the students will already know the melody of the piece in question so teaching
the notes will be a bit easier than if we were performing a traditional piece of choral literature. The notation will be
useful for the students to have with it comes to ​musical form​ (how the piece is laid out). They cannot simply rely on
their ears to learn that - they must read their music. In the initial listen through I will NOT attempt to correct
consistently just yet. Gentle reminders like “Oops! That’s not your part, look again at only part I.” will be the only
prompt today. In subsequent lessons I find making the students stand or raise a hand when their part is featured is a
wonderful way to quickly check for understanding of the musical form in notation. It also allows students to save face a
little bit if they are confused. They can learn from others without being embarrassed.

Grouping Strategy:​ ​Describe how you will group students to facilitate learning of the outcomes of this lesson, if
applicable.
(1e: Designing Coherent Instruction)
For this particular concert, the 6th grade students will be singing in unison (all the same note) because we typically add
choreography and it makes it a bit easier to multi-task in this stage of their musical and physical development.

Students will be grouped briefly for warm ups but otherwise they are seated in 4 different sections of a different piece
we are preparing. Those groups are Soprano 1, Soprano 2, Alto 1, Alto 2. These groups are according to vocal
development of the 11-12 year old tessitura (vocal range). Students were tested in small groups to determine their vocal
range and then placed into these sections accordingly. There are several young men who are approaching the start of
their vocal change and several who are shy singers and they insist on singing too low. Encouraging young men to use
their falsetto (head voice) is a challenge at this age in a mixed gendered choir. If I split the men and women into
separate ensembles I believe we would see vast differences in behavior as well as more success in navigating the vocal
challenges that each gender face at this stage.

Differentiation:​ ​Describe how you will differentiate instruction for a variety of learners, if applicable.
​(1e: Designing Coherent Instruction)
This class contains a majority of my EL population. These students can be reluctant to join in due to cultural and
religious differences as well as the language barrier. Many of these students are also in a class where they are older than
those around them by a year or even two. This can be both good and bad because of maturity levels vocally and
emotionally.
I try to make sure I am addressing these students directly at some point in each rehearsal. Whether to re-direct and
attempt to engage them or to reward superior rehearsal technique, saying their names and addressing them personally
has done wonders for their engagement and participation. I am in communication with our EL teacher and para about
the students involvement in concerts and lessons. I have gained insight into a number of the students’ home lives and
possible barriers that may be impacting their participation in class. There is one student in particular that practices a
religion where singing isn’t really a part of the practice. It may, therefore, be uncomfortable for that student to feel
secure singing out. Prompting this student quietly and setting participation expectations for them that may look
different for other students has proven to be a positive move.
Nothing we do in class directly forces or even implies that a student must violate any beliefs they hold. If a student is
uncomfortable in any way, an alternative assignment/activity can be assigned. EL students also have issues with

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transportation and often times will not be able to attend evening concerts. Most of the students earn their grade in this
class through participation and in class assessments like vocab quizzes which can be read aloud to them if necessary
and applicable to their individual needs. Both EL and SPED students can be pulled for formal assessments should that
be a part of an IEP or other accommodations required.
Relevance: ​How is this lesson relevant to students in this class (interests, cultural heritages, needs), if applicable?
(1b: Demonstrating Knowledge of Students​)
The students in this class have a hand in impacting my repertoire choices for the third trimester. I make sure to keep
current on the music that interests my students as well as the potential audience while still providing pieces that have
musical integrity and concepts that will allow my students to grow in their knowledge of the music theory. “Can’t Stop
the Feeling” is one such piece.
Technologies and Other Materials /Resources: ​List all academic resources, and technologies that are needed by the
student or the teacher to execute the lesson.
(1d: Demonstrating Knowledge of Resources​)
“Can’t Stop the Feeling” Choral octavo (35 copies + accompaniment CD with practice vocals) - purchased by
Valleywood Middle School from JW Pepper music distribution.
Sound equipment ( Purchased through a grant from Donor’s Choose)
overhead speakers
Teacher microphone (Shure sm85 - From Donor’s Choose)
Yamaha upright Piano
LCD overhead Projector
Teacher Computer station
Document Camera
Michigan School Vocal Music Association rubric for Choral Performance and Solo and Small Groups. (Aligned in
Frontline artifact database)
The Complete Choral Warm up Book ​- By Jay Althouse and Russell Robinson
The Choral Warm-Up Collection​ - By Sally K. Albrecht
S- Cubed: Sight Reading Curriculum for Successful Middle School Choirs​ By Dale Duncan (Purchased through
Teachers pay Teachers)

