I Am Not Yours

By David C. Dickau

Jo-Michael Scheibe Choral Series

Walton Music Corporation
Medium Level, SATB

Morgan Higgins
11 – 12th Grade Mixed Choir
th
 Table of Contents

Teacher’s Guide…………………………………………………………………….3
Student Learning Goals…………………………………………………………….3
National Standards Addressed……………………………………………………...3
Unit Study…………………………………………………………………………..5
About the Composer…………………………………………………………5
Score Analysis……………………………………………………………….6
Historical Context…………………………………………………….6
Text…………………………………………………………………...6
Diction………………………………………………………………..7
Melody.……………………………………………………………….7
Harmony.……………………………………………………………...7
Texture………………………………………………………………..7
Rhythm...……………………………………………………………...8
Form…………………………………………………………………..8
Lessons and Activities……………………………………………………...10
Lesson 1: Introducing the Text……………………………………...10
Lesson 2: Sight Reading the Music on Solfege……………………..12
Lesson 3: Rhythm, rhythm, rhythm…………………………...…….14
Lesson 4: History/Impact……………………………………………16
Lesson 5: Phrasing/Dynamics……………………………………….18
Lesson 6: Small Group Performances……………………………….20
Assessment………………………………………………………………………..22
Student Comprehensive Assessment……………………………………….22
Proficiency Assessment…………………………………………………….24
Resources and Other Information…………………………………………………25

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 Teacher’s Guide
Information
Title: I Am Not Yours
Composer: David C. Dickau (b. 1953)
Poet: Sara Teasdale (1884-1933)
Voicing: SATB divisi
Duration: approx. 4 minutes
Difficulty: Medium

Specifics
Accompaniment: Piano
Publisher: Walton Music Corporation

Student Learning Goals

1. Students will learn about the history of “I Am Not Yours” and other Sara Teasdale
poems.
2. Students will learn about the composer, David C. Dickau.
3. Students will analyze the text and determine the meaning of the piece.
4. Students will relate their own experiences of love to what the author describes in the
poem.
5. Students will use solfege do identify intervals and pitch relationships.
6. Students will use proper diction when they are singing “I Am Not Yours.”
7. Students will learn about verse-refrain form and through-composed form.
8. Students will sing in quartets and evaluate each other using primarily constructive
criticism.
9. Students will complete self and peer evaluations and assessments throughout the unit.

Standards Addressed

 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.

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 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:Re7.2.E.Ia Explain how the analysis of passages and understanding the way the
elements of music are manipulated inform the response to music.
 MU:Re8.1.E.Ia Explain and support interpretations of the expressive intent and meaning
of musical works, citing as evidence the treatment of the elements of music, contexts,
(when appropriate) the setting of the text, and personal research.

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About the composer…

Dr. David Dickau (b. 1953) is a choral conductor and

composer residing in Mankato, Minnesota where he
has been serving as Director of Choral Activities at
Minnesota State University, Mankato since 1991. As
a part of his duties, Dr. Dickau conducts the Concert
Choir and Chamber Singers and teaches conducting
and composition. He received the Distinguished
Faculty Scholar award from his university in 2008
and in 2012 was named by the student association as
the university’s “Teacher of the Year.”

Dr. Dickau holds advanced degrees in Choral Music

from Northwestern University (Evanston, IL) and the
University of Southern California (Los Angeles, CA.) He has taught choral music
on both the high school and collegiate levels and has conducted community and
church choirs. He also served for thirteen years as music director of Magnum
Chorum, a Twin Cities-based chamber choir.

David Dickau has been an active member of the American Choral Director's
Association, serving as a national Repertoire and Standards Chair from 1987 to
1991. He has appeared as a clinician at ACDA national and regional conferences
and has conducted several regional festivals. He also served a term as President of
ACDA of Minnesota. Dr. Dickau has performed at four national ACDA
conferences. His choirs have performed at regional conferences in Minneapolis,
Omaha and Madison.

Dr. Dickau’s published compositions appear in a number of catalogues. He has

filled commissions for choral festivals, colleges and universities, community
choirs, churches, and schools. Significant commissions have included “Dresden
Canticles,” composed in honor of the rebuilding of the Frauenkirche in Dresden,
Germany and “View from the Air” commissioned by the Charles and Anne
Morrow Lindbergh Foundation in honor of the seventieth anniversary of Charles
Lindbergh’s historic trans-Atlantic flight.

Additional Resources:
https://www.giamusic.com/store/artists/david-dickau
https://sbmp.com/ComposerPage.php?ComposerNum=53
http://www.pavanepublishing.com/site/29/

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http://www.mnsu.edu/music/faculty/david_dickau.html
Score Analysis
Historical/Cultural Analysis
The text of this piece is Sara Teasdale’s “I Am Not Yours.” Sara Teasdale was born in St. Louis
Missouri in August 1884. She grew up in a wealthy family. She had poor health as a child, and as
such was home schooled until the age of 9. She began school at the Mary Institute in 1898 at age
10 but switched to Hosmer Hall only a year later. It was from there that she graduated in 1903.
From 1904-1907, she was a member of the Potters which was a group of female artists in their
late teens and early twenties who published a monthly artistic and literary magazine in St. Louis.
Teasdale’s first poem was published in a local newspaper in 1907 and her first collection of
poems was published later that same year. Her second collection of poems, published in 1911,
was well received by critics and was praised for its lyrical mastery and romantic subject matter.
From 1911-1914, Teasdale was courted by several men but eventually chose to marry Ernst
Filsinger on December 19th, 1914. After the success of her third poetry collection, published in
1915, she and Filsinger moved to New York City. In 1918, she won a Pulitzer Prize for her 1917
poetry collection, title Love Songs. Her husband constantly traveled for business which left
Teasdale extremely lonely. In 1929, she filed for divorce but only informed Filsinger at her
lawyer’s insistence. Needless to say, he was shocked. In 1933, she died by suicide, after
overdosing on sleeping pills.

