High School Chamber Choir

(Mixed, Grades 11-12)

Full-Year Curriculum
Morgan Higgins
 Table of Contents
Program and Course Goals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Scope and Sequence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Course Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Course Objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Performance 1 Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Performance 2 Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Performance 3 Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Performance 4 Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Assessment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

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 Program and Course Goals
Program Goals
Students will…
 Be musically literate (this includes the ability to identify, define, and perform standard
notation symbols).
 Demonstrate the ability to use good vocal technique.
 Be consumers of music as both performers and listeners.
 Learn and use good rehearsal and concert etiquette.
 Learn how music relates to history, culture, and other subjects.
 Perform sight singing excerpts with pitch and rhythmic accuracy.
 Perform as soloists and as ensemble members.

Course Goals
Students will…
 Demonstrate, verbally or through performance, knowledge of the name, function, and
duration or basic elements of music.
 Demonstrate, through performance, proper technique for breathing, focus of tone,
posture, stage presence, and aesthetic.
 Execute tempo, dynamic, and expression as indicated in music and by instructor.
 Develop good vocal production technique.
 Learn to stage and/or choreograph musical selections.
 Analyze, listen to, and describe various pieces from the choral repertoire.
 Evaluate their own performance and the performance of example ensembles using
specific musical criteria.
 Demonstrate knowledge of historical period and cultural diversity of the music
performed.
 Demonstrate an increased level of mastery of music literacy skills.
 Sing scales and modes on solfege syllables.
 Sing and aurally identify all intervals and triads.
 Sing one person per part for vocal assessments.
 Memorize phrasing rules and principles and apply them in music.
 Coordinate style and articulation from one ensemble member to another.
 Balance properly within an ensemble setting.

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 Scope and Sequence

Fall Winter/Holiday Contest Spring/Pops

Daemon Carol of the Tykus Tykus Little Potato
Rhythm Irrepit Bells
Calidus
Heaven’s Jenny Kiss’d
Melody Dulaman Flock Me Baba Yetu

Daemon Have Yourself A Boy and a

Harmony Irrepit a Merry Little Girl Spiderman
Calidus Christmas
Musical If Ye Love Have Yourself I Am Not
Elements Texture Me a Merry Little Yours Spiderman
Christmas
Carol of the
Timbre Dulaman Bells Tykus Tykus Baba Yetu

Form If Ye Love Baby It’s Cold Jenny Kiss’d Spiderman

Me Outside Me
I Am Not
Musical Earth Song Baby It’s Cold Yours/A Boy Little Potato
Expression Outside and a Girl

Fall Winter/Holiday Contest Spring/Pops

Styles/Genres Folk Song Christmas/Holiday Folk Song Jazz
Liturgical Jazz Pop
Anthem A Cappella Choral Video Game
Musical Historical 1500’s 20th Century 21st Century 21st Century
st
Topics Periods Medieval 21 Century 20th Century
th
20 Century
Irish Famine
Cultures Irish Ukranian Lithunia Western
Hungarian Western Western Swahili
Western Baltic

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 Course Description
Music is a crucial aspect of human life and culture. In this vein, it is the responsibility of the
education system and music educators to familiarize students with and increase student
appreciation in all styles of music. This course makes it possible for us to offer students a well-
rounded education and help students grow into balanced, aware individuals.

This is a year-long course designed to familiarize high school students with the techniques of
vocal production through the study of a wide variety of choral literature in an ensemble setting.
Music covered in this course comes from as early as 1500 and is as new as publications from the
last ten years. This course is particularly suited to advanced vocal music students and offers
various performing opportunities as well as the refinement of practice and rehearsal strategies.
The course may be taken in 11th and/or 12th grade and is an auditioned course.

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 Course Objectives
Students will…
 Use higher order thinking to engage with and work toward greater understanding of
musical elements including rhythm, melody, harmony, form, color, and timbre. (National
Standards Create, Perform, Respond)
 Develop creativity through musical expression by requiring aesthetic and intellectual
responses. (National Standards Create, Perform, Respond)
o Using music as a means of communication, expression, and creativity.
o Understand and acknowledge the effect of music on emotion.
o Express thoughts, ideas, and emotions through music.
 Become more appreciative of music culture and musical awareness in its relation to
music history, and in general promoting one’s responsibilities to their surroundings.
(National Standards Perform, Respond).
o Create an awareness and appreciation of cultural diversity.
o Appreciate historical context and social significance of music.
o Cultivate a lifelong support of the arts.
o Develop poise, self-confidence, leadership qualities, and positive social habits.
o Identify quality musical performances through both aesthetic and intellectual
understandings.
 Develop additional physiological awareness and activity by practicing healthy techniques
for vocal production. (National Standards Perform)
o Use musical studies to enhance cognition in all aspects.
o Create, interpret, listen, improvise, and perform music.
o Understand and translate music notation into kinesthetic and aural responses (i.e.
singing).
o Develop one’s mind and body to the fullest potential.

