High+School+Mixed+Chorus-+Advanced+Rhythm+Introduction

I originally used this lesson with the non-auditioned mixed chorus at my high school student teaching experience on October 27, 2011 and plan to continue it on future dates. This lesson is designed to take up only 15-20 minutes of an entire 50 minute class period, and this class happens to be team taught, so after I have finished with the lesson, the students move on to repertoire work led by another teacher for the rest of the class. The rhythmic teaching is based upon a down-up method of rhythmic sing counting which incorporates hand movements into the reading. The students move one of their hands downward and pat their knee to represent the beat, while subsequently saying the word "down". The division of beat occurs with the upward motion of the same hand patting your opposite hand while subsequently saying "up". Thus, a divided beat in simple quadruple meter would sound "down-up-down-up-down-up-down-up". Subdivision can be taught by simply adding in "e" and "a" in between the down-ups, creating a "down-e-up-a" sound for four subdivided notes. This method can be used as a beginner's transition into count singing.

10/27/2011

**Subject: ** 10-12 Mixed Chorus (4 th  Hour)

**Concepts/Skills/Values:** Major versus minor scales  Rhythmic performance sight reading skills (Down-Ups) Dotted eighth note introduction

**National Standards: ** Singing Listening <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Reading/Notati ng <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Evaluating <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Composing/Arranging

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">**Behavioral Learning Objectives:** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Given a starting note, students will sing a major scale followed by a parallel minor scale a cappella without hearing a chord in between. Assessment: Listen for mi changing to me, la to le, and ti to te. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Given rhythmic choices on the board, students as a class will compose and perform a rhythmic idea as an entire group, then in two sections, then in a round SATB. Take a student out of each section to observe and assess their own section.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**Materials:** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Drumsticks (to keep a 16 <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-size: 8.8px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: super;">th <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> note pulse) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Marker <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Whiteboard

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">**<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Sequence of Activities and Assessment: ** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Day 1: <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">1. Begin class with a major scale run through in half notes. Expect everyone in seats by first note. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">2. Ask class what solfege notes change from major to minor. (mi-me, la-le, ti-te) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">3. Perform minor scale without accompaniment. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">4. Without replaying major scale chord, students will sing major scale directly followed by a minor scale a cappella. Watch and assess success and repeat and explain if necessary. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">5. Have 5 previously assessed rhythms written on the board, repeated for each count in 4/4. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Rhythms will include: <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">//<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Two eighth notes // <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">//<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Four 16 <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-size: 8.8px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: super;">th <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> notes // <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">//<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">16 <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-size: 8.8px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: super;">th <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">-16th-eighth // <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">//<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">eighth-16 <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-size: 8.8px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: super;">th <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">-16 <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-size: 8.8px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: super;">th // <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">//<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">16 <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-size: 8.8px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: super;">th <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">-eighth-16 <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-size: 8.8px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: super;">th // <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">6. Perform down-ups for each rhythm. Assess retention. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">7. Introduce dotted 8 <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-size: 8.8px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: super;">th <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> notes followed by 16 <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-size: 8.8px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: super;">th <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> notes and 16 <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-size: 8.8px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: super;">th <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> notes followed by dotted eighths. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">8. Perform down-ups for each measure of rhythm.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Day 2: <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">9. Have students from each section choose a rhythmic motive for each count of a four measure phrase. Write from behind the board. (Use Ms. Cogdill's board techniques) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">10. Perform new rhythms all together as a class, boys and girls, and then in sections. Have someone from each section observe and assess.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**Reminders:** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Simplify as much as possible. I know that I have a musician's tendency to get excited about a subject and go on a confusing tangent that students will not understand. Remember that the lesson is for THEIR learning experiences. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Watch to make sure that the students are actually signing while they are solfeging and down-upping while working on rhythm. They will try to get away with being lazy. Do not accept this: they are only activating one side of their brains.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Andy Schneider <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">-I find your method of subdivision to be incredibly brilliant. For students to associate eighth notes with a down-up pattern is very effective. On top of that, putting e and & between the two is a great way to feel the sixteenth note. I think this could work in ANY area of music, and not just high school choir. I want to use this now with my middle school band students. Not only does this teach subdivision, but it can fix tempo issues. Thinking of the subdivision will allow kids to not rush or drag. This is great!