High School Music Unit Plan

NAME: Cody Swanson Unit Name: Cabaret Concert Grade Level and/or Class: 9-12 High School Choir Major Concepts: Rhythm/Movement, tone, pitch, musicality, and performance Materials and Resources: Dancing Queen arranged by Jeff Funk, and a pencil Unit Rationale: Musical performance is one way of developing effective communicators. Through the performance of music, students develop confidence, self-discipline, and the ability to work with others. They see themselves as a relevant part of their world and integrate prior knowledge and personal experiences into a variety of endeavors. The music they perform or study often becomes an integral part of their personal musical repertoire. Standards: South Dakota Standards Used: Standard 1: Performing Indicator: Students will sing, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music 9-12 Benchmarks Students Will: a. Sing with expression and technical accuracy a large and varied repertoire of vocal literature, which requires well developed technical skills, attention to phrasing and interpretation, and ability to perform various meters and rhythms in a variety of keys, including some songs performed from memory. b. Sing music written in four parts, with and without accompaniment. c. Perform an appropriate part in an ensemble, demonstrating welldeveloped ensemble skills. Standard 3: Reading Indicator: Students will read and notate music 9-12 Benchmarks Students Will: a. Demonstrate the ability to read an instrumental or vocal score of up to four staves b. Sight-read music which contains moderate technical demands, expanded ranges, and varied interpretive requirements. c. Interpret non-standard notation symbols used by some 20th century composers. DATE: Feb 24- March 6, 2014

National Standards Used: Standard 1: Singing, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music Standard 5: Reading and notating music Unit Objectives: As a result of these lessons students will be able to: - Perform the piece Dancing Queen with 100% accuracy at the Cabaret Concert. - Sing as a choir on correct pitches. - Execute choreography with the piece. - Connect with the audience through expression of the piece. Unit Assessment: Assessment during this unit will be based on the students ability to perform Dancing Queen with 100% accuracy at the Cabaret Concert. Recordings during class and during the performance will allow me the opportunity to listen in to various parts for accuracy. Assessment will also occur during sectional work time.

Music Unit Plan

LESSON PLAN 1 NAME: Cody Swanson Unit Name: Cabaret Concert Lesson Plan Name: Nuts and Bolts of Dancing Queen Lesson Plan Standards: South Dakota Standards Used: Standard 1: Performing Indicator: Students will sing, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music 9-12 Benchmarks Students Will: d. Sing with expression and technical accuracy a large and varied repertoire of vocal literature, which requires well developed technical skills, attention to phrasing and interpretation, and ability to perform various meters and rhythms in a variety of keys, including some songs performed from memory. e. Sing music written in four parts, with and without accompaniment. f. Perform an appropriate part in an ensemble, demonstrating welldeveloped ensemble skills. Standard 3: Reading Indicator: Students will read and notate music 9-12 Benchmarks Students Will: d. Demonstrate the ability to read an instrumental or vocal score of up to four staves e. Sight-read music which contains moderate technical demands, expanded ranges, and varied interpretive requirements. f. Interpret non-standard notation symbols used by some 20th century composers. National Standards Used: Standard 1: Singing, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music Standard 5: Reading and notating music Lesson Plan Objectives: As a result of this lesson, students will be able to: Perform Dancing Queen with 100% accuracy. This includes pitches, tone, and rhythm. DATE: Feb 24- March 6, 2014

Procedure: Anticipatory Set: Play morning scale. Students will stand up. Begin vocalizing. o Bum ba dum bum bum. o Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha o Yah ha ha ha ha o Lucy o Teeth, the lips, the tip of the tongue. Teaching Strategies: Good morning. Please take out Dancing Queen. Lets turn to page 5 and look at measure 31. Everyone please sing the soprano line. What is this part called?? (the melody). Repeat as needed thorough the lesson. Next lets have everyone look at the bass part. Please listen first. I will play the part; then we will all sing through the part. Next, lets look at the alto part. I will play and then everyone will sing. Now that we know each part, lets put it together. First, lets hear the men. Good, next lets hear the men and the melody/soprano part. Then soprano and alto. Then finally all parts. Repeat as needed. After solidifying the chorus. I would go to the beginning. The beginning is the second half of the chorus. Thus, they already know their part. From there we would learn the verses. Beginning with the ladies at measure 13. As we work on learning the correct pitches, we will also speak for accurate rhythm and work on building a nice, open tone. I will remind students not to immediately start talking once we stop singing. While various sections are singing, I will also remind students to be listening and paying attention to what is going on in the other sections because it will most likely pertain to their section as well. This lesson may take a few days to accomplish, but as students have completed the task of singing the correct pitches, rhythms, and creating an open tone, we will begin the next lesson of learning choreography. Closure: Next time we will work on solidifying our pitches and continue creating a beautiful open tone. Lets look at Theres a Fine, Fine Line with my cooperating teacher. Next time we will begin adding our choreography to the piece. Lesson Assessment: Assessment for this lesson will be based on the students ability to answer questions during class and to perform the piece Dancing Queen with 100% accuracy. This will not be the first time students have rehearsed the music. As stated before, this lesson of learning the piece at 100% accuracy can take a few rehearsals.