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 Performance #1 Overview
Fall Concert

Content Performed
 “Daemon Irrepit Callidus” by Gyorgy Orban
 “Dulaman” arranged by Rollo Fisher
 “If Ye Love Me” by Thomas Tallis
 “Earth Song” by Frank Ticheli

Skills/Elements Addressed
 “Daemon Irrepit Callidus” by Gyorgy Orban
o Rhythm
o Harmony

 “Dulaman” arranged by Rollo Fisher

o Melody
o Timbre

 “If Ye Love Me” by Thomas Tallis

o Texture
o Form

 “Earth Song” by Frank Ticheli

o Musical Expression

S/G, H, C, NS Addressed
 “Daemon Irrepit Callidus” by Gyorgy Orban
o Style: Liturgical
o Culture: Hungarian
o National Standards:
 MU:Pr4.2.E.Ia – Demonstrate, using music reading skills where
appropriate, how compositional devices employed and theoretical and
structural aspects of musical works impact and inform prepared or
improvised performances.
 MU:Pr5.3.E.Ia – Develop strategies to address expressive challenges in a
varied repertoire of music, and evaluate their success using feedback from
ensemble peers and other sources to refine performances.
 MU:Pr6.1.E.Ia – Demonstrate attention to technical accuracy and
expressive qualities in prepared and improvised performances of a varied
repertoire of music representing diverse cultures, styles, and genres.
 MU:Pr6.1.E.Ib – Demonstrate an understanding of expressive intent by
connecting with an audience through prepared and improvised
performances.
 MU:Re9.1.E.Ia – Evaluate works and performances based on personally-
or collaboratively-developed criteria, including analysis of the structure
and context.

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 “Dulaman” arranged by Rollo Fisher
o Styles: Irish Folk Song
o Historical Periods: Irish Famine
o National Standards:
 MU:Pr4.2.E.Ia – Demonstrate, using music reading skills where
appropriate, how compositional devices employed and theoretical and
structural aspects of musical works impact and inform prepared or
improvised performances.
 MU:Pr5.3.E.Ia – Develop strategies to address expressive challenges in a
varied repertoire of music, and evaluate their success using feedback from
ensemble peers and other sources to refine performances.
 MU:Pr6.1.E.Ia – Demonstrate attention to technical accuracy and
expressive qualities in prepared and improvised performances of a varied
repertoire of music representing diverse cultures, styles, and genres.
 MU:Re9.1.E.Ia – Evaluate works and performances based on personally-
or collaboratively-developed criteria, including analysis of the structure
and context.

 “If Ye Love Me” by Thomas Tallis

o Styles: Anthem
o Historical Period: 1500’s Renaissance
o National Standards:
 MU:Pr4.2.E.Ia – Demonstrate, using music reading skills where
appropriate, how compositional devices employed and theoretical and
structural aspects of musical works impact and inform prepared or
improvised performances.
 MU:Pr4.3.E.Ia – Demonstrate an understanding of context in a varied
repertoire of music through prepared and improvised performances.
 MU:Pr5.3.E.Ia – Develop strategies to address expressive challenges in a
varied repertoire of music, and evaluate their success using feedback from
ensemble peers and other sources to refine performances.
 MU:Pr6.1.E.Ia – Demonstrate attention to technical accuracy and
expressive qualities in prepared and improvised performances of a varied
repertoire of music representing diverse cultures, styles, and genres.
 MU:Pr6.1.E.Ib – Demonstrate an understanding of expressive intent by
connecting with an audience through prepared and improvised
performances.
 MU:Re9.1.E.Ia – Evaluate works and performances based on personally-
or collaboratively-developed criteria, including analysis of the structure
and context.

 “Earth Song” by Frank Ticheli

o National Standards:
 MU:Pr4.2.E.Ia – Demonstrate, using music reading skills where
appropriate, how compositional devices employed and theoretical and

8
 structural aspects of musical works impact and inform prepared or
improvised performances.
 MU:Pr5.3.E.Ia – Develop strategies to address expressive challenges in a
varied repertoire of music, and evaluate their success using feedback from
ensemble peers and other sources to refine performances.
 MU:Pr6.1.E.Ia – Demonstrate attention to technical accuracy and
expressive qualities in prepared and improvised performances of a varied
repertoire of music representing diverse cultures, styles, and genres.
 MU:Pr6.1.E.Ib – Demonstrate an understanding of expressive intent by
connecting with an audience through prepared and improvised
performances.
 MU:Re9.1.E.Ia – Evaluate works and performances based on personally-
or collaboratively-developed criteria, including analysis of the structure
and context.

Rationale for song selections and skill development

 “Daemon Irrepit Callidus” by Gyorgy Orban
o I chose “Daemon Irrepit Callidus” to work primarily on rhythm. Marked allegro
to begin, the piece has a frantic feeling about it. While the rhythmic elements are
not ones that students have not seen before, the rapid tempo combined with the
Latin and the way the rhythms are arranged make this piece challenging. The
eighth notes, eighth rests, and eighth note triplets help students to improve their
ability to sing measured triplets and shift between straight and syncopated
rhythms. In addition to rhythm, this piece will help the students focus on
harmony. The intervals between the voice parts are very small, creating a large
number of cluster chords throughout the piece. The title of the piece translates
from the Latin “Daemon Irrepit Callidus” to the English “The Devil Speaks
Expertly.” The use of minor second intervals, augmented chords, and chromatic
scales help to represent the devil and his motives throughout the piece. The
language of this piece is Latin, which is a crucial language for singers to be able
to sing. Latin is often easier for choirs to sing in a uniform fashion due to its lack
of diphthongs and the consistent use of pure vowels. This language will allow
students to focus more on accurate pitch and rhythmic, as well as the harmonic
aspects of the piece as they jump into the new school year.