Text
“I Am Not Yours” is written in rhymed iambic tetrameter, meaning that the odd lines do not
rhyme but the even ones do. Tetrameter means there are four poetic feet per line, and iambic tells
you the lines are composed of iambs, which is a two-syllable foot composed of an unstressed
syllable followed by a stressed syllable. Teasdale uses a great deal of figurative language in the
poem, including simile, metaphor, and symbolism. “Lost as a candle lit at noon” (line 4), “Lost
as a snowflake in the sea” (line 5), and “lost as a light is lost in light” (line 8) are all similes that
Teasdale is using to show the degree of desire for closeness to this other person, her love (likely
Vachel Lindsay, with whom she was in love even throughout her marriage). The author also uses
the word “lost” to symbolize a deep, completely encapsulating love. The metaphor “swept by the
tempest of your love, a taper in a rushing wind” (lines 11-12) is similar to the use of simile,
another expression of the desire to be overwhelmed by love.

I am not yours, not lost in you,

Not lost, although I long to be
Lost as a candle lit at noon,
Lost as a snowflake in the sea.

You love me, and I find you still

A spirit beautiful and bright,
Yet I am I, who long to be
Lost as a light is lost in light.

Oh plunge me deep in love – put out

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My senses, leave me deaf and blind,
Swept by the tempest of your love,
A taper in a rushing wind.
Diction
A good general rule for the diction in this piece is to sing like you are British, or like Mary
Poppins. The British pronunciation of English is significantly less harsh when it comes to the
letter “R” than the American pronunciation.
 a = ah (father) with the exception of “am” and “candle”. This will be like in “cat” but
slightly less nasal. The director will work through this.
 e = eh (bet)
 ea, ee, ie = ee (need)
 “O”, though, ow = oh (no) This vowel should be formed with the openness in the back of
the throat like in “ah” but with somewhat rounded lips like “oo” (though slightly less).
This is only applied to the “O” found in the dissonant suspensions in mm. 3-11 and mm.
20-28.
 “Not,” “lost” = rounded ah, like father but slightly more rounded.
 Oo = oo (blue, goo, true)
 Plunge = uh (mud)
 Put = eu (book)

Melody
Throughout the piece, the melody is mainly found in the soprano (S) part, though there are a few
areas where this differs. The piece begins in unison for two measures before handing off the
melody to the sopranos. They hold the melody for several pages. The melody is finally passed
off to the different parts on page nine, beginning with the basses but eventually moving through
all of the parts but altos. The song ends in unison, bringing the melody to a satisfying and
significant end. While the melody stays in the soprano line for most of the piece, it utilizes their
full range, making the piece very interesting to listen to and not repetitious at all, as the piece is
through-composed, following the poetry.

Harmony
The harmonies in this piece, generally, are extremely thick. Dickau uses harmonic language to
depict images of light throughout the piece. The recurring piano figure is joined by an
intensifying choral sonority that portrays light in both measures mm. 3-11 and mm. 20-28. The
choral sonorities in mm. 38, 39, and 47 also convey this image. Singing with clear intonation and
sans vibrato will be extremely important in this piece to keep the extremely thick chords clean
and allow for a shimmering effect. There are both consonances and dissonances, which are
usually brought out in accordance with the text. The key throughout is consistently D major, but
there are many points of dissonance and suspension to resolution, again when it suits the text.
The piece is primarily in SATB or SSAATTBB. SSAATTBB is seen in mm. 3-11 and mm. 20-
50. A less complex divisi of simply SATB only occurs from mm. 12-19 and mm. mm. 51-55.
The choir ends on the tonic, D, and the piano ends in a D major triad, resolving the ever-present
dissonance in the piece.

7
Texture
The texture in this piece very thick. The majority of the piece is homophonic and homorhythmic,
the piece is split into 8 parts (SSAATTBB) for almost its entirety. The places that the texture
thins are few; mm. 12-17 and mm. 51-55 are places where the texture is a little lighter, as there
are only four parts (SATB) singing at these points, and often singing in unison or octaves.

Rhythm
The piece is written in 4/4 time, with the quarter note at 56 bpm. Throughout the piece, Dickau
uses different rhythms to bring out different phrases in the text. The primary rhythmic element
throughout is the use of eighth notes and dotted eighth notes. The eighth notes and dotted eighth
notes are most common, likely due to how this lends itself to the text. The eighth notes and
dotted eighth notes repeat themselves in nearly every phrase. The rhythms repeat as frequently as
the text that they match. The use of syncopation brings the need to stress specific syllables in
order to create logical phrasing of the line. It is important to lift briefly after each dotted rhythm,
to create the desired emphasis on that syllable. The rhythm in the piano accompaniment is
straight in its entirety, using almost primarily eighth notes in the right hand. The accompaniment
almost never doubles the melodic line.

