Lesson Plan

Name: Chris B Date: 10/5/20

Grade: 5th Grade Class Type: General Music

1.Measurable Objective(s):

 Students will be able to hear, feel, and perform dynamics through movement and expressive
rhythmic improvisation.
 Students will be able to articulate notes and sounds based upon interpreted movements and
actions in their teacher and peers.
 Students will develop their sense of physical movement as it relates to the expressive elements
of music.

2.Assessment:
 Assessments will all be informal, as most of these skills are going to be developed with
accuracy in mind in later lessons. T will know that S are well on their way to learning if
they’re having fun during the activities of this class period.
 T will know that S are developing novice level understanding articulation and movement by
the tightness and accuracy of the class’s performance during the circle dance exercise. Give
pointers and tips as necessary to help facilitate this learning.

2014 Music Standards

General Music
Creating Performing Responding
MU:Cr1.1.4b Generate musical MU:Pr4.2.4a Demonstrate MU:Re8.1.4a Demonstrate and
ideas (such as rhythms, understanding of the structure explain how the expressive
melodies, and simple and the elements of music (such qualities (such as dynamics,
accompaniment patterns) within as rhythm, pitch, and form) in tempo, and timbre) are used in
related tonalities (such as major music selected for performance. performers’ and personal
and minor) and meters. interpretations to reflect
MU:Pr4.3.4a Demonstrate and expressive intent.
explain how intent is conveyed
through interpretive decisions
and expressive qualities (such as
dynamics, tempo, and timbre).

MU:Pr6.1.4a Perform music,

alone or with others, with
expression and technical
accuracy, and appropriate
interpretation.
Connecting

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 2019 Mass Arts Standards
3rd-4th Music Standards
Creating Performing Responding
Refine and complete artistic Convey meaning through the Perceive and analyze artistic
work. Respond to a musical presentation of artistic work. work. Analyze how expressive
challenge and hypothesize Sing and play in groups qualities (e.g. tempo, dynamics,
possible solutions. (3- responding appropriately to cues timbre) are used to demonstrate
4.M.Cr.03) of a conductor. (3-4.M.P.06) a composer’s musical intent. (3-
4.M.R.07)

Connecting

5. Required Prior Knowledge and Skills: (What must students know to be successful.)
 The class has had plenty of experience sight singing melody and rhythm, as well as a strong
background in Orff-style ensemble performance.
 S are familiar of what the terms staccato, accent, tenuto, and marcato mean in music.
 S are familiar with what dynamics and basic expression is in music.
 S are familiar with Blues form, and the terminology of it, such as what a “turnaround” is.
 T has cultivated an open and inviting environment to allow for students to feel vulnerable yet
safe while participating in exercises such as improvisation and dance.
6. Material, Repertoire, Equipment needed:
 Sound system for playing Spotify Playlists and a blues loop.
 Music staff whiteboard and markers for writing “do nows” and notation.
 A reasonable amount of space to maneuver students around the room in a large circle for the
circle dance activity.
7. Review Needed:
 The definition of tenuto and marcato will likely need to be reviewed to ensure that all
students are on the same page with the notation portion of the lesson.
 Dynamics should be fairly well understood at this point, but be sure to add the definition of
dynamic terms after mentioning them once. Ex: “Let’s make piano, soft, sound.” “A forte,
loud, sound.”
8. Accommodations: (Special Needs, ELL, etc.)
 ELL: Not too many changes must be made in the case of an ELL. Much of this class is simply
doing music, so it should be easy enough for a learner to follow along by staying aware of the
choices of the peers. Make sure that student is situated next to someone that they trust and can
ask clarifying questions of. Remind the class that anyone should ask a question of they feel that
the teacher is speaking too quickly. Ensure that one stays away from overusing rare or
uncommon words when teaching, so that one doesn’t lose the attention of even the most
vocabulary-rich 5th grader [moreso a note to myself than other teachers reading].
9. Agenda:
In big letters: Music is Movement, followed by a circle with a question mark in it.

