Name: Angela Kinerk

Date: 9/30/14
Setting: 5th Grade General
Song Title:
Imperial March by John Williams
Materials:
Imperial March recording and speakers (ipod dock)
Glow Stick (Light Sabre) Batons (~20)
Image of John Williams
Concept Focus:
Phrase : A musical sentence
Prior knowledge assumed of Dynamics, Style, Steady Beat, Instrumental Timbre
John Williams
Standards:
READING:
Build comprehension and appreciation of literature, using knowledge of literary structure
and point of view.
Compare Phrase structure to Sentence structure
Build comprehension and appreciation of literature by connecting literary elements and
themes and analyzing how sensory tools impact meaning
Use conducting (sensory) to show understanding of phrasing
Singing

Playing

Moving

Improvising

Composing

Reading/Writing

Listening

Evaluating

Understanding

Objectives:
1. Students will identify and demonstrate a steady beat while listening to the piece.
2. READING: Students will apply their knowledge of written/spoken sentences to learning a
new musical vocabulary word - phrase.
3. Students will identify phrase endings and structural patterns (4-bar phrases).
4. After modeling from instructor, students will conduct the steady beat in a 4 pattern with
use of baton.
a. They will use expressive motions to indicate phrase endings
5. Students will learn about American composer John Williams

Procedure: (PLAQLE)
1. Sing Hello There song

2. Introduce self, write name on board.

3. Prepare:
a. Discussion about favorite movies. What is your favorite movie, and why? I like
movies for their soundtracks. We are going to listen to a piece by John Williams;
he was a conductor and composer of many famous movie soundtracks.
b. Discuss short background of John Williams (film scores, bio, American
composers)
i.
show image
c. Transition: Since youll all be composers soon, Im going to teach you a little
about conducting so you can be like John Williams. Then we will use that
conducting to learn about some beat patterns in this piece.
4. Listen: 0:00- 0:38
a. This piece is called Imperial March, see if you can guess what movie it is from.
b. Ask students to raise hand when/if they know what movie the piece is from. Stop
music at :38 or when all hands are raised.
c. What character from the movie does this song represent?
5. Listen: 0:00-0:48
a. Listen to more of the piece. Lets all be Darth Vader and march to the beat.
Teacher models and students stand and march the steady beat.
6. Activate/Listen: 0:00 - 1:06
a. Now were going to learn to be John Williams, instead of Darth Vader.
b. This song is in 4/4 meter. Review meter signatures
i.
What does the top number mean? The bottom number?
c. Hand out glow stick batons. Show them rest position - hands down at side.
d. Model and have students copy four-beat conducting pattern. (Stay standing)
e. Keep your conducting pattern going while listening to the piece. Make sure you
stay with the beat.
7. Question:
a. What are some things we can do to make our conducting pattern a little more
exciting? What changes in the music might make us want to change our
pattern? (The second half of the previous listening got a lot quieter.)
b. Pick one change for everyone to make (bigger beats, changed pattern, two
hands, etc.)
8. Listen: 0:00- 0:14+
a. Conduct alone with the music, changing pattern as discussed when the melody
comes in. (0:09)
b. Count how many measures/beats of intro there are.
c. Repeat this several times so they can identify correct spot and get a secure
count.
9. Question:
a. How did you know when to change your conducting?
b. What instrument or family of instruments was playing the melody? (horns/brass)
c. How many beats before the melody came in? (16) How many measures is that
in 4/4? (4)

10. Listen:0:00- 0:28 (first 3 phrases) 0:00 - 1:38+ for noticing phrase changes
a. This time do the same thing with your conducting, but keep going after the
melody.
b. Count and listen closely, does anything new happen after the next four
measures? (high brass enter)
i.
What happens? What new sounds do you hear?
c. Listen to more of the piece while you conduct, noticing changes every four
measures.
11. Question:
a. These four measure separations are a pattern in this piece. They are called
PHRASES.
b. Phrase = musical sentence.
i.
How do we know when a sentence is finished? (end makes sense, a new
sentence starts, etc.)
1. give examples of complete and incomplete sentences
ii.
We use similar methods to hear phrases in music.
1. Quiz on musical sentences - Play sections of music for students
and stop in middle of phrase or at the end of the phrase. Does
this sound like the end of a musical sentence or is it unfinished?
c. Just like sentences can be different lengths, so can phrases.
i.
How many beats are in a phrase in this piece? How many measures? (4)
ii.
Think back to when we conducted the melody
12. Evaluate: whole piece
a. What is one way we can change our conducting style? (choose different than
before)
b. Using the different types of conducting we talked about, conduct along with the
piece and change your conducting after every phrase.
i.
Ex: alternate large and small pattern
ii.
Listen: whole piece
Closure/Review:
1. READING: As a class, complete a modified version of KWL to review lesson concepts
and prepare for future lessons on John Williams. (What did you learn/already know
about him today, and what do you want to know?)
2. Today we learned about John Williams and this piece from Star Wars.
a. What can you tell me about John Williams?
i.
What country is he from?
ii.
What movies did he write for?
iii.
What is music in movies called? (soundtrack)
b. Is there anything more youd like to learn about him and his music?
c. What was the name of this piece? (Imperial March)
3. We also learned about phrases in music.
a. What was the definition of phrase? (musical sentence)
b. How long were the phrases in this piece?

c. How did you show different phrases in your conducting?

d. Allow students to reflect on conducting experience
4. March into line to music and exit class. (Students may keep glowsticks.)