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Unit Curriculum Project

Mary Yong

“Still, Still, Still”

Arranged by: Joyce Eilers Bacak

Table of Contents
Literature Spec Sheet …………………………………………………….. 2

Study Guide ………………………………………………………………. 3

Primary Learning Goals ………………………………………………….. 4

Weekly Progress Plan …………………………………………………….. 5

Assessment Strategies and Instrument …………………………………….7

Related Reading …………………………………………………………..10

Lesson Plan ……………………………………………………………….15

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Literature Spec Sheet

Title: Still, Still, Still

Composer: N/A (Folk Song)
Arranger: Joyce Eilers Bacak

Publisher: Jenson Publications Inc

Publication Date: 1988
Publication ID: 40219170
Voicing: 3 Part Mixed
Accompaniment: Optional Flute or A Cappella
Solos: N/A
Language: English
Occasion: Holiday Concert

Voice Ranges: I: B4 - C4 II: A3 - E4 III: F3 - C4

Concepts: crescendo/decrescendo, dynamics, a cappella, ritardando

Skills: keeping vowel shape throughout pitches, phrasing, good diction
Potential Problems: keeping pitch singing a cappella, phrasing, rhythm
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Study Guide for Still Still Still

Title: Still, Still, Still

Composer: N/A (Folk Song)
Arranger: Joyce Eilers Bacak
Voicing: 3 Part Mixed
Background/Historical Context: Still, Still, Still was originally an Austrian Christmas Carol
that was seen first in a folksong collection of Vinzenz Maria Süß in 1865. The text tells the
story of Mother Mary peacefully singing baby Jesus to sleep. The text has been translated
many times and has changed quite a bit throughout. The standard German version of the text is
given credit to Georg Götsch (1895-1956). Joyce Eilers Bacak is a nationally top choral
composer and arranged Still Still Still in 1988.

Terms:
A Capella: singing without instrumental accompaniment
Crescendo (cresc): to grow louder in sound

Ritardano (rit): gradually slowing down

Diminuendo: tempo marking, diminishing in sound; gradual decrease in sound
Decrescendo: play/sing gradually more softly

Dynamics: how quietly or loudly a piece of music should be played/sung

Folk song: a song that has no known composer due to being passed down orally, reflects
a type of culture
Tonic: central note of song and the first note of the scale
Major Triad: chord with a root, major 3rd and perfect fifth. (Do, Mi, Sol)
Legato: smooth and continuous motion between notes
Skills:
1) A Capella singing: to sing without an instrumental accompaniment for support
2) Legato singing: to sing/play notes smoothly and connected; notes are often slurred (mm
37 flute part)
3) Diction: singing with proper vowel/consonant placement so that each word can be
correctly heard
4) Breath support: Properly engaging the lower abdominal/back area, expanding
ribs/sternum when breathing in/out for singing
5) Vocal resonance: intensity/quality of the tone you hear when you sing or speak
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Primary Learning Goals

Students will be able to:

● Perform Still Still Still a capella and expressivly, with proper diction, legato, breath
support and vocal resonance (INAS7)
● Accurately demonstrate/define all terms on the study guide (INAS5)
● Demonstrate proper/improved vowel placement (INAS7)
● Demonstrate proper vocal resonance; head, chest and mixed voice (INAS7)
● Listen to a recording of themselves and find troubled areas/mistakes (INAS5)
● Reflect on personal experience of concert and singing Still Still Still (INAS1)
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Weekly Progress Plans

Week 1
mm 5-16 in sectionals/together on solfege
Discuss definition of a capella singing and major triad/tonic
‘What's the Tonic? Who has what part of the major triad?’
Week 2
Review mm 5-16 on solfege and then speak text in rhythm
Discuss proper diction when singing English text
Perform mm 5-16 on text together and mm 21 to 32
Review proper diction and flow of text
Week 3
Sing through mm 5-32, practice then define a ritardando
Correct and have students demonstrate improved vocal resonance
Define vocal resonance and parts of the body that produce resonance

