Class: Beginners Choir

Grade/Level: High School

Unit Title/Musical Composition: Kusimama by Jim Papoulis

General Goal: To understand the groove and rhythm of the piece because I feel the song is easy
to understand once you understand the concept.

Student Learning Outcome(s): To understand complex rhythms and hold an individual part.
Learn a different language. Analyze musical compositions.

Standards:
-Responding - MU:Re7.2.6b
-Performing - MU:Pr4.1.4a

What academic and content-specific vocabulary will be introduced? -syncopation

-dynamics within the piece
-blending
-rhythmic patterns

How can you use educational technology to enhance this lesson?

-Using a metronome
-Listening recordings to other choirs

Identify Musical Skills:

• Reading through syncopated rhythms
• Singing in a different language
• Sight-reading
• Accents
• Blending
• Audiate

• Musical Concept(s):
• Melody and Harmony
• Rhythm (syncopation)
• Text stress

• Musical Actions (e.g. composing, improvising, performing, listening, etc.):

• Performing
• Sight-reading
• Listening
 • Tuning

How will you assess student learning of skills, content and concepts taught in the lesson?
-Using warmups that are straight from the piece.
-Using most of the repeated rhythms/notes in warmups to familiarize them with what is coming
next

Where does the lesson fall in the unit?

-Beginning of the semester

Lesson Plan:

Time Activity/Measures Issue/ Scaffolded Check for

allocation Musical Element Activities Understanding
• Warm-up and/or • Beyond teacher
Anticipatory Set • observation
Activities incorporating
musical skills, concepts,
and actions
• Include
transitions where
appropriate

5 minutes Welcome/Announcements -Agenda/Schedule of the

day
2 minutes Warm Up (Stretches) -to help energize and -body stretches -
wake up the body shoulders, arms, face
muscles, massages -
scanning for tension
-shake it out -
alignment of
body/posture
4 minutes Warm Up (Breathing
Exercise)
-to help engage -“4 Sniff” exercise -
breathing muscles, Model for class. Hands
build strength and on the soft area of the
breath control side torso area, in
between lowest rib-
cage and hip bone.
Sniff 4 times to take in
as much air, then
release on “sssss” while
keeping ribcage
expanded as much as
possible. -Do the same
thing but try to achieve
the “4 sniff” space, in
only 3 sniffs.
-2 sniffs, then 1 sniffs.
*Try to achieve the 4
sniff space

4 minutes Warm Up (Vocal Exercise) -to warm up the voice -Lip trills
before rehearsal, to DRMFSFMRD
demonstrate healthy ascending and
vocal technique. descending -“Ke-Ki-i-i-i-
I”
D-S-F-M-R-D
*Both exercises start on
C4
4 minutes Warm Up (Rhythmic Call -to engage in rhythmic -Have the class tap
and Response) memory, and different spider fingers on
rhythmic patterns - shoulders -speak in
Getting their ears ready rhythmic a variety of
to listen and respond rhythmic patterns in 4/4.
-Increase the difficulty
and level of syncopation
a little bit on the next
and so on.
*Next time if students
feel comfortable, you
can point at them and
have them create on the
spot, and pass it on to
other students etc.

10 Sight Reading Exercise -to engage the mind -have students analyze
minutes and improve agility the phrase
and tonal/rhythmic -then audiate, count them
accuracy off to give them a sense
of time
-audiate with solfeggio -
solfeggio together as a
class
-then add pitches still on
solfeggio
5 minutes Entire piece Speaking through the -Speak the text for the
text off rhythm. class and have them
Speaking all the text repeat.
that they sing in the
piece, reading through
the whole song.
Reading translations
and asking what it
means to the class
personally.
5 minutes 5-16 Feeling the rhythm, -Have the students listen
syncopation, and respond back -one
bar at a time -Teach by
rote to establish solid
rhythm of the song -no
pitches yet -go over
each part together as a
class -whole class will
learn both parts this way
and can feel
comfortable singing
either part

5 minutes 5-16 Same as above but now -Have the students listen
adding pitches, one part and respond back -one
at a time, everyone bar at a time -Teach by
sings the part that the rote to establish solid
instructor is teaching. rhythm of the song -no
pitches yet

-go over each part

together as a class -
whole class will learn
both parts this way and
can feel comfortable
singing either part

5 minutes 5-16 Part independence -Have students put the

sections together with
the two-part split
-Have the class switch
parts and try a part they
haven’t sung yet.
 10 “I choose, you choose” Musical spontaneity, -Instructor will choose 4 -This part of the
minutes and musical analysis. measures in the piece to rehearsal will
rehearse or learn allow the
-Then after the class will students to first
choose a section to learn. analyze then
-Class is given 3 choices choose one 4-bar
of different 4 measure phrase that they
are unfamiliar
phrases from the piece.
with and learn
Class will vote, majority and understand
wins. how it sounds
like.

5 minutes Recap/Closing

What assessments will be used to check for comprehension?

-part independence
-tonal memory
-challenging rhythmic patterns
-vocal blending

What higher-order thinking questions will you ask to engage students in analysis and
discussion?

-Ask students what the translations are and what it means to THEM.
How will you differentiate for diverse learners (e.g. ELL, student IEP/504/GATE, and
student who has faced some form of life challenge)?
-Asking the students specifically what kind of supplemental learning they need
-For example, making individual part tracks or meeting one on one to help with their part -
Or have some other members in the choir to help them as well

Extension Activity/Closure
-Recap
-Sing through sections

Required Materials:
-Tuning fork
-Sheet music
-Pencils