Orchestra 7

4/10-12/19-Intro Dragon Slayer

Objectives

● Students will demonstrate correct tuning of the open strings.

● Students will demonstrate correct instrument positioning and posture.
● Students will demonstrate the D and G major and G harmonic minor scales with 90%
pitch accuracy.
● Students will demonstrate “Rustic Dance” at 85% pitch and rhythm accuracy.
● 4/11 Students will demonstrate “Sahara Crossing” at 85% pitch and rhythm accuracy.
● 4/12 Students will demonstrate “Sahara Crossing,” “Mambo Amable,” “Rustic Dance,”
or “All About That Bass” at 85% pitch and rhythm accuracy.
● Students will demonstrate “Dragon Slayer” at 70% pitch and rhythm accuracy.

Standards
Virginia Standards of Learning
MIB.2 The student will echo, read, and performs rhythms and rhythmic patterns,
including whole notes, half notes, quarter notes, eighth notes, dotted half notes, dotted
quarter notes, and corresponding rests.
MIB.6 The student will read, notate, and perform scales, including
2. string student-one octave ascending and descending G and D major scales and a
D harmonic minor scale.
MIB. 11 The student will demonstrate proper instrumental techniques, including
1. finger/slide placement, using finger/slide patterns and fingerings/slide
positions;
2. matching pitches and beginning to make adjustments to facilitate correct
intonation;
3. production on tones that are clear, free on tension, and sustained;
5. string student-proper bow placement, weight, angle, and speed

Materials

● Students: daily materials

● Teacher: violin, scores

Procedure
Welcome
 ● Greet students as they enter the classroom
● Take attendance
● Students unpack/tune on their own ​(5)

Tune

● Select a student to give the A

● Tune each string, make adjustments as necessary
● Is it better to tune using long, sustained notes, or quick, short notes? Why?

Warm Up

● Visually scan to check posture and instrument positioning around the room
● Address if needed: (pancake) hand/gooseneck, bow hold, bow tightness ​(2-3)
● Why is it important to have good playing posture? ​(2-3)
● Play D major scale
● Play G major scale
● Play G harmonic minor scale

Rustic Dance
● Run piece
○ Add details: faster tempo, shorter bows
4/11 Sahara Crossing
● Run piece as warm up
4/12 Student selected piece
● Run as warm up
Dragon Slayer
● Write violin/viola 1-4 rhythm on board
○ count/pizz/play everyone
● Write CB rhythm under
○ count/pizz/play everyone
● Split upper and lower strings to their own rhythms
○ Play on open strings
○ Play with written notes
● Write violin/viola 5-8 rhythm on board
○ count/pizz/play everyone
● Write CB rhythm under
○ count/pizz/play everyone
● Split upper and lower strings to their own rhythms
 ○ Play on open strings
○ Play with written notes (violin 2 and viola all play top first?)
● Put 1-8 together
○ Rhythmic alignment
● Measures 6-8
○ Harmony versus dissonance
○ What are they?
○ Who has dissonance at measure 6?
○ Add second violin and viola dissonance to 1-8 section
● What other part is similar?
○ measure 27 (exact same)
○ Measure 53-end is ​similar
■ How same? Different?
● Isolate violin 1 melody at 53
● Read whole piece?
● Overall concepts to address
○ Accents
■ Play all long bows first
■ Add accents little by little
■ Bow speed+weight
○ Dynamic contrasts
■ Piano: upper half, less weight, less bow overall
■ Forte: more bow, more weight, lower half/middle
■ Crescendo: small bow to big bow
○ Story/imagery
■ Creative project? (writing, art, theater?)
○ Rhythmic alignment
■ Rhythms on the board, everyone practice
● Focus after break: story/imagery/how that is shown in the music

Assessment​ ​85% of students will meet goals:

● Students will demonstrate correct tuning of the open strings.

● Students will demonstrate correct instrument positioning and posture.
● Students will demonstrate the D and G major and G harmonic minor scales with 90%
pitch accuracy.
● Students will demonstrate “Rustic Dance” at 85% pitch and rhythm accuracy.
● Students will demonstrate “Sahara Crossing” at 85% pitch and rhythm accuracy.
 ● Students will demonstrate “Sahara Crossing,” “Mambo Amable,” “Rustic Dance,” or
“All About That Bass” at 85% pitch and rhythm accuracy.
● Students will demonstrate “Dragon Slayer” at 70% pitch and rhythm accuracy.

Adaptations

● Size: Music can be enlarged for students with vision difficulties.

● Color: Different colors used to identify different note lengths as displayed on the board
● Pacing: Teacher will monitor class progress through asking questions for understanding
and will adjust pacing as necessary.
● Modality: Note values/rhythms displayed on the board (visual), verbal instructions and
teacher modeling (aural), fingering/bowing along with the teacher or other sections as
they play (kinesthetic)

Extensions
This could be extended by dividing the class in half (or sections), having each section play, then
the students who did not play give feedback, and/or having half/one section play the tonic drone
while the other students play the scale and addressing more intonation.