Lesson Plan 6

Central Focus: Students will learn the theme and variation form present in Sketches on a Tudor Psalm, and
how it helps tell the overall story.
Illinois State Content Standards (large goals):
Standard 25.A.4: Analyze and evaluate the effective use of elements, principles and expressive qualities in a
composition/performance in dance, drama, music and visual arts
Standard 26.A.4d Music: Demonstrate the ability to read written notation for a vocal or instrumental part.
Specific Objectives [What will students do to demonstrate their understanding?
Affective Outcome: Students will be able to personally connect to the instances of obedience and defiance
in Sketches on a Tudor Psalm.
Knowledge Outcome: Students will understand how 16th century modal harmony works
Skill Outcome: Students will be able to analyze the music and find examples of 16 th century modal harmony
Materials: Sketches on a Tudor Psalm by Fisher Tull.
Sequence:
Est. Procedures Assessment
Time Formal: Listen to
answers and hear what
Ask students the same question at the beginning of class that you asked students have to say.
5 mins them at the end of the last rehearsal: Were the intense parts of Why Try to open up eyes if
Fumth in Fight any less beautiful than when God devises a plan? Open students say that
up a discussion. intensity is not
beautiful. Use the
5 mins Discuss the main aspect of the 16 th
century modal harmony: musica phrase hauntingly
ficta. Write it on the board A bass note on Bb with a Bb minor triad beautiful.
moving to a Bb major triad while the bass remains on Bb. Next, play it
on the piano. Ask students to describe how it sounds. Formal: guide answers
to tension and
10 Project the score on the board. Point out the beginning, when just the release.
mins harmony is playing before the alto sax solo. Show the class the bass line
holding a pitch while everyone else moves. Have students come up to
the white board and analyze the first 10 bars with a marker. After
discussing, have the whole class play these first 10 bars. After playing,
have the class sing. Make sure each student has a chance playing a Informal: look at the
different role in the chord. Designate certain sections to play the bass slips to make sure the
note, the fifth, as well as the changing quality of the third. Then switch students are correct
these sections around. After students have this sound in their ear, move
to the piano. Hand out happy face and sad face slips. Have the students
hold up a happy face if they hear a major chord, and a sad face if they
10 hear a minor chord. Play various different major and minor chords.
mins

Have the band play the first big tutti section of the piece measure 41-
67. After playing, discuss what the band thinks is happening in the story.

Formal: guide students

Ask students, Are you following the rules here or breaking them? The to the correct answer as
answer is following. Ask the students. Does that make this section they move along. The
beautiful? This is an opinion-based answer. Ask students, Are you tutti section is when
actually living in harmony with who you followed the rules with? man and God are
Students will probably not know what to say, so project the score up agreeing and working
onto the board. Have students go up and analyze the accompaniment together, after God
and bass line. There is still musica ficta, meaning that there is still devised a plan. The
tension and release. There is still tension even when everyone is living in whole band is playing
harmony. together and working
together, like God and
 Ask the class again, were the intense parts of Why Fumth in Fight any man.
less beautiful than when God devises a plan? Except now, I will answer
it. Sometimes, breaking the rules is bad. And sometimes, following the
rules is good. But sometimes, standing up for yourself is also good, even
if that means you break the rules. In this piece, every instance of the
melody has to be played with beauty. Every member in the ensemble
needs to stand up for him or herself and play their hearts out.
Emotionally connect!
Thoughts for next lessons: Students will create a theme and variations composition and will tell a story
with the variations!