6th and 7th Grade Girls’ Chorus - 2/16/2022

Name Abigail Carter

Date 2/16/2022
Grade Level & Class Title 6th and 7th Grade Girls’ Chorus
Period or Block (# of minutes) 90 minute block, 50-60 minute lesson

Instructional Context
This block is a combined class of 6th and 7th grade girls, so their experiences and
skill levels vary. Some of these students are newer to middle school while others
have had chorus experiences before. All of these students have had their learning
experience impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and may be newer to
middle school, returning to in-person learning after a year of virtual learning, or
both. A portion of the 7th graders in the block are also in another ensemble (mostly
show choir). All of these students seem to have a genuine interest in musical
concepts and choral singing, and want to comprehend and apply the material.

● This lesson continues to develop repertoire for performance at a spring

concert and assessments, healthy vocal technique, and sightsinging
strategies.
● Students are at a mid-point of the school year and are learning newer
repertoire, so at this point it is crucial to maintain the technique and habits
developed in their work for their December winter concert and continue to
develop it further in addition to continuing the sequence of music theory
concepts they have studied thus far.
● Students vary in experience level with the content material, largely in part
due to the grade level differences and COVID-19 accommodations in previous
years.
● This lesson fits into long term sequences of successfully learning and
performing repertoire, sightsinging at assessment level, audiation skills, and
technique development.

Standards

● VA Music SoLs - The student will be able to:

o MCB.12a Identify, define, and use basic standard notation for pitch,
rhythm, meter, dynamics, and other elements of music
o MCB.12d Sight-sing melodic patterns while maintaining a steady beat
o MCB.14a Use proper posture and breathing techniques that support
vocal production
o MCB.14c Develop vocal agility and range through vocal exercises
o MCB.14d Use correct intonation
o MCB.14e Blend with other singers on the same vocal part
6th and 7th Grade Girls’ Chorus - 2/16/2022

o MCB.15d Demonstrate expressive phrasing techniques

Learning Objectives and Assessments

Learning Objectives Assessment Plan

Students will be able to: Students are assessed in this lesson

● Perform with correct intonation,
vowel placement, breathing
technique, and tone– both a
cappella and with piano or
accompaniment
● Identify musical concepts within
music (time signatures, dynamics,
expressive markings, etc.)
● Discuss rehearsal techniques and
focuses from past classes and
how it is applied in rehearsal
● Sight-read short examples
melodically and rhythmically
using group informal assessment– they
enter the room with a 100% for the day.
This grade consists of their participation,
preparation, and performance.
Participation = is the student singing and
utilizing their vocal instrument to the
best of their ability? Are they engaged
with the rehearsal and learning
processes and taking active part in
activities?
Preparation = is the student sitting with
good posture and ready to take
diaphragmatic breaths? Does the student
have their music open and ready?

Performance = is the student putting

their best effort forward in singing? Is
the student responsive in sustaining
changes or modifications made
throughout rehearsal (vowel, breathing,
phrasing/expressive changes)?

Instructional Strategies and Learning Tasks (Procedures & Timelines)

● Warm-up and Sight-Singing

Time Instructional Rationale/Research & Theory

Strategies/Learning
Tasks/Questions to Ask
6th and 7th Grade Girls’ Chorus - 2/16/2022

20 ● Stretching In addition to preparing the body for

minutes ● Light Warming singing in sequence, this series of
Exercises warm-up activities reinforces proper
● Vocal Sigh with breathing and vowel shapes for choral
student leaders singing, utilizes visual, kinesthetic and
● Range Exercises aural components to demonstrate
● Part Independence musical understanding of pitch and
Exercise rhythm and introduces the idea of
● Sight-reading different vocal tones that are informed by
exercises technique. This warm-up time also is
● Warmup Songs used to develop sight-reading techniques
in preparation for both rehearsals and
assessments.

o Rehearsal with accompaniment - Vive La France and Fairest Lady

Time Instructional Rationale/Research & Theory
Strategies/Learning
Tasks/Questions to Ask
10-15
minutes ● Vive La France Students have been rehearsing various
o Sing-through, facets of these songs for the past 2-3
emphasizing weeks with the help of piano part-playing
expressive and a cappella singing in rehearsals. In
singing and this stage of their learning, the
proper accompaniment is being added to begin
technique preparing them for the performances
● Fairest Lady coming up and for district assessment in
o Sing-through, March. This set of repertoire is moving
reviewing from the learning stages to the polishing
part and refining stages to create a finished
independence, product that is performance-ready.
breathing, and
technique

o Rehearsal: Never Enough, It’s All Right

Time Instructional Strategies/Learning Rationale/Research & Theory
Tasks/Questions to Ask
30
minutes ● It’s All Right It’s All Right is a newer
o mm. 6-21, 30-37, 42-45 addition to the repertoire,
6th and 7th Grade Girls’ Chorus - 2/16/2022

▪ Focus on part containing some repetitive

learning with pitch sections with variations. Once
and rhythmic students have a feel for the
accuracy using repetitive nature of the piece
chanting, and the small variations, they
piano-assisted and will have successfully learned
a cappella singing pitches for most of the song
and singing in (giving us more rehearsal
different time in the future to not only
tones/voices to review but connect the more
explore placement difficult spots into the rest of
▪ Discussion of the the parts learned to complete
“swing” marking– the song).
what does it mean
to swing music?
● Never Enough Never Enough is a song that
o Review major chorus students know well from a
harmonies (between mm. movie, which sometimes
17-50) using a cappella causes them to sing melody
singing, chanting, piano instead of their assigned voice
assistance part. By utilizing a cappella
o Sing song through with and piano assisted singing,
tall vowels, full breaths, students will work to grasp
and confidence! their own parts more
confidently in harmony with
one another.

Materials and Resources

● Piano
● Music copies: Fairest Lady, Vive La France, Never Enough, It’s All Right
● Sightreading Factory or Sight Reading Cards
● Projector (if using SRF; if cards, not needed)
● Computer (if using SRF)

Differentiation/Planned Support For Students

● Size
o Larger fonts and text displayed as needed
o Large print sight-reading cards
● Color
o Color coding notes and note-names on sightsinging examples/musical
passages as needed
o Highlighters for color coding as needed
● Pacing
o Scaffolding rehearsal to work on smaller sections of music at once
o Isolating rhythm and melody from one another until ready to combine
6th and 7th Grade Girls’ Chorus - 2/16/2022

o Listing strategies/steps for music learning for students as needed

o Shorter intervals of study/practice
● Modality
o Aural: Listening examples at slower tempos or rehearsal sections in
slower tempos to aid in content retention, using various sounds or
instruments to play pitches
o Visual: Key terms can be written on the board, larger text and writing,
color coding
o Kinesthetic: Using movement to reinforce concepts and develop a link
between movement and concepts

Green highlight = used/plan to use in lesson today (some accommodations are

listed for use as needed, but many times accommodations are not used as frequently
during this specific class.