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Lesson Plan 1 of 5: Elements of four-voice keyboard style writing

Todays lesson will familiarize students with a medieval style of polyphony called organum in
order to gain an appreciation both compositionally and historically for writing primarily in
parallel fourths and fifths. The lessons following will deal with these intervals from a later
historical viewpoint in which they are forbidden intervals and because of this lesson,
students will have a perspective on why this is the case.
Grade Level: 9-12
Type of Music Class: AP Music Theory
Number of Students: 15
Established Goals:
MU:Pr4.2.HSIII
Analyze how the elements of music (including form), and compositional techniques of selected
works relate to the style, function, and context, and explain and support the analysis and its
implications for rehearsal and performance.
MU:Re9.1.C.HSIII
Evaluate the effectiveness of the technical and expressive aspects of selected music and
performances, demonstrating understanding of theoretical concepts and
complex compositional techniques and procedures.
MU:Cn11.0.C.HSIII
Demonstrate understanding of relationships between music and the other arts, other
disciplines, varied contexts, and daily life.
MU:Cr3.2.C.HSIII
Share music through the use of notation, solo or group performance, or technology,
and demonstrate and explain how the elements of music, compositional techniques and
processes have been employed to realize expressive intent.
Enduring Understanding: The aesthetic principles of a given time reflect the values and beliefs
of the people who create art. These principles are sometimes formulated into guidelines or
rules, through which artists can more easily create works of art. When we listen to music of a
different era than our own, we are partly transported to a different time period, and can
experience the aesthetic principles of a time not our own.
Essential Questions: Can music express beliefs? Can the way music is constructed tell us
something about the values and beliefs of the people who wrote this music?
Musical concepts addressed: analysis of compositions, form, melody, counterpoint, harmony
Target Academic Language: melody, harmony, chant, contrary motion, parallel motion, perfect,
augmented, and diminished intervals

Social concepts addressed: the reflection of religious beliefs in works of art, the value of
aesthetic systems, the relationship between art and systems, such as rules
Materials: audio equipment, mp3 player, whiteboard and different colored erasable markers
(black, green, red, blue), printed handouts

Learning Plan
1. Intro and Exploration (7 minutes):
Class will begin with a listening example: Alleluia: Justus ut palma
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KR9xkGmUjIo, an example of the 12th century
organum technique from which polyphony evolved.
Students will be asked what emotional quality the music has and how it makes them
feel (Possible responses include: calm, peaceful, meditative, like Im in church, like I
am listening to another world).
Students will be asked to describe the features of the music that give rise to the
qualities they mentioned, and will be directed to pay particular attention to the
following attributes: vocal range, dynamic range, and the overall pacing of the music.
After listening to their responses, students will be asked what intervals they heard when
the voices sang in more parts than just at the unison.
List appropriate answers on the white board: perfect 4ths, perfect 5ths, octaves, and
unisons. These are the harmonies of the old harmonic style called organum.
Students will be posed the following question: If you wanted to write music like this,
how could you imitate it? The answer will be two part: first, you need a suitable basic
melody line, such as the chant melody line, and second, you will need to harmonize this
line with the intervals we have just listed on the board.
2. Analysis and Composition (10 minutes):
Give students a handout with a transcription of the Alleluia
Students will be given two minutes to analyze the organum on the handout. We will
immediately review the answers in class, to make sure that everyone has correctly
identified the intervals.
The students will then be given three minutes to compose their own organum
accompaniment to the chant line provided in the next example on the worksheet, and
they will have 3 minutes to do so. They will pick either a perfect fourth or fifth with
which to create their preliminary organum in exclusively parallel motion (students will
already be familiar with parallel, similar, and contrary motion from previous learning in
class).
The organum compositions will be played on the keyboard in class by the teacher (and
students comfortable with playing in front of their peers) so that the students can hear
their compositions and evaluate them. Attention will be paid closely to see and hear if
there are any intervals that are not perfect fourths, or fifths, with particular care to find