Form (Through-Composed, Text Based)

Section/Measure Key Text Conductors

Numbers Notes
Intro (mm. 1-2) D Piano Only Quarter = 56
A (mm. 3-11) D (SSAATTBB) Stagger breathe
O throughout the O
to keep the line
steady and full
B (mm. 12-19) D (SATB) Diction is crucial.
I am not yours, not lost in you Make sure that all
Not lost, although I long to be ending
Lost as a candle lit at noon consonants are
Lost as a snowflake in the sea together, and S is
not snakey.
A (mm. 20-28) D (SSAATTBB) Stagger breathe
O throughout the O
to keep the line
steady and full

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C (mm. 29-39) D (SSAATBB) Make sure
You love me, and I find you still quarter notes are
A spirit beautiful and bright, sung on off, push
Yet I am I, who long to be into dissonances
Lost as a light is lost, on “I” and “still,”
Lost as a light is lost, grow on each
(SSAATTBB) repeated phrase
Lost as a light is lost in light to the climax
D (mm. 40-47) D (SSAATTBB) The first part of
Oh plunge me deep in love, this is the climax
Put out My senses, leave me deaf of the piece –
and blind, LOVE IT. Start
Swept by the tempest of your to decrescendo on
love, “swept” and
A taper in a rushing wind continue to
“wind”
E (mm. 48-50) D (SSATTBB) Keep soft. Don’t
I am not yours, not lost in you lose entrances
I am not yours, not lost in you during women’s
held notes. The
men have to be in
tune at mm. 50.
This is a cappella.
F (mm. 51-end) D (SATB) Starts in unison
I am not yours, not lost in you and splits so start
Not lost, although I long to be softer. This is
very tender. End
on unison and
decrescendo.
Keeping in time
with piano for
ending chords.

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 Lessons and Activities

Lesson 1: Introducing the Text

Standards
 MU:Re8.1.E.Ia Explain and support interpretations of the expressive intent and meaning
of musical works, citing as evidence the treatment of the elements of music, contexts,
(when appropriate) the setting of the text, and personal research.

Objective
 Students will complete a dictation exercise by identifying stressed syllables in each
phrase, draw conclusions about text meaning, and explain it to the class in their own
words.

Materials
 Text Sheets
 Projector
 White Board/Dry Erase Markers
 Music
 Highlighters
 Pencils

Warm-Up
 In small groups, have students read through “I Am Not Yours” poem by Sara Teasdale.
 Students will then write a paragraph (3-5 sentences) about what they think the text means
and highlight which phrases they think are the most important.
 Each group will elect one spokesperson to summarize their groups findings for the class.

Activity Sequence
1. Teacher uses echo strategy to speak through text with students.
a. Teacher will model correct speaking voice.
b. We speak like we sing. Students should use good breath support and proper
vowels to speak through everything we do, even if they haven’t seen the music
yet.
c. Teacher will use lines off of the poem sheet, rather than the music, so as not to
reveal phrasing answers to students.
d. T: “I am not yours, not lost in you.”
e. S: “I am not yours, not lost in you.” Etc.
2. Teacher asks students to get music out of their folders.
a. Music is numbered and sorted into corresponding folder slots prior to student’s
arrival.
b. Students will get their folders out of their folder slot, which they can find by
looking at the sheet on the folder cabinet with students listed alphabetically.

10
 3. T has students work in same groups to identify stressed and non-stressed syllables in the
text with musical notation.
a. Students should underline or circle the stressed syllables with their pencil.
4. Have each group send up a student to underline syllables on the white board.
a. One group per phrase/section.
b. Teacher will assess student ability to correctly identify phrasing and use a
checklist for each group.
c. Teacher will correct phrasing and/or syllabic/text stress when necessary.
5. Teacher and Students will speak through the text using phrasing and text stress.

Assessment
Assessment is informal, mainly observation as students work together in groups and share their
answers aloud with their peers. The checklist will be used during the group discussion/activity as
well as during syllabic stress/phrasing identification.

Activity Checklist

Group Members:

Exceeds Expectations (2 pts) Average (1 pts)

All group members
participated in discussion of
text and its meaning, and had
meaningful answers to share
(warm-up)
Group successfully identified
correct phrasing and stressed
syllables throughout “I Am
Not Yours”
All group members
participated fully when
speaking through text and
applied phrasing and syllabic
stressed as discussed

Total: ______/6

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Lesson 2: Sight Reading the Music on Solfege
Standards
 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.

Objective
 Students will correctly identify the key signature of “I Am Not Yours” and write in the
solfege for their line.
 After identifying the solfege in “I Am Not Yours,” students will sight sing their line on
solfege with 75% accuracy.

Materials
 Projector/White Board
 Music
 Pencils

Warm-Up
 Begin by writing the key signature for D major on the board but do not label it.
 Ask students how to identify key signatures.
 Ask students what key signature has two sharps?