Week 4
Sing mm 32 to end
Review proper diction/vocal resonance
Discuss parts of piece where mixed voice/head voice are

Week 5
Run piece from beginning to end, going over any troubled areas
Remind students that we will be recording the piece for next week to review (from
memory)
Have students demonstrate proper breath support/phrasing
Discuss/define and perform dynamics, crescendo, decrescendo and diminuendo
Week 6
Review all skills/terms that relate to Still Still Still
Perform/Record Still Still Still and listen to recording
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Have students submit an exit card describing 3 things that were done well and 3 things
that need to be improved (Must use at least 3 terms discussed in class!)
Week 7
Review Study Guide for upcoming Quiz
Point out terms from Study Guide that are in Still Still Still
Perform Still Still Still correcting troubled spots and terms
Week 8
Perform Still Still Still from memory
Take Quiz
Week 9
Run Still Still Still from memory
Practice transitions for upcoming Fall Concert
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Assessment Strategies and Instruments

Choral Literature Quiz: Accurately demonstrate/define all terms on the study guide
(INAS5)

Choral Literature Quiz

“Still,Still,Still” (Answer Sheet)

1) Who is the composer of Still, Still, Still?

It is a Folk Song so no known composer
2) Define A cappella singing
singing without instrumental accompaniment
3) Draw, label, and define a crescendo and decrescendo
Crescendo: to grow louder in sound

Decrescendo: to gradually become more soft in sound

4) Define the term tonic. What is the tonic of Still Still Still? (Hint: The piece is in C
Major)
central note of song and the first note of the scale; the tonic is C

5) Define Legato
smooth and continuous motion between notes
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Choral Skill/Vocal Skill Assessment: Perform Still Still Still a capella and expressivly, with proper diction, legato,
breath support and vocal resonance (INAS7) Demonstrate proper/improved vowel placement (INAS7) Demonstrate
proper vocal resonance; head, chest and mixed voice (INAS7)

Choral Skills Rubric

Performance Task: Students will individually perform measures 5-32 of Still, Still, Still a capella and expressly, with
proper diction, legato, breath support and vocal resonance
*Anything marked as Unsatisfactory must set up a time to work with me*
Total Points: 50

Unsatisfactory Basic Proficient Distinguished

6-0 points 7 points 9-8 points 10 points

Pitch Accuracy Student did not Student sang with Student sang with Student sang with
perform with several inaccurate 1-2 pitch mistakes accurate pitch
accurate pitch pitches but for the but able to overall throughout
most part was able sing accurately and
to correct correct mistakes
themselves/hear
mistakes

Rhythm Student was unable Student sang with Student sang with Student sang with
Accuracy to grasp a sense of several rhythmic 1-2 rhythm mistakes accurate rhythm
tempo or perform mistakes but was but able to overall throughout
any accurate rhythm able to correct/hear accurately and
errors correct mistakes

Breath Student was unable Student sang with a Student was able to Student
Support/Tone to demonstrate breathy tone and mostly demonstrate demonstrated proper
proper breath inaccurate breath proper breath breath support and
Quality support and support more than support/tone quality. resonated well due
displayed a breathy proper/quality tone. Minor corrections to support.
tone. Did not Was able to take were made that Demonstrated
understand how to corrections and student was head/mix/chest
use head/mix/chest successfully able to successfully able to voice when
voice and was apply apply appropriate
unable to apply
corrections

Diction & Student was unable Sang with several Student sang with 1-2 Student sang with
to sing with errors with unclear errors but was able to clear/crisp
Articulation correct them later in
clear/crisp consonants and consonants and
consonants and inaccurate vowel the section. Able to tall/open vowels
understand text for the
tall/open vowels. shapes. Eventually most part
shaped
Can not understand was able to correct appropriately
text mistakes after given Able to understand
corrections text perfectly

