ENSEMBLE REHEARSAL PLAN

Conductors Name: Zachary Gates Ensemble Name: Chorus

Title of Piece: Can You Hear
Composer/Arranger: Jim Papoulis Grade of Piece: HS (SATB)

Learning Goals: What singers will

Be able to do (behavioral): By the end of this lesson, students in Chorus will be able to
accurately and artistically perform the world-song influenced Can You Hear with a success
rate of 80%.

Understand (cognitive): By the end of this lesson, singers will interpret concepts pertaining to
balance, form, and mood through questioning, discussion, and the performance of Can You
Hear.

Encounter (experiential): By the end of this lesson, singers will experience singing an uplifting
song that peaks by use of form, key change, and dynamics, and performing in an ensemble.

Construct meaning (constructivist): As a result of this lesson, members of Chorus will realize
the importance of multiculturalism within single pieces of repertoire as well as the uplifting spirit
of music.

Technical Skills
(Intonation, Posture, Breath, Phonation, Balance, Diction)
Strong consonants for accents of text. Blend and balance as parts sing together. Good posture for
singing to ensure the proper tone for this piece as well as healthy breathing to ensure a healthy
non-screaming forte. Singing with tall Ah vowels. Intonation especially with intervals of a
minor 2
nd
.


Musical Concepts
(Melody, Rhythm, Harmony, Form, Timbre, Texture)
Thick texture being layered, and what that means in terms of strength within a vocal section.
During the sha oonamye section, focusing on the rhythm of a duple melody sounding within a
triple meter. Ostinato with rounded form, as well as translating the whole song to a different
section on wee. Traditional African timbre.


Empowering Musicianship
(Historical Perspective, Stylistic Integrity, Musical Artistry)

By learning to sing this piece, the members of the ensemble will apply their own understanding
of musical artistry to Can You Hear. In addition, with Can You Hear being a new piece,
students will explore the historical background of how pop, choral, and world music come
together in this selection.





Process

Partner: (Differentiate instruction by collaborating with ensemble members predicting the
performance challenges. Pose problems and brainstorm solutions together. Encourage singer to
respond.)

Students will work with each other to correct problems within a section, and to discuss
possible areas that could use fixing. In addition, students will be assigned to work together to
write in solfege for various portions of the piece.

Present: (Sequence of the rehearsal steps. Present the steps to scaffold and allow time for singer
to practice independent on their own. Differentiate instruction through questioning, clarifying,
summarizing, and connecting.)

1) The conductor will distribute copies of Can You Hear for Chorus to sing. Students will
chanting the rhythm of the sha-oonamayay section. Due to vowels in the text, students will
have to be corrected during this process to ensure the tallness of vowels and the accurate
handling of diphthongs.

2) Students will then learn the notes to this sha-oonamayay section by singing with the piano.
Each section will layer in their part and then use physical gestures to make sure they dont rush
the tempo and that the proper beats are accented.

3) The conductor will lead the Chorus in exploring changes in sound due to changes in gesture to
assist in having Chorus learn to watch the conductor, as well as achieve proper dynamics as they
relate to form and proper accents as they relate to musical style. This will help in working
towards a build-up feeling for the climax of Can You Hear.

4) Notes will be learned by trying to develop musical literacy within the chorus. Chorus does not
read music, but literacy is a goal. Therefore, directional singing will be encouraged for the
learning of multiple sections. Students will be tasked with singing the direction of the notes.
Making mistakes will be met with understanding, as Chorus needs to not be afraid of making
loud mistakes.

5) Students will practice singing through Can You Hear in a scrambled formation. Chorus is
primarily filled with students who have never sung in chorus before. This exercise will help in
the balance of the group as well as the listening skills of the singers. Lastly, it will reinforce the
importance of independence taking place during unity, as the singers will be separated from their
section.

6) Students will perform the Personalize section of the Lesson Plan for Can You Hear.


Personalize: (Make the learning personal to the players. Provide opportunities for ensemble
members and their conductor to collaborate as musicians to create a musical experience and add
value to their lives.)

Students will be assigned to go home and find relevant and current issues with children
that the song may have been written for. As this is an uplifting song, have the students possibly
find their own uplifting song and talk about what in the music makes it uplifting it to them ie.
lyrics, melody, harmonic progression, etc.

Perform: (Demonstrate teaching music when singers perform.)

The ensemble performs the piece, Can You Hear by Jim Papoulis at the EBHS Winter
Choral Concert.

Assessment

Formative: The singers will demonstrate their awareness of musical style as it relates to timbre,
texture, musical expression, mood, and meaning in daily choral rehearsals throughout the
semester. Through open discussion, partnering, and questioning techniques, the singers and
conductor will gain a better understanding of the importance of literary understanding and
gestural expression for musical integrity.

Summative: The singers will demonstrate their mastery of musical concepts as well as the
effects of stylistic understanding of musical expression by performing the piece Can You Hear
in concert.

Integrative: Teacher reflects on the following questions:

1. How did each step of the lesson contribute to students attempting to answer the focusing
question and demonstrate understanding of each goal?

2. In what ways did the engagement with the instruction and instructional content nurture a
change in perception on the part of the student and enable the student to answer the focusing
question?

3. What did student comments reveal that would help me improve future teaching of this topic?