Modifications for special needs or cultural differences: No special accommodations are needed in this class. A few modifications I make daily include the following: taking individual sections and working on various spots in the music or having individual sections go with my cooperating teacher to review areas of the music. Classroom discipline/management: A potential problem would be students talking to one another immediately after I have stopped to rehearse various sections. This lesson will be done in a large group choir setting. They will know that we work hard at the beginning of the class, and if we accomplish our goals for the day, we will have five minutes of down time at the end of the class period. Rules: o Be Respectful! Teacher, friends, and materials. o Be Responsible Be involved-Participate. o Be Safe! Make smart choices! Other Expectations: o Be cooperative and open-minded o Be a good listener o Raise your hand. o Use good manners. Be Nice! o Quiet signal o Positive attitude

Classroom organization: For this lesson, the class will be gathered as one group. Students will be expected to sit in their own seats and choir sections. Students will also be expected to stay quiet when I stop at various points to rehearse. I will teach from the front and behind the piano.

Music Unit Plan

LESSON PLAN 2 NAME: Cody Swanson Unit Name: Cabaret Concert Lesson Plan Name: Choreography of Dancing Queen Lesson Plan Standards: South Dakota Standards Used: Standard 1: Performing Indicator: Students will sing, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music 9-12 Benchmarks Students Will: g. Sing with expression and technical accuracy a large and varied repertoire of vocal literature, which requires well developed technical skills, attention to phrasing and interpretation, and ability to perform various meters and rhythms in a variety of keys, including some songs performed from memory. h. Sing music written in four parts, with and without accompaniment. i. Perform an appropriate part in an ensemble, demonstrating welldeveloped ensemble skills. Standard 3: Reading Indicator: Students will read and notate music 9-12 Benchmarks Students Will: g. Demonstrate the ability to read an instrumental or vocal score of up to four staves h. Sight-read music which contains moderate technical demands, expanded ranges, and varied interpretive requirements. i. Interpret non-standard notation symbols used by some 20th century composers. National Standards Used: Standard 1: Singing, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music Standard 5: Reading and notating music Lesson Plan Objectives: As a result of this lesson, students will be able to: Perform choreography to Dancing Queen with 100% accuracy. This includes with correct hand/leg positions and on the correct beat DATE: Feb 24- March 6, 2014

Procedure: Anticipatory Set: Play morning scale. Students will stand up. Begin vocalizing. o Bum ba dum bum bum. o Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha o Yah ha ha ha ha o Lucy o Teeth, the lips, the tip of the tongue. Teaching Strategies: Good morning. Now that we know our pitches for Dancing Queen, lets begin learning the choreography. Lets begin by learning the chorus. I would teach the movements of the chorus, and we would repeat until all have learned and grasped the movements. I would also allow a few minutes for students to write down the movements in the score for practicing purposes. Next lets look at the beginning! As we know, the beginning is the same as the chorus! So lets review those actions. Then we will begin learning the choreography for the verse. We start with verse one and work towards the chorus and then learn verse 2! I will be picky as I teach the movements because they need to know what is expected: where the movement lands (on what beat), and how it looks to perform/connect with the audience. I will remind students not to immediately start talking once we stop singing. While various sections are singing, I will also remind students to be listening and paying attention to what is going on in the other sections because it will most likely pertain to their section as well. This lesson may take a few days to accomplish, but as students have completed learning the choreography while speaking, we will slowly do both singing and dancing! Closure: Next time we will work on solidifying our movements in order to connect with our audience. Lets now look at Theres a Fine, Fine Line with my cooperating teacher. Lesson Assessment: Assessment for this lesson will be based on the students ability dance to the steady beat in the piece Dancing Queen with 100% accuracy. As stated before, this lesson to learn the piece at 100% accuracy can take a few rehearsals. Modifications for special needs or cultural differences: No special accommodations are needed in this class. A few modifications I make daily include the following: taking individual sections and working on various spots in the music or having individual sections go with my cooperating teacher to review areas of the music.

Classroom discipline/management: A potential problem would be students talking to one another immediately after I have stopped to rehearse various sections. This lesson will be done in a large group choir setting. They will know that we work hard at the beginning of the class, and if we accomplish our goals for the day, we will have five minutes of down time at the end of the class period. Rules: o Be Respectful! Teacher, friends, and materials. o Be Responsible Be involved-Participate. o Be Safe! Make smart choices! Other Expectations: o Be cooperative and open-minded o Be a good listener o Raise your hand. o Use good manners. Be Nice! o Quiet signal o Positive attitude

Classroom organization: For this lesson, the class will be gathered as one group. Students will be expected to sit in their own seats and choir sections. Students will also be expected to stay quiet when I stop at various points to rehearse. I will teach from the front and behind the piano.