 Welcome back!
 (Re)introductions
 *circle with question mark in it*

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 o Expression and Articulation
o Circle Dance
 Let’s Conduct!
 Wrap up and assignment.

10. Lesson Sequence (Be sure to list time in the Pacing Section) Pacing
A. Brief Opening: A.…………………...
T will play from a small playlist of popular songs with upbeat tempo/styles.
Current example: Blinding Lights by The Weeknd.

On the board will be written “Music is Movement,” above a question mark in a

circle. S will come to learn that a question mark in a circle means to reflect
upon the meaning of the previous statement or question.
B. Learning Activities: B

1. Greetings - T begins class by greeting the class using movement. “Good 1 – 2-3 Minutes
Morning” with different emphasis on different syllables using sharp, smooth,
or punchy movements. Have the class repeat the greetings back in different
variations. Choose one or two students to do the same thing, letting them lead
the class.

2. Introductions – T will now introduce themselves using pats, claps, swishes 2. – 3 Minutes
conducting cues, melody, or whatever else might feel appropriate at the
moment. Have S repeat after every demonstration. Demonstrate a few different
ways to go about this before letting the class take the lead. S will say their
names along with some expressive rhythmic and melodic ornaments before the
class repeats it back to them.

3. Music is Movement: Discussion – T will explain first what the question 3. – 5 Minutes
mark icon means when we see it written on the board next to a statement or
question. After this, T will ask S what they think about this concept. How do
we make sounds with our voices, instruments, bodies or anything else? Every
element of music is linked to some kind of appropriate movement. “Try to
make a sound without moving” T will demonstrate: “If we want a sharp sound,
what might we do to make that sound?” Let the class demonstrate their
thoughts. Lead them to a clap, tongue click, or similar sound. “What about a
smooth sound?” Class demonstrates. Lead them to the rubbing of hands, a
sustained note, or wind-like exhaling. Ask a student or two if they can think of
any sound qualities that they’d like the class to try and demonstrate.

T will then ask the class to make sound effects for the movements that t
demonstrates. Make sure to not be afraid of doing things that are a little bit
silly, as this will be a good way to get the class more comfortable with
experimenting on their own.

4. Music is Movement: Pair up! – T will now have students pair up, moving 4. – 5 Minutes
into different places around the room to face each other. T instructs one S to
model the motions while the other makes the sound. Instruct S to start with
small, smooth movements. T will tell them to switch after a few moments. T

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 will then tell the current mover to make the movements go from small to big to
small again. Switch again. Finally, T will tell the current mover to make big,
bold movements (while making sure that they don’t hurt anyone around
them!). Switch one last time.

5. Music is Movement: Transition – T will now use a short breathing 5. – 1 Minute

exercise to center everyone once more. Using conducting-style gestures, bring
the class in to collectively breathe in and out. Repeat a few times until energy
is at a more manageable level.

6. Expression Through Movement – T will ask the class what the difference 6. – 3-4 Minutes
between two performed movements are. First, as if throwing a football across
the room, focused and intent. Second, gently tossing an invisible paper
airplane. “Neither of these two motions are incorrect, rather, they might be
more or less appropriate for the setting. If I wanted my friend on the other side
of the park to catch my football, I wouldn’t be able to do it by gently tossing it.
At the same time, if I wanted to toss paper airplane through the air, it would be
complete overkill (and ineffective) to put all my strength into the throw.” T
will ask the class if we can come up with a sound or melodic movement to
represent the first, intent motion and the second, gentle motion. Demonstrate
the motion for the class again, and see what they come up with. T will explain
that we might notate these differences with an accent, tenuto, or even both
(while drawing these symbols on the board). “What if we change the object
we’re throwing? Instead of a football, how about a dart. What kind of sound do
you think that motion might imply?” Write a staccato mark on the board.
“What if we were throwing a spear? How can we keep that straight, focused
energy of a dart with a heavier object?” Write a marcato mark on the board.

