Unit Plan - The Blues Form Ms

Patrick Robert Peters
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Unit Plan
!The Blues Form!

And how you can solo over it
Patrick Peters
Day 1
Lesson Plan: Do & Sol Relationship
Context/Prior Knowledge
6th Grade General Music Class
Students will have learned the names of notes in the staff (from C on the below staff line to G
above the top line).
Students will have been introduced to the sound of a major scale (through singing) and are in
the process of learning the solfege and hand signs.
Essential Question
What makes Sol and Do so important to the key of a piece of music?
Materials
 DrumGenius phone application
 Speaker
 Piano
 Computer or phone with access to Internet
 Classroom with space to circle up and for some movements
 Chalkboard & Chalk
 Extra Notebook Paper and Pencils for students who forget supplies
 “Duke’s Place”1 Recording (found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ol-
AvCEdRQw)
Glossary of Terms2
 Staff - A set of five, equidistant, horizontal lines joined together by a brace. The staff
(also called stave) is used to clearly communicate musical notation. Note symbols,
dynamics, and other performance directions are placed within, above, and below the
staff.
 Downbeats of 2 and 4 – In a bar of 4/4 (4 beats), whenever you would tap your foot on
the 2nd an 4th of those 4 beats.
 Root – the first or fundamental note in a chord [or scale].
 5th – the 5th tone in a Major Scale. Also known as the ‘Dominant.’
 Eighth Notes – a note having 1/8 the duration of a whole note.
 Dotted Quarter Note - A note that has a dot placed to the right of the notehead,
indicating that the duration of the note should be increased by half again its
original duration. [A dotted quarter is equivalent to a quarter note + an eight note.]
 Solfege – a musical education system designed to explain the tones of a major scale in
relation to one another by substituting short sounds in place of the scale degrees. [Do =
1st scale degree/root, Sol = 5th/dominant].
1
Ellington, D. (1942). Duke’s Place [Recorded by Ella Fitzgerald]. On Ella at Duke’s Place [MP3 file]. Santa
Monica, California: Verve Records. (1965).
2
OnMusic Dictionary. (2015). Retrieved September 30, 2018, from https://dictionary.onmusic.org/
National Standards
MU:Cr1.1.3a: Improvise rhythmic and melodic ideas, and describe connection to specific
purpose and context (such as personal and social).
MU:Pr5.1.3b Rehearse to refine technical accuracy, expressive qualities, and identified

performance challenges.
MU:Pr6.1.3a Perform music with expression and technical accuracy.
MU:Re7.2.3a Demonstrate and describe how a response to music can be informed by the
structure, the use of the elements of music, and context (such as personal and social).
MU:Cn10.0.3a Demonstrate how interests, knowledge, and skills relate to personal choices and
intent when creating, performing, and responding to music.
Learning Outcomes
1. Students will identify and define Sol and Do as well as their relation to the key.
2. Students will sing Sol and Do of a scale within a melody (“Duke’s Place”).
3. Students will improvise using the notes Sol and Do.
Procedure
1. Start lesson by playing the DrumGenius app drumbeat.
a. To find correct beat:
i. Go to ‘Styles’
ii. Then to ‘Jazz – Medium Swing’
iii. Select the ‘Swing medium 01.’ Beat
iv. Select download (3 beats can be downloaded for free)
2. Clap along with the drumbeats on the downbeats of 2 and 4 (the second and fourth
beats of each bar).
3. Once students are all clapping along, move over to piano and set them (and yourself) in
a key (C Major). Only the root and 5th need to be played, though playing all the notes of
the chord may be helpful in grounding the students.
4. Now the teacher begins singing the song. Repeat as needed until students begin to
participate. Motion for them to circle up in the middle of the room.
a. Lyrics, performed by Ella Fitzgerald:
i. Baby, take me down to Duke's Place.

ii. Wildest box in town is Duke's Place.
iii. Love that piano sound in Duke's Place.3
b. Recording can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ol-AvCEdRQw

c. Sheet Music attached (not for use of students).
5. Look for problem spots and begin using ‘my turn, your turn’ hand motions.
a. Sing one line at a time (as distinguished in lyrics above in 4a.)
i. Likely will need to do multiple times until students are singing words
correctly and in unison
b. Likely problem spots:
i. Failure to sing the eight notes
3
Ellington, D. (1942). Duke’s Place [Recorded by Ella Fitzgerald]. On Ella at Duke’s Place [MP3 file]. Santa
Monica, California: Verve Records. (1965).
ii. Holding the dotted quarter (Duke’s) for too long or