Hilary Ready
EDUC 5583
Peer Teaching Lesson Plan
September 21, 2010
Musical element: Form (ternary form, specifically)
Musical excerpt: Voi che sapete from The Marriage of Figaro by W. A. Mozart
Grade level: 11 (Form is addressed in Grade 10, but not in such depth that a study such as this
would be done in class)
Objectives:
1. To introduce students to the idea of musical structure
2. To explain that changes in key and tone within a piece are generated by the
overall form of the piece of music, and the changes happening within form are
instigated by changes in mood, perspective or emotion in the text or subtext of a
piece of music.
3. To put the idea of form into action by playing and talking about Voi che sapete
4. To pinpoint the changes from A to B and B to A in the music, to chart them
physically in 2 groups ( A1, A2, and B) and to understand their function within
ABA format.
Processes:
1. Analytical listening (to a recording of the aria and with sheet music in hand)
2. Physical improvisation (Groups A1 and A2 and Group B will stand when their
respective parts of the aria are heard)
Outcomes:
1. The students will understand the function of form.
2. They will be able to differentiate between ternary form and other forms.
3. They will understand what constitutes ternary form and will recognize it in
music after hearing it several times.
4. They will be able to connect form to music that is relevent to them today.
5. They will have experienced a brief and non-threatening introduction to Mozart,
a very important composer, and opera, a very important genre in the field of
music.
Materials:
1. A recording of Voi che sapete and I Want to Hold Your Hand,
2. Cd player or computer
3. Sheet music for Voi che sapete
Activities
1. Explain itinerary for the day: musical form. Ask students what they think form’s role in the
general world is, and what in music it might be (3)
2. Students will listen to Voi che sapete and note any changes in mood they hear in the music. Do
you think you heard a change in mood? Where was it? (5)
3. Explain translation of aria (emphasize the change in mood in section B) and point out that
change in mood, in an operatic aria, is generally what causes a shift in or out of a specific
section. (3)
4. Listen to the aria again and ask students how many different “sections” they hear or see (if
they can read music). After a number has been established, ask which of the forms on the board
they think is used in the aria. Why do you think it is one and not the other? What would have
to change for it to fall under a different category? (8)
5. Split class up in to A1, B and A2. Listen to the aria again and have each group stand when
they hear their “section” being played. What made you stand up? (4)
6. Present ternary form’s prevalence in baroque & 18th century opera in the form of the da capo
aria, in dances like the minuet or the polka, and in the minuet sections of large-scale works such
as symphonies, sonatas and string quartets. All that happens is that it gets longer and that
sometimes we will have a few more As before the introduction of B, to give B’s entrance more
power. (I know that I need to be careful here to watch my language so that the information
remains accessible to all students.) Can you think of any songs that we hear today that are
in ternary form? (3)
7. Present ternary form as a common form in pop music today: “I Want to Hold Your Hand” by
the Beatles. Conduct A1, B and A2 exercise. Do you hear the similarities? (3)
8. Answer any questions. (I will be sure to use appropriate vocabulary when responding to
these questions to avoid alienating anyone.)
(9. Assign homework as suggested by Cheslea – go home and find one song that you think is
in ternary form.)
Assessment
Rather than officiate an actual pen and paper test, I believe I will be able to measure the students’
grasp of and comfort with the material based on their willingness to participate and by whether
or not their answers to my questions about form line up with the correct answers.
I will know if they have learned what I set out to teach them if they can correctly identify the
song in question as ternary form – and if they cannot, if they can later agree that they understand
my own reasons for which it falls under that category. I believe that the A1, B and A2 exercise
used for the Beatles’ song will also shed some light on how well they understood the lesson.
Post-Lesson Reflection
I think that most of the activities and teaching methods that I used in my presentation worked
fairly well. Though I did my best to treat this as though I was indeed going to be teaching a
group of high school students, the fact that I had a group of post-grads in front of me meant that
the lesson was treated with more attention and interest than I was expecting. It was nice, but not
what I expected! I was able to explain to them what form meant without using vocabulary or
ideas that they wouldn’t understand. I felt I was able to keep them interested and was able to
refine their perception of the form in Voi che sapete by explaining form in as many different
ways as possible and by playing the song over several times.
If I were to teach the lesson again, I would try to steer clear of mentioning things like opera
history or trouser roles until the end of class, thereby avoiding the distractions that they provided
from the lesson itself. I knew going in to the presentation that I was running the risk of using
(without thinking) vocabulary and concepts that would be overt he heads of my students. I think
I did a reasonably good job of sticking to the words and expressions that a grade 11 music
student would know (provided they had taken grade 9 and 10 music), but I know I could have
planned better for it. I saw a few confused faces in the audience when I was talking about
Baroque and Classical music, so next time I think I will have to budget more time in to my
lesson to explain them more clearly – I need to remember that the university students “playing”
the high school students might not know as much as I assume they do about this stuff!
I also would have assigned a fun homework assignment, like the one Chelsea suggested, having
the students go home and try to find their own “ternary form” song.