diminished fifths or augmented fourths, which look fine on paper but will sound peculiar
in the context of the perfect intervals. These intervals (B-F or F-B in the key of C) need
to be modified with accidentals (B-flat or F-sharp) in order to conform to organum style.
If any of these intervals are found, teacher will repeat the interval and ask the student
composer if the sound sticks out to their ear or disturbs the sound in the context of the
piece. This interval is forbidden in the organum style in which we are working, and the
prohibitions regarding the use of this interval are many, and have lasting historical
implications (which we will cover in a different unit) that remain central to the AP Music
Theory test. We will review our examples, and any students with faulty intervals will be
asked to think of how to fix this problem: there are two possible choices: first, to write
a different interval, and second, to add an accidental in order to modify the harmony.
This will lead us into a discussion of rules and aesthetics.
3. Class discussion (5 minutes):
Teacher will pose the question What are rules, and why do we have them? We have
many different types of rules that affect our lives in a variety of ways. What are they
for? Students will likely answer that we have rules so that society can function
properly, so that less accidents happen, so that we can know what is expected in some
situations.
The teacher will ask, Why do we have rules in art? Are they rules like the rules by
which society functions? The aim of this discussion is to connect rules with the
aesthetics of a given time, and that in art very often the rules are not rules at all (in the
sense of laws), but principles that help artists fulfill the aesthetic goals of their time,
often making this goal easier to reach.
4. Composition Practice (13 minutes):
Students will now be given 5 minutes to write another organum harmonization, this
time in a style with greater freedom: they may choose between any of the following
intervals: perfect fourths, fifths, octaves, and unisons, with one condition one rule if
they write an octave or a unison, the voices must move in opposite directions to
approach the interval: this movement is called contrary motion.
An example of correct writing will be demonstrated on the white board in class, as well
as two incorrect examples.
We will review their compositions at the keyboard, with emphasis paid to correct use of
intervals (no thirds, or sevenths, or sixths), correct handling perfect intervals and proper
use of accidentals to avoid diminished fifths or perfect fourths, and correct approach of
the octave from the previous tones, so that contrary motion is achieved.
5. Reflection and Assessment (5 minutes):
Listen again to the Alleluia: Justus ut palma, but now with the insight of having worked
in the style. Students will be asked to listen critically to the interval combinations again,
and will be able to more clearly hear them and the way that they are used than when
they heard the composition at the beginning of the class. After working with perfect

fourths and fifths, octaves, and unisons, students will be able to grasp the technical
features of this style with greater ease.
Assignment for homework: students will write their own harmonization of a chant,
beginning and ending on an octave or unison. This will make a kind of formal marker for
beginning and ending for their piece, and will be a third aesthetic rule for them to be on
the lookout for. They will have to plan their composition in order to achieve the unison
at the end, so long-range compositional planning begins to be an element of their
thinking in this style, though at a basic level

Lesson Plan 2 of 5: Elements of four-voice keyboard style writing


In this lesson students will be introduced to the basics of writing in keyboard style according to
the manner of J.S. Bach: we will be avoiding all the parallels of the previous lesson. The skills
introduced today will be developed over the next three lessons.
Grade Level: 9-12
Type of Music Class: AP Music Theory
Number of Students: 15
Established Goals:
MU:Pr4.2.HSIII
Analyze how the elements of music (including form), and compositional techniques of selected
works relate to the style, function, and context, and explain and support the analysis and its
implications for rehearsal and performance.
MU:Re9.1.C.HSIII
Evaluate the effectiveness of the technical and expressive aspects of selected music and
performances, demonstrating understanding of theoretical concepts and complex compositional
techniques and procedures.
MU:Cr3.2.C.HSIII
Share music through the use of notation, solo or group performance, or technology,
and demonstrate and explain how the elements of music, compositional techniques and processes
have been employed to realize expressive intent.
MU:Re8.1.C.HSII
Develop and support interpretations of varied works, demonstrating an understanding of the
composers intent by citing the use of elements of music (including form), compositional
techniques, and the style/genre and context of each work.
Enduring Understanding: As times change, aesthetics change, and the values and beliefs of a
new time may incorporate old values in new ways, causing the development of new forms. The
new age may also seek for a different aesthetic entirely, which can cause a new system of art to
be cultivated, and new aesthetic principles to be developed.
Essential Questions: What is the relationship between aesthetic principles and rules? What is
the purpose of having rules in art? Do we need rules, and if we end up breaking the rules, does
that mean they dont matter?
Musical concepts addressed: harmonization of a bass line, four-part harmony conceived in
keyboard style, contrary motion, avoidance of parallel fifths and octaves
Social concepts addressed: changing aesthetic systems and their relationship to the changing
world, how aesthetics reflect changing values and beliefs
Materials: audio equipment, mp3 player, whiteboard and different colored erasable markers
(black, green, red, blue), printed handouts

