Lesson Plan Template

Instructor: Brianne West

Subject: Choir
Grade Level: 7
Lesson Title: Musical Observation
Standard: Standard 1: Learn and develop the essential skills and meet technical demands
unique to dance, music, theatre/drama and visual arts
9-12 Benchmark 1C: Acquire beat and rhythmic competency skills
9-12 Benchmark 1D: Identify basic musical notation and symbols
Standard 3: Integrate understanding of visual and performing arts by seeking connections and
parallels among arts disciplines as well as other content areas
9-12 Benchmark 3A: Identify terms common to the various art forms
Standard 4: Demonstrate an understanding of the dynamics of the creative process
9-12 Benchmark 4B: Explain how music is created
Objective: Students will define (1) music terminology relevant to tempo, dynamics, melody,
and musical imagery and will learn to apply (2) this terminology to other musical elements they
have learned previously. Students will recognize (3) the relevance of these terms in comparison
(4) with a varied repertoire of music.

Beginning Anticipatory
Set
A
A

Level of Blooms: (1)(3) Knowledge/remembering, (2) Application/applying, (4)

Evaluation/evaluating
Materials/Technology Used: Students Writing utensil; Phone/tablet with application
capabilities; Paper for note-taking
Lesson School issued (for classroom use only) tablets with application capabilities, Theory
Lessons app by musictheory.net, Listening examples (media list attached)
Vocabulary: tempo, dynamics, forte, piano, mezzo, andante, allegro, moderato, ritardando,
crescendo, decrescendo, diminuendo, musical imagery, melody, harmony
Student characteristics: Grade 7; Choir is an inclusive class, meaning that high achieving, low
achieving, and special needs students are all included in one class. Therefore, there are varying
levels of achievement and understanding in each class of students.
Assessment: Students will be assessed in todays lesson through formative assessment,
checking for understanding, verbal and immediate feedback, and through personal experience.
Teaching-Learning Process
1. Gain student interest:
I will engage students for todays lesson by asking them to think of how their favorite
songs sound. This will get them thinking and will allow them to begin concepts of todays
lesson without even knowing it.
2. Access prior knowledge:
Students with prior knowledge of the content will be able to appreciate the concepts
covered in todays lesson.

Middle
Lesson Core
End Closure

3. At the beginning of class, I will ask students to think of their favorite music and how
it sounds. This is a great differentiation tool because all students have different
tastes in music.
4. I will then talk to students about tempo, dynamics, melody, and the other terminology
listed above. Students will then have the opportunity to break into groups and use the
app Theory Lessons on their smart phones or school tablets to explore all about
tempo, dynamics, and the vocabulary associated with each. This technology
integration tool allows for differentiation because the app allows students to use
visual aides to enhance learning, and it also allows students to work at their own
pace, catering to a varied level of experience and understanding.
5. In discovery, students will learn that tempo is the speed of music and dynamics are
the volume, or loudness, of music. They will learn that melody is the main musical
theme in a song and harmony is the supporting musical sounds. Musical imagery is
the images, pictures, story lines, emotions, or other forms of imagery that are evoked
or imagined after listening to specific music. Musical imagery is a great
differentiation tool because each students musical imagery is subjective and
depends on student interest and previous experience.
6. When students have had sufficient time to explore the concepts of the terminology, I
will ask them to put their smart phones/tablets away. I will then ask them to take out a
piece of paper and something to write with.
7. I will explain the assignment, in which students will listen to a variety of music, some
traditional/classical and some modern/popular. Students will be asked to analyze as
they listen to determine if the pieces/songs are fast, slow, loud, soft, etc. Students will
write down their response after each listening example. Students will also write down
any other musical observations they may have, including melodic themes, connection
to emotions, musical imagery, etc. This tool provides auditory technology tools and
is good for differentiation because students will relate to each piece of music in
different ways.
At the end of class, I will ask students to relate todays concepts back to other music they
may have heard or sung before. I will have students discuss in groups how they might use
musical observation outside of class, and I will have student reflect on how musical
observation enhances their musical learning. Both group collaboration and discussion
and reflection are differentiation tools. Group collaboration and discussion are great
for differentiation because they allow students to hear perspectives from other
students of differing interests and levels of content understanding. Reflection is also
great for differentiation because it is subjective among each individual student.

Assessment
(Evidence that the students met the objective.)

Assignment/
Student outcome

Wagner 2014

Students will have met the objective of the lesson if they are able to
define, or adequately describe, the terminology listed above. The
outcome of the lesson is successful if students are able to apply this
terminology to real live music and musical examples, and make
observations related to the concepts taught in todays lesson.

Media List for Listening Activity

As students listen, they should listen for the dynamic (soft and loud) and tempo (fast and
slow) elements present in each piece/song. Students will write down their observations
and responses for each piece/song. Students will also write down any other musical
observations they may have, including melodic themes, connection to emotions, musical
imagery, etc.
Classical Pieces:
Minuet in G Johann Sebastian Bach
Moonlight Sonata Ludwig van Beethoven
Theme from Swan Lake Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Maple Leaf Rag Scott Joplin
Rhapsody in Blue George Gershwin
Modern/Popular Songs:
Someone Like You Adele
Stay With Me Sam Smith
Fancy Iggy Azelea
Say Something A Great Big World
Let It Go from Disneys Frozen
Bright - Echosmith