 “Dulaman” arranged by Rollo Fisher

o I chose “Dulaman” for two reasons; melody and timbre. Dulaman has its origins
in the Irish Folk tradition. The text relates to the Irish practice of gathering
seaweed and dates back to the Irish Famine. The folk tune is also used as a
courting song. It became popular in recent times after a version was recorded by
Celtic Woman in 2007. The arrangement we are using is an up-beat 6/8 with the
melody being passed from part to part. Using this song to focus on melody makes
sense. The melody is distinct and stylized and since it passes from part to part, it
allows the choir to work on bringing out the melody and understanding the
functionality of their part. Since this piece is Irish/Celtic, it is also important for
there to be an emphasis on timbre and language. The text will be difficult for

9
 students to pronounce, so it will be necessary to focus a great deal on this. In
addition to correct pronunciation, timbre for this song will be more difficult to
master. Based on the general “sound model,” the class generally uses dark
vowels, rounded tones and a slightly heavier sound. This piece requires a brighter,
more forward (almost nasal) timbre which will be quite a change but one that will
help students be more versatile.

 “If Ye Love Me” by Thomas Tallis

o “If Ye Love Me,” while not a particularly challenging technical piece, has a great
deal of value. This piece is a four-part anthem from the Renaissance period, a
historical period that was fairly significant for the advancement of choral music,
and much of said music is not performed today. The text is a setting of a passage
from the Gospel of John. This piece will be our historical focus for the first nine
weeks. The musical elements that we will focus on for this piece are texture and
form. The texture is largely homophonic and moves to a more polyphonic section
later, with emphasis put on points of imitation. The form of this piece is ABB,
with the second section being repeated. This piece will teach the ensemble a great
deal about early compositional techniques as well as the importance of color
matching.

 “Earth Song” by Frank Ticheli

o Though there are many valuable musical elements in Ticheli’s “Earth Song,” the
primary focus in this setting will be musical expression. The tempo is a slow fifty
beats per minute, with many dynamic swells and the use of many larger note
values. Inherently, slower songs that use longer note values seem deceptively easy
to sing but they are, in fact, often more difficult. Tuning for pieces of this nature
can be a challenge. Even more so, dynamics, articulation and expressive elements
are what keep the audience listening. In addition to the musical elements, there is
a good deal of text repetition and through expression we are able to make
different phrases more important than others. I will look to students for ideas and
allow them to use this piece to experiment and use their own ideas of expression.

Sample Lesson Plan

 Activity
o Students will demonstrate what they have learned about the Irish culture by
writing a short journal entry including at least 3 things they learned about the
culture.
o This activity would be an exit slip for cultural connection to the Irish culture when
we are working on “Dulaman.” We will study the history briefly, but this would
not be the main focus.
 Assessment(s)
o Tools
 Completion Check (looking for quality of answers)
o Rationale
 Early in the semester, I would want to make sure that students are grasping
the information in the way that it is presented so that I can make changes

10
 to my teaching approach if necessary. Additionally, I want to make sure
students know what is expected of them. The assignment will be worth 6
points – 3 points for completing at least 3 things that the student learned
but the additional 3 points will be for quality/depth of answer (i.e. I’m
looking for more than “there was a famine” or “Irish people eat potatoes”).

Sample Lesson Plan

 Activity
o Diction Recording. Students will record themselves pronouncing the text (spoken,
not sung) in rhythm. Students will then submit the recording to me (via
email/canvas/etc.)
o This activity will also correspond with Dulaman, since the text is so important and
such a difficult aspect of this piece.
 Assessment
o Tools
 The Recording itself
 Feedback sheet
o Rationale
 The recordings will allow me to hear each individual student and assess
where the pronunciation issues are occurring. Each student will receive a
physical feedback sheet from me with notes on which measures/phrases
need to be fixed and how to fix them. They will then be given an accuracy
score. If they would like the opportunity to increase their grade on the
assignment, they can make a recording of their corrections and send it to
me within 2 class periods to make up the points they had missed.

11
 Performance #2 Overview
Winter/Holiday Concert

Content Performed
 “Carol of the Bells” by Mikhail Leontovich and Peter Wilhousky
 “The Heaven’s Flock” by Eriks Esenvalds
 “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane, arranged by
Darmon Meader
 “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” by Frank Loesser, arranged by Kirby Shaw

Skills/Elements Addressed
 “Carol of the Bells” by Mikhail Leontovich and Peter Wilhousky
o Rhythm
o Timbre

 “The Heaven’s Flock” by Eriks Esenvalds

o Melody

 “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane, arranged by
Darmon Meader
o Harmony
o Texture

 “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” by Frank Loesser, arranged by Kirby Shaw

o Form
o Musical Expression

S/G, H, C, NS Addressed
 “Carol of the Bells” by Mikhail Leontovich and Peter Wilhousky
o Style: Holiday/a cappella
o Culture: Ukrainian
o National Standards:
 MU:Pr4.2.E.Ia – Demonstrate, using music reading skills where
appropriate, how compositional devices employed and theoretical and
structural aspects of musical works impact and inform prepared or
improvised performances.
 MU:Pr5.3.E.Ia – Develop strategies to address expressive challenges in a
varied repertoire of music, and evaluate their success using feedback from
ensemble peers and other sources to refine performances.
 MU:Pr6.1.E.Ia – Demonstrate attention to technical accuracy and
expressive qualities in prepared and improvised performances of a varied
repertoire of music representing diverse cultures, styles, and genres.
 MU:Re9.1.E.Ia – Evaluate works and performances based on personally-
or collaboratively-developed criteria, including analysis of the structure
and context.

