Lesson Plan for February 23

Class Settings:
The class consists of 7th graders at Lynhurst 7th and 8th Grade Center. Students can
play D Major scale comfortably and they understand the difference between quarter
notes and half notes. They are currently learning about eighth notes; however, they
have not quite mastered the concept of eighth notes yet.
Objectives:
As a result of this lesson, students will be able to understand two new concepts: key
signature and F-natural, and accents. Moreover, students will be reviewing the
concept of slurs. Students will be able to understand what key signature is, the
significance of key signatures, and how to read and use them. Students will also be
able to understand the difference between F# and F-natural, and how to play that
note on their instrument. Students will be able to understand the concept and
definition of accents and how they would play that on their instrument (with
pizzicato). Students already know what the slur is, but they will also be able to
understand how to practice slurs efficiently and ensuring that all the notes in the
slur are equal rhythmically.
Materials:
Violin
Essential Elements
Score of Call Me Maybe
Procedures:
1. D Major scale; two notes per pitch, do not repeat the top note.
2. Method book; page 29 in Essential Elements book (page 156 for teachers
manual), exercise 109. Start out by taking off all the slurs to get all the notes.
3. After mastering all the notes, very slowly, practice the slurs with stopped
bow. Model to make sure students get what they are supposed to do. Practice
multiple times.
4. Then, make the stopped bow into normal slurs, as written. Model for students
what not to do to ensure students are holding notes equally in slurs.
5. Go to exercise 111 on the same page (page 158 for teachers manual), and
do the same practice as above. Start out without all the slurs, then practice
with stopped bow. Finally play as written.
6. Ask students to go to page 32 (page 174 in teachers manual) and look at
exercise 126. Ask students how many sharps or flats they see next to their
clef (looking for one sharp). Then, ask students if there was a note where the
sharp is located, what note would that be (looking for F). Introduce key
signature and explain what it is.
7. Go through F-natural in all the instruments. Explain what finger and on what
string for the F-natural in exercise 126 is. Hold on the note to check the
intonation and have everyone play E. Use broken record to practice going to
E from F-natural.

8. Play through exercise 126 in Essential Elements.

9. Pass out music for Call Me Maybe and while passing out the music, play the
recording of the piece for students to listen to.
10.Call and response, sing eighth notes and have students sing back to me.
Make sure students are singing steady eighth notes.
11.Add in accents on every second note and have students imitate that. Ask
students what was the difference between two ways of singing. Introduce
accents.
12.Have students pluck G (open for violas, cellos, and basses, and third finger on
D for violins) with same rhythm that we just sang. Make sure they are steady
eighth notes before adding in accents.
13.Have a few volunteers to explain what they did differently make accents
happen.
Assessment:
The assessment will occur three times in this lesson. First, I will make sure that
students are understanding the slur correctly by making sure that they are using
one bow for each slur. Then, I will also ensure that students are holding each note
equally. Second, I will make sure that students understand the key signature by
asking them 1. what exactly is key signature and where is it located? 2. why is it
important? Lastly, I will assess students when they are emphasizing on every
second note on G, and will be asked what they did differently to make accents.