Expression unable to Several phrasing Minor phrasing and Performed all

demonstrate and dynamic issues dynamic issues that dynamics and
dynamics and that were only were able to be phrasing accurately
phrasing accurately somewhat corrected corrected later in as instructed and
as instructed/intext later in section section shown in text
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Concert Reflection: Listen to a recording of themselves and find troubled areas/mistakes

(INAS5) Reflect on personal experience of concert and singing Still Still Still (INAS1)

After watching a recording of the Concert, write at least a 2 page reflection on the Fall Concert

Make sure to Include the following in your reflection:

- Strengths/Areas of Improvement displayed by the choir as a whole with specific
examples
- Strengths/Areas of Improvement within yourself with specific examples
- What you learned from Still Still Still and how that has improved you as a singer
- Thoughts/Feelings about the concert overall
*Consider Writing the paper in 6 paragraphs, the first being the introduction, the next 4 being
each objective given, and last being the conclusion*

Concert Reflection Rubric

Total Points: 10

Criteria Unsatisfactory Basic Proficient Distinguished

0pts 1.5 point 1.75 points 2 points

Mechanics/Length Significant errors in Several errors in Few errors in No errors in

mechanics; less than 1 mechanics; less than 1 mechanics; not quite 2 mechanics (grammar,
pages and a half pages pages spelling, punctuation,
ect) and at least 2
pages typed, 12 font,
doubled spaced

Strengths No strengths were Only 1 or 2 examples A few examples of Several examples of

given of strengths were strengths were given strengths were given
given with not very but examples were not about choir/self with
specific examples very specific specific examples

Areas of No areas of Only 1 or 2 examples A few examples of Several examples of

Improvement improvement were of areas of areas of improvement strengths were given
given improvement were were given but about choir/self with
given with not very examples were not specific examples
specific examples very specific

What was learned No comments about Student barely stated Student stated Student stated
from Still Still Still anything learned from skills/vocab learned skills/vocab learned thoroughly
Still Still Still and did not clearly not super thoroughly skills/vocab learned
express what was needing more from Still Still Still
learned/how they have explanation on what and how that has
improved was learned/how they improved them as a
have improved singer

Thoughts/Feelings No comments about Student gave basic Student gave a decent Student gave a
about Concert thoughts or feelings response, lacking a lot response about thoughtful and
about concert of detail personal feelings, detailed filled
lacking some detail response about their
personal feelings
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Related Readings:
Folk Music: A Timeless Genre https://the-artifice.com/folk-music-genre/

*Reading Excerpt from Folk Music: A Timeless Genre*

They’re the songs that you know without consciously

recognizing that you know them. They lay dormant at the back
of your mind until needed, when they appear on your tongue
with tunes and lyrics remembered to perfection. “Rock-a-Bye
Baby”, “Frère Jacques”, “London Bridge is Falling Down”, “Ring
Around the Rosie”, “Home on the Range”, “Kumbaya”: this list
barely scratches the surface of the endless folk songs around the
world. Even so, it’s likely that at least one of these titles is
familiar, if only as a distant childhood memory.

In a world dominated by Top 40 pop music, is there still a place

for traditional music? It’s easy to wonder if folk music is in
danger of fading out of the modern memory entirely, replaced
by more modern tunes. Countries have gone to great lengths to
write down and preserve their folksongs; is this because
traditional music is doomed to exist only within these scores as
a historical testament to a dead genre?

The idea of listening to a song like “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”

on the radio may be laughable, but this doesn’t mean that
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traditional music has no place in society. Folk songs have

defined cultures throughout history and continue to do so. More
importantly, they have withstood the test of time; there is no
reason to assume that they will die out now.

What Makes a Folk Song?

“The Shepherdess” by William Adolphe Bouguereau:

pastoral life is a common subject of folk music.
For such a simple question, defining a folk song is incredibly
complicated. Not only do definitions vary, but they have evolved
over time. Folk music used to be synonymous with traditional
music, but the term now covers a far wider selection of music:
after all, folk music festivals today don’t tend to have artists
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singing songs like “Yankee Doodle”. 1 As a result, the concept of

“folk music” is a bit of a grey area. However, in this article, folk
music and traditional music will be used as interchangeable
terms.

