Lesson Plan, Rhythm, Improvisation:

Instructional Goals:

· Students will compose a 4-bar rhythmic example for African drums in ¾ time.

· Students will play African drum rhythm examples.

· Students will count-sing the rhythm of the piece on a single pitch with 90% accuracy in groups of 6-8 students (by part).

Prior Knowledge & Skills Expectations: Students will already have received the vocabulary list and info sheet about the piece. Students will also be able to use African drums to simulate rhythms in piece or composed by students. Students will also have prior experience in count-singing so it will not be explained in the lesson.

Standards Addressed in Lesson:

1. Singing, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music.
2. Performing on instruments, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music.

4. Composing and arranging music within specified guidelines.

5. Reading and notating music.

Instructional materials, resources, & Technology: African Drums, musical score, piano, prepared blank sheet music strips.

Modifications/Accommodations needed: If any students have visual needs, large-print music will be provided. Alternative instruments will be provided for students with any physical disabilities.

Warm-up: skill focus – play rhythms together conceptual focus - rhythm

Intro: “Today we will focus on the rhythmic importance in “Die Nachtigall.” Let’s warm-up our minds by doing some clapping rhythm exercises.”

Teacher improvises rhythms in 4/4, 3/4, and 2/4 time. Students repeat. Students then go around the room creating a rhythm in 3/4 time with their first name.

· Anticipated student difficulties: Improvisation with name might be difficult, possibly shy at first, and be sure to use your own name as an example.

· Anticipated achievement goals and planned assessment: The students will be assessed of their rhythmic capabilities from the name improvisation going around the room.

Selection: Rhythmic compositions skill focus - ensemble rhythms conceptual focus - rhythm

Students will receive slips of staff paper with bar lines creating a 4-bar single score pre-marked in ¾ time. Students will then receive 2 minutes to create a rhythmic composition with eighth, quarter, half, dotted quarter, and dotted half notes. They will then be randomly assigned to groups of 4 and practice their two compositions together to reinforce ensemble playing with rhythms that are the same and different.

After practicing, the groups of 4 will perform their compositions to the classroom on African drums. This will help the students not only create their own rhythmic compositions, but use their ensemble listening skills for “Die Nachtigall.”

· Anticipated student difficulties: Some students might find it difficult to work in groups. Others might find it difficult to concentrate during the composition time and so the teacher must walk around the room checking on student progress during this time.

· Anticipated achievement goals and planned assessment: The students will be assessed through the teacher walking around the room during the composition section and during the in-class composition group performance.

Selection: “Die Nachtigall” Mm. 17-24 (B section), & mm. 38-end. skill focus - ensemble rhythms conceptual focus - rhythm

A transition from clapping/drum rhythmic activities will be clapping the first 12 measures of the soprano line of the piece. Then move to the middle section of piece for the rhythmic activity applying to the music. “The beginning of the piece is homorhythmic, which you know from your vocabulary sheets means the parts are singing different notes, but the same rhythm. However, the middle section is different and so we are going to explore those rhythms through count-singing.”

Students and teachers will work together to count-sing, the soprano part first, then all 4 parts separately to understand their entrances and rhythmic differences in the middle section of the piece.

The same will be done for the end of the piece. Except first the alto and tenor parts will be count-sung by the entire ensemble before all 4 separate parts are count-sung.

· Anticipated student difficulties: Students may struggle with count-singing their parts all together and so each section is presented with one or two similar lines for the entire ensemble.

· Anticipated achievement goals and planned assessment: The students will be informally assessed through the count-singing activity in separate parts through the teacher’s listening.

Ending Statements: “Now we have a better understanding of rhythm in general and how it applies to the middle section of “Die Nachtigall.” In the next class we will explore the cultural and historical influence upon “Die Nachtigall.”