Activity Sequence
1. Begin by having students sing through a D major scale on solfege.
2. After singing through the scale, ascending and descending, write on the board where
students are to stop as they do an ascending scale.
a. Basses: Low Do (Bass), Sol (Baritone)
b. Tenors: Fa (T2), High Do (T1)
c. Altos: La (A2), Mi (A1)
d. Sopranos: R (S2), La (S1)
e. This activity allows students to construct the first chord before they even see the
notation.
3. On the board, have the first two measures that the students sing.
a. Make sure this is not projected until after students have completed the aural
activity.
4. Ask one student per section to come up to the board and write in solfege for their part.
5. Have students sing through solfege.
6. Repeat entire process for next 2 measures, except using descending scale.
a. Sopranos: High Do (S1), Ti (S2)
b. Altos: Sol (A1), Re (A2)
c. Tenors: La (T1), Sol (T2)
d. Basses: Fa (Baritone), Low Do (Bass)

12
 7. Ask students if they recognize the anything about the piece just by looking at the music.
a. They should notice that the key signature is D major, what we discussed in warm
ups.
8. Now that students have identified the solfege for the first few measures, have them group
into small groups and complete the rest of the solfege.
a. Be sure to give students ample time to do this but give them a timer on the board
so they know to work fast and stay on task.
b. About 6-8 minutes should do it, this piece isn’t too complex in terms of solfege.
9. Ask students to move from small groups to their sections and confirm their solfege with
their section.
10. After students have written in and confirmed their solfege, reset the standing position and
turn on a metronome at quarter note equals 56.
11. Have students speak song on solfege in rhythm.
a. Repeat sections/phrases as necessary until at least 75% correct.
b. Get through entire piece twice if time allows.
12. Students sing through piece in it entirety, to the best of its ability.
a. Assess students ability to sight sing the piece, with as few errors as possible.
13. Hand out self evaluation of sight singing.

Assessment
There will be two forms of assessment for this lesson. The teacher will complete an informal,
observation-based assessment in the form of a short check list. The students will complete a self
evaluation.

Solfege Checklist

Was student able to identify the key of D major, based on key signature? Y N

Was student able to solfege measures correctly, with little to no assistance? Y N

Did student read the piece accurately when speaking solfege? Y N

Did student sing through the piece with at least 75% accuracy? Y N

Sight Singing Self-Evaluation Name_______________________________

1. What is the key signature of “I Am Not Yours?” How do you identify key signatures?

2. Rate yourself on how accurate when sight singing:

13
 Missed a lot of notes 1 2 3 4 5 Got everything right

3. Which measure(s) were the most difficult to sight sing? Why?

Lesson 3: Rhythm, rhythm, rhythm

Standards
 MU:Re7.2.E.Ia Explain how the analysis of passages and understanding the way the
elements of music are manipulated inform the response to music.

Objectives
 Students will correctly identify, notate, and sing the various eighth note and dotted eighth
note, sixteenth note patterns in “I Am Not Yours.”

Materials
 Worksheet
 Rhythm reading examples
 Projector/White Board
 Music
 Pencils

Warm-Up
 Teacher will use projector to display different rhythm reading examples, particularly ones
that use similar rhythmic combinations as “I Am Not Yours.”
 Students will count the rhythms in 4/4 using 12T4 (1-ee-and-ah).
 Teacher will ask students to identify rhythmic figures used in the exercises.
o Answers: eighth note, dotted eighth note, sixteenth note, quarter note, eighth rest.

Activity Sequence
1. Teacher asks students to take out “I Am Not Yours” and identify the measures with
different eighth note and dotted eighth note/sixteenth note combinations.
a. Examples throughout.
b. Measures include mm. 12, 16, 18, 31, 33-37, 51, 53. Main focus is mm. 33-37.
2. Put on metronome and ask students to count sing mm. 33-37.
a. Assess student ability to correctly count these measures.
3. Have students count sing the entire song.
a. Assess student ability to count the piece, noting problem areas for focus and
repetition.
4. Teacher will demonstrate the lifts with a dotter rhythm.
a. A brief lift, coming off the voice after the dotted rhythm to create a small space.
b. Teacher will show students how to notate this in their music
5. Teacher will show students where to apply lift.
a. Not in the “O” or after any dotted eighth notes – these are too brief.
b. After dotted quarters; mm. 14 “lost”, mm. 43 “deaf”.
6. Teacher will hand out worksheet. Students will have the final few minutes of class to
complete.

14
Assessment
Assessment is completed throughout the activity through teacher observation. The formal
assessment is a worksheet that asks students to assess their ability to recall tricky rhythms from
the music and notate it on the staff.
Rhythm Worksheet Name_______________________________

On the staff below, please identify two rhythms from “I Am Not Yours” that we worked on
extensively today. Write out the counts underneath your rhythms. Please include the key
signature and the time signature. (Hint: Look at your score  )

Warm-Up Exercises

Examples taken directly from “I Am Not Yours” are include in measures 4-9.

15
Lesson 4: History/Impact

Standards
 MU:Pr4.3.E.Ia Demonstrate an understanding of context in a varied repertoire of music
through prepared and improvised performances.

Objectives
 After analyzing the text and studying the Poet, Sara Teasdale, students will write their
own poem using a rubric to guide them.