7. Expression Through Movement: Circle Dance – Taking the elements 7. 7 Minutes

from the previous teaching activity, T will guide the class in applying elements
of expression. Arrange the entire class into a large circle, and instruct them to
begin walking to the beat of a blues loop. Let them get into the pace while
keeping an equal distance from the partner in front of them. T will ask students
to demonstrate how their movements could represent accented beats. Feel free
to model a selection of ideas including claps, pats, steps, and even shouts/voice
parts. After a few measures of this, ask the students to instead demonstrate
short, staccato beats. To shake things up a little bit, have S change the
direction of the circle during every “turnaround” of the Blues Form, using all
four beats to rotate 180 degrees. Continue with expressions, adding the
marcato and tenuto into the mix Now that S have come up with some
movements to demonstrate different articulations, challenge them to go
through each, coming up with a different movement than the one performed
previously. T will point to each written expression on the board, guiding the
class to make change their movements with the appropriate notation.

T will quickly write a short four measure phrase with only quarter notes, but
adding articulation markings. T will instruct to perform these articulations as
they continue to walk, while changing their movement directions during each
blues turnaround. Erase/change/add articulations to change the expression,
allowing S to react to the new music live. Once this has been explored, slowly
fade the music out, congratulating the class on their strong movements and
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 performance.

8. Expression Through Movement: Transition – T will direct S back to their

original sitting places from before the circle dance before beginning the next 8. 1 Minute
portion of instruction.

9. Dynamics Through Movement – T will ask the class, “If I wanted to clap
loudly, what would I do, demonstrate.” “If I wanted to clap quietly, what 9. 5 Minutes
would I do?” “What are the differences through those two movements? How to
they feel? How do your palms feel when you clap loudly compared to clapping
quietly?” Discuss. “We often put more force or intent into our movements
when we want to play loudly, but what if we try and make a loud clap in a
relaxed way? How about a quiet sound in a focused way? How do these sounds
change the tone of our claps? Think about a fortissimo phrase with staccato
notes. What about a pianissimo phrase with accents? Experiment. Share your
thoughts with a partner.” After a few moments of discussion, pick a student or
two to share their pair’s thoughts.

10. Dynamics Through Movement: Group Energy – T will break the class
into small groups, getting them to form a three to four circles around the room. 10. 5 Minutes
Each group will have a designated leader who will conduct the rest of their
group. T will instruct non-conductors to pat a constant roll on their legs or
chest. The conductor will then move their arms in or out to demonstrate
motion, with faster, stronger motions leading to the pats getting louder, and
slower, gentle motions leading to the pats getting softer. After S attempt the
activity once without much instruction, T can then give tips to getting the
correct sound out of your beat makers. “If you want the sound to get louder
and more intent, make sure that you’re moving your arms as if through water.
Feel the weight of your motions. Your beat makers will see your intent, and
change their actions to fit what you conduct.” Continue this exercise until each
student has had an opportunity to conduct their peers.
C. Closing/Wrap-up: C.
T will quickly overview the concepts of the day, asking appropriate questions
to lead the group answer. “So, what did we learn today? Music is what?” “If 2-3 Minutes
we want a full, sustained, tenuto note are we going to play our instrument as
hard as we possibly can?” “How can we move our bodies to represent staccato
notes? How about accented notes?” “What kind of motion does this imply?
*conducting with weight* How about this one? *conducting without weight*”
D. Assignment: D.
T will ask students to try moving their bodies to music on their own at home.
“Even something small, like tapping your feet or changing your walking pace 1 Minute
to match the tempo can be useful. What’s important is that we try and be more
aware of the music that we listen to while also engaging our sense of physical
awareness. These two aspects together will help us feel music inside of us
before we play even a single note.”

11.Reflection Prompt: What do you think went particularly well? How did this strength impact your students’
learning?
12.Reflection Prompt: If you could teach this lesson again, is there anything you would do differently? How
would this have impacted your students’ learning?

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