12
 “The Heaven’s Flock” by Eriks Esenvalds
o Style: A Cappella Choral
o Culture: Baltic
o National Standards:
 MU:Pr4.2.E.Ia – Demonstrate, using music reading skills where
appropriate, how compositional devices employed and theoretical and
structural aspects of musical works impact and inform prepared or
improvised performances.
 MU:Pr5.3.E.Ia – Develop strategies to address expressive challenges in a
varied repertoire of music, and evaluate their success using feedback from
ensemble peers and other sources to refine performances.
 MU:Pr6.1.E.Ia – Demonstrate attention to technical accuracy and
expressive qualities in prepared and improvised performances of a varied
repertoire of music representing diverse cultures, styles, and genres.
 MU:Pr6.1.E.Ib – Demonstrate an understanding of expressive intent by
connecting with an audience through prepared and improvised
performances.
 MU:Re9.1.E.Ia – Evaluate works and performances based on personally-
or collaboratively-developed criteria, including analysis of the structure
and context.

 “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane, arranged by
Darmon Meader
o Style: Jazz Holiday
o National Standards:
 MU:Pr4.2.E.Ia – Demonstrate, using music reading skills where
appropriate, how compositional devices employed and theoretical and
structural aspects of musical works impact and inform prepared or
improvised performances.
 MU:Pr5.3.E.Ia – Develop strategies to address expressive challenges in a
varied repertoire of music, and evaluate their success using feedback from
ensemble peers and other sources to refine performances.
 MU:Pr6.1.E.Ia – Demonstrate attention to technical accuracy and
expressive qualities in prepared and improvised performances of a varied
repertoire of music representing diverse cultures, styles, and genres.
 MU:Pr6.1.E.Ib – Demonstrate an understanding of expressive intent by
connecting with an audience through prepared and improvised
performances.
 MU:Re9.1.E.Ia – Evaluate works and performances based on personally-
or collaboratively-developed criteria, including analysis of the structure
and context.

 “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” by Frank Loesser, arranged by Kirby Shaw

o National Standards:
 MU:Pr4.2.E.Ia – Demonstrate, using music reading skills where
appropriate, how compositional devices employed and theoretical and

13
 structural aspects of musical works impact and inform prepared or
improvised performances.
 MU:Pr5.3.E.Ia – Develop strategies to address expressive challenges in a
varied repertoire of music, and evaluate their success using feedback from
ensemble peers and other sources to refine performances.
 MU:Pr6.1.E.Ia – Demonstrate attention to technical accuracy and
expressive qualities in prepared and improvised performances of a varied
repertoire of music representing diverse cultures, styles, and genres.
 MU:Pr6.1.E.Ib – Demonstrate an understanding of expressive intent by
connecting with an audience through prepared and improvised
performances.
 MU:Re9.1.E.Ia – Evaluate works and performances based on personally-
or collaboratively-developed criteria, including analysis of the structure
and context.

Rationale for song selections and skill development

 “Carol of the Bells” by Mikhail Leontovich and Peter Wilhousky
o “Carol of the Bells” is an iconic holiday song that gets us into holiday spirit
without celebrating one particular holiday or another. This is a Ukranian
composition that uses ¾ time at a moderate tempo. The composer brings out the
idea of bell tones by using the words “ding” and “dong” beneath the melody, like
the chimes of bells, and adding accents above. Timbre will be a key focus for this
piece as the ensemble attempts to create bell-like tones with their voices. We will
work on sforzandos (sudden forte followed by an abrupt decrescendo) and round,
pure tones. Unification of vowels will also be key in allowing us to achieve the
proper timbre in this piece. Additionally, rhythm is also crucial to the success of
this piece. The sopranos have the melody over the bell tones of the rest of the
choir to begin and then rhythm becomes unified later in the piece. Part of the draw
of this piece is the emphasis it places on rhythm so rhythmic accuracy is
important. After “Daemon” this piece should not present a huge challenge, but
students need to continue to practice rhythmic intricacy.

 “The Heaven’s Flock” by Eriks Esenvalds

o Esenvald’s “The Heaven’s Flock” is a setting of an English text by Paulann
Peterson. The texture is mainly harmonic but is accompanied by very modern
choral harmonies and cluster cadences. The soprano’s hold the beautiful melodic
motif of this piece, which is the primary musical element we will focus on. We
want to allow the sopranos the beautiful melos while also focusing on how to
make the other parts shine when they have important roles to play. Often one can
hear the second sopranos or altos having movement in a chord that is mostly
stagnant. This piece helps the choir to understand when they have the melody in a
perhaps less obvious way. The piece will help to train students to look at their
scores more vertically, across all parts, rather than just paying attention to their
own.

