Lesson Plan 5/17/23

Musical Titles:
Michigan – Joey Ryan and Kenneth Pattengale
I Choose Love – Music by Mark A. Miller, text by Lindy Thompson
Dance For Love – Music by Z. Randall Stroope, text by William Straub

Concert Title:
Spring Concert

Ensemble:
Depew High School Mixed and Concert Choir
(Dance for Love is only Concert Choir)

Time Required:
10 minutes per song

Common Core Standards:

Performing Arts
MU:Cr3.1.E.HSIa: Evaluate and refine created contrasting phrases, based on feedback and
collaboratively developed criteria
MU:Pr4.2.E.HSIa: Use standard notation and aural skills to identify how the form and structural aspects
of a piece affect and inform its performance.
MU:Pr4.3.E.HSIa: Demonstrate an understanding of context in a varied repertoire of music through
prepared and/or improvised performances.
MU:Pr.5.1.E.HSIb: Identify the need for aural and visual cues.
MU:Pr6.1.E.HSIa: Demonstrate attention to technical accuracy and expressive qualities in prepared
and/or improvised performances of varied repertoire.
MU:Re8.1.E.HSIa: Explain and support interpretations of the expressive intent and meaning of musical
works, citing as evidence the treatment of the elements of music, contexts, and (when appropriate) the
setting of the text.
MU:Cn11.1.E.HSII: Apply the understanding of social, culture, and historical context in developing
musical interpretations.

Literacy
W.11-12.11c: Develop innovative perspectives on texts, including historical, cultural, sociological, and
psychological contexts.
RL.11-12.2: Determine two or more themes or central ideas of a text and analyze their development
over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to produce a complex
account; provide an objective summary of the text.
Objectives:
Through this piece students will know/identify:
1. Dynamic Markings (pp-ff, cresc., dim., etc.)
2. Who has the melody at certain times.
3. Meaning of the text and how it influences the performance.
4. Entrances and cutoffs (within and between sections)

Through this piece students will be able to:

5. Know how to follow a conductor (watch for dynamics, cues, and cutoffs).
6. Balance when divisis, soloists, or unisons are present.
7. Sing with good diction, consonants are strong. Vowels are consistent through ensemble.
8. Make repeated sections differ from one another with dynamics

Assessments:
Objective One: Informal – Listen to the ensemble for dynamic contrast.
Objective Two: informal – Listen for the melody, if it is hard to hear, then tell the choir to listen for the
melody.
Objective Three: Informal – Watch their facial expressions to see if mood of piece is reflected. Remind
students to show the mood of the piece in their faces. (All three songs are mellow and bittersweet in
theme so I shouldn’t see many bright and happy smiles).
Objective Four: Informal – Listen for the entrances and cutoffs
Objective Five: Informal – Look at the students and see if they are looking, especially when cues,
dynamics, and cutoffs happen. Listen for them to follow said cues. Remind them to look up out of their
music.
Objective Six: Informal – Listen for the melody, it should stand out in the mix. Remind soloists and divisis
to sing out, remind unisons to soften up.
Objective Seven: Informal – Listen for purity of vowels and strength and timing of consonants.
Objective Eight: Informal – Listen for the last chorus of Michigan.

Preparatory Exercises:
Warmups
1. Physical stretches (core stretch, neck and shoulder stretch)
2. zip-zip-zip-zip-zah S S S S SFMRD warm up articulators, get sound forward, start with descending
exercise.
3. Vee-ah DMSDSMD ask students to make a phrase, start soft grow, then end soft. Keep jaw down.
Hit top note dead on (throw dart at it OR squat on top note)
4. P-T-K-F… Really get the diction going, brings sound further still.

Rehearsal Procedures
Michigan
1. Give reminders to students about this piece.
a. Verse one soloists start at microphone. Verse 2 soloists come down during instrumental
interlude, return to risers after they’re done.
 b. Energy needs to be UP! Soloists AND choir needs to bring volume up.
2. Look at Tom and cue him to give starting pitches.
3. Play introduction with Kelly, cue in soloists. Run through piece.
4. Model dynamics needed with guitar playing.
5. Give feedback based on what was heard. Things to listen for in this piece are:
a. Balance
b. Rhythm (soloists and the phrases “without you” at the end of the choruses)
c. Dynamics
6. Run again if time.

I Choose Love
1. Give reminders about piece
a. Announce who soloists are, remind them of solo phrases near end of piece.
b. When conductor’s arms go up, they are to be ready to sing. WATCH ME FOR CUTOFFS,
CUES, AND DYNAMICS.
c. Diction is HUGE, the text is powerful in this piece. Sing consonants together and with
strength.
2. Run through piece.
3. Give feedback based on what was heard. Things to listen for in this piece are:
a. Consonants (especially beginning and ending ones)
b. Vowels (make sure held notes have tall vowels that are the same between the singers)
c. Dynamic contrast
d. Inner voice balance with outer voices

Dance for Love

1. Give reminds about piece
a. Same reminder about conducting.
b. Reflect mood on face
c. From the last “the cannons are silent” to the end, dynamics should never get softer.
2. Run through piece
3. Give feedback based on what was heard and seen. Things to listen for in this piece are:
a. Scattered entrances between sections, listen for confidence and accuracy on pitch.
b. Dynamic contrast.
4. Run again if time