Stage 4: Jazz Music

Abbreviations
Learning experiences: Performing (P), Listening (L), Composition (C)
Concepts of music: Duration (D), Pitch (P), Structure (S), Texture (T), Tone Colour (TC), Dynamics & Expressive Techniques (D&E)

Lesson P L C Integrated Learning Experiences, Instruction & Assessment D P S T T D Outcomes Assessment Resources
C &
E

1 X Lesson Focus: This lesson is the introductory lesson where students X X X 4.7, 4.8, Pre-test Google
will be introduced to the piece they will study over the 5 lesson 4.11
sequence. The piece students will engage with is “What a wonderful Reflection YouTube
world” and will cover the genre of Jazz music as implemented by the LS.7 Quiz
Australian Music Syllabus 7-10. Students will interact among listening LS.8
and theoretical activities that will pre-test the learning level of the LS.9 Exit Pass
students and the areas in need of improvement.

Objective: Students will interact among a series of pre-tests to gauge

the level of prior knowledge on the genre Jazz music. After the pre-
tests students will engage themselves through a 2 YouTube videos
based on what is Jazz, it’s History, Characteristics and Instruments.
Students will then need to identify the instruments and characteristics
of Jazz shown through the musical excerpt “What a wonderful world”.
*Refer to Exercise L1.

Remediation: Students struggling may remain on the 1st level of the

quizzes and can be assigned a peer to help them through or can ask
the teacher for assistance/guidance. Students may remain in pairs in
reference to Exercise L1.

Extension: Advance students who complete Exercise L1 before the

suggested time can research the multiple styles of Jazz and select one
 style of Jazz of their choice and provide three musical references.

2 X X Lesson Focus: Lesson 2’s focus will be to start incorporating a hands X X X X 4.1, 4.3, Practical Instrument
on approach to understanding the compositional techniques of Jazz 4.4, 4.11, Observation
characteristics. Students will focus on the musical excerpt “what a 4.12. Sheet
wonderful world” and will focus on maintaining rhythm, conveying call Music
and response, and engaging with a walking Bass. LS.1,
LS.2, Arrangem
Objective: Students will choose an instrument to draw focus among LS.3, ent
compositional techniques of Jazz music. Students will learn how to LS.4, Excerpts
maintain and play rhythmic patterns, they will participate among a call LS.5,
and response activity and will engage in creating a walking bass. LS.10.

Remediation: Students that are finding it difficult to participate among

rhythmic patterns can keep a simple 4/4 beat.

Extension: Advance students who show understanding of the following

characteristics will be allowed to improvise over the top of everyone
else when allocated 4-8 bars.

3 X X X Lesson Focus: This lesson will focus on the Form and Improvisation X X X 4.1, 4.2, In Class Garage-
among creating Jazz music. Students will relate to “what a wonderful 4.3, 4.4, Performance band
world” for compositional inspiration and structural relevance. 4.5, 4.7.
Voice
Objective: Students are to create a compositional piece (12 bars) that LS.2 Memos
shows a form of Theme and Variation and is composed through non- LS.3
traditional notation within all student books. Students must work among LS.4 Workbook
groups in which all students need to create 4 bars maximum towards LS.5
the piece. Students will then practice the piece created so far and LS.6 Non-
reflect as a group if any changes are to be made. Once a reflection has LS.8 Traditional
been made. Students are to practice the pieces and once completed LS.9 Notation
pass their group composition to another group for them to perform. LS.10
Students will be assessed within practice on the use of Jazz
 Characteristics among the 12 bar composition.

Remediation: Students are put in diverse groups to encourage a peer

mentor system that enhances creativity within all participants.

Extension: Advance groups who are up to improvising among the

piece. Can start to record their improvisation through voice memos or
Garageband. Students need to reflect among their improvisation to
whether they developed upon a theme or maintained the same idea.

4 X X X Lesson Focus: This lesson will focus on Modern Jazz Voicings. X X X X 4.1, 4.2, Peer Instrument
Students will partake activities that involve listening and compositional 4.3, 4.4, Evaluation /s
skills. Students will then have the opportunity to practice “what a 4.5, 4.7,
wonderful world” within groups. Students can decide their 4.8, 4.9, Sheet
instrumentation whether this be voices (Acapella) or instrumentation. 4.12 Music

Objective: Students will learn and identify modern jazz voicings among LS.1 Song
pre-existing compositions and the musical example “ what a wonderful LS.2 Recording
world”. Students will then create their own modern jazz voicings within LS.3
performance groups and incorporate the use of jazz voicing within their LS.4 Sheet
practice of the piece “what a wonderful world”. Students will then need LS.5 Music
to identify where they have created jazz voicing among the piece and LS.6
will need to graphically notate among the existing sheet music, a way LS.8 Info on
for recognizing this section. Students will focus on improvisation among LS.9 Jazz
their modern jazz voicings. LS.10 Voicing

Extension: Students need to ensure everyone is heard through a solo MIDI Files
within the piece and will need to improvise a solo. The Jazz voicing can
be the students solo. They will need to notate their section for
improvisation among the piece.

5 X X Lesson Focus: Arranging Jazz the Basics. X X X X X 4.4, 4.5, Personal iPad or
Students will individually to arrange the chorus of “What a wonderful 4.6, 4.7, Reflection Computer
world”. 4.9, 4.11,
Objective: Students will arrange the chorus of “what a wonderful world”. 4.12 Sibelius
They will need to keep it simple and convey the following musical roles Garage-
Melodic, Harmonic, Rhythmic and Bass-line to their new creation. LS.4 band
Students will be given the basics to arranging before they are sent off LS.5
in their new groups to identify a musical role among each individual. LS.6 MIDI
Students must notate their musical role through Sibelius and export a LS.7 Instrument
MIDI file to input into Garageband. Students will then reflect among LS.8
their final result of their arrangement once all midi files are inputted into LS.9 Sheet
the one Garageband piece, and must provide critical but positive Music
feedback on the roles of each musical layer. (Chorus)

Remediation: Students struggling with notating software may play and Basics on
use an instrument to input notes. Arranging

Extension: Students who have completed their section are too double Sibelius
check their work and explore any possible areas in their sections where Help
articulation, dynamics and expressive techniques could be used. Sheet

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