14
  “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane, arranged by
Darmon Meader
o This piece, while a traditional Christmas carol, is arranged into a jazz tune. The
natural push and pull of the piece is caused by the rhythm and use of straight
eighth notes versus triplets. The duration of the piece is mainly homophonic in
texture, but the melody appears first in the alto for about two pages and then
moves to the soprano for the remainder of the piece. The soprano “melody”
differs from the rest of the lines only slightly rhythmically and, obviously,
melodically. Working on texture will be important for this piece, especially to
ensure the soprano doesn’t get swallowed in the rest of the sound, but also to
continue to solidify the students’ understanding of homophonic texture. We will
also focus on harmony in this piece. This is the first piece that we will have done
in this school year with a jazz feel, so we will take a look at the chords and look at
some of the unusual chord structures and sometimes unstable chords and how that
impacts the music. This also serves as an intro to jazz.

 “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” by Frank Loesser, arranged by Kirby Shaw

o This piece, let’s face it, is here to some degree just because it is silly and fun. I’m
also attempting to keep most of the pieces holiday themed rather than Christmas,
and this fits that quite nicely. The focus here will first be form. This is the
students first example of verse refrain for the school year, as this is (as you likely
well know) a choral arrangement of a pop tune that has been covered by many
artists. The other main focus for this piece will be musical expression. This song
isn’t the *deepest* when it comes to meaning or interpretation. The students will
be coming up with some choreography and perhaps “costumes” for this song. I
am presenting musical expression to them as a challenge for this piece. Do
choreography and still perform the piece with good vocal technique, articulation,
dynamics, expression (and facial expression)! It should be a good time for all and
a bonding activity for the choir.

Sample Lesson Plan

 Activity:
o Students will perform all of the selections for their Winter/Holiday concert for a
video. They will then complete a self-evaluation worksheet.
o This goes with all of the pieces on this concert.
 Assessment:
o Tools
 Video of Performance
 Worksheet (self-assessment)
o Rationale
 Students will complete a worksheet that asks them to respond to what they
did well, what they need to improve upon, how they think they should do
this, and general comments for EACH song they sang. This allows
students to reflect upon themselves and their peers and I also get to
understand where students think they are/how they think they are doing as
well as their ability to correct errors and mistakes on an individual basis.

15
 Performance #3 Overview
Contest Performance

Content Performed
 “Tykus Tykus” by Vaclovas Augustinas
 “A Boy and a Girl” by Eric Whitacre
 “Jenny Kiss’d Me” by Eric Barnum
 “I Am Not Yours” by David C. Dickau

Skills/Elements Addressed
 “Tykus Tykus” by Vaclovas Augustinas
o Rhythm
o Timbre

 “A Boy and a Girl” by Eric Whitacre

o Harmony
o Musical Expression

 “Jenny Kiss’d Me” by Eric Barnum

o Melody
o Form

 “I Am Not Yours” by David C. Dickau

o Texture
o Musical Expression

S/G, H, C, NS Addressed
 “Tykus Tykus” by Vaclovas Augustinas
o Style: Folk Song
o Culture: Lithuanian
o National Standards:
 MU:Pr4.2.E.Ia – Demonstrate, using music reading skills where
appropriate, how compositional devices employed and theoretical and
structural aspects of musical works impact and inform prepared or
improvised performances.
 MU:Pr5.3.E.Ia – Develop strategies to address expressive challenges in a
varied repertoire of music, and evaluate their success using feedback from
ensemble peers and other sources to refine performances.
 MU:Pr6.1.E.Ia – Demonstrate attention to technical accuracy and
expressive qualities in prepared and improvised performances of a varied
repertoire of music representing diverse cultures, styles, and genres.
 MU:Pr6.1.E.Ib – Demonstrate an understanding of expressive intent by
connecting with an audience through prepared and improvised
performances.
 MU:Re9.1.E.Ia – Evaluate works and performances based on personally-
or collaboratively-developed criteria, including analysis of the structure

16
 and context.

 “A Boy and a Girl” by Eric Whitacre

o National Standards:
 MU:Pr4.2.E.Ia – Demonstrate, using music reading skills where
appropriate, how compositional devices employed and theoretical and
structural aspects of musical works impact and inform prepared or
improvised performances.
 MU:Pr6.1.E.Ia – Demonstrate attention to technical accuracy and
expressive qualities in prepared and improvised performances of a varied
repertoire of music representing diverse cultures, styles, and genres.
 MU:Pr6.1.E.Ib – Demonstrate an understanding of expressive intent by
connecting with an audience through prepared and improvised
performances.
 MU:Re9.1.E.Ia – Evaluate works and performances based on personally-
or collaboratively-developed criteria, including analysis of the structure
and context.

 “Jenny Kiss’d Me” by Eric Barnum

o National Standards:
 MU:Pr4.2.E.Ia – Demonstrate, using music reading skills where
appropriate, how compositional devices employed and theoretical and
structural aspects of musical works impact and inform prepared or
improvised performances.
 MU:Pr5.3.E.Ia – Develop strategies to address expressive challenges in a
varied repertoire of music, and evaluate their success using feedback from
ensemble peers and other sources to refine performances.
 MU:Pr6.1.E.Ia – Demonstrate attention to technical accuracy and
expressive qualities in prepared and improvised performances of a varied
repertoire of music representing diverse cultures, styles, and genres.
 MU:Pr6.1.E.Ib – Demonstrate an understanding of expressive intent by
connecting with an audience through prepared and improvised
performances.
 MU:Re9.1.E.Ia – Evaluate works and performances based on personally-
or collaboratively-developed criteria, including analysis of the structure
and context.

