Page 26 Lesson Plan Exercises 111 116 Score Pages 315 326 Goal Students will progress in developing comprehensive musicianship through a standards-based curriculum, including singing, performing, improvising, reading and notating, listening and analyzing, evaluating, interdisciplinary relationships, and historical and cultural relationships. Objectives for Student Learning Accurately perform tempo, rhythms, pitches, dynamics, articulations, and Rudiments with correct posture, embouchure, hand position, fingerings/slide positions, sticking, intonation, and a characteristic tone quality. Identify, define, and perform fortissimo. Share information about Giuseppe Verdi. Locate Italy on a world map and share information about the country. Locate Jamaica on a world map and share information about the country. Share information about Georges Bizet. Locate France on a world map and share information about the country. See Private Lessons Homogeneous Study for individualized objectives. Procedure (Activities) Warm-up Use 111. Warm-up Band Arrangement as a daily warm-up in addition to any long tones, scales, or GREAT WARM-UPS (beginning on student page 42, score page 507). Have students use a full sound and steady air stream, making sure all players are performing with a very legato style. Use the warm-up to continue to develop a characteristic concert band tone quality, refine intonation, and improve ensemble balance and blend. 111. Warm-up Band Arrangement 1) Divide the sections as needed to accommodate the divisi. 2) To play a major chord in tune, the 5th of the chord must be played slightly sharp (+2 cents) and the 3rd of the chord must be played rather flat (-14 cents). Using a tuner and student demonstrators, display this concept for the class using a Concert Bb major chord. 3) Play the first chord of the warm-up (Concert Bb major) as a full band. Applying knowledge of the Concert Bb major scale, ask students to identify which note of the chord they have: root (1st scale degree), third (3rd scale degree), or fifth (5th scale degree). Have students write that number next to the note head (1, 3, or 5).
2 4) Once students have identified their pitch s function in the chord (root, third, or fifth), have them apply the chord tuning technique they have just learned. Allow students ears to be the judge of their success. 5) When moving from the first pitch of the warm-up to the second, the students roles remain the same. In other words, those on the root will stay on the root, those on the third will stay on the third, and so forth. (This is the case for all measures except for measure 7, which will be addressed later.) 6) Play the first six measures of this exercise slowly, allowing students to adjust the balance and intonation as necessary. 7) Have students analyze measure 7. Given the knowledge that the first chord is Concert Eb major and the second is Concert F major, ask students to write the appropriate scale degree next to each note head. 8) Play measures 7 and 8 slowly to allow students to make the necessary intonation adjustments. 9) Play this exercise as a full band. 112. Anvil Chorus from Il Trovatore Introduction of fortissimo 1) Select a student to read the definition of fortissimo from the top of the page. Remind students that maintaining a characteristic tone quality while increasing the volume should be the primary goal. 2) Sustain the first note with the band at a forte dynamic. Next, sustain the same pitch at a fortissimo dynamic. Be sure that individual tone qualities are not distorted to achieve the higher dynamic level. 3) Select a student to identify and define the articulation mark over the first pitch. (Tenuto was introduced on student page 12.) 4) Sizzle this exercise while using the correct fingerings, slide positions, or air sticking. Be sure that style and dynamics are reflected in the sizzle. 5) Play this exercise with the recorded accompaniment. 6) Select a student to read the history text box and allow students to respond. 7) Have students complete the Giuseppe Verdi Worksheet available in the Interactive Teacher Studio (ITS). 8) Giuseppe Verdi was from Italy. Identify Italy on a world map and have students follow along with the map located on page 47 of their books. Ask students to share information that they may know about Italy, such as climate, geography, history, cuisine, art, and culture. 9) Help students explore the relationships between music and Italian culture and geography by using the Italy Worksheet available in the ITS. Distribute the pages to students as homework, or review by displaying them in class. 10) Using the Interactive Practice Studio (IPS)/ITS, explore the history of the piece: The Anvil Chorus comes from the opera called Il Trovatore, by Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi (1813 1901). Opera is a genre of music that tells a story through music. It is staged with sets, costumes, props, lighting, and acting. Operas are typically sung all the way through, though some types of opera also have speaking parts.