Learning Plan
1. Intro and Exploration (5 minutes):
The class will be invited to imagine that they are living in Leipzig in 1730, and are music
students: The local Kantor, who writes music that is a little strange and overly
complicated, is going to teach the young scholars the rudiments of accompanying the
small chamber orchestra on the harpsichord. The harpsichord is used for practically
every music event: it is always there, playing ever in the background, a continuous
plane of sound against which all other instruments are heard. It is a most necessary
element of the Baroque style, and good harpsichordists are always in short supply. The
Kantor one Johann Sebastian Bach is running late because of yet another
disagreement with the town council over his music, but he has invited me to instruct
you in the basics of keyboard style.
Before we begin instruction, we will listen to a two-minute excerpt from the following
piece by Bach, played on period instruments: J.S. Bach - Trio Sonata for Violin, Oboe and
Continuo in G-Major, BWV 1039 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gcrk_95epO4 The
students will hear how the harpsichord functions in the background, supporting the
violin and oboe continuously.

2. Introduction to Keyboard Style ( 5minutes):


Begin with the basic division of keyboard style: the left hand will take the bass note,
and the right hand will take a triad. Together this makes the four voices of a chorale,
but distributed in a way that is easy for the hands to play. For the purposes of AP
Theory, this is also an easy way to develop the skills of part writing.
The teacher will write a C major scale on the board in the Bass Clef, ascending towards
middle C. This will be harmonized in triads, also ascending (see handout). After playing
this on the keyboard, students will be asked if there are any parallel fifths, fourths, or
octaves. Students will identify the parts that contain parallels (fifths within the triad,
and octaves between the bass and the triad).
3. Class discussion on rules and the prohibition against parallel fifths and octaves. (7
minutes):
Remind students of yesterdays lesson: in the 8th and 9th centuries, and for quite some
time after that, parallel fourths, fifths, and octaves were not merely acceptable, they
were the style! The aesthetic of the medieval musician sought these sounds, and
delighted in the effects they produced. In 1730, however, things have changed and the
musicians did not want to sound like they were still writing music of the middle ages.
The Enlightenment was in full swing, after all! So a rule was made to avoid parallel fifths
and octaves, not because they were wrong, but because they made your style too old
(by a couple of centuries).
Ask class to again define what a rule is: are the rules we are talking about truly rules?
Students will begin to associate musical rules with aesthetic principles, and that these
aesthetic principals belong to a given historical period.

4. Introduction to Contrary Motion Harmonization ( 15 minutes):


There is an easy, simple way to avoid all of these parallel fifths and octaves: write the
parts in contrary motion. As our left hand plays an ascending scale, our right hand triads
will need to descend, so we will start quite high up in the soprano range so that we have
room to move on the keyboard, and we will begin to write out our chords this time in
contrary motion as opposed to parallel motion.
The teacher will write out the first position, and then the students will each have a turn
to write the next position of the chord, until we have finished the scale. Our focus will
be to write the next chord in contrary motion in its closest possible position to the chord
from which it proceeds. This will take students some time until they get the hang of it,
and there are several mistakes that should be watched out for: they may write the
chord in parallel and not contrary motion, they may write the wrong chord, or they may
write the chord in too low a position and lose smooth voice-leading. Each mistake will
be pointed out by the teacher, who will use questioning techniques in order to direct
the student and the class to the appropriate modifications. Their class will be called on
to provide help as needed, as a form of teacher-guided peer mentoring.
Teacher will provide students with a handout that demonstrates completed class
activity
5. Reflection and Assessment (8 minutes):
Students will be given a worksheet with a template for two more voicings of the
ascending C major scales. They are to complete the exercise two times more, but with a
different starting position of the first right hand triad. In this way, they will familiarize
themselves with each possible position of the triad, as there are three voices and thus
three possibilities.

Lesson Plan 3 of 5: Elements of writing cadences in keyboard style


The lesson today will build upon yesterdays application of contrary motion, here directed
towards creating cadences. We will also expand our technical view towards writing in similar
motion at the moment of cadence, and the class will conduct a listening experiment to explore
the difference between contrary and similar motion cadences.
Grade Level: 9-12
Type of Music Class: AP Music Theory
Number of Students: 15
Established Goals:
MU:Re8.1.C.HSII
Develop and support interpretations of varied works, demonstrating an understanding of the
composers intent by citing the use of elements of music (including form), compositional
techniques, and the style/genre and context of each work.
MU:Re9.1.C.HSIII
Evaluate the effectiveness of the technical and expressive aspects of selected music and
performances, demonstrating understanding of theoretical concepts and complex compositional
techniques and procedures.
MU:Cr3.2.C.HSIII
Share music through the use of notation, solo or group performance, or technology,
and demonstrate and explain how the elements of music, compositional techniques and processes
have been employed to realize expressive intent.
MU:Pr4.2.HSIII
Analyze how the elements of music (including form), and compositional techniques of selected
works relate to the style, function, and context, and explain and support the analysis and its
implications for rehearsal and performance.