For Public Performance (Formal assessment):

Choral Risers - 8 sections
Black lights - Borrowing from a colleague in Kentwood Public Schools
white gloves - Borrowing from a colleague in Kentwood Public Schools
sound equipment - possibly bringing in a local professional sound engineer, Volunteering their time and resources.
Assessment: ​Describe any formative or summative assessments to be used in the lesson, if applicable.
​(1f: Designing Student Assessments)
The formal assessment planned for this lesson will be a public performance as well as a critique of a recording that the
students will have to submit to the teacher via email. This will be scored by using the MSVMA solo and small group
rubric (artifact attached in Frontline).
Checking for understanding includes questioning (both volunteered and cold calls)
In the next lesson an ticket in will be given to assess the student knowledge of basic musical form analysis.
​Reflections: ​Write a reflection assessing the effectiveness of the lesson and ways in which it might be improved, if
applicable. It is recommended you review the rubric prior to writing this reflection.
​(4a: Reflecting on Teaching)

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I believe this lesson went as I expected it to go. The function of this particular lesson was to introduce our unit on pop
music and how it can differ from the original, it’s function in a choir, as well as to introduce our new piece of repertoire
and learn to navigate it successfully through basic form analysis. I think if I had to do one more step in this process I
would have given an exit ticket where the students had to prove to me in writing that they can navigate their scores. The
assessment I would have given would have said something like: “at measure 83, which vocal line has the melody of the
song? At what measure do they no longer have the melody?” That would have indicated in a more concise way which
students are still struggling to navigate their scores.
I will be giving this mini formative assessment as a “ticket in” at the beginning of a future lesson to check for
understanding of prior learning.

I think I need to focus a bit more on wait time when questioning. I have the same 5-7 students raising their hands and
I’d like to engage more students. Cold calling can be increased too with strategies like “phone a friend” that can be
made available to the students who struggle. I want students to perk up and be a bit more actively engaged when I’m
questioning them on concepts they should know already or need to master. I think increasing the anxiety a little bit
could be healthy for the students who feel a bit too comfortable sinking into the background.

I enjoyed the question one student posed “Can we listen to the original?” It was a nice segue into the concept of the
differences between the original recorded version of the song and the choral arrangement. We were able to discuss
“why we shouldn’t”. Students came up with answers I hadn’t anticipated like “it might be too fast for us” or “the radio
version is harder.” Eventually we arrived at the theory of undoing the muscle memory and preconceived notions about
the piece. Musical form in choral music is essential to performance and the students we able to understand they will not
sound like Justin Timberlake - they will sound like a choir - which is the intent.

I have been having great success with the raffle ticket incentive in class. It has really provided a way for even the high
fliers in class to get to work. It’s a concrete way of showing that 15:1 ratio of praise to redirect. Simply saying to a
student “nice job for XYZ” was not reaping the results I wanted and the 15:1 ratio is much easier to see when I have
tickets in front of me. I can set a goal to celebrate a certain number of students per rehearsal. This strategy also allows
the class to physically see each and every student I reward with a raffle ticket. The kids want to win and that has
provided me with the opportunity to get more done with them because their group work and team dynamic has
improved. Students are self-managing better than ever and there is much less chatter which creates more time to work.
Throughout the year I’ve become used to having our time eaten up by redirection of behavior that I have had to adjust
my own lesson plans to accommodate for the increased amount of time we have. It’s fascinating!

Be sure to attach or upload any resources used with this lesson including assessment results or student work