Student Teachers Name: Pat Walters

Date:12/3/14
Grade Level: 7th + 8th
Subject Area: Music
Physical Setting: Classroom
School: Wilson Middle School
District: Wyandotte
Lesson Plan Title: Bethlehem Lullaby

Outcomes (objectives/performance indicators):

Students will be able to:
1. Sing with clear phrasing of the piece.
2. Sing with proper articulation of words.
3. Observe and sing with dynamic markings.
Standards:
ART.M.I.8.3 - Sing and play accurately as a soloist, and in both small and large
ensembles, with appropriate technique and breath control.
ART.M.V.7.2 - Describe ways in which music is related to the subject matter
of at least two other disciplines.
ART.M.III.7.1 -Identify and describe specific musical elements and events in
a given aural example, using appropriate terminology.

Rationale:
This piece has the potential to be really enjoyable or really boring at a concert.
Due to its slow tempo and simple harmonies, it relies on the musicality of the choir to
really bring it alive. To do this, students need to understand the phrasing of the piece so
they can work the dynamics (both as indicated by the composer, and by the words and
characteristic of the piece).
The song never goes beyond a mezzo forte, and the majority of the piece sits in
the mezzo piano level. Added with the slow tempo of the piece makes the words very
easy to slur and become mushy. Students need to over articulate (from their
perspective) the words so that when the audience hears it, the words will be
comprehensible and distinguishable.

Materials:
Sheet music
Possibly CD of Accompaniment.

Teacher Procedure/Development of Lesson:

Introduction:
1. Warm-up:
1. Sing Lips, teeth, tip of the tongue. to work on articulation.
2. Lee, leh, la, lo, loo on a 5,3,4,2,3,1,2,7,1 descending 3rd. Switch to Bee, beh,
etc.
1. works on articulating L and B, common consonants in this song.

3. Descending 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. on an oo vowel singing as quietly as possible. Focus on

being quiet and still focused and supported.
1. Works on ability to maintain quiet dynamics and still blend and balance.

Methods and Procedures:

Outcome 1:
1. Revisit the meaning of phrase in the context of music and English. What marks the
end of a phrase in a written work and in musical text?
2. Have students sing through the phrase at mm.37-43. Students should have this
section memorized so they can sing it without having to look down at their music.
3. Listen for them to NOT breathe from O sisters too to how may we do.
Outcome 2:
1. Address this issue by having students sing the first line of the song while articulating
the words clearly.
2. Re-address this issue throughout the lesson whenever they begin to lose the clarity
of their words.
Outcome 3:
1. Work on dynamic transitions such as m. 37
1. Experiment with extremes. Go from pp to ff and then eventually transition to the
actual mp to mf.
2. Sing M. 51 several times to make sure students look up at me for dynamics.

Closure:
1. Sing through the whole song Using a CD while keeping in mind the lessons work.
2. Ask students both what they liked and think they need to keep working and focusing
on.
Accommodations/Adaptations:
Try conducting the piece in 1 until end and switch to 3/4 for the decrescendo. This may
help students with the legato feeling and stop them from punching each beat of the
measure, thereby avoiding the marcato feel.
Assessment/Evaluation:
Informal assessment.
Teacher Reflection:
Can I give better gestures to students for dynamics?
How did the song feel in terms of tempo? Too slow and boggy or too fast and rushed?
Listen to students answers to the Closure question. What did they not like about the
way the piece is sung?