 “I Am Not Yours” by David C. Dickau

o National Standards:
 MU:Pr4.2.E.Ia – Demonstrate, using music reading skills where
appropriate, how compositional devices employed and theoretical and
structural aspects of musical works impact and inform prepared or
improvised performances.
 MU:Pr5.3.E.Ia – Develop strategies to address expressive challenges in a
varied repertoire of music, and evaluate their success using feedback from
ensemble peers and other sources to refine performances.

17
  MU:Pr6.1.E.Ia – Demonstrate attention to technical accuracy and
expressive qualities in prepared and improvised performances of a varied
repertoire of music representing diverse cultures, styles, and genres.
 MU:Pr6.1.E.Ib – Demonstrate an understanding of expressive intent by
connecting with an audience through prepared and improvised
performances.
 MU:Re9.1.E.Ia – Evaluate works and performances based on personally-
or collaboratively-developed criteria, including analysis of the structure
and context.

Rationale for song selections and skill development

 “Tykus Tykus” by Vaclovas Augustinas
o “Tykus Tykus” is based off of a Lithuanian folk song. The song has a gentle,
lilting feel to it despite the generally quick rhythmic figures used throughout the
song. Rhythm is a huge focus in this piece. Students will be challenged to
correctly pronounce the Lithuanian words on their own. The rhythmic figures are
both straight and syncopated, which is not a new concept for this ensemble. The
element of rhythmic difficulty comes from the choir being split into chorus I and
chorus II, with different melodic and rhythmic themes. The contrast is part of
what makes the piece both so interesting to perform and listen, and so
challenging. The text will help to keep the rhythmic elements clear, especially
with the way the consonants coincide with cutoffs and entrances. In addition to
the rhythmic elements, the timbre of this piece is a focal point. Most of the piece
is done in a very sweet tone – best described as forward but not to the point of
nasality, while still using rounded vowels. The diction will largely shape both the
timbre and the rhythm.

 “A Boy and a Girl” by Eric Whitacre

o Eric Whitacre, a brilliant composer of this day and age, presents us with another
moving selection. “A Boy and a Girl” outlines the story of two lovers from the
beginning of their relationship (“stretched out on the grass”) through their deaths
(“stretched out underground”). Musical expression is key to the effectiveness of
this piece. It is necessary for students to delve into the text and fully understand
its meaning before they can approach the expressive decisions in this piece. It will
then be necessary to make decisions in relation to text painting. Following that,
how best to tackle “hums” and the notes with longer values. I want the students to
make most of the choices here, according to how they interpret the piece, so there
will be a lot of discussion (and some guidance) as they choose a direction.
Additionally, the harmonic aspects of this piece are incredibly important. Students
will analyze cluster chords and chord qualities to help determine expressive
elements as well as interpretation. For example, the section in which the lovers
have died is introduced in minor and lower than the previous sections. Student
comprehension of the harmonic structure, while challenging, will be important in
the overall understanding of the piece and for student progress in music theory
knowledge.

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  “Jenny Kiss’d Me” by Eric Barnum
o In “Jenny Kiss’d Me” Eric Barnum sets the lyric by James Leigh Hunt
wonderfully. The contour of the melodic line follows the text incredibly well, and
the tempo adds to the text. Perhaps one of the best things about this piece is the
way the melody is passed from voice part to voice part until it finally becomes
homophonic near the end of the piece. The intervallic leaps of the melody on the
word “jumping” are perfect and the rushing feeling at the beginning of the piece
depicts exactly what it feels like to be kissed for the first time. The melody of this
piece is a little challenging but allows the piece to move so well. Every section
gets a chance to shine. The piece is written in rondeau, which we have not
introduced to the choir this school year. This allows students to become familiar
with rondeau and gives an entryway into the formes fixes (ballade and virelai).

 “I Am Not Yours” by David C. Dickau

o “I Am Not Yours” is a beautiful setting of Sara Teasdale’s poem. The piece is
largely homophonic and homorhythmic. There are segments in which some voice
parts offset others, but for the most part, it is homophonic. There is a large amount
of dissonance and resolution in this piece, as well as repetition, which help the
piece to lead up to its climax. The piece is through-composed and based on text.
While SSAATTBB, it is suited for a smaller ensemble that can be more articulate
than larger groups. The musical expression is perhaps the most important aspect
of this piece. The piece would not be effective without adequate diction and
vowel unification, particularly on “O.” Dynamic swells and waves are also
crucial, as when they work with the dissonances create a “shimmering” effect.
The composition speaks to the text and it is evident. Allowing students to make at
least some of the expressive decisions will be indicative of how far they have
come since the beginning of the school year.

Sample Lesson Plan

 Activity
o Students will go to Regional Solo and Ensemble Contest with these pieces. They
will perform all of them and be rated on a rubric, with the goal of earning a I
(Superior) Rating.
 Assessment
o Tools
 Rubric
o Rationale
 I believe that if you take the right approach, solo and ensemble contest can
be a valuable tool. It allows you to see how others would assess your
ensemble against a standard rubric and against other groups. While the
performance is not always the most authentic, it gives parents an
opportunity to come if they can and your students the opportunity to listen
to other groups in a similar age group/skillset.

