Professional Documents
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Bell Carol 11/12
Author: Michelle Siy
Date created: 11/10/2021 1:01 PM CST ; Date modified: 11/10/2021 2:38 PM CST
DEMOGRAPHIC AND CONTEXTUAL INFORMATION
Date(s) of Lesson Plan Friday, November 12th, 2021
Grade/Level Grade 9
Number of Students 25
Lesson Start Time 12:40 PM
Duration: (in minutes) 1 class periods. 20 Mins. per class.
Course/Subject Music
Unit/Theme Historical Contextualization Ukrainian Bell Carol
Title of Lesson Ukrainian Bell Carol (Shchedryck)
Structure(s)/Grouping for
Whole Class, possibly small group
the Lesson
Relevant Characteristics
of Students (Non
IEP/504
Needs of Students with
IEPs and/or with 504
plans
I. OVERVIEW OF ESSENTIAL LESSON ELEMENTS
The purpose of this lesson is to grow the students appreciation for this piece of music.
This lesson should build from previous lessons because they have been working on this piece for the past week.
This lesson should set up the next lesson because it can give them a reason to love this piece and to listen/practice it at home and inform their
Lesson Focus musicianship.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
MU:Pr6.1.E.5b: Demonstrate an understanding of the context of the music through prepared and improvised performances.
Standards
Discourse
Academic Language
Demands Students will have discussion of a few things throughout the lesson. Students will be asked to discuss with someone near them which version
of this tune they like better. Students will also discuss things they could improve on during the weekend.
Objective 1 Students will be able to understand the historical context of the Ukrainian Bell Carol and apply this knowledge during performance.
I have two youtube videos to play for this and some historical context I will speak about. One video will be played without video and just audio, the
Tool(s)/Technique
other with full video. Each video will last about one minute in length.
Objective 1: Evidence of
Evidence of student learning will be dialogue between students on what they could improve on.
Student Learning
Objective 2 Students will be able to perform measures 2735 with 65%75% accuracy or more.
The students have just received this piece of music this week, therefore I am not expecting 8090% accuracy. Additionally, this is a piece of music
which is intended for a combined concert of the concert band and symphonic band, therefore the grade level is higher than what the students in
concert band have played before. I will encourage a higher accuracy, however I do not want to set my expectations high leaving room for the
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Tool(s)/Technique students to feel disappointment or frustration.
I will record the lesson plan through voice memo so I can listen back to hear what I can improve on as a teacher as well as what the students could
improve upon for next time.
Objective 2: Evidence of
Evidence of student learning will be the recording as well as discourse at the end of the lesson about what they could improve on.
Student Learning
II. LESSON SEQUENCE
Number of Minutes Introduction
Hi everyone! Ask how students are doing from tumbs down,
thumbs in the middle, to thumbs up.
T: "Today we're going to learn about the history behind the
Ukrainian Bell Carol and rehearse the piece afterwards.
T: "The version of this song was written by Mykola Leontovych in
1916. It was originally a New Years song, and not a Christmas
song! The piece was titled "Shchedryk," or in English, "The Little
Swallow."
T: "Here is that version of the piece."
Play the youtube video, but only show audio (there is a reason
Introduction behind this).
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Then discuss how another composer heard this version of the song
performed and it reminded him of bells, so he then rewrote it and
copywrighted it to be "Carol of the Bells" and it became a
Christmas classic.
T: "Only few songs will stand the test of time and have many
version of it written, and this song most definitely has."
Then show students (actually show video this time) the Pentatonix
version.
T: "Overall, there are many versions of this once New Year's song
written and in existence today. I encourage you to find your
favorite this weekend and you can tell me on Monday!"
Number of minutes Instructional Sequence
Rehearse 2735 by groups.
Group 1= tenor sax, bari sax, bass clarinet, trombone,
baritone, and tuba. If they struggle, have them clap the
rhythm but don't spend too much time on it.
Group 2= Alto Saxophones and Horns
710 Group 3= Trumpets
Group 4= Flute, oboe, clarinets
Put it together and rehearse a few times.
Possible mistakes? Counting in the low voices. Horns and altos
holding ties over too long (or trumpets when they come in later).
Instructional Sequence
Pitches on the eighth notes for high voices.
Rehearse 1927 because it builds towards the section after it
which was just rehearsed. The high voices have the same rhythm
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as do the low voices. The main difference is that it is a lighter
texture. Possibly point this out. A gradual build.
Rehearse 919, focusing on the "bell" sound coming from the
34 (if time) brass. Use the analogy of track sprinters passing off the baton
during a meet or at the olympics.
Number of Minutes Closing
Run through 935 or 1935 depending on what the group got
through (I purposely planned extra because I am unsure how far
Academic and Social the students will get as I have not heard them play this piece yet.
Debriefing 34 Ask about 3 students what they are planning to practice this
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weekend, even if it is not on this particular piece.
Remind the students they are welcome to come in and tell me their
favorite version of "Shchedryk" or Carol of the Bells.
III. ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS
Differentiation/ExtensionI will ensure that I am patient and taking the time necessary to go through the sections and allow for questions when necessary.
If I run out of time, that's okay because I planned extra on purpose! I'll just cut out one of the sections I put in the instructional sequence and then
What Ifs run only the measures we worked on at the end of class so the students can play confidently. If I have too much time, I'll go backwards into the
beginning of the piece then run the whole thing to 35. With my inclusion of historical context and videos however, I do not see that happening.
Video 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqeJ38DThVc
VIDEO 1 ONLY AUDIO (this is because I only want to tell the students about some of the lyrics, possibly none because there could be a
potentially harmful lyric that is put in the captions of this video, that word is "master" as in "master of the house." I'm not sure if that is historically
clean in Ukrainian culture and history, however I did not want to show the students anything that could be potentially harmful because of America's
Resources/Materials dark history with that term.)
Video 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSUFzC6_fp8
VIDEO 2 SHOW VIDEO
Research resources: https://news.rice.edu/news/2004/carolbellswasntoriginallychristmassong
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