Materials
 Projector/White Board
 Rubric
 Example Poems
 Poem
 Paper
 Pencils

Warm-Up
 Teacher uses a Prezi to introduce the history of the piece and the importance of poetry, as
well as the poetry project.
 Prezi Link: https://prezi.com/view/XbIcrgdx9UkyB115t9hg/

Activity Sequence
1. Teacher will ask students what they think makes poems so moving and why we use them
for songs so often.
a. Answers will vary. Take several answers.
2. Teacher hands out notecards and asks students to write down a special person, place,
memory, or anything that they feel passionately about/love.
3. Teacher will explain the Poetry Project to the class.
a. Choose someone or something you love/care deeply about. This could be a friend,
a family member, or even a pet, or it could be a sport/activity, your special place,
your favorite thing. Write a Shakespearean poem expressing your feelings and
thoughts. This will help relate your feelings to the feelings evoked in Teasdale’s
poem and what the composer was going for in our piece.
4. Teacher will go over the rubric with the students.
5. Students will use the next 5-7 minutes asking questions to clarify project.

*The students will be given approximately two weeks to complete their poems. They will have
some rough draft deadlines sprinkled throughout to ensure that they do not forget about the
project.

Assessment
Assessment will occur when students have completed the project. They will be assessed in
accordance with a rubric.

16
Poetry Project Rubric

5 points 4 points 3 points 2 points 1 point

Iambic Flawless use 1-2 errors 3 errors 4 errors More than 4
Pentameter of iambic errors
pentameter
Rhyme Abab cdcd 1 error in 2 errors 3 errors 4 or more
Scheme efef gg rhyme errors
Quatrains & 3 Quatrains, 1 error 2 errors 3 errors 4 or more
Couplets 1 couplet errors
Artistic Very Original, Somewhat Not original, Sloppy
Presentation original, very attractive, original and lacking in
attractive, neat attractive, neatness
neat lacking in
neatness
20 points 15 points 10 points 5 points 1 point
Content Clear subject, Demonstrates Contains a May not Does not
speaker, tone, use of subject, and contain a contain a
and message. speaker and message. subject or subject or
tone. Speaker and message. message.
tone may be Does not Does not
unclear. demonstrate demonstrate
use of a use of a
speaker. speaker.
Tone is Tone lacks
unclear. control.

17
Lesson 5: Phrasing/Dynamics
Standards
 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.

Objectives
 While singing “I Am Not Yours,” students will identify the phrasing through body
movement and representation through drawing.

Materials
 Music
 Pencil

Warm-Up
 Have students sing in unison on D.
 Teacher will conduct a wide range of dynamics.
 Allow students to conduct dynamics.

Activity Sequence
1. Students will sing through the different phrases of the song, one at a time.
2. Teacher has students learn “sunrise” movement for identifying both phrasing and
dynamics.
a. Students will crouch or sit in chairs during the soft or piano sections of the song.
When crescendo occurs, they will rises to standing. As they reach the climax of
the phrase, which is usually also the highest dynamic point of that phrase, their
songs will be hands will be in the air. When decrescendoing, students will again
move to crouch.
b. See visual example below.
3. Sing through the phrases now with students moving to the dynamics and phrasing.
a. Teacher will conduct slightly differently to assess if students can follow and apply
directions on the fly.
4. Give students an opportunity to make phrasing decisions.
a. Conduct their phrasing as they sing to see if it works.
b. Assess student ability to make phrasing decisions.
5. Hand out phrase sheets.
a. Each phrase sheet has a portion of the song – one phrase plus a little extra on both
ends.
b. These will be varied and handed out randomly.
6. Have students draw a “sunrise” or arc over the phrase. Like with the movement, the sun
begins rising at the beginning is at its highest at the climax and sets at the end.

Assessment
Assessment occurs informally, through observation throughout the piece. Students will also hand
in phrase sheets to assess for ability to identify phrasing in writing.

18
Sunrise Movements

Example Assessment/Phrase Sheet

I am not yours, not lost in you, Not lost, although I long to be

Assessment Checklist

Did student actively participate in the Sunrise movement when singing “I Am Not Yours?”

Y N

Did student correctly identify the phrasing on their Phrase Sheet using a sunrise?

Y N

19
Lesson 6: Small Group Performances
Standards
 MU:Pr4.3.E.Ia Demonstrate an understanding of context in a varied repertoire of music
through prepared and improvised performances.

Objectives
 In quartets (groups of 4), students will sing through Sections C-E (mm. 29 to the end) in
their quartets with less than 6 mistakes.

Materials
 Music
 Pencils
 List of quartets
 Numbers in a hat

Warm-Up
 Sing through D major scale using solfege.
 Sing scale as the following:
DDRDDRMRDDRMFMRDDRMFSFMRDDRMFSLSFMRDDRFMSLTLSFMRDDR
MFSLTDTLSFMRD. Essentially, add one scale degree each time.
 Work through vowels and creating a unified section sound.

Activity Sequence
1. Teacher will give students their quartet assignments as soon as they finish warm-ups.
2. Teacher will explain the quartet activity.
a. Students will sing pickups to mm. 29 to the end.
3. Each group has 5-7 minutes to work on the sections as a group.
a. T will walk around and assist when and where necessary.
b. Teacher will assess student ability to work in small groups through observation.
4. Groups will draw a number out of a hat to determine the order in which they will sing.
5. Teacher will hand out peer evaluation sheets. Each group will have another to evaluate.
a. The last group will evaluate the first group. The first group will evaluate the
second group, etc.
6. Groups will sing and evaluate, as assigned.
a. After each group, we will hear 2 positive elements and 1 constructive criticism
from their peers.
7. If time remains, sing through the piece as a whole group.

