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Ensemble Rehearsal Lesson Plan

All About the Chant
Neathery Fuller
Stravinsky's Ave Maria

Learning Goals

Upperclassmen Choir
Grade: High School

What Learners will...

Be able to do (behavioral):
Students will be able to perform Stravinskys Ave Maria with a singular tone and correct
phrasing for chant with an accuracy rate of 80% by the end of two weeks.
Understand (cognitive):
Students will be able to apply the idea of phrasing and chant into music and allow for a
more musical experience.
Encounter (experiential):
Students will be able to hear the difference between a song that is performed in a chant
like way and better understand the feel of music.
Construct meaning (constructivist):
Students will understand the impact that phrasing and chant has on music, and how it
adds personality and shine to music.
Technical Skills
(intonation, posture, breath, phonation, balance, bowing for strings, sticking for
percussion, diction for singers)
The students know how to breathe correctly (engaging the diaphragm, good posture,
ect.) and this will help teach them how to use their breathe to help with the ending of
phrasing. They also know how to listen but will work harder to improve their ability to
listen to their whole section and to the whole choir to create a more universal sound.
Musical Concepts
(melody, rhythm, harmony, form, timbre, texture)
The students have a solid background understanding of harmony and working together.
In the lesson they will work on better understand chant music and how they have to

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work together to create the right kind of sound and chant like phrasing. They will also
how to work on have the correct float that chant music requires, using correct support
and vowel placement.
Empowering Musicianship
(historical perspective, stylistic integrity, musical artistry)
By learning to sing this piece students are learning the importance of phrasing and
tapering off endings in chant, as well as the importance of listening to how the music
wants to be sung. This will teach them about the chant style and how it has to be
performed.

Process
Partner: (Differentiate instruction by collaborating with ensemble members predicting
the performance challenges. Pose problems and brainstorm solutions together.
Encourage students to respond.)
The students will find two different recordings of Stravinskys Ave Maria and listen to the
phrasing and tone of the performances, focusing on the sound of the choir and how they
blend together. Then I will have the students look up some examples of chant music and
listen to how many voices can perform chant and make it sound like one voice and how
they work the phrases. Finally have them listen to how the choirs phrase the Ave Maria.
In class have them discuss how they think the performers worked the phrasing for Ave
Maria and if it was similar or different from chant phrasing. Then have them talk in small
groups of 4 about how they think they could do that as a choir. What techniques should
they use, how should they stand, what should they do to enhance the phrasing? Then
they will rejoin the class and the teacher will write their thoughts up on the board and
theyll discuss as a class. Then the teacher will read the translation of the Ave Maria and
then as a class discuss what it means and where the natural phrases are. Next listen to
the song again while following along with the text. What is the phrasing like? Does the
text affect the phrasing?
Present: (Sequence the rehearsal steps. Present the steps to scaffold and allow time
for students to practice independently on their own. Differentiate instruction through
questioning, clarifying, summarizing, and connecting.)
Because the students have already learned the music at home we begin working on
having them sound like one voice so their phrasing is smooth and has a clean cut.
Encourage the students to listen intently and try to blend. The students will probably

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have issues focusing their listening within their section and will have issues blending.
Remind the students to listen for the people one person a way from them on both sides,
allowing for a more consistent sound and to hold hands with your ears. Also remind
them that when dealing with chant you have to have a consistent sectional sound and
listen within to the sections voice as well as also the choirs. Ask them how can they
best make the whole choir sound as though there are only a few of them, giving the
phrasing a more professional sound? Then remind the choir that they need to focus on
listening with the room and using that when listening to the choir. That the room is
making music with them and they have to use when listening, because the room has
reverb and affects how the sound is reflected to them and how the cut offs of the
phrasings sound.
Personalize: (Make the learning personal to the students. Provide opportunities for
ensemble members and their conductor to collaborate as musicians to create a musical
experience and add value to their lives.)
Now that the choir has worked on their unified sound the need to work on their unified
phrasing. Have them talk about where they think each phrase should tapper and where
the next starts. Should we just follow the music or also just text? Have them break up
into their small groups again and have them make motions for each of the phrases.
Have them make motions for the endings and climaxes of the phrases, allow them to
express the music through their body as well as musically. Then have the class regroup
and listen to their ideas and try out the different phrasing and the moves they associate
with them. Ask them to see if they like it, if so why? If not, why not? As a class come to a
conclusion as to where they will breath and tapper their phrases. Have them practice
singing their chosen phrases with movements that demonstrate flowing and chant like
movement. Eventually remove the motions and have them sing it, with the phrasing
doing the motions for them.
Perform: (Demonstrate teaching music when singers perform.)
Students will perform the piece at a concert, using what they have learned about chant
to perform in the space. They will have to focus on using the room when listening to the
choir and how the different phrases tapper off.
Assessment
Formative:

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Observing how the students are doing with listening and phrasing. Take note on how
much input they have to say about the phrasing, and if they are struggling with ideas
help them to think of new ways to improve.
Summative:
The final performance in the concert and a final entry by the teacher.
Integrative:
Write in journal on if students are participating with ideas or if the teacher needs to help
them come up with different ways to work on phrasing. Write in journal the teachers
ideas as well as what the students say. If they arent touching on everything the teacher
wants to work on, try leading them to the idea with questions.