Music Unit Plan

LESSON PLAN 3 NAME: Cody Swanson Unit Name: Cabaret Concert Lesson Plan Name: Performing Dancing Queen Lesson Plan Standards: South Dakota Standards Used: Standard 1: Performing Indicator: Students will sing, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music 9-12 Benchmarks Students Will: j. Sing with expression and technical accuracy a large and varied repertoire of vocal literature, which requires well developed technical skills, attention to phrasing and interpretation, and ability to perform various meters and rhythms in a variety of keys, including some songs performed from memory. k. Sing music written in four parts, with and without accompaniment. l. Perform an appropriate part in an ensemble, demonstrating welldeveloped ensemble skills. Standard 3: Reading Indicator: Students will read and notate music 9-12 Benchmarks Students Will: j. Demonstrate the ability to read an instrumental or vocal score of up to four staves k. Sight-read music which contains moderate technical demands, expanded ranges, and varied interpretive requirements. l. Interpret non-standard notation symbols used by some 20th century composers. National Standards Used: Standard 1: Singing, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music Standard 5: Reading and notating music Lesson Plan Objectives: As a result of this lesson, students will be able to: Perform Dancing Queen with 100% accuracy. This includes pitches, tone, rhythm, correct choreography, emotional connection, and audience enjoyment. DATE: Feb 24- March 6, 2014

Procedure: Anticipatory Set: Play morning scale. Students will stand up. Begin vocalizing. o Bum ba dum bum bum. o Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha o Yah ha ha ha ha o Lucy o Teeth, the lips, the tip of the tongue. Teaching Strategies: Good morning. Lets sing through Dancing Queen. We will start from the beginning without our music! We are hoping for 100% accuracy. That was good, but what does this song represent? (Allow responses) We need to perform the piece with the excitement of the song! We have to capture the audience and bring them into the music. How do we do this? (Through eye contact, through energy, through facial expression, etc.) Lets try it again with all of our energy and emotional connection! Perform the piece once or twice. Stop in places that need work or do not have the same energy. We are musicians and we tell a story to the audience. Its our responsibility. Lets build upon this so that we can bring our audience into the excitement of the Dancing Queen. I will remind students not to immediately start talking once we stop singing. While various sections are singing, I will also remind students to be listening and paying attention to what is going on in the other sections because it will most likely pertain to their section as well. This lesson may take a few days to accomplish, but they will eventually grasp the importance of performance. Closure: Our next step is performance. I look forward to this exciting experience. Next lets practice our performance abilities by singing through Seasons of Love. Lesson Assessment: Assessment for this lesson will be based on the students ability to answer questions during class and to perform (vocal and choreography) the piece Dancing Queen with 100% accuracy. After the performance, we will watch and vocally assess our performance! Modifications for special needs or cultural differences: No special accommodations are needed in this class. A few modifications I make daily include the following: taking individual sections and working on various spots in the music or having individual sections go with my cooperating teacher to review areas of the music.

Classroom discipline/management: A potential problem would be students talking to one another immediately after I have stopped to rehearse various sections. This lesson will be done in a large group choir setting. They will know that we work hard at the beginning of the class, and if we accomplish our goals for the day, we will have five minutes of down time at the end of the class period. Rules: o Be Respectful! Teacher, friends, and materials. o Be Responsible Be involved-Participate. o Be Safe! Make smart choices! Other Expectations: o Be cooperative and open-minded o Be a good listener o Raise your hand. o Use good manners. Be Nice! o Quiet signal o Positive attitude

Classroom organization: For this lesson, the class will be gathered as one group. Students will be expected to sit in their own seats and choir sections. Students will also be expected to stay quiet when I stop at various points to rehearse. I will teach from the front and behind the piano.

Music Unit Plan

REFLECTION NAME: Cody Swanson Unit Name: Cabaret Concert - Dancing Queen Reflection: How did this unit go? I thought that the lesson went very well! It took longer than expected to learn the piece at a sufficient level, but once we got to that point, putting the choreography together was very simple. The students were a part of the learning process through movement, thus making it engaging to all. They all participated, and it was something different which they enjoyed. It was a successful performance, but it took work to achieve our level of performance. What changes would you make for the next time? I would plan more because some days would go better than others. Some days, I would get through their section of the song faster than expected. I would also have introduced the meaning and emotional connection to the song earlier so that as we learned the song, we could add our own emotions. Successes Experienced: The students improved their tone quality and openness. I continue to see it each day. They had a very successful performance. They were able to move and engage in the music. Problems Encountered: One problem was being unorganized during some rehearsals. Another problem was little knowledge of choreography moves. My cooperating teacher choreographed while I taught them. Overall, it worked well. Follow-up I will need to have students view their performance and vocally assess their connection to the piece, their connection to the audience, and their overall performance of the piece. Analyze the Learning Experience Students were pushed each day to achieve at high levels. Both students and I focused on our goal to perform at 100%. They moved to the beat which created a fun experience. I was always encouraging, even though I was being picky about details that would create a positive performance. DATE: Feb 24- March 6, 2014