Assessment
Assessment happens informally while the students work in groups; the teacher is walking around
and observing. The students will complete a formal peer evaluation worksheet based on assigned
groups.

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Peer Assessment Worksheet

Name___________________________

Group Evaluating:
Section: mm. 29 – end

On a scale of 1 -5, how do you think the overall performance of this group went?
Circle.

Needs Improvement 1 2 3 4 5 Perfect

What were two things this group did well?

What were two things this group could work on?

Did the group implement the things we have discussed in class (i.e. phrasing,
dynamics, text stress, ending consonants, etc.)? Circle.

Y N

Comments?

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 Assessment – Student and Proficiency
Unit Exam
Name_____________________________

1. What is the recurring theme of the poem “I Am Not Yours”? Answer in 2-3 complete
sentences.

Possible answer: The theme of the poem is all-consuming love. The author uses
simile, metaphor, and imagery to depict the love that she imagines and longs for.

2. Who wrote “I Am Not Yours” originally?

a. Emily Dickinson
b. Sylvia Plath
c. Sara Teasdale
d. William Wordsworth

3. What are the primary rhythmic elements used in the melody?

a. Whole notes
b. Quarter notes and half notes
c. Quarter notes and eighth notes
d. Eighth notes and dotted eighth notes

4. Using the staff below, write an example of the above melodic rhythm from
“I Am Not Yours.”

Answers: (any of these measures are acceptable).

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5. Label the dynamics and draw the sunrise above the phrase below:

Oh plunge me deep in love, put out my senses, leave me deaf and blind.
ff mf decresc p

6. Write in solfege for the excerpts below.

7. Write one thing you learned through performing “I Am Not Yours?”

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Proficiency Assessment
Student Learning Goals
1. Students will learn about the history of “I Am Not Yours” and other Sara Teasdale
poems.
2. Students will learn about the composer, David C. Dickau.
3. Students will analyze the text and determine the meaning of the piece.
4. Students will relate their own experiences of love to what the author describes in the
poem.
5. Students will use solfege do identify intervals and pitch relationships.
6. Students will use proper diction when they are singing “I Am Not Yours.”
7. Students will learn about verse-refrain form and through-composed form.
8. Students will sing in quartets and evaluate each other using primarily constructive
criticism.
9. Students will complete self and peer evaluations and assessments throughout the unit.

Checklist

Did students learn and understand the history behind “I Am Not Yours?” Y N

Did students identify important phrase structures and important sections Y N

in the text?

Did students make connection to “I Am Not Yours” by completing a poetry Y N

project?

Were students able to identify rhythmic themes in the piece? Y N

Did students complete the sunrise activity? Y N

Were students given the opportunity to make musical decisions? Y N

Did students perform adequately in quartets? Y N

Were students given the chance to evaluate themselves and their peers Y N
throughout the unit?

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 Resources and Other Information
Glossary
Dynamics – the variation in loudness between notes or phrases.

Rallentando (rall.) - a gradual decrease in speed similar to a that of a ritardando, but with more of
a rolling stop effect; a lazy deceleration of the tempo that seems to have less certainty and drama
than the ritardando.

Sonority - a generic term for a collection of pitches that may be sounded simultaneously; it can
be interchangeable with words such as "chord" or "harmony".

Taper – diminish or reduce or cause to diminish or reduce in thickness toward one end.

Tempest – a violent windy storm.

Tenuto (ten.) - either hold the note in question its full length (or longer, with slight rubato), or
play the note slightly louder.

Recordings
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lv_lR8tDkAk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1dSUMJDonY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsKjNEGcTmc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHM7cYLTX_0&t=68s

Related Compositions
Stroope - https://www.jwpepper.com/I-Am-Not-Yours/10025942.item#/
Childs - https://www.jwpepper.com/3303477.item#/submit

25
 I Am Not Yours
By David C. Dickau

Jo-Michael Scheibe Choral Series

Walton Music Corporation
Medium Level, SATB

Morgan Higgins
11 – 12th Grade Mixed Choir
th

26
 Student Guide
Student Learning Goals
1. Students will learn about the history of “I Am Not Yours” and other Sara Teasdale
poems.
2. Students will learn about the composer, David C. Dickau.
3. Students will analyze the text and determine the meaning of the piece.
4. Students will relate their own experiences of love to what the author describes in the
poem.
5. Students will use solfege do identify intervals and pitch relationships.
6. Students will use proper diction when they are singing “I Am Not Yours.”
7. Students will learn about verse-refrain form and through-composed form.
8. Students will sing in quartets and evaluate each other using primarily constructive
criticism.
9. Students will complete self and peer evaluations and assessments throughout the unit.

About the composer…

Dr. David Dickau (b. 1953) is a choral conductor and

composer residing in Mankato, Minnesota where he
has been serving as Director of Choral Activities at
Minnesota State University, Mankato since 1991. As
a part of his duties, Dr. Dickau conducts the Concert
Choir and Chamber Singers and teaches conducting
and composition. He received the Distinguished
Faculty Scholar award from his university in 2008
and in 2012 was named by the student association as
the university’s “Teacher of the Year.”