3 In this scene of Il Trovatore, a group of gypsies is singing while doing metal work. The bright sound of their hammers against anvils creates a steady quarter-note rhythm along with the music. This distinctive sound is part of what makes this chorus so recognizable, and what gives it the name Anvil Chorus. Another reason this melody is recognizable is that it is one of the most famous choruses in all of opera. Verdi was an expert at crafting melodies that were interesting, unexpected, and memorable. This is the kind of melody that people could whistle in the streets after seeing a performance. Written by Mark C. Samples, American musicologist 113. Skill Builder 1) Ask a snare drummer (or use a metronome) to play steady sixteenth notes at the desired tempo. 2) Have the band clap the rhythm of the exercise. 3) Still using the snare drummer or metronome, sizzle this exercise while using the correct fingerings, slide positions, or air sticking. 4) Again using the snare drummer or metronome, sing this line on too or using solfège syllables while using the correct fingerings, slide positions, or air sticking. 5) Play this exercise with the recorded accompaniment. 114. Water Come a Me Eye Duet 1) Ask a snare drummer (or use a metronome) to play steady eighth notes at the desired tempo. 2) Have the band clap the rhythm of the exercise. 3) Divide the band into two groups (top notes and bottom notes). Still using the snare drummer or metronome, sizzle this exercise while using the correct fingerings, slide positions, or air sticking. 4) Sing this line on too or using solfège syllables while using the correct fingerings, slide positions, or air sticking. Remind trumpet players to extend their 3rd valve slides for the written C#s, and remind trombone players not to distort their embouchures or playing positions while reaching for 7th position B. 5) Have the percussion section and the top notes play while the bottom notes sing or sizzle while using the correct fingerings or slide positions. 6) Switch and have the percussion and the bottom notes play while the top notes sing or sizzle while using the correct fingerings or slide positions. 7) Play this exercise as a duet. 8) Ask the band which auxiliary percussion instruments they have heard thus far that would add to the spirit of this piece. (Allow all students, not just percussionists, to engage in this discussion.) 9) Select a few percussion students to play the newly requested instruments (e.g., claves, finger cymbals, triangle). Have the selected students improvise a part while the rest of the band plays the duet.
4 10) Switch parts (top and bottom notes) and play the exercise again with the recorded accompaniment and the auxiliary percussion improvisation. 11) Select a student to read the history text box and allow students to respond. 12) Water Come a Me Eye is a Jamaican folk song. Identify Jamaica on a world map and have students follow along with the map located on page 47 of their books. Ask students to share information that they may know about Jamaica, such as climate, geography, history, cuisine, art, and culture. 13) Help students explore the relationships between music and Jamaican culture and geography by using the Jamaica Worksheet available in the ITS. Distribute the pages to students as homework, or review by displaying them in class. 14) Enhance this lesson by introducing the lyrics: Lyrics Ev ry time I think of Liza, Ev ry time I think of Liza, Chorus: Come back Liza, come back girl, Come back Liza, come back girl, Don t know why you went away, When you comin home to stay? Chorus Time go slow when love is past, When you come back, time go fast, Chorus Listen cause I m callin you, And my heart is callin too,
5 15) Using the IPS/ITS, explore the history of the piece: Water Come a Me Eye is a Jamaican folk song in a calypso style. Calypso is a genre of music that developed in Trinidad, an island just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. The genre is especially associated with Trinidad s Carnival season, a celebratory time between Christmas and Lent that includes parades, music, and dancing. The main instrument associated with calypso and Trinidad is the steel drum, also called steel pan. The steel pan is made from the metal pan of an oil drum or other container. Instrument makers, called tuners, mold the surface to form several depressions in the metal that, when struck with a mallet, sound the notes of a scale. The steel pan was first created in 1940, when Trinidad was still a British colony. At the time, tuners made their drums out of discarded containers. But one man s trash is another man s treasure. Over the next two decades, the instrument became a symbol of Trinidad s community, culture, and even their new nation when Trinidad won political independence in 1962. The instrument gained this status officially in 1992, when prime minister Patrick Manning declared the steel pan to be Trinidad and Tobago s national instrument. Written by Mark C. Samples, American musicologist 115. March of the Toreadors from Carmen Test 1) As this line is designed for assessment, it is suggested that students learn how to perform this exercise on their own. 2) Assign this exercise for a performance evaluation. 3) Have students complete the Georges Bizet Worksheet available in the ITS. 4) Georges Bizet was from France. Identify France on a world map and have students follow along with the map located on page 47 of their books. Ask students to share information that they may know about France, such as climate, geography, history, cuisine, art, and culture. 5) Help students explore the relationships between music and French culture and geography by using the France Worksheet available in the ITS. Distribute the pages to students as homework, or review by displaying them in class. 6) Since this opera is set in Spain, ask students to find Spain on the world map as well. 7) Using the IPS/ITS, explore the history of the piece: French opera composer Georges Bizet (1838 1875) wrote Carmen, an opera comique, between 1873 and 1875. (An opera comique is an opera with both spoken and sung parts.) Tragically, Bizet died exactly three months after the opera s premiere without even a glimpse of the great success it would later achieve.