Enduring Understanding: Composers use special formulations at important structural


moments in their pieces to denote a sense of arrival, completion, finality, or importance. These
moments often use structures called cadences, which have special considerations in relation to
the normal rules of an aesthetic system.
Essential Questions: How does the feeling of completion and finality in music exist, and how do
we create these sensations of completion?
Musical concepts addressed: cadence types: authentic, plagal, deceptive, leading tone
movement, contrary motion, similar motion, forbidden parallels, balance between different
rules
Social concepts addressed: Rules as they relate to art, the concept of breaking the rules, and
the justifications for breaking the rules. Also to be addressed is the concept of style: what is
style, how to we show our style, and what does it show about us.

Materials: audio equipment, mp3 player, whiteboard and different colored erasable markers
(black, green, red, blue), printed handouts
Learning Plan
1. Intro and Exploration (5 minutes):
Begin with a line of questions: when is it ok to break the rules? Ever? Never? Does this
change if you are talking about social rules or artistic/aesthetic rules? Is it ok to change
social rules? How do we change them? Why do we change them? What about rules in
art? Do we ever change them? Or break them on purpose? Why do we do this? The
purpose of this discussion will be to involve students in a thought process that we will
tap into later in class. A variety of answers is possible to any of these questions: Yes, it
is alright to break the rules, if the rules are bad ones or Sometimes we change the
rules to reflect changes in society that the rules didnt keep up with or Rules in art are
different: they arent really rules, so it is ok to break them or Rules in art can change
often, as people change their tastes.

2. Introduction to writing cadences in keyboard style ( 10 minutes):


Apply the rules of contrary motion to writing authentic cadences. The students already
know what an authentic cadence is from their earlier studies in the class (they know
authentic, plagal, and deceptive cadences).
Pass out handout with bass line for following activity with G-C ascending sequences.
A simple bass part will be written out on the board from G to C ascending, and we will
write out the three different voicings of the g-triad to c-triad realizations of the bass line
in contrary motion.
Students will be called on to name the position and notes of the triads to be realized
according to the bass note.
Play examples on the keyboard, and with critical ears we will pick out the cadence that
has the strongest feeling of resolution, as well as the cadence that has the weakest
feeling of resolution. It is expected that the students will pick out the chord with the bnatural in the soprano voice as the weakest sounding cadence, though possibly without
understanding why.

3. Class discussion on rules. (10 minutes):


One of the triads will have a b-natural as its soprano voice, which will resolve, according
to the rules of contrary motion, to the g below. Students will be asked what degree of
the scale this B belongs to, and they will all know that it is the 7th degree of the scale.
Students will be asked to give an alternate name for the 7th degree of the scale, which
they will identify as the leading tone.
Return to our discussion at the beginning of class about rules, because here we have a
situation in which there are multiple considerations that have to be balanced against

each other. The note b serves as a leading tone to c, and the sense of pull towards c
that it has ultimately overwhelms our considerations for contrary motion. There are no
parallel octaves, even though we are going in similar motion, and so composers of the
time accepted this motion for this cadence.
Write out, in similar motion, the alternate versions for the other cadences, leaving us
with 6 cadence possibilities. We will follow the same procedure as in section 2 of this
lesson plan, with students naming the notes and position of the new triads, now in
similar motion with regard to the bass.
Students who have not yet responded in section 2 will be called on for the above
exercise.

