Long-Term Planning Calendar: Music
Teacher: Andrew Heidorn
Grade/Class/Ensemble: 8th Grade General Music
Units Main Objective: Understanding Music through Arranging and Analysis
Primary Repertoire: Top 40 Pop Songs
Monday
3 4
Main Obj: Students will listen to
and select an appropriate pop
culture song with lyrics and
describe to their group the
themes they found within.
Activity 1: Students will get into
groups and choose a popular
culture song they enjoy
listening to.
Activity 2: Students will look up
the lyrics to their chosen song
and interpret the meaning and
themes behind it.
Repertoire: Any appropriate
pop culture song of the
students choosing
10
Main Obj: Students will arrange
a bass line.
Activity 1: Using pianos,
students will create a bass line
similar to or one that
compliments their pop culture
song.
Activity 2: After creating their
bass line, students will notate it
in finale.
Repertoire: Pop Culture Song
17
Main Obj: Students will build on
their arrangement by adding a
new instrument to finale.
Activity 1: Students will add an
instrument of their choice (one
the students have learned to
play previously in this class) to
their arrangement and will write
an appropriate part for it.
Activity 2: Students will use
their skills in ukulele, boom
whackers, piano synthesizer,
guitar, etc. to play the new part
theyve written.
Repertoire: Pop Culture Song
Tuesday
Main Obj: With their chosen
songs, students will gain an
understanding of the chord
progressions by analyzing the
chords used in the chorus.
Activity 1: Students will
individually analyze the chords
that are used in the chorus of
their song. After identifying the
chords they will name them. (I-
VI-IV-V-I)
Activity 2: Students will regroup
and compare/contrast their
chords with each other.
Repertoire: Pop Culture Song
11
Main Obj: Students will play the
chord progression of their song
with their bass line.
Activity 1: Students will practice
playing their chord progression
on piano. Students will be
paired to share their work.
Activity 2: Students will perform
their chord progression while
their bass line plays in the
background.
Repertoire: Pop Culture Song
18
Main Obj: Students will
collaborate with a partner and
assess the new part theyve
written.
Activity 1: Students will pair up
and play for each other. Then,
students will review each
others arrangement thus far
(mainly the newly written part).
Activity 2: Students will discuss
what is successful about their
written part and give
suggestions as to what may
make it better.
Repertoire: Pop Culture Song
Wednesday
5 6
Main Obj: Students will identify
if the chords used in their
songs chorus are used through
out the rest of the song.
Activity 1: Students will play the
chord progression of their
chosen songs chorus on piano.
While listening to their song,
they will see explain if those
chords are used throughout.
Activity 2: They will break the
song up into sections: Verse 1,
Chorus 1, Verse 2, Chorus 2,
Bridge, Chorus 3 etc.
Repertoire: Pop Culture Song
12
Main Obj: Students will
compose their chords into
finale. They will be challenged
to use root position, first
inversion and second inversion
chords.
Activity 1: Students will use
finale to insert their chord
progressions on the top staff
above the bass line.
Activity 2: Students will use
different chord inversions if
their verses and choruses are
the same.
Repertoire: Pop Culture Song
19
Main Obj: Students will draw
inspiration from other songs
and relate it to their own.
Activity 1: Students will group
with other students who all
have different songs. Each
student will present their own
and draw inspiration from their
fellow classmates songs.
Activity 2: Students will
incorporate something (a new
instrument, rhythm, voicing,
etc.) they heard from their
classmates arrangements.
Repertoire: All Pop Culture
Songs
Thursday
Main Obj: Students will
construct the chord progression
of the entire song (with lyrics)
and analyze it. (C-G-F-C and I-
V-IV-I)
Activity 1: Students will
individually analyze their piece
of music and attach the chords
(name and analysis) to their
lyrics sheet.
Activity 2:Students will group
up (with students that have
different songs) and play their
chord progressions for each
other.
Repertoire: Pop Culture Song
13
Main Obj: Using finale,
students will create a melodic
line that mimics the vocal (or
electronic) melody in their
song.
Activity 1: Students will sing
along to their song while
listening to their composition
thus far.
Activity 2: Students will notate
the melodic line on finale above
both piano staffs.
Repertoire: Pop Culture Song
20
Main Obj: Students will practice
with original group members.
Activity 1: Students will assess
each others arrangements and
chose one that theyd like to
perform for the rest of the
class. (Piano, singing, rhythm,
and two extra parts).
Activity 2: Students will practice
the parts they chose to perform
for the class.
Repertoire: Pop Culture Song
Friday
7
Main Obj: Students will
demonstrate their knowledge of
their song by writing the root of
each chord in finale.
Activity 1: In Finale, and using
their chord progression sheet,
students will create a file and
put in the root note of each
chord through out the entire
song.
Activity 2: Students will practice
singing along with their finale
file to make sure everything is
in time.
Repertoire: Pop Culture Song
14
Main Obj: Students will
formulate rhythms to
incorporate into their
arrangements.
Activity 1: Students will regroup
with the students who share
their song and will create
rhythms with each other that
match the style of the piece.
Activity 2: After creating
rhythms, students will notate
those rhythms into their
arrangement.
Repertoire: Pop Culture Song
21
Main Obj: Students will perform
their chosen arrangement for
the class.
Activity 1: Performing students
will show the class their
arrangement and then perform
it for the class.
Activity 2: Audience students
will evaluate the performance
and interpret what they believe
the songs themes are.
Repertoire: Pop Culture Songs
24
Main Obj: Students will choose
a piece of music from famous
composers (J.S. Bach, W.A.
Mozart, L.V. Beethoven, etc.)
that share resemblances with
their arrangement.
Activity 1: Students will be
given a list of pieces (scores
and recordings) written by
famous composers and will
listen to each.
Activity 2: Students will be
given a piece to analyze based
off of the piece the chose to
arrange. (One that has similar
progressions/rhythms, etc.)
Repertoire: Pieces written by
famous composers
Notes: The Famous Composers works will be chosen based off of the songs that the students chose. The teacher will chose pieces that relate to those of the students so
the students will be able to find relations and establish connections.
25
Main Obj: Students will
evaluate their analysis of the
famous composers score and
compare it to their
arrangement.
Activity 1: Students will analyze
the famous composers work
and compare any similarities
they find.
Activity 2: Students will share
what they found with their
fellow classmates.
Repertoire: Famous
Composers works and Pop
Culture Songs
26 27 28
Main Obj: Students will explain Main Obj: Students will review Main Obj: Students will present
to their group what they what theyve learned from the their project and the students in
discovered when studying their famous composers and the audience will evaluate their
famous composers work. arranging music and create a peers experience and compare
presentation with their group. it to their own.
Activity 1: Students will group Activity 1: Students will group Activity 1: Students will share
up and discuss what they up and create a project that with the class everything they
learned after comparing older showcases their experience have learned from analyzing
music to new. from arranging and analyzing. and arranging.
Activity 2: Students will connect Activity 2: Students will Activity 2: Students will discuss
themes that may or may not measure their learning and with each other the benefits of
have changed from then until progress over the course of thethe assignments theyve been
now. last month. participating in over the course
of the unit.
Repertoire: Famous Repertoire: Famous Repertoire: Famous
Composers works and Pop Composers works and Pop Composers works and Pop
Culture Songs Culture Songs Culture Songs