Dr. Dickau holds advanced degrees in Choral Music

from Northwestern University (Evanston, IL) and the
University of Southern California (Los Angeles, CA.) He has taught choral music
on both the high school and collegiate levels and has conducted community and
church choirs. He also served for thirteen years as music director of Magnum
Chorum, a Twin Cities-based chamber choir.

David Dickau has been an active member of the American Choral Director's
Association, serving as a national Repertoire and Standards Chair from 1987 to
1991. He has appeared as a clinician at ACDA national and regional conferences

27
and has conducted several regional festivals. He also served a term as President of
ACDA of Minnesota. Dr. Dickau has performed at four national ACDA
conferences. His choirs have performed at regional conferences in Minneapolis,
Omaha and Madison.

Dr. Dickau’s published compositions appear in a number of catalogues. He has

filled commissions for choral festivals, colleges and universities, community
choirs, churches, and schools. Significant commissions have included “Dresden
Canticles,” composed in honor of the rebuilding of the Frauenkirche in Dresden,
Germany and “View from the Air” commissioned by the Charles and Anne
Morrow Lindbergh Foundation in honor of the seventieth anniversary of Charles
Lindbergh’s historic trans-Atlantic flight.

Additional Resources:
https://www.giamusic.com/store/artists/david-dickau
https://sbmp.com/ComposerPage.php?ComposerNum=53
http://www.pavanepublishing.com/site/29/
http://www.mnsu.edu/music/faculty/david_dickau.html

Score Analysis
Historical/Cultural Analysis
The text of this piece is Sara Teasdale’s “I Am Not Yours.” Sara Teasdale was born in St. Louis
Missouri in August 1884. She grew up in a wealthy family. She had poor health as a child, and as
such was home schooled until the age of 9. She began school at the Mary Institute in 1898 at age
10 but switched to Hosmer Hall only a year later. It was from there that she graduated in 1903.
From 1904-1907, she was a member of the Potters which was a group of female artists in their
late teens and early twenties who published a monthly artistic and literary magazine in St. Louis.
Teasdale’s first poem was published in a local newspaper in 1907 and her first collection of
poems was published later that same year. Her second collection of poems, published in 1911,
was well received by critics and was praised for its lyrical mastery and romantic subject matter.
From 1911-1914, Teasdale was courted by several men but eventually chose to marry Ernst
Filsinger on December 19th, 1914. After the success of her third poetry collection, published in
1915, she and Filsinger moved to New York City. In 1918, she won a Pulitzer Prize for her 1917
poetry collection, title Love Songs. Her husband constantly traveled for business which left
Teasdale extremely lonely. In 1929, she filed for divorce but only informed Filsinger at her
lawyer’s insistence. Needless to say, he was shocked. In 1933, she died by suicide, after
overdosing on sleeping pills.

Text

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“I Am Not Yours” is written in rhymed iambic tetrameter, meaning that the odd lines do not
rhyme but the even ones do. Tetrameter means there are four poetic feet per line, and iambic tells
you the lines are composed of iambs, which is a two-syllable foot composed of an unstressed
syllable followed by a stressed syllable. Teasdale uses a great deal of figurative language in the
poem, including simile, metaphor, and symbolism. “Lost as a candle lit at noon” (line 4), “Lost
as a snowflake in the sea” (line 5), and “lost as a light is lost in light” (line 8) are all similes that
Teasdale is using to show the degree of desire for closeness to this other person, her love (likely
Vachel Lindsay, with whom she was in love even throughout her marriage). The author also uses
the word “lost” to symbolize a deep, completely encapsulating love. The metaphor “swept by the
tempest of your love, a taper in a rushing wind” (lines 11-12) is similar to the use of simile,
another expression of the desire to be overwhelmed by love.

I am not yours, not lost in you,

Not lost, although I long to be
Lost as a candle lit at noon,
Lost as a snowflake in the sea.

You love me, and I find you still

A spirit beautiful and bright,
Yet I am I, who long to be
Lost as a light is lost in light.

Oh plunge me deep in love – put out

My senses, leave me deaf and blind,
Swept by the tempest of your love,
A taper in a rushing wind.

Rhythm
The piece is written in 4/4 time, with the quarter note at 56 bpm. Throughout the piece, Dickau
uses different rhythms to bring out different phrases in the text. The primary rhythmic element
throughout is the use of eighth notes and dotted eighth notes. The eighth notes and dotted eighth
notes are most common, likely due to how this lends itself to the text. The eighth notes and
dotted eighth notes repeat themselves in nearly every phrase. The rhythms repeat as frequently as
the text that they match. The use of syncopation brings the need to stress specific syllables in
order to create logical phrasing of the line. It is important to lift briefly after each dotted rhythm,
to create the desired emphasis on that syllable. The rhythm in the piano accompaniment is
straight in its entirety, using almost primarily eighth notes in the right hand. The accompaniment
almost never doubles the melodic line.

Examples of Rhythm:

29
Melody
Throughout the piece, the melody is mainly found in the soprano (S) part, though there are a few
areas where this differs. The piece begins in unison for two measures before handing off the
melody to the sopranos. They hold the melody for several pages. The melody is finally passed
off to the different parts on page nine, beginning with the basses but eventually moving through
all of the parts but altos. The song ends in unison, bringing the melody to a satisfying and
significant end. While the melody stays in the soprano line for most of the piece, it utilizes their
full range, making the piece very interesting to listen to and not repetitious at all, as the piece is
through-composed, following the poetry.

