Robbinsville Lesson Plan

Circle Songs
Teacher’s Name: Samantha Belinski
Grade Level: 9-12

Learning Goals
What learners will…
1. Be able to do (behavioral): By the end of the lesson, students will be able to repeat their
own individual part of a circle song with a success rate of at least 80%.
2. Understand (cognitive): Students will apply their prior knowledge of rhythm, pitch,
dynamics, harmony, and melody to their improvised circle song.
3. Encounter (experiential): Students will create a circle song.
4. Construct Meaning (constructivist): Students will realize their own unique part in a
polyphonic song.

Focusing Question
In what ways (complete the sentence): In what ways did you incorporate different musical
elements in your improvisations?

Assessment
Formative: The teacher will listen throughout the lesson as students experiment with creating
different circle songs to gauge how comfortable students are with improvising and to see if
students are understanding what they should be doing in order to create a circle song. If students
are not being successful, the teacher will demonstrate or join in the circle song to give them an
example of what is expected.

Summative: The final circle song will act as the summative assessment. The teacher will listen
to see if students are applying their prior musical knowledge to their improvisation and to see if
the students are able to work together to create a song.

Integrative: The teacher will ask the students what they enjoyed about the experience and what
they might change. Students will also have the opportunity to provide feedback to the teacher
about how the instruction went and what they think the teacher did well with and they need to
improve.

Materials
Example Circle Song Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NnCycl7xWQ
 Process
Partner: Honor their world by beginning with an experience students bring to the classroom.
Include time for students to collaborate and respond through sharing and discussion.)
1. I will begin by asking students if anyone has ever written a song or improvised in a
musical setting.
2. I will then ask students to find a small group of people to discuss what they think is
important when it comes to creating a song.
3. After they have time to discuss, I will ask a few students to share what they came up with
in their group.

Present: (Sequence the lesson steps. Take the learning from their world to the world of the
classroom. Present the information and allow time for students to practice and respond.
Engage critical thinking, problem-posing, and problem-solving.)
4. I will then explain that we are going to take those ideas and musical concepts that they
just thought of and apply them to the lesson that we will be doing today. I will explain
that the lesson will focus on a different type of music than they have been working on all
semester, and that it will be improvisatory.
5. I will introduce the term “circle song” to the class and will explain what this means.
6. I will then pull up the example video on Youtube (a circle song done by The Deaftones at
Westminster Choir College) and will ask students to listen to the video.
7. Once the video is over, I will ask students what they noticed about the performance. What
did they hear?
8. I will then explain that we will be creating our own circle song. I will have students form
a circle, keeping basses and tenors together, and will then explain how the circle song
will work. I will also tell students that if the song they create sounds familiar to them or
like another song that they know of, they can feel free to sing the melody of that song as
their part in the circle.
9. For the first experience with making a circle song, I will tell the class that they will be
singing in 4/4 and in the key of D major. I will play the tonic chord on the piano and have
them sing the scale so they can become familiar with the key.
10. I will then have a bass start the song by singing a simple bass line that I demonstrate for
him. He will keep repeating this while each student gradually enters the song on their
own improvised part.
11. I will lead the circle song by indicating dynamic changes or calling out different
articulations to change the sound. Once the song has gone on for a while, I will indicate
that it is time to stop singing.

Personalize: (Make the learning personal to the students. Provide opportunities for students to
create and be musicians. Encourage original thinking and innovation.)
 12. After the first circle song that I lead, I will have a student lead the next song while the
rest of the class improvises. The class will pick a key, and I will give them the pitches on
the piano. The student volunteer will stand in the front with me, and they will lead any
dynamic or articulation changes that they want to hear. The bass who starts the circle
song will also now have the opportunity to make up his own bass line that the rest of the
class will build on.

Perform: (Communicate and share the new learning as students perform through concert,
demonstration, or exhibition.)
13. As the final performance, students will improvise another circle song. There will be
another student volunteer to lead. After the performance, students will have a chance to
provide feedback about the lesson.