6 One of the characters in Carmen is a toreador, Spanish for bullfighter. This march is his theme; every time this melody is heard, it means that Escamillo the bullfighter is either on stage or being sung about. The story of Carmen is set in Seville, Spain. Can you think of another popular opera that you ve learned about in Tradition of Excellence that was also set in Seville? Hint: the title character might be tempted to give you a shave and a haircut (see page 16 for the answer). Evaluation (Assessment) Written by Mark C. Samples, American musicologist Use 115. March of the Toreadors from Carmen as an evaluation tool to assess the skills learned on student page 26. Consult Teaching Band with Excellence (pages 53 62) for recommended assessment styles and rubrics for this performance evaluation. These evaluation tools are also readily available in the ITS. Tradition of Excellence is available on SmartMusic for computer-based assessment. Have students conduct a self-evaluation. A Test Reflection form is available on this exercise in the IPS. Enrichment Studies Instrument Identification Take time each day to listen to the recorded accompaniments correlated with page 26. Have students identify the instrument(s) playing the student melody. Also ask which instruments they can hear in the accompaniment. Intonation: Roots, Thirds, and Fifths of Major Triads Project a tuner on an interactive white board or screen. Depending on your classroom s technology, use electronic tuners, the Yamaha Harmony Director, other teachers, or students as models. Have students identify the root, third, and fifth of a Concert Bb major triad (Concert Bb, D, F.) Set the tuners, Harmony Director, or models to play each pitch perfectly in tune. The chord won t sound exactly right to students. Many may be surprised that when playing notes exactly in tune, they can still sound out of tune. Select just the root and fifth. Using the tuners, Harmony Director, or models, slowly increase the 5th to play 2 cents sharp. This difference will be difficult to notice by most students. While generating the open fifth, add the third at 0 cents. Slowly lower the third 14 cents (-14) to place it in tune.
7 This demonstration will likely yield many questions and curiosities. Allow for discussion, reaction, and response. With selected students, have trios try tuning the Concert Bb major triad using the tuner as a reference. As each section plays the third and lowers the pitch, ask the students to describe to the class how (physically) they are lowering the pitch. (Students should not be pushing or pulling tuning slides, barrels, mouthpieces, etc.) Review the importance of mouthpiece workouts and revisit Book 1, page 3 as needed. Play triads in the different major keys learned thus far. Students should be aware of their natural tendency on the pitch in question as well as the function of the note in the triad. These pitch tendencies can be mapped by the individual students using the enrichment study from student page 17, reprinted below for convenience. As the process of tuning triads begins, students should remember that the third of a major triad is lowered by 14 cents, though that doesn t necessarily mean they need to lip it down. If the pitch is already flat, they may need to leave it alone or perhaps even lip it up. Lastly, the tuner and the +/- cents should be a guide and reference for students to develop their ears. When playing triads in an ensemble, adjustments should be made by what students hear rather than tuning each individual pitch. Remember, these tuning exercises are only valuable when a characteristic tone quality has been established. Consult Teaching Band With Excellence for more information on tuning and pitch manipulation. Analysis: Seeing Music as Scale Degrees Pass out a piece of manuscript paper to each student. On the first three lines, have students write ascending major scales in the following keys: Concert F, Concert Eb, and Concert C. (Note: Students need to write the scales for their instrument. For example, when writing the Concert F scale, trumpets would begin on G.) Next, have students label the scale degrees 1 8. Using 112. Anvil Chorus from Il Trovatore, 113. Skill Builder, and 114. Water Come a Me Eye Duet as the lesson material, have students identify each pitch by scale degree. In their books, using pencils, have them write the scale degree near each note head. As a class, sing each exercise using scale degree numbers to check students work. If your class already uses solfège, use this opportunity to relate the scale degrees to the solfège syllables. Once the exercises have been analyzed by scale degree, ask students to transpose 113. Skill Builder into both the keys of Concert F and Concert C using the scale degrees as a guide. Collect the manuscript papers for evaluation.
