Warm-up: Harmonic Scale / Harmonic Scale in context

Objective: Given music notation, students will perform with technical accuracy a
harmonic minor scale in various permutations.

Standard: Pr.4.I Develop strategies to address technical challenges in a varied repertoire

of music and evaluate their success using feedback from ensemble peers and other
sources to refine performances.

Materials:

Sequence:
1. Pull out warm-up
2. Count and finger line 1
3. Sizzle and finger line 1
4. Play line 1
5. Sizzle and finger line 2
6. Play line 2
7. Sizzle and finger line three
8. Play line three
9. Sizzle and finger line four
10. Play line four
11. Transition to warm-up: Can you find a similar place in Suite from Bohemia?

Assessment:

Task: Performance of steps 4, 6, 8, and 10.

Tool: ☐Were rhythms correct?

☐Were notes correct?

Lesson: Harmonic Minor Scale
Objective:

Given aural prompts and music notation, students will identify a harmonic and natural
minor scale in Suite from Bohemia.

After rehearsing the harmonic minor scale, students will perform measures 26-31 in
mvmt II of Suite from Bohemia with technical accuracy and expressive intent (including
dynamics and tempo shifts.

Standards:

Pr.3.I Demonstrate understanding and application of expressive qualities in a varied

repertoire of music through prepared and improvised performances

Re.2.I Describe how understanding context and the way the elements of music are
manipulated inform the response to music

Materials:

Instrument (or voice) to model scales with

Sequence:
1. Listen to this scale, and tell me what type it is:
2. Play a major scale
3. What about this one?
4. Play a natural minor scale
5. What’s the difference between this scale and this scale?
6. First play natural minor, then play harmonic minor.
7. Students respond
8. It is the seventh note. The seventh note is higher in the harmonic minor scale.
9. Look at measures 26-31. Let’s play it.
10. What type of scale is this?
11. It is harmonic minor scale
12. There is one place that this is not a harmonic minor scale. Can you find it?
13. Play one more time
14. It is the note on beat two of measure 31.
15. What does that make this part of the scale?
16. Natural minor
17. Let’s play everything one more time. This time, we are going to make these scales
much more interesting. Play the dynamics
 18. Students play measures 26-31 with dynamics.
19. Show me a fancy Italian word on the page.
20. Agitato/molto ritardando.
21. What is agitato?
22. Student responses - faster
23. So we can go faster?
24. What about ritardando? (slow down)
25. Molto? (a lot)
26. Someone tell me how we will play this section now that we know those words:
27. Student response – “we will play this faster than before then slow down a lot”
28. Play with correct technical information, dynamics, and tempo changes
Assessment:
During step 11, teacher observes whether students can or cannot correctly identify the harmonic
minor scale in the selected passage after playing it.

During step 28, teacher observes students play the rehearsed measures which include many
expressive markings and harmonic minor material. Use this checklist tool:

☐Students performed dynamic shifts

☐Students performed tempo shifts according to learned Italian directions

☐Students performed scalar passages with technical accuracy