Lesson Plan- M100B #1; Autumn[Revised Version]

Name: Taylor Quimby

District: Los Angeles Unified School District
School: N/A (UCLA m100B)
Grade Level: Imitated 6th-8th Grades
Subject: Choir
Date of Lesson Taught: 1/29/15
Lesson Plan No: 1
National Standards for Music Education
1- Singing, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music.
5- Reading and notating music.
6- Listening to, analyzing, and describing music.
California Standards for Music Education
1.0 ARTISTIC PERCEPTION
1.1 Read an instrumental or vocal score of up to four staves and explain how the
elements of music are used.
1.4 Analyze and describe the use of musical elements and expressive devices (e.g.,
articulation, dynamic markings) in aural examples in a varied repertoire of music
representing diverse genres, styles, and cultures.
2.0 CREATIVE EXPRESSION
2.1 Sing a repertoire of vocal literature representing various genres, styles, and
cultures with expression, technical accuracy, tone quality, vowel shape, and
articulation written and memorized, by oneself and in ensembles (level of difficulty:
4 on a scale of 1-6).
2.2 Sing music written in three or four parts with and without accompaniment.
3.0 HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL CONTEXT
3.5 Classify, by genre or style and historical period or culture, unfamiliar but
representative aural examples of music and explain the reasoning for the
classification.
4.0 AESTHETIC VALUING
4.1 Develop specific criteria for making informed critical evaluations of the quality
and effectiveness of performances, compositions, arrangements, and improvisations
and apply those criteria in personal participation in music.
4.4 Describe the means used to create images or evoke feelings and emotions in
musical works from various cultures.

Equipment and Supplies

-Autumn, Andy Beck, Alfred Choral Designs(SSA). Copies for each student.
-Pencils for score marking
-White board/markers? If applicable

Objectives
-To develop the concept of Word Painting and apply it in singing the song Autumn.
-To better prepare Autumn to be sung and performed at a concert setting through
rehearsal.
Procedure
-Warm-ups:
1. Paper Airplanes, Darts, Bow & Arrows/ Posture & Stretching
Explain that we will be breathing in with a relaxed breath and proper posture;
when we exhale, we will pretend that we are sending out a paper airplane, and our
air is propelling it across the room. Repeat this with the concept of a dart, and bow
and arrows as appropriate, adjusting the amount of air and articulation accordingly.
The purpose of this exercise is to increase movement of air, and to get the lungs
warmed up to sing with a full tone.
2. Sirens Oo
Ask the students to imitate a firetruck siren, but with the Oo sound, going
from low to high, then back to low; after ward going from high to low, then to high.
This exercise helps to warm up all parts of the vocal range, and works on range
extension.
3. Ma Mi Me Mo Mu
Sing the syllables listen above, explaining that we are going for the most
resonant, warm, lovely sound we can. Also explain that we are aiming for each
vowel to be just as resonant as the last. If necessary, explain that the resonance of
the vowel should not change with the change in vowel. This exercise works toward a
full tone, and resonant sound.
4. Dynamics Exercise- pp-ff-pp
Sing the scale degrees 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. On each note going upward, we
will be getting louder, until we reach 5, the loudest note. Then on the way down, we
will go back to being quiet. Then, try the opposite, making the lower numbers
louder, while the higher numbers will be softer. This exercise helps to bring
expression to the music directly following, and contrast, especially dynamically.
-Starting with Autumn:
Take a deep breath in, now out, and lets get ready to sing from the beginning of
the song
[Review/rehearse measures 1-20]
Anticipated Problems: Pitch, Confidence, Vowel Sounds
Possible Solutions: Ask for smiles while singing, keeping the mouth shape the same
despite the difference in vowels.
-Discuss the meaning of the text. How does the speaker seem to feel about
Summer? How does the speaker seem to feel about Autumn? Does the music seem
to indicate the speakers feelings about Autumn?
Discuss the concept of word painting, and its origin in the renaissance. Possibly
mention artistic liberty?

-Point out three different specific instances of wording, and ask how we might be
able to sing the notes differently in order to reflect the wording.
Instances- m. 6 shorter, m. 8 long, m. 13 floating, m. 18 breeze, m. 19-20
down.
-For one example of word painting, try drawing on the chalk/white board in order to
show how it should be drawn. Another example can be drawn by a student in order
to incorporate student input and creativity. Use if necessary to keep class
interested.
-Sing entire section from mm. 1-20 including all the new changes in musicality.
-Sing entire song at end of lesson, in order to review the song in its entirety.
Assessment
This will be done throughout by asking different sections to sing the different parts. I
will be listening specifically for development of the changes in style on the
aforementioned locations in the song. To see that everyone is understanding the
changes to the music, I will look at the mouths of the different sections while they
are singing, looking for unified movement. Whenever I see a student whose timing
is different (or hear for that matter) I will be able to point it out and help them
understand how to sing it correctly.
Extension
The concept of word painting would ultimately be applied to the entirety of the
song, and performed including those enhancements to the expression of the music.
In future lessons, we would certainly go over the rest of the song, evaluating what
other changes could be made to the style of singing to be more expressive. A
concept that should be dealt with in the next lesson would be the unification of
these changes; this would be to explain how it makes more sense to make all the
same changes, rather than to make up ones own changes on the spot. This makes
the word painting intentional and much more clear to a listener.