Harmony
The harmonies in this piece, generally, are extremely thick. Dickau uses harmonic language to
depict images of light throughout the piece. The recurring piano figure is joined by an
intensifying choral sonority that portrays light in both measures mm. 3-11 and mm. 20-28. The
choral sonorities in mm. 38, 39, and 47 also convey this image. Singing with clear intonation and
sans vibrato will be extremely important in this piece to keep the extremely thick chords clean
and allow for a shimmering effect. There are both consonances and dissonances, which are
usually brought out in accordance with the text. The key throughout is consistently D major, but
there are many points of dissonance and suspension to resolution, again when it suits the text.
The piece is primarily in SATB or SSAATTBB. SSAATTBB is seen in mm. 3-11 and mm. 20-
50. A less complex divisi of simply SATB only occurs from mm. 12-19 and mm. mm. 51-55.
The choir ends on the tonic, D, and the piano ends in a D major triad, resolving the ever-present
dissonance in the piece.

Form (Through-Composed, Text Based)

Section/Measure Key Text Conductors

Numbers Notes
Intro (mm. 1-2) D Piano Only Quarter = 56
A (mm. 3-11) D (SSAATTBB) Stagger breathe
O throughout the O
to keep the line
steady and full
B (mm. 12-19) D (SATB) Diction is crucial.
I am not yours, not lost in you Make sure that all
Not lost, although I long to be ending
Lost as a candle lit at noon consonants are
Lost as a snowflake in the sea together, and S is
not snakey.
A (mm. 20-28) D (SSAATTBB) Stagger breathe
O throughout the O

30
 to keep the line
steady and full
C (mm. 29-39) D (SSAATBB) Make sure
You love me, and I find you still quarter notes are
A spirit beautiful and bright, sung on off, push
Yet I am I, who long to be into dissonances
Lost as a light is lost, on “I” and “still,”
Lost as a light is lost, grow on each
(SSAATTBB) repeated phrase
Lost as a light is lost in light to the climax
D (mm. 40-47) D (SSAATTBB) The first part of
Oh plunge me deep in love, this is the climax
Put out My senses, leave me deaf of the piece –
and blind, LOVE IT. Start
Swept by the tempest of your to decrescendo on
love, “swept” and
A taper in a rushing wind continue to
“wind”
E (mm. 48-50) D (SSATTBB) Keep soft. Don’t
I am not yours, not lost in you lose entrances
I am not yours, not lost in you during women’s
held notes. The
men have to be in
tune at mm. 50.
This is a cappella.
F (mm. 51-end) D (SATB) Starts in unison
I am not yours, not lost in you and splits so start
Not lost, although I long to be softer. This is
very tender. End
on unison and
decrescendo.
Keeping in time
with piano for
ending chords.

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 Practice Guide
D Major Scale

Vocal Warm-Ups
1. DRMFSLTDTLSFMRD, DMRFMSFLSTLDTRD, DLTSLFSMFRMDRTD,
DDRDDRMRDDRMFMRDDRMFSFMRDDRMFSLSFMRDDRMFSLTLSFMRDDR
MFSLTDTLSFMRD
2. 1-121-12321-1234321-…. All the way in major up to 8
3. “I love to sing” DDSMD
4. “A soprano sings high” DDDMSDTDRDTLSFMRD
5. “I am an alto/basso” SDSDSDSMD
6. “Oh my gawd, Chandler Bing, ha ha ha” SSS MMM DDD

Write in the counts to the rhythm below:

Tap/clap this rhythm:

32
Write in the solfege for the following phrase:

Assessments

33
34
35
36
37
38
Unit Exam
Name_____________________________

1. What is the recurring theme of the poem “I Am Not Yours”? Answer in 2-3 complete
sentences.

2. Who wrote “I Am Not Yours” originally?

a. Emily Dickinson
b. Sylvia Plath
c. Sara Teasdale
d. William Wordsworth

3. What are the primary rhythmic elements used in the melody?

a. Whole notes
b. Quarter notes and half notes
c. Quarter notes and eighth notes
d. Eighth notes and dotted eighth notes

4. Using the staff below, write an example of the above melodic rhythm from
“I Am Not Yours.”

5. Label the dynamics and draw the sunrise above the phrase below:

Oh plunge me deep in love, put out my senses, leave me deaf and blind.

39
6. Write in solfege for the excerpts below.

7. Write one thing you learned through performing “I Am Not Yours?”

40
 Glossary
Dynamics – the variation in loudness between notes or phrases.

Rallentando (rall.) - a gradual decrease in speed similar to a that of a ritardando, but with more of
a rolling stop effect; a lazy deceleration of the tempo that seems to have less certainty and drama
than the ritardando.

Sonority - a generic term for a collection of pitches that may be sounded simultaneously; it can
be interchangeable with words such as "chord" or "harmony".

Taper – diminish or reduce or cause to diminish or reduce in thickness toward one end.

Tempest – a violent windy storm.

Tenuto (ten.) - either hold the note in question its full length (or longer, with slight rubato), or
play the note slightly louder.

41