Hendrik+Viljoen+Best+Lesson


 * Add a title? Best Lesson for Mixed Instrumental Small Group Lesson **

When working with small group lessons in fifth or sixth grade, there will come a time in one’s teaching career where there will be two or three students who are much further ahead than the rest of the class. In this case, we have a saxophonist, flutist, and oboist who are in book two of Accent on Achievement, and require rehearsal strategies not unlike that of a chamber ensemble setting. This lesson strongly requires a conductor’s score, unless one feels proficient in transposing between concert pitch and Eb. This lesson’s main objectives were two-fold. First, to correctly play dotted note figures. Second, to implement a strong emphasis on 1 and 4 in 6/8 time. With students who are ahead, it’s easy to have a relaxing demeanor and say “oh yeah, you’ll get it” or “I know you can play this, that’s fine”. However, maintaining an even more strict or edge-y approach to your teaching style than with your average students will keep them from feeling too comfortable with their current progress.


 * [[image:http://musiclessons.wikispaces.com/site/embedthumbnail/placeholder?w=542&h=50 width="542" height="50"]]** Teacher Name: ** || Hendrik Viljoen || ** Date: ** || 10-28-14 ||


 * ** Subject/Grade: ** || 5th Grade Instrumental (flute, oboe, saxophone) ||


 * ** Concepts/Skills/Values: ** || key signature, accidentals, compound meter, note duration ||


 * National Standards (check all that apply): **


 * || ** 1. Sing ** ||  || ** 2. X Play ** ||   || ** 3. Improvise ** ||   || ** 4. Compose/Arr. ** ||   || ** 5. X Read/Notate ** ||
 * || ** 6. X Listen ** ||  || ** 7. X Evaluate ** ||   || ** 8. Related Arts ** ||   || ** 9. History/Culture ** ||   ||   ||


 * ** Behavioral **
 * Learning **
 * Objectives: ** || When reading from the Accent on Achievement book 2, students will be able to play in a compound meter while identifying which notes are altered from the key signature. They will also play through a D.S. al Coda correctly. ||


 * Type of Assessment (check all that apply): **


 * X || ** Diagnostic ** ||  || ** Formative ** ||   || ** Summative ** ||   ||   ||   ||   ||
 * || ** Formal ** || X || ** Informal ** ||  ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||


 * ** Assessment (describe the procedure or tool used): ** || Students are assessed through playing the songs by themselves and with their classmates FLUENTLY earn a sticker for their Pick and Play. This is only if they play the excerpt correctly and/or demonstrate understanding of the concept being taught or shown. ||  ||


 * ** Materials Needed & Location: ** || Pencil, chairs, stands, Accent on Achievement book 2 for students and conductor’s score. ||  ||


 * ** TOTAL Minutes in Lesson: **


 * _ **


 * Sequence of **
 * Activities & Duration in Time for Each Activity or Assessment: ** || 50 min.

Start on pg. 23. Have the student warm up on m. 80. Remind everyone of the key signature: flute and oboe are in E flat, saxophone is in G. (2 to 3 minutes)

Do their Pick and Play, m. 81 Have them play it together once, then if it sounds fine, have them play it individually. (2 to 4 minutes.)

m. 83, on pg. 24. Have the students play, and if they mush the note values together, have them subdivide the notes on broken down two-measure phrases. Write the dotted quarter note as tied three eighth notes if they have trouble with the syncopation. (2 to 3 min.)

m. 84, Ask the flute and oboe to play C flat, ("think about it…okay, now play"). Have them play the first few measures, saxophone using the alt. F# **(why alternate? Since I don't have the score in front of me, I'm not sure why exactly)**.

After the students can play mm. 80-84, Have the saxophone play low C#, then show them how the dotted eighth note sixteenth is faster than the one in star spangled banner (which # in AoE?), it’s more ‘bouncy’. Play the first measure once, then play it with the sixteenth note division over the first beat to show them the hidden sixteenth notes in the eighth note. (4 to 5 min.) **I'm not sure how this material can fill up to 7 min. of work. Is there some sequence possibly missing? Could the time be estimated lower?**

On m. 86 have the students play through the excerpt once, address the slurs (have them play the slurs louder than everything else) then play it for them with an exaggerated emphasis on beats 1 and 4. Consider adding the trill/turn on the “and” of 3 as a bonus. Demonstrate for them first. (this specific element could be taught by rote, as explaining the technicalities of a turn or trill will impede on class time) (6-10 min.) ||




 * ** Teacher **
 * Effectiveness **
 * Reminders: ** || Pacing is the most important here, make sure there’s enough time to get to everything, and if they struggle with it, then let them know they can still work on it for next time, just so the introduction of new concepts still happens.

Hi Hendrik,

First of all, you need a title so that this can be found easily. Make it obvious what your lesson is about. I would also add some tags to this if you haven't already done so. I think your lesson is logical, for the most part, but I think this could be developed a bit. For example, could the students count/clap the compound rhythms before they play them? Can they define what a d.s. al coda is? Maybe they could show you by following along with their finger to show you the "road map" of a d.s. al coda. One of your objectives is to have them identify accidentals, but I don't see where you actually have them identify accidentals in your lesson plan. Concerning your assessment - this needs re-worded. I do not understand what you are trying to say. A rubric may actually be helpful, but I'm not sure that it is necessary for an informal assessment. Although, what constitutes a good enough performance to earn a sticker? What exactly do you mean by "fluently" in this section? (Is it playing all the notes/rhythms/dynamics correctly?) Your assessments may need defined more. Thanks, Sherri ||