8 In case you missed it Tuning: Getting to Know Your Instrument The following enrichment study first appeared in the lesson plan for Book 2, student page 17. Pass out a piece of manuscript paper to the band. Have students write their Concert Bb major scale, ascending only, on the staff. (Horns may write a written C major scale if so desired.) Write the Concert Bb major scale on the board for the instrument on which you plan to demonstrate. Make sure students space out the pitches of the ascending scale so that they fill the entire staff. Using the IPS/ITS, project the tuner on an interactive whiteboard or screen. On your primary instrument, play a Concert F (or pitch of your choice) to best tune your instrument. [Note: If this is the first introduction of tuning for your students, you may wish to expand this portion of the lesson.] As students watch the tuner on the screen, adjust your instrument until the pitch of choice is in tune. Inform students that different notes on their individual instruments have pitch tendencies. That is to say, each individual note naturally plays sharp, flat, or in tune. Play each pitch of the Concert Bb major scale. Once the tuner settles, write the result above that specific note on the board. If the first note is in tune, write 0. If Concert C is 40 cents sharp, write +40 above the second note. Allow students to watch you go through all eight notes of the scale. After you complete the scale, each note should have a marking. Ask students to discuss why this knowledge is important to them (and you) as musicians. Once natural pitch tendencies are realized, the player can begin to adjust for those notes as they occur in music (e.g., trumpets should extend their 3rd valve slide on written D). Assign students to take their piece of manuscript paper home and using the tuner in the IPS, a tuner app on an electronic device, or a personal tuner, map the pitch tendencies of their Concert Bb major scale. Remind them to make sure they tune to Concert F first before tuning the scale. (Again, horns may use the written C major scale for this exercise.) When students bring back their results, compare the results for each section. What notes did everyone play sharp? Flat? In tune? Lastly, and most importantly, teach or remind students how to manipulate pitch on their instrument (make it higher or lower) without pushing or pulling slides or instrument parts. See Teaching Band with Excellence for instrument-specific information on pitch adjustment. This process will take time and constant reinforcement. However, through regular practice tuning with a projected tuner, students will slowly become more comfortable with this necessity and the natural tendencies of their instrument. Remember, a characteristic tone quality is a prerequisite for tuning one cannot tune a poor tone. Also, tuning the individual sound is only one step in the tuning process. Future lessons will need to
9 include a variety of tuning exercises, such as tuning with more than one player in a section, tuning as an ensemble, and tuning specific chord voices. As with everything in music, learning to tune is a lifelong process. Encouraging a student-led pitch tendency discovery is a very important first step. For more ideas and implementation strategies for tuning, please consult Teaching Band With Excellence pages 39 42. Private Lessons Homogeneous Study These Private Lessons are written to address technical challenges unique to each individual instrument. Because they are geared for homogeneous instruction, many of the lessons have been linked to instrument-specific Mastering Excellence exercises beginning on student page 40. These Mastering Excellence exercises are written to engage students at different skill levels. Each Mastering Excellence has a basic and an advanced preparatory exercise to be accomplished before attempting the cumulative exercise. The combination of the Private Lesson and the Mastering Excellence exercises is designed to maximize the use of instructional time in the small group setting. Goals for 116. Private Lesson Flute and oboe: Maintain proper hand position while performing finger and articulation patterns in Ab major. Clarinet and bass clarinet: Play Eb and Bb using the alternate fingerings. Alto clarinet: Play new notes B and C. Bassoon: Maintain proper hand position while performing finger patterns. Alto saxophone and baritone saxophone: Maintain proper hand position while performing finger patterns. Tenor saxophone: Perform ascending and descending octaves. Trumpet/cornet, trombone, baritone/euphonium, and tuba: Perform finger and articulation patterns. F horn: Play new note F. Eb horn: Perform finger and articulation patterns. Electric bass: Maintain proper hand position while performing finger patterns. Snare drum: Identify, define, and perform Seventeen Stroke Roll in cut time.