4. Critical Listening and discussion of personal style (10 minutes)


Teacher will play the six possibilities of cadence resolutions. Each cadence will be
identified on the board, and then played, so that students can see and hear the
cadence, and in this way they will be able to compare all six cadences.
The students will then be directed to write down their two favorite cadences, or the two
they feel are the strongest, as well as their choice of the two weakest cadences.
We will go around the room and share our choices, making a tally on the board. Then
we will discuss the implications of these choices for composers as they relate to
personal style.
5. Reflection and assessment (8 minutes):
Students will be asked to define style, and give examples of how style comes into play in
their daily lives. Through what types of things do the students display style? Students
will answer regarding their choice of clothing, hair style, and similar public displays of
style. Students will be asked to tell what these style choices say about themselves, and
why humans display style.
Students will be asked to name musical choices they can make within the rules of theory
we have been working with in order to exhibit their sense of musical style.
Students will identify that their choice of cadential voicing is can come down to personal
choice, as more than one option can be possible. The teacher will guide them in this
discussion by asking them to define their cadences by contrary or similar motion, and by
what voice of the triad they want to hear in the top voice of their tonic triad.
Hand out cadence worksheet for homework

Lesson Plan 4 of 5: Elements of four-voice keyboard style writing


This fourth lesson will take the skills developed in the previous two lessons and apply them
towards writing in a style closer to chorale style, yet still from a keyboard style layout.
Grade Level: 9-12
Type of Music Class: AP Music Theory
Number of Students: 15
Established Goals:
MU:Pr4.2.HSIII
Analyze how the elements of music (including form), and compositional techniques of selected
works relate to the style, function, and context, and explain and support the analysis and its
implications for rehearsal and performance.
MU:Cn11.0.C.HSIII
Demonstrate understanding of relationships between music and the other arts, other
disciplines, varied contexts, and daily life.
MU:Cr3.2.C.HSIII
Share music through the use of notation, solo or group performance, or technology,
and demonstrate and explain how the elements of music, compositional techniques and processes
have been employed to realize expressive intent.
MU:Re8.1.C.HSII
Develop and support interpretations of varied works, demonstrating an understanding of the
composers intent by citing the use of elements of music (including form), compositional
techniques, and the style/genre and context of each work.

Enduring Understanding: Composers use a variety of tools and methods in order to create
works of art. A composer trains in several different techniques which are used together, with a
balance of each technique that relates to and reinforces the meaning of the form of the work.
Essential Questions: How are techniques of music (such as writing in contrary motion, avoiding
forbidden parallels, and writing cadences) synthesized into larger structural and artistic forms?
Musical concepts addressed: figured bass line, chorale harmonization and realization,
cadences as structural organizers, common tone motion
Social concepts addressed: Congregational singing and the difference between chant style and
chorale style, and the change in the system of religious belief and social order that creates and
accompanies a change in artistic and musical style.
Materials: audio equipment, mp3 player, whiteboard and different colored erasable markers
(black, green, red, blue), printed handouts
Learning Plan

1. Intro and Exploration (5 minutes):


The class will open by listening to the chorale O Ewigkeit, du Donnerwort (BWV 20) by
Bach (from teachers personal CD collection)
Comment on the salient features of this choral with particular attention to cadences:
this particular choral is rich in authentic cadences, and comes to full stops using these
cadences frequently.
2. Realizing a Chorale figured bass line ( 15 minutes):
Pass out instructional material for chorale exercise. The major focus of the day will be
writing a chorale-like realization of a bass line in keyboard style that the teacher has
provided for the students on the board.
Comment on the figured bass notation of 6/4 and 7 (The class has already a basic
familiarity with figured bass realization) and review so that all students are prepared to
complete activity.
The teacher will write the first chord position of the realization to begin the voicing in an
appropriate register, and will pass the marker along to the class. As we complete this
class activity, students will be writing out our realization onto their worksheet. Each
person in the class will write a triadic realization of one bass note, and we will discuss
their choice, analyzing it for contrary motion, avoidance of parallel fifths and octaves,
and relaxing the rules at appropriate moments: for example, at a cadence in order to
allow a leading tone to find the tonic note.
The teacher will ask the class for comments and reactions to choice of the student,
where appropriate, in order to reinforce the concepts of contrary motion, and the
balance between the goals of contrary motion, cadences, and avoidance of forbidden
parallels.
After the student has written their triad and we have discussed it and are satisfied with
the choice, the student will choose another student to give the marker to, who will then
come up and repeat the process. In this way, the students will model for each other
different ways of approaching realization.
3. Class discussion on rules. (15 minutes):
At key moments in the chorale realization, we will elaborate on reasons for relaxing the
rules, emphasizing again that rules are artistic principles of a given time period that
serve to help composers of that time period write the music that they want with greater
ease and facility. The key moments for this discussion to occur will be nested within the
context of activity 2, realizing a chorale figured bass line, so as to highlight our choices of
triadic realization at key moments. For instance, when the moments of authentic
cadence occur, we may be in a position (depending on the previous decisions of the
class) to write in similar motion to create a cadence with a leading tone that moves to
tonic, which relaxes the contrary motion principle we have been working with during
this unit.
4. Assessment:

Students will be given a bass line similar to the one realized in class to do for a
homework assignment. This bass line will be only two stanzas rather than the three for
class, and will contain the two unusual bass indications featured in class: the 6/4 chord
and the 7th chord, in order to reinforce developing mastery of these figures.

Lesson Plan 5 of 5: Elements of four-voice keyboard style writing


Today the students will work together in groups and give presentations on problematic
examples of cadences. All of the skills that we have developed in this lesson will be called in to
play, and students will have the opportunity to develop the critical skills necessary to evaluate
their own creative work.
Grade Level: 9-12
Type of Music Class: AP Music Theory
Number of Students: 15
Established Goals:
MU:Pr4.2.HSIII
Analyze how the elements of music (including form), and compositional techniques of selected
works relate to the style, function, and context, and explain and support the analysis and its
implications for rehearsal and performance.
MU:Re9.1.C.HSIII
Evaluate the effectiveness of the technical and expressive aspects of selected music and
performances, demonstrating understanding of theoretical concepts and complex compositional
techniques and procedures.
MU:Cr3.2.C.HSIII
Share music through the use of notation, solo or group performance, or technology,
and demonstrate and explain how the elements of music, compositional techniques and processes
have been employed to realize expressive intent.
MU:Re8.1.C.HSII
Develop and support interpretations of varied works, demonstrating an understanding of the
composers intent by citing the use of elements of music (including form), compositional
techniques, and the style/genre and context of each work.

Enduring Understanding: There is a balance between aesthetics and rules and art, and the way
in which we approach solving the problem of this balance is closely related to the creation of
our own unique musical style. Depending on the time period, and thus the aesthetic a
composer is interested in, different solutions are created to fundamental artistic problems,
such as creating the sense of completion and finality at a structural point.
Essential Questions: How do we create musical style? How does the solving of artistic
problems give us an opportunity to develop our own musical style?
Musical concepts addressed: contrary motion, similar motion, forbidden parallels, figured
bass, common-tone motion, accidentals, cadence styles
Social concepts addressed: Style is a feature of artistic work that is related to how we see the
aesthetics of our own time. The specific details of our solutions to general artistic problems are
what give our music a sense of personal style.

Materials: audio equipment, mp3 player, whiteboard and different colored erasable markers
(black, green, red, blue), printed handouts
Learning Plan
1. Intro and Exploration (5 minutes):
As part of the AP Theory exam, students will have to identify examples of writing
containing mistakes. In order to develop this skill, the teacher will present students with
a worksheet of cadence realizations in keyboard style that contains different types of
errors.
Review the types of errors we will be looking for on the worksheet: parallel fifths and
octaves, wrong intervals, too large leaps, similar motion leading to a perfect interval
(fifth or octave) in the outer voices, and missing accidentals.
2. Group Work (10 minutes):
Students will be directed to form groups of three.
Each group will be assigned one particular example from the worksheet to analyze for
mistakes. Students will identify what the mistake or mistakes are in their example, and
will provide the solution, as well as identify the principle by which the solution is made
(for example, contrary motion).
Teacher will visit each group to check for questions and to encourage students, as well
as to make sure that all groups are focused and on task.
Groups who finish their problem within the ten minutes will be directed to a new
example to solve.
3. Presentations (20 minutes):
Students will present their findings and solutions group by group on the board. Each
group will be called, one at a time, to do a mini-lesson for the class on their particular
segment of the worksheet. For each group, students will identify problems, label the
correct cadence type, and give their solution.
Teacher will facilitate student presentation, making sure that students have correctly
identified all problems, and when necessary guiding students to find correct solutions.
Some problems have multiple mistakes, such as parallel octaves and incorrect figured
bass realization, and students must perceive both.
Group presentations should be encouraging, and after each group covers their material
completely, teacher will lead class in a round of applause for the students (unless
students start applause spontaneously, which is quite possible with this encouraging
and supportive group).
4. Assessment:
This is the final lesson in this unit, and students will be asked to write a short essay of
600-800 words with the following prompt: What is the purpose of learning the rules of

western classical music theory? What tools, skills, and awareness do you gain by
studying these rules? Are these rules truly rules?

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