19
 Performance #4 Overview
Spring/Pops Concert

Content Performed
 “Baba Yetu” by Chris Kiagiri and Christopher Tin
 “Little Potato” by Malcolm Dalglish, arranged by Carol Barnett
 “Spiderman” by Bob Harris, arranged by Steve Friedman

Skills/Elements Addressed
 “Baba Yetu” by Chris Kiagiri and Christopher Tin
o Melody
o Timbre

 “Little Potato” by Malcolm Dalglish, arranged by Carol Barnett

o Rhythm
o Musical Expression

 “Spiderman” by Bob Harris, arranged by Steve Friedman

o Harmony
o Texture
o Form

S/G, H, C, NS Addressed
 “Baba Yetu” by Chris Kiagiri and Christopher Tin
o Style: Video Game Soundtrack
o Culture: Swahili
o National Standards:
 MU:Pr4.2.E.Ia – Demonstrate, using music reading skills where
appropriate, how compositional devices employed and theoretical and
structural aspects of musical works impact and inform prepared or
improvised performances.
 MU:Pr5.3.E.Ia – Develop strategies to address expressive challenges in a
varied repertoire of music, and evaluate their success using feedback from
ensemble peers and other sources to refine performances.
 MU:Pr6.1.E.Ia – Demonstrate attention to technical accuracy and
expressive qualities in prepared and improvised performances of a varied
repertoire of music representing diverse cultures, styles, and genres.
 MU:Pr6.1.E.Ib – Demonstrate an understanding of expressive intent by
connecting with an audience through prepared and improvised
performances.
 MU:Re9.1.E.Ia – Evaluate works and performances based on personally-
or collaboratively-developed criteria, including analysis of the structure
and context.

 “Little Potato” by Malcolm Dalglish, arranged by Carol Barnett

o Style: Pop

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 o National Standards:
 MU:Pr4.2.E.Ia – Demonstrate, using music reading skills where
appropriate, how compositional devices employed and theoretical and
structural aspects of musical works impact and inform prepared or
improvised performances.
 MU:Pr5.3.E.Ia – Develop strategies to address expressive challenges in a
varied repertoire of music, and evaluate their success using feedback from
ensemble peers and other sources to refine performances.
 MU:Pr6.1.E.Ia – Demonstrate attention to technical accuracy and
expressive qualities in prepared and improvised performances of a varied
repertoire of music representing diverse cultures, styles, and genres.
 MU:Pr6.1.E.Ib – Demonstrate an understanding of expressive intent by
connecting with an audience through prepared and improvised
performances.
 MU:Re9.1.E.Ia – Evaluate works and performances based on personally-
or collaboratively-developed criteria, including analysis of the structure
and context.

 “Spiderman” by Bob Harris, arranged by Steve Friedman

o Style: Jazz/Television
o National Standards:
 MU:Pr4.2.E.Ia – Demonstrate, using music reading skills where
appropriate, how compositional devices employed and theoretical and
structural aspects of musical works impact and inform prepared or
improvised performances.
 MU:Pr5.3.E.Ia – Develop strategies to address expressive challenges in a
varied repertoire of music, and evaluate their success using feedback from
ensemble peers and other sources to refine performances.
 MU:Pr6.1.E.Ia – Demonstrate attention to technical accuracy and
expressive qualities in prepared and improvised performances of a varied
repertoire of music representing diverse cultures, styles, and genres.
 MU:Pr6.1.E.Ib – Demonstrate an understanding of expressive intent by
connecting with an audience through prepared and improvised
performances.
 MU:Re9.1.E.Ia – Evaluate works and performances based on personally-
or collaboratively-developed criteria, including analysis of the structure
and context.

Rationale for song selections and skill development

The use of only 3 songs as an ensemble is to allow more time on the concert for students to
audition for solos and small group pieces that they have worked on without making the concert
egregiously long.

 “Baba Yetu” by Chris Kiagiri and Christopher Tin

o “Baba Yetu,” while not a pop song per se is not your traditional choral piece. I
recognize the role that video games play in our society, especially when it comes

21
 to the lives of my students. This is the theme song for a video game called
Civilization IV. It uses the Swahili text of The Lord’s Prayer. The melody in this
song is particularly catchy. It is spread through the entire ensemble and even
includes opportunities for students to have solos. The melody evolves throughout
the piece as well. It shifts from being incredibly melodic to much more chant-like.
The piece is also extremely rhythmic and has strong African influences. With the
changes in the melody from melodic to chant-like to the absence of the melody
with just chord-like elements there is a degree of timbral changes required. Since
the piece has so much variety, the choir will have to have several different
timbres. This will push the students to display all of the timbres they have worked
on throughout the year and showcase what they have learned.

 “Little Potato” by Malcolm Dalglish, arranged by Carol Barnett

o “Little Potato” is a very cute piece. It is very rhythmic – there are many unvoiced
“ch” syllables to provide a rhythmic element that creates a shaker egg/maraca
affect. There are also stomps and snaps written into the music. Everything is
syncopated and swung. This is likely the most rhythmically challenging the choir
has done all year. Ideally this will be unconducted and the students will
demonstrate their rhythmic accuracy which will keep the group together. It would
be very easy for students to get completely wrapped up in the rhythmic elements,
which is why the secondary focus for this piece is musical expression. If students
aren’t expressive and don’t use dynamic contrast or articulation the piece will
easily be flat and boring. This piece would be my challenge to the students to take
on as their own project with much less guidance from me. I want this to be the
product of student leadership and student thought.

 “Spiderman” by Bob Harris, arranged by Steve Friedman

o “Spiderman” is based on the original song from the cartoon Spider-Man. This
song is super jazzy and a great challenge for the ensemble as a final performance.
Because it is a jazz arrangement, the harmony in this piece is all over the place.
There are multiple key changes throughout the piece. As an a cappella selection
with such abrupt key changes and harmonically difficult chords, this will likely be
the most difficult of all the pieces they have performed all year. In terms of
texture, this piece has a great deal of variety. At times it is homophonic, other
times it is very much polyphonic. It is, like some other pieces we studied this
year, through composed. This piece is a great representation of everything the
students have studied this year. It is comprised of some of the most difficult
aspects of our studies. This will be a great final piece for the student and a great
way for me to see just how much they can accomplish in not only a year, but in
the short span of time between the end of contest season and the end of the school
year.

Lesson Plan
 Activity
o Post assessment. Students will watch their final concert on the day designated for
their choir “final” and fill out a post-assessment worksheet.

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 Assessment
o Tools
 Worksheet
o Rationale
 In my first years of teaching, it will be important for me to get feedback
from students. I would like this on an individual basis, so that I can hear
from everyone about how their year went and hopefully get some genuine
feedback and opinion on what they think I could improve upon. I also
hope it is something that I didn’t catch, because I know students see things
a little differently than we do.

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 Assessment

Types to be used
 Checklist/Completion Roster
 Recording (audio/video)
 Worksheet
 Rubric

Possible Assessments
 Checklist/Completion Roster

Student Name Complete Incomplete

T’Variusness King X
D’Squarius Green, Jr. X
Ibrahim Moizoos X
Javaris Jamar Javarison- X
Lamar
Hingle McCringleberry X
Xmus Jaxon Flaxon-Waxon X
Quatro Quatro X

o Rationale: Checklists are useful in making sure that students have completed the
assignment. Completion grades should not be used all of the time but can be
helpful early on when you just want to ensure that all students have completed the
assignment. In order to be considered complete, the students must have completed
work to a certain level and given responses that answer questions with a degree of
reflection and effort.

 Recording (audio/video)
It is difficult to provide a direct example of this type of assessment as I do not yet have my
own ensemble, so this is what a video could look like.
o EX: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tz35iIDksnA
o Rationale: Audio and video recordings give both the teacher and the students an
opportunity to see the performance with an outsider’s point of view. The ability to
listen and/or watch the ensemble is invaluable and is a completely different
experience when you are listening while being part of the ensemble. Allowing
students and yourself to watch/listen to the performance after the fact gives the
opportunity for multiple watches which helps you to catch things you might not
have previously and allows students to do some self/peer reflection.

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 Worksheet

o Rationale: This is just one example of a worksheet for students. This would be a
reflection on a single piece. If we were to do a full concert review, this would be
repeated for each piece of music. There are, of course, other types of worksheets.
It is important to provide students opportunities to reflect on their performance. It
is also important for students to apply their knowledge. Worksheets like these will
let me know what concepts students are fully grasping and what we still need to
work on.

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 Rubric

Category 4 2 2 1
Posture and Student stands Student stands Student is Student rarely
Relaxation correctly and somewhat sometimes demonstrates
sings using a correctly and standing proper posture
proper singing most of the correctly but and singing
stance with no time often shows stance. Tension
visible tension demonstrates a tension or is highly visible
in the oral proper singing improper body in the throat,
cavity or body. stance with during singing. jaw, and/or
limited tension body.
visible in the
oral cavity or
body.
Breath Student takes Student is Student Student rarely
Support full proper usually sometimes breathes
breath and breathing breathes correctly and
supports the properly, but properly and never supports
tone to the best occasionally only the tone until
of his/her does not occasionally the end of each
ability. support the supports the phrase.
tone until the tone until the
end of each end of each
phrase. phrase.
Rhythm The beat is The beat is The beat is The beat is
secure, and the secure, and the somewhat usually erratic,
rhythms are rhythms are erratic. Some and rhythms are
accurate for mostly rhythms are seldom accurate
the passage accurate. There accurate. detracting
being sung. are a few Frequent or significantly
duration errors, repeated from the overall
but these do duration errors. performance.
not detract Rhythm
from the problems
overall occasionally
performance. detract from the
overall
performance.
Pitch Virtually no An occasional Some accurate Very few
errors. Pitch is isolated error, pitches, but accurate or
very accurate but most of the there are stable pitches.
and stable. time pitch is frequent and/or
accurate and repeated errors
secure. and instability.

26
 Accurate Words or An occasional A few Wrong word
Syllables syllables are inaccurate inaccurate word pronunciations
consistently word is sung pronunciations consistently
accurate. but does not are sung, detract from the
detract from detracting performance.
overall somewhat from
performance. the overall
performance.
Expression Performs with Typically Sometimes Rarely
and Style a creative performs with performs with demonstrates
nuance and nuance and nuance and expression and
style in style that is style that is style. Just sings
response to the indicated in the indicated in the the notes.
score and score or which score or which
limited is suggested by is suggested by
coaching. instructor or instructor or
peer. peer.
o Rationale: It is important for us to use rubrics to measure student success. This
lets us know, very clearly, where each student falls on the spectrum when being
measured against the same criteria. This particular rubric would be for a student
solo singing test. This could be used for a solo for contest or a student singing
their part from one song, etc. This way to measure students will ensure evenness
since the criteria is the same for all students.

27