Andrew Sowatzke

School:
Class: Concert Band
Hour: 1st (8:20 AM 9:40 AM)
Date: March 3rd, 2015
Age Group: 10-12th Grade
Objective:
-

Students will perform alone and as an ensemble in proper style for given work
Students will utilize proper technique for their instrument to accurately perform selected
works
- Students will be able to evaluate group performances based around intonation and
ensemble style
- Students will be able to demonstrate through performance that they have comprehended
and understand the basics of ensemble performance
Skills Taught:
-

Ensemble Performance
o Proper Ensemble Balance
o Ensemble Listening
o Tuning
o Ensemble Dynamics
o Ensemble Direction and Phrasing
Standards:
-

MU:Cr3.1 Evaluate and refine selected musical ideas to create musical work that meets
appropriate criteria.
- MU:Pr4.3 Develop personal interpretations that consider creators intent
- MU:Pr5.3 Evaluate and refine personal and ensemble performances, individually or in
collaboration with others.
- MU:Pr6.1 Perform expressively, with appropriate interpretation and technical accuracy,
and in a manner appropriate to the audience and context.
- MU:Re9.1 Support personal evaluation of musical works and performance(s) based on
analysis, interpretation, and established criteria.
Materials:
-

Cross, Travis J. "Be Thou My Vision" Boosey and Hawkes 2007

King, Jeff and Richard WIlliams. "Foundations for Superior Performance: Warm Ups
&Techniques for Band" Neil A. Kjos Music Company Publisher 1997
Assorted Instruments as required for the instrumentation

Andrew Sowatzke

Lesson:
- Begin with warm up out of Foundations for Superior Performance
o Warm Up Set 3 Option 1
Brass on Mouthpieces
Woodwinds on full horn
Focus on producing full bodied sound out of the brass section as a whole,
if need be single out certain sections.
o Warm Up Set 3 Option 2
Brass and Woodwinds in horn
Warm gentle tones throughout, focus should be emphasized upon proper
harmonic series in brass, and proper accurate notes in woodwinds.
o Warm Up Set 3 Option 5
Brass still focusing on proper harmonics and accuracy
Woodwinds on accurate fingerings throughout chromatic exercises, if
repeated woodwinds should change articulations to slur 2, tongue 2.
o Chorale Bach 95
Rich Warm tones from previous exercises should follow over here
Introduction of Ensemble Listening and Ensemble Dynamics as skills for
the lesson
How does the group react to conductors gestures? Does the group have
differing ideas of how the phrases should be played?
o Chorale 6
Ensemble Listening can be played with here
Identify differing sections for the ensemble to pay attention to
during the performance of the selection
Change which section the ensemble is listening to, and instruct the
ensemble to change their Ensemble Dynamics to match that of the
specified section
Ensemble Direction and phrasing
Conduct slower or faster to identify which phrases can be moved
Using Formative assessment, give feedback to students who are
not following the conductor
Ask for student evaluation of the phrases, what was good and what
was not? Which did they prefer?

Andrew Sowatzke

Musical Selection Be Thou My Vision

o Ask many questions to lead the ensemble down the correct path
Use oral feedback to formatively asses student growth and understanding
of the subject
o Beginning to Mm 9.
What is the phrasing as an ensemble?
What is the direction that we need to be taking?
Which voice are we balancing to at this point in the piece?
Entrances
Clarinets and Flutes need to be more confident in their entrances,
otherwise the entire introduction will feel loose and odd.
o Mm. 9 25
Balance to the cornet solo
Using formative assessment, orally give feedback to the soloist on
what should be changed to better fit the piece
Identify the style that the soloist is trying to emulate
Create an Ensemble Balance, and Direction based around what the
soloist is doing.
Although not as important as the melody, balance the countermelody
Clarinet 2, Clarinet 1, Oboe, Trumpet 1
In meas. 17 what is the phrasing goal of the backgrounds?
o Mm. 25-48
What is the importance of this phrase beyond restating the melody?
Where is our ensemble climax? Why is it there? Is this the high point of
the piece?
Balance point should be given to the melody first and then passed to
secondary and tertiary countermelodies in saxes and low clarinet voices
How is our ensemble intonation at this point? What can we do to fix it?
o Mm. 48 End
Where is our balance point? Can we hear all voices equally? Is the melody
being heard?
What is the ensembles phrasing concerns? How are we releasing in
measure 51?
Where is our ensemble climax? Is this the climax of the piece?
How as an ensemble can we balance from measure 65 to the end? What
are the two voices we are listening for?
o End with overview and summative assessment of ensemble performance