Tiffany Cook
December 12, 2012
MUSC 537: Unit Plan
Unit Curriculum Plan: Improvisation
Intended Grade Level and Time Period
This unit would be geared towards implementation at the fourth grade level. Ideally, the unit
would span over a period of six weeks, with a focus on the unit approximately twenty minutes
each class.
Goals
The purpose of this unit would be to give young learners an opportunity to learn about and
experience the art of improvisation and also to practice improvisational techniques, which would
help with notation and comprehension of musical concepts. Specific goals include:
 TLWBAT understand the importance of improvisation.
 TLWBAT understand the idea of improvisation through singing, improvising on Orff
instruments, and creating rhythmic patterns.
 TLWBAT improvise movement to illustrate musical form.
 TLWBAT improvise a melody using a given rhythm, using a steady beat.
 TLWBAT improvise a rhythm that corresponds with written literature (poems,
stories, etc.).
 TLWBAT understand and identify components of musical questions and answers.
 TLWBAT improvise question and answer phrases with a partner.
Specific Standards Utilized
Virginia SOLS
3.1 The student will sing a repertoire of songs in tune with a clear tone quality.
1. Accompany singing with rhythm and/or melody instruments.
2. Use music terminology to interpret a music selection.
3.7 The student will create music through a variety of experiences.
1. Create accompaniments and ostinatos for songs and chants.
4.2 The student will perform rhythmic patterns that include sixteenth notes, single
eighth notes, eighth rests, paired eighth notes, quarter notes, quarter rests, half notes, half
rests, dotted half notes, whole notes, and whole rests, using body percussion, voice, pitched
instruments, or non-pitched instruments.
4.3 The student will perform melodies from the treble staff, using traditional notation.
1. Use voice or melodic instruments.
4.7 The student will create music through a variety of experiences.
1. Improvise simple melodic and rhythmic accompaniments.
2. Create melodic or rhythmic motives to enhance literature, using a variety of sound
sources.
3. Create movement to illustrate meter and form.
4.14 The student will exhibit respect for the contributions of self and others in a music setting.
1. Contribute to a group effort of making music.
2. Contribute to a group effort of listening to music.
3. Participate in music activities that involve sharing, taking turns, and other ways of
demonstrating good citizenship.
National Standards for Music Education
1. Singing, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music.
2. Performing on instruments, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music.
3. Improvising melodies, variations, and accompaniments.
9. Understanding music in relation to history and culture.
Assessment Opportunities
Informal Assessment: Walking around, observation through activities, participation, questioning,
engagement, discussion, notes on class improvisation
Formal Assessment: Pre-test and post-test, compositions
 Pre-test
o The pre-test would be partly written and partly kinesthetic/aural.
o The written portion would include the following questions:
 What is improvisation?
 Are there any types or genres of music that you think of when you hear
the word ‘improvisation’?
o The kinesthetic/aural portion of the pre-test would include:
 A short melody that is missing one measure
 They would be allowed to listen to this melody and improvise
anything they would like in that one measure on an Orff instrument
(preferably pitched).
 Assessment of this portion would be based on their ability to keep the
steady beat, their attention to the start and end of the measure, and
their attention to a tonal center.
 Post-test
o The post-test would be the same content-wise, but would require the children
to improvise four-measures, rather than just one.
Instructional Activities
Main Activities Used in Each Class: Listening, Singing, Creating, Improvising, Discussion
Day One: Introduction
 Implement the pre-test. While working with each student individually, have one
student leader lead the class in singing some of their well-known songs. Allow
students to take turns in “conducting” the class.
 The first day would be an introduction to improvisation and composition. It would
begin by the teacher reading Jazz Cats by David Davis & Chuck Galey.
 While reading through the book, the students would be encouraged to say their own
adjectives before the line “Jazz Cats”. The teacher should read the first two pages as
is but then after that ask the students for their own input.
 After reading through the book, ask the students any special ideas about Jazz that they
saw in the book. For example, Bourbon Street, blues, swing, etc.
 Explain that the most special of the ideas in jazz is improvisation and it’s important
that we all know how to improvise because it helps us tune into the music around us
and improve our aural skills.
 After you have introduced this idea, begin playing Miles Davis’ “Summertime” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N090STPx-2M&feature=fvst.
 Have the students create their own movement to the piece and tell them to start
moving differently when they think that the artist is improvising. Take note of the
students who actually recognize the shift.
 Move onto other daily activities.
 Possible Accommodations/Adaptations: For students with vision impairments, allow
them to sit closer to the book as you read aloud. For students with movement
impairments, allow them to create various movements with their arms or legs
(whichever they are able to) that represent the different musical forms. For students
with communication issues, it may be important to question them individually or
point out specific concepts in the book to them. For children with disabilities, it may
be helpful to allot additional time to conduct pre-test.
Day Two: [W]rap It Up!
 Read Hip Hop Dog by Chris Raschka & Vladimir Radunsky to the students.
 Ask the students what kind of things the Hip Hop Dog rapped about.
 Have the students come up with their own mini-raps about other things that dogs
might rap about.
 Have one student keep the steady beat and keep check of four measures for their
friends. Make sure that the students think about concepts that might apply to folk
songs, as well as raps (such as rhyme).
 Have each group present their rap for their peers.
 Next, begin to play “Maple Leaf Rag” by Scott Joplin.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMAtL7n_-rc
 Have the students stand in a circle while listening to the piece. Have a leader make up
movements of two or four to go with the music, and everyone else in the circle should
follow. Every time they hear a different part of the song, they should change their
movement pattern (and the teacher will help facilitate this by choosing a new leader).