In 1955, the International Folk Music Council decided on

several characteristics that make a folk song: a folk song was a
song that had been passed down orally, that “evolved within a
community uninfluenced by ‘popular’ and ‘art’ music”, and that
was “absorbed… into the unwritten living tradition of a
community”. 2

Another definition, by Samuel Forcucci, goes into even more

detail:

“1. Folk songs represent the musical expressions of the common

people.

2. These songs are not composed in that they are not the works of
skilled, tutored musicians. It is more accurate to say that they have
been created rather than composed.
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3. These songs are ordinarily the product of an unknown person or

group of persons. The credits often read: Anonymous, American
Folk Song, Traditional.

4. The words of lyrics of folk songs are usually colloquial in nature

to reflect the speech patterns and expressions of a particular people
or region.

5. These songs are highly singable, primarily because they were

first presented with the singing voice rather than having been
written down in musical notation beforehand.

6. Folk songs are simply structured, both musically and verbally. It

is their naiveté that gives them their charm.

7. These songs can be effectively performed without instrumental

accompaniment. When they are accompanied, a less formal
instrument is considered appropriate”. 3

While each definition is a bit different, there are some common

elements. First of all, a folk song has to be simple. A community
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at large won’t be made up entirely of skilled singers. For a song

to become part of a culture, it has to be singable by the average
person. It also has to be simple enough to be easily remembered
if it relies on oral transmission (at least initially, since folk songs
are usually published eventually). Secondly, if it’s passed down
orally, it’s likely old enough to have had the chance to prove its
timelessness and become part of a community. Any song can
become part of a community briefly, but being passed down
through generations is what makes the difference between “My
Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean” and Taylor Swift’s “Shake it Off”.
Will Taylor Swift’s music still be sung in hundreds of years?
Probably not.
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Lesson Plan
Choral Rehearsal Lesson Plan
Mary Yong
Choral Methods 376 Grade: 15 n: 16
Teaching Time: 10:00 A.M.

Prerequisite Knowledge and Skills for this rehearsal

Read/Perform Level 1 and 2 tonal/rhythmic exercises
Definition of tonic and how to find it in a piece

Behavioral Objectives
At the conclusion of this lesson, students will be able to:
-Confidently define Tonic and what the tonic is of Still Still Still
-Accurately read/perform/echo translate level 1 and 2 tonal and rhythmic patterns (INAS7)
-Demonstrate quality vocal tone and proper use of head/mixed/chest voice when instructed
(INAS7)

Materials
Piano
16 copies of Still Still Still
Procedures
(01.00) Stretch and ask what the definition of tonic is. ‘If this piece is in C Major what is the
tonic? Who is on the tonic in the beginning?

(03.00) Play C major triad on piano for a few seconds having the choir listen. Ask basses to sing
do, altos mi, and sopranos sol; then altos sing do, sopranos mi and basses sol, and last altos sol,
sopranos do and basses mi
(05:00) Have everyone stand up and demonstrated proper breath support singing a C major scale,
correct as needed
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(07.00) Echo Translate level 1 and 2 tonal exercises

(08.00) Echo Translate level 1 and 2 rhythmic exercises

(9:00) Read mm 5-32 of Soprano, Alto, and Bass line separately together on solfege and then
together in parts

(14:00) Speak Text with proper phrasing and have students repeat back

(17:00) Have everyone sing soprano line on text (first 4 mm), check and correct vowel placement

(19:00) Review Altos part on text (first 4 mm) and then basses, sing parts together

(21:00) Review the next section same way

(23:00) Perform measures 5-32 on text in parts

Sponge: Have students echo translate Curwin hand signs and have students go around room
creating their own 2 syllable pattern, not being able to repeat the last persons syllable