Planning with a Big Idea – Richard Mannoia

WITHOUT a Big Idea WITH a Big Idea

Orchestra Rehearsal: Orchestra Rehearsal:
• Scales Big Idea: Transitions
• Rhythm sight reading • Scales divided in sections, transitioning from one group to the other
• Piece 1 • Rehearse transitional passages in Piece 1
• Piece 2 • In small groups, have a discussion about important life transitions.
• Piece 3 • As a whole group, brainstorm musical ways of making transitions (dynamics, tempo,
instrument groups, modulations, etc.)
• In small groups, students analyze their parts and find transitions and practice their
own interpretations.
• Rehearse transitional passages in Piece 2

Sectional: Sectional:
• Work on Letter B–D Big Idea: Triplets
• Work on legato • A movement exercise to embody threes
• Fix tone in upper register • A brief discussion about the aesthetic and emotional qualities of triplets
• Work on letter H–end • Warm-up on scales using triplets
• Work on triplets • A listening game to identify accurate triplets
• A small creative exercise in which student compose and play phrases using triplets
• Work on letter H–end with attention to triplets
• Summarize with a discussion about the compositional and performative use of
triplets

Private lesson: Private lesson:

• Long tones Big Idea: Expressive dynamics
• Scales • Long tones with dynamics emphasis
• Étude • Scales using a variety of dynamic shapes
• Piece 1 • Explore a few étude excerpts without any dynamic markings and experiment with a
• Piece 2 variety of dynamics for expressive purposes.
• Piece 1: work on passages with dramatic dynamic shifts
• Piece 2: work on phrasing using expressive dynamics