CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, LONG BEACH

BOB COLE CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC

MUSIC EDUCATION
ENSEMBLE LESSON PLAN REQUIREMENTS Revised: 1/20/2017 Music Education, Cole Conservatory of Music

NAME: Minna Im CHECK BELOW

SCHOOL: CSULB Elementary School  Lesson Plan
GRADE/LEVEL: 6 Rehearsal Plan
SUBJECT: Music Where in the UNIT does this occur?
INSTRUMENTAL: Intermediate String Orchestra Beginning
CHORAL/VOCAL:  Middle
OTHER: End

Musical Work: Coming of Age by Sean O’Loughlin

Concept Focus: Accents

Performance Focus: Use of accents on non-traditional beats

Prior Knowledge:
• Basic comprehension and performance of notes and rhythm of the piece
• Definition of an accent and ability to demonstrate accents
Student Learning Outcome(s) (SLO):
Students will identify and perform accents that fall on non-traditional or “weak” beats.
Essential Question(s):
• How does understanding the structure and context of musical works inform performance?
• How do musicians improve the quality of their performance?
Enduring Understanding(s):
• Analyzing creators’ context and how they manipulate elements of music provides insight into their intent and informs performance.
• To express their musical ideas, musicians analyze, evaluate, and refine their performance over time through openness to new ideas, persistence, and the
application of appropriate criteria.
National Core Arts Standard: California Music Content Standard:
MU: Pr4.2.E.5a Demonstrate, using music reading skills where 2.3 Creative Expression
appropriate, how knowledge of formal aspects in musical works inform Perform on an instrument a repertoire of instrumental literature representing various
prepared or improvised performances. genres, styles, and cultures with expression, technical accuracy, tone quality, and
MU: Pr5.3.E.la Develop strategies to address expressive challenges in a articulation, by oneself and in ensembles.
varied repertoire of music, and evaluate their success using feedback from
ensemble peers and other sources to refine performances.
Materials/Equipment Needed:
Instruments, music, music stands, pencils, highlighters (for visually impaired students)
Accommodations (Special Needs/EL):
For the visually impaired: have students use fluorescent highlighters of their choice to highlight or mark in all accents
Vocabulary:
Accent, accented, unaccented, traditional “strong” beats, non-traditional “weak” beats, off-beats, on-beats, time signature, 3/4 time, 4/4 time, meter
Anticipatory Set/Introduction/Pretest:
Students will warm-up with a D Major scale in quarter notes repeating each note 3 times placing an emphasis on the first note of each changing note of the scale.
Process will be repeated with each note of the scale played 4 times with the emphasis on the first and third quarter note.
Switch from quarter notes to eighth notes in 3/4 and 4/4 time with the same emphasis on the appropriate beats of each meter.

Guided Practice:
Time Measures Issue/Concept Strategies/Activities for Strategies/Activities for Concept Goals Assessment(s)
allocation Performance Goals

5 minutes 60-68 Accents Accents Clapping on only the accented

(identify— S – Perform measures 60-68
understand) T – Clap on beats where accents fall
while students perform measures.
Asks students why those beats were
clapped.
S – No instruments: clap only on
the beats that are accented while
counting beats out loud (kinesthetic,
visual)
notes
(peer and student self-
assessment)
Identify/Define Accents
S – Recognize accent symbols on notes.
Define accents. (constructivism)
T – Choose individual student to
demonstrate an accent using their bow Defining and demonstrating an
and instrument (kinesthetic) accent through words and action
(teacher observation)

T- Asks students which beats the

accents fall on.
S – Answers. (Beats 1, 2, 3, 4, + of
2)
T – Have students identify the
meter change from 4/4 to 3/4
(visual)
T – Asks students which beats are
considered “strong” and “weak” beats in
4/4 and 3/4 time.
Informs students beat 1 is “strong” in 3/4
time and beats 1 and 3 are “strong” in 4/4.
The rest are considered “weak” beats
(direct teaching)
5 minutes 60-68 Accents Accents on “weak” beats
(apply) T – Asks students which bow direction is
associated with “strong” and “weak”
beats
(Down bow=strong beats
Up bow=weak beats) (direct teaching)
S – Have students try alternating accents Experimentation of accenting
on down/up bows on open D string “strong” and weak” beats
(kinesthetic) (student self-assessment)
T – Asks students which bow direction is
more difficult to accent
S – Will answer up bow direction

S – Circle/highlight the accents that

fall on non-traditional “weak” beats
(visual, kinesthetic)
T – Asks students which of those
“weak” beats fall on an up bow.
Have students mark in ˅ symbol
above those notes (visual,
kinesthetic)
S – Transfer action into performing Performance of all accents in
all measures indicated measures with specific
attention on the “weak” accented
beats (teacher observation)
5 minutes Accents Transfer to other sections Identification of accents on
(analyze) S/T – Identify accents of similar “weak” beats in other sections of
“weak beats” in other sections of the composition (peer and
the composition. Mark/highlight student-self assessment)
accents that fall on the + of a beat
and mark in ˅ symbol (visual,
kinesthetic) Performance of all accents in
S/T – Perform/record run-through composition (teacher
of composition observation)
5 minutes Accents Evaluate and Critique Decisions Alternative practice possibilities
(evaluate) T – Plays student recording of for accents on “weak beats”
performance (aural) (peer and student-self
S – Tap to themselves all accented assessment; teacher observation)
notes while recording is playing
(aural, kinesthetic)
S/T – Determine if accents on
“weak beats” were obvious enough
 S – Experiment/practice those
measures with no left hand-open D
string only (kinesthetic)
3 minutes Performance Performance of composition
S/T – Perform entire composition (teacher observation)
with attention to all accents falling
on both “strong” and “weak” beats

Independent Practice: Students will find and mark in/highlight accents in another piece they are currently working on and share accented beats of section
next day in class.
Closure: Students will once again perform the composition without any of the accents and discuss the importance of accents and why it is especially important
in this specific work.