Continue with the movements until every student has had an opportunity to improvise
a motion.
 Possible Accommodations/Adaptations: For students with developmental disabilities,
you may allow them to sit in a chair while in the circle, or create their movement only
based on their physical abilities. They can also have the special role of beating the
first beat of every measure (since it is in a fast tempo), and this would also help be a
trigger for the shift of circle movement leaders.
Day Three: Improvisation Station
 Pass out a small hand drum to each one of the students and make sure that the routine
of not playing until prompted has been instilled.
 Ask the students what kind of notes they have learned so far. They should answer
eighth, half, whole, quarter, and sixteenth notes.
 Go around the room and have each student say “My name is _______” and then play
four beats of improvisation using rhythms that they already know.
 Begin by doing an example for your students so that they fully understand the
activity.
 After you have gone through the entire class, have the students pass the hand drums
back in.
 Put all of the students in pairs and have them participate in a similar activity. One of
the members of the pair should ask the question “Where are you from?” in a d-s-s-d
pattern. Their partner is allowed to answer the question with any melody or words
that they would like to. The two partners will take turns in asking the question and
creating the answer.
 Allow the students to continue to play this game for about five minutes.
 Continue onto other daily activities.
 Possible Accommodations/Adaptations: For students who have developmental delay,
it may be important to limit the scope of notes they are required to use with their
improvisation (such as only make them responsible for including quarter and eighth
notes, or quarter and half notes, etc.). For students who may have low musical
aptitude, partner them with students of high musical aptitude that can be of the most
benefit to these students.
Day Four: Orff Improvisation
 Begin class by passing out pitched Orff instruments and making sure that students
know not to play until prompted.
o Establish a mallet rest position.
 Do the same activity that was done with the hand drums, except modify for mallet
instruments.
 Have the students take off the fa, ti, and high do bars from their pitched Orff
instruments and set them to the side. This way they are only working with the do
pentatonic scale.
 After they say “My name is ________”, they are allowed to play their own melody
consisting of the notes of the do pentatonic scale for four beats. They should exhibit
knowledge and implementation of steady beat, application of mallet technique, and
maturity when playing the instruments.
 After the teacher has gone through each student’s improvisations, they should have
the students calmly pass the instruments down their rows to be put away.
 Have the students listen the folk song “The Jolly Miller”. They would have already
sung the song before this point.
 Any time you get to the “With one hand in his pocket and the other in his bag” line,
have the students improvise any words they would like using the same melody that’s
already in the song.
 Give the example of “With an arm around his sister and a friend by his side”, sung
with the same melody.
 Allow them a few moments to think on their own, and have the entire class sing the
song every time except for that one line, where the individual will sing their own
improvised line.
 Continue until every student has had a chance to perform his or her melody.
 Continue on with other daily activities.
 Possible Accommodations/Adaptations: For students with developmental or cognitive
disabilities, it may be helpful for them to co-improvise with a partner, such as one
person does the first half of the melody, and the other do the other half, this way there
is less to focus on for the student who may be struggling.
Day Five: Fun With Improvisational Drumming
 Begin class by teaching the students the folk song “Dance the Kolo”.
 Have them tap the steady beat along with you as you all sing. Sing this song until the
children are comfortable with it.
 Have the students stand in a circle holding hands and begin to teach them the Kolo
dance.
o Grapevine R, touch L, touch R; Grapevine L, tough R, touch L; Repeat.
 Ask the students what there usually is as accompaniment while people dance (a
band). Have two of the students become the band and have them each use one rhythm
instrument each.
 The students will improvise a rhythm while the remainder of the class dances and
sings the Kolo. After each improvisational team has finished, they can pick new
volunteers until everyone has had a chance to be a band member.
 Next, teach the children “Kye Kye Kule”. After they have learned the song, they can
replace the repetitions with their own improvisational drumming sections for four
beats. Continue until every student has had an opportunity.
 Continue with other daily activities.
 Possible Accommodations/Adaptations: For students with developmental disabilities,
who may not be able to drum cohesive rhythm patterns, allow them to keep a steady
beat for the rest of the group. Also, you can have these students be in the middle of
the circle with the rest of the “band” so they feel like a part of the music making
process.
Day Six: All Good Things Must Come to an End
 Conduct the post-test while you have students work on another improvisation activity.
 Have the children complete a worksheet that contains the following questions while
the post-test is being conducted:
o What is improvisation? (same from pre-test)
o Are there any types or genres of music that you think of when you hear the
word ‘improvisation’? (same from pre-test)
o How do you feel about improvisation?
o Why is improvisation important?
 After the post-test is done being conducted, collect the worksheets and have the
students get in pairs.
 Have one member of each pair improvise their own rhythms for four measures. Have
the other member of each pair improvise a melody for four measures. Have them
work together to create a mini-piece that they can present for their peers.
 Have them perform their improvisation/compositions for the class.
 Possible Accommodations/Adaptations: For children with disabilities, it may be
helpful to allot additional time to conduct pre-test. Also, it may be helpful to pair
students who can benefit from each other’s strengths and weaknesses, and also who
may offer additional support that the teacher cannot offer. For example, have students
of high musical aptitude work with students who may have cognitive disorders; this
way, the students with cognitive disorders have individualized attention for their
peers and still feel a part of the music-making process.