Lesson 2

STANDARDS
Anchor Standard 3: Connect with a varied repertoire of music by exploring the relationships
between music and history and culture. Intermediate (Cn.3.I.1)

Anchor Standard 5: Listen and respond to a varied repertoire of music by describing,

interpreting, analyzing, and evaluating music and its elemental components. Intermediate
(LR.5.I.1) (LR.5.I.2)

Anchor Standard 7: Perform a varied repertoire of music by singing, alone and with others, from
rote memory and written notation. Intermediate (P.7.I.2)

Anchor Standard 9: Create a varied repertoire of music by improvising melodies, variations, and
accompaniments. Intermediate (Cr.9.I.2)

Setting

Chamber Choir

Objectives
 Students will be able to identify and perform 12-bar blues in the context of jazz music.
 Students will be able to improvise on a basic level using the 12-bar blues pattern.
 Students will be able to identify and understand the jazz terms of scat, improvisation,
swung 8th notes, straight 8th notes, and syncopation as well as the jazz language of in the
pocket, rhythm section, and tune as it relates to jazz music.

Materials
 Piano
 Yard Stick (for pointing at screen)
 Jazz PowerPoint
 Computer
 Projector

Procedures

1. Welcome
2. Review Jazz Terms
- Using the PowerPoint, review the terms learned the previous day.
o Scat Singing
o Improvisation
o Straight 8th Notes
o Swung 8th Notes
o Syncopation
o In the pocket
 o Tune
o Rhythm Section
- Ask students to give definitions or explanations before revealing the definition on the
board.
3. 12-Bar Blues Review
- Sing through the 12-bar blues with solfege syllables testing memory
- Sing through the 12-bar blues with roman numerals testing memory
4. Improvisation Listening
- Listen to a recording of improvisation
- Ask students what they heard, (i.e., rhythms, scat, etc)
5. Group Improv (root of chord)
- Have the students sing on the root of the chord any rhythm they want as the 12-bar
blues plays (all together on solfege)
- Switch from solfege to scat syllables, run again as group
6. Split into Groups (root of chord)
- Splitting into groups of 3, run through the 12-bar blues 3 times
o Have each student improv to the group on the roots of the chords
o Ask for volunteers to improv for the class (on scat roots)
7. Group Improv (melodic freedom)
- Have the students improvise at the same time, one time through the 12-bar blues
8. Split into Groups (melodic freedom)
- Splitting back into the groups of 3, run through the 12-bar blues 3 times
o Have each student improv to the group with melodic freedom
- Ask for feedback on their thoughts and ways to improve their improvisatory ideas as
a class
- Back in the groups, run again through the 12-bar blues 3 times.
- Ask for volunteers to improv for the class
o If there are no volunteers, run through with groups again
9. End

Assessment/Closer

Assessment will be informal via questioning the class about concepts throughout the class
period. A review at the beginning of class will serve as an informal assessment on materials
learned the previous day.