7th+Grade+Interpretations+and+playing+technique

This lesson plan was designed for a 25 minute chunk of a 7th grade orchestra class. It is based around the piece "Spartacus" by Brian Balmages, but could be completely interchangeable with any other piece. The class liked this piece a lot from the beginning, and that helped the lesson go very smoothly. With a piece of music the students are not as motivated by, it might be slightly harder to maintain focus. However, it affords an opportunity for assessment, by having students turn in their written interpretations, and gives the students a chance to assess their peers. I personally am planning to use this format to present the background of a large number of future pieces.



Great lesson! Interpretation can be a tricky thing to teach in an ensemble setting and I liked the way that you spent a lot of time asking students for their opinions/having them write them down. It makes them feel like they have a say in how the group plays a piece. Clearly thought out sequence and the objectives related back to the lesson plan. Just a couple short suggestions. First, it would be a good idea to list the measure numbers you will be working on in the materials section. That way, you can easily find that information if you have a sudden memory lapse. Also, you don't have anything listed as an assessment. I assume that the assessment is asking the students if they felt that the piece sounded different after all the steps have been taken. You can just add a quick assessment label in front of that. Finally, are you collecting the interpretation sheets or are they keeping them? If you are collecting them, what are you doing with them? Just looking to make sure they did it or will there be a participation grade? All in all, a good lesson that I would definitely use in the future. Johanna Kennedy
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