Amanda Gardier Lesson Plan: Atlantis by Anne McGinty Terms and Definitions: Mezzo Forte: Medium loud.

. Motif: A reoccurring musical statement that appears throughout the piece. Objectives: As a result of this rehearsal, students will be able to: Aurally identify excerpts of a melody. Maintain a consistent performance and stylistic interpretation of a melody including dynamics, articulation, and overall phrasingacross the entire ensemble. Standards: National Standard for Music Education: Performing on instruments, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music. (NS2) Listening to, analyzing, and describing music. (NS6) Evaluating music and music performances. (NS7) Materials: Podium Baton Procedure: 1. Ask the ensemble to play and sustain a concert F at a mezzo forte dynamic. If the ensemble does not achieve a rich, mezzo forte concert F, provide feedback and cue the note again until the ensemble achieves the desired tone quality. If students are not familiar with the term mezzo forte, explain that it means medium loud. 2. Tell the ensemble that you will cue a concert F again, but that you will periodically ask particular instruments to cut out. The ensemble must maintain a consistent dynamic and tone quality, which means that some instruments may have to play louder when others stop playing. 3. Cue a concert F. Once a mezzo forte dynamic is achieved, ask for the trumpets and trombones to stop playing. If the concert F sounds softer, use a nonverbal hand signals to cue the rest of the ensemble to play louder. 4. If the ensemble reaches/maintains the mezzo forte dynamic, tell the woodwinds to stop playing and ask for the brass section to play. Use nonverbal hand signals to cue the brass to play louder or softer to maintain the mezzo forte dynamic. 5. Reverse the roles and ask only the woodwinds to play. Use nonverbal hand signals to cue the woodwinds to play louder or softer to maintain the mezzo forte dynamic. 6. Ask only the tubas to play. Use nonverbal hand signals to cue more or less sound.

7. Ask only the clarinets to play. Use nonverbal hand signals to cue more or less sound. 8. After cutting off the clarinets, ask the ensemble what adjustments had to be made in order to maintain the mezzo forte dynamic the entire time? Is a full-ensemble mezzo forte the same as a clarinet mezzo forte? 9. If the students do not provide the response, explain that the full-ensemble blowing a mezzo forte will always be louder than any smaller instrument combination if they are using the same amount of air. To maintain the loudness and richness of the full-ensemble sound, students must play louder when some instruments drop out. 10. Tell the students that this skill will come in handy when rehearsing Atlantis. Ask the students to take Atlantis out of their music folders. 11. First, ask just the trumpets to play from measure 12 to measure 20. Conduct at about 110 bpm. 12. Tell the ensemble the trumpets just played the basic melody of the piece. The rest of the song is structured around that basic motif. Explain that a motif is a reoccurring musical statement that appears throughout the piece. 13. Next, ask the ensemble to find measure 37. 14. Ask the ensemble to play from measure 37 to measure 45. Tell the ensemble to listen closely for the melody and warn them that it bounces around between instruments. 15. Conduct the ensemble through this section at about 110 bpm. 16. Ask the students to raise their hand if they think they are playing part of the melody in measure 37. Only the trumpets should raise their hands. Ask the students the same question for each measure (37-45). Per measure, it should be trumpets (m. 37); low brass and low woodwinds (m. 38); clarinets and flutes (m. 39); trumpets (m. 40); trumpets, alto saxophones, and French horns (m. 41); everyone (m. 42); trumpets (m. 43); low brass and low woodwinds (m. 44). 17. Tell students that they will play through the section again, but ask them to only play when they have part of the melody. Tell students to mimic the articulation and dynamics of the instruments that play before them. The objective is for the melody to sound consistent and smooth as if one instrument were playing it the entire time. 18. Conduct the ensemble from measure 37 to measure 45. Cue each instrument when they have part of the melody. 19. If the dynamics and articulation are not consistent, provide feedback for each instrument section as necessary. Play the section again in the same style. 20. Once the playing style sounds more consistent, ask the full ensemble to play measure 37-45 together again. Conduct the ensemble from measure 37 to measure 45. If needed, provide feedback regarding the accompaniment, remind them that they are supporting the melody and not drowning it out. 21. If time allows, ask the ensemble to find measure 20. Ask the entire ensemble to play and conduct the ensemble from measure 20 to measure 29. 22. Ask students who plays the melody in measures 20 and 21. The clarinets, alto saxophones, and trumpets should raise their hands. Ask who plays the melody in measures 22 and 23. The flutes, alto saxophones, and trumpets should raise their

hands. Ask who plays the melody in measures 24-28. The trumpets should raise their hands. Tell the low brass and low woodwinds to bring out their part in measure 23 and tell saxophones to bring out their part in measures 27 and 28. 23. Ask students to only play when they have the melody, and conduct the ensemble from measure 20 to measure 29. 24. Ask students what is different in this section compared to measure 37-45. 25. If the students do not provide the response, explain that larger groups of instruments play the melody together in measures 20-24. Ask students who this impacts their personal dynamics. 26. Ask the full ensemble to play measure 20-29 and conduct the ensemble through the section. 27. Ask the low brass and low woodwinds if they thought that the melody sounded consistent in this section. 28. Provide feedback and rehearse the section again if necessary. 29. Although the low brass and low woodwinds do not play the actual melody in measure 23, ask them to bring their part out in that measure. Assignment: Ask students to mark their musicwith pencilevery time they play part of the melody. Assessment: Informal Assessments: Ask students to identify where they play part of the melody. Observe whether or not students make the appropriate dynamic and articulation adjustments so that the melody is consistent. Ask students to analyze the differences between measures 20-29 and measures 37-45. Ask students to evaluate the consistency of the melody.