Intonation+Exercise+for+Orchestra

This lesson was very helpful for the orchestra. It was nice for them to practice tuning outside #|the music. At this point in the semester, the orchestra had most of the notes and rhythms down in their contest pieces. The intonation was not where it needed to be, so this was a good challenge for them. I would not necessarily spend an entire lesson on intonation. I think that you will find that the intonation will actually get worse if this much time is spent on it. I suggest this activity as a daily warm-up. We need our #|students to experience what "in-tune" actually sounds like before we can expect them to #|play "in-tune." This exercise gives them the tools to play in tune and critically think about their intonation. This exercise could easily be adapted for choir or band as well.

Objective: Students will be able to play "Fantasia on a 17th Century Tune" and "Pagodas" with improved intonation. Assessment: Students will be assessed aurally on whether or not they are playing with improved dynamics and intonation. Materials:Orchestra instruments, whiteboard, "Fantasia on a 17th Century Tune," "Pagodas"

Tuning Warmup:

 1.) Scales-- D, G, C, F, Bb **play them pp, p, mf, f, ff** 2.) F-major full-bow exercise **students use full bow (frog to tip) for whole notes, half notes, quarters, eights, etc** 3.) Intonation Exercise--F major **build major, minor, and diminished chords** Write a major, minor, and diminished chord don the board with arrows on the third for intonation tips. Divide the orchestra into three groups. Group one will be the tonic group (F) and consist of basses and cellos. Group two will play the fifth (C) and consist of violas and second violins. Group one, the first violins, will play the third (A) of the chord. Students sing the exercise first. First tune the fifth. After the fifth settles, add the major third. When the M3 is in tune, lower it to become a minor 3rd. Then the fifth goes down a half step to diminish the chord. When that settles, the bass voices lower the tonic a half step to make the triad major.

 Go through the exercise again. Once students play a chord, ask them how the chords "feel." Are they happy (major, don't need to go anywhere), sad (minor, don't need to resolve), or "crunchy" (diminished, need to resolve)

Rehearsal: 1.)Fantasia m. 95-118, hold chords  Ask students what the quality of the chord is (happy, sad, crunchy). Students look at the board to see the role of their note in the chord and adjust their pitches as necessary. <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">2.)Hold downbeats of 118-130, play in tempo <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">3.) Work ending, 142-end w/ cello bass--use full bow, ff <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">4.) Run 95-end, paying special attention to dynamics and tuning. <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">5.) Pagodas: work from end to beginning <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">a.)137-end-- hold downbeats <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">**make everyone is using full bow (fortissimo) and is in tune** <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">m.98--matching note length <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">m.60-- character, light and bouncy <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">m.44--rhythmic integrity <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">beginning-- dynamics