.
8th Grade Swing Choir Lesson Plans
Week of January 27th, 2014
Week’s objectives: (CONCERT WEEK! Fine-tune performances for Tuesday’s concert)
1. Students will correctly identify (read) and write note durations in 4/4 meter including whole
notes, half notes, quarter notes, and 8th notes along with corresponding rests.
2. Students will correctly sing various rhythmic patterns containing duration notes listed
above.
3. Students will continue to develop tonal memory by echoing and reading solfege patterns
using Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La, Ti.
4. Students will continue to demonstrate responsible choir room citizenship
5. Students will demonstrate the ability to sing their individual harmony pitches in a section as
well as with the entire ensemble.
6. Students will describe musical and cultural aspects of the country and pop music genres
using musical terms such as meter, mood, melody, harmony, rhythm, pitch, tempo, and
dynamics.
7. Students will sing with equal distribution of balance and adequate breath flow to have
accurate pitch.
8. Students will sing with tall, unified vowel shapes and distinguish the effect on sound when
vowels are not unified(flat tones, sharp tones, out of tune)
9. Students will describe the form of each of the pieces being studied
10. Students will perform choreography correctly, and with precise movement
Activities to assist in achieving the objectives:
1. Debrief on performance from Solo/Ensemble and include the judge’s suggestions into the
performance practice for the upcoming concert.
2. This week’s vocal conditioning exercises (warm-ups)
a. Focus on vowel shapes (Mah-meh-mee-moh-moo)
i. Create blend and students identify when blend is not happening
b. Focus on holding harmony pitches (scales – freeze pitch, etc. )
c. Focus on bringing tone forward into the “singer’s mask” with humming in and rolled r’s
combined with ee and oo vowels.(Nasal-nay-nay-nay)
d. Activate diagphram support for correct tone. (ee-ah-ah, hippopotamus)
e. Train the ear to listen to intervals by using solfege scales in round
f. Extend vocal range with Zee-ay, Zee-ah, Zee-oh (585858531), wee-oo -falsetto
g. Facial expression exercises from Choral Charisma book (raisins & clowns)
h. Articulation exercises – many mumbling mice, chester cheetah, mommy m&m’s
3. Singing repertoire rehearsed – Continue work on the songs below to prepare for next week’s
concert.
.
a. Bring the House Down
i. Especially work the facial expression and the crispness of the choreography!
ii. Continue to work on articulation – especially the word endings
iii. Fix dynamics and balance
b. Fly/I Believe I can Fly
i. Full ensemble rehearsal to learn chorus harmonies and rhythms
ii. Diction – ends of words really need work.
iii. Internalize the text – imagery
iv. Add soloists and small group parts to the large number
c. Evaluate and analyze the concert performance on Thursday. Discuss characteristics of
the performance in relation to :
i. Tone
ii. Breath support
iii. Facial expression
iv. Harmony balance
v. Diction
vi. Dynamics
d. Begin work on the “Safety Dance music”
e. Begin work on “Royals”