Lesson(RepeatSigns-Dynamics-Independence)

Below is a link to a lesson plan on teaching repeat signs, independent part singing, and dynamics. Feel free to use linked file to the PDF including Mary Had a Little Lamb with repeat signs as a way to introduce D.S. al Coda, "Sign," to Coda, and CODA to your choir of elementary or middle school age.

The sight singing book listed here is highly recommended and would be a valuable addition to your classroom. It teaches students all solfege syllables through increasingly difficult patterns to sight read and sing through. I did not scan in the page because I think you should have the book. :) Also, the concept is that students determine from a list of sight singing examples which you are singing. It does not need to be the material from this exact book and page.

Comments or questions on the discussion tab are welcome!

Allison, this is a wonderful lesson. When I was reading through the Mary Had A Little Lamb with the repeat signs, it really tripped me up as a sight reader, which is exactly what it was supposed to do. I really like the idea of taking a familiar melody and putting repeats in atypical places: it will surely take the students out of that autopilot mode that they might get to when focusing on repeats or something of the nature. I also loved that you brought the dynamic work that you did as a warm-up at the beginning of class to the end of the lesson as an application to Elijah Rock. Many teachers forget about reinforcing the warm-up activities within their actual lessons. Superb. I am not quite sure where you are within the teaching of dynamics with your eighth graders, but something to consider might be to create a student led activity with dynamics, having leaders of each section create dynamics, especially for a piece that might not have any written in the music. I would definitely like to look into that sight reading book you were talking about and compare and contrast it with other sight reading books I have encountered. I would like to know if it is a multilevel book, is there a teachers edition, are there opportunities for both unison and multiple parts, etc.

Thanks for putting this out here Allison. I will definitely do what all great teachers do with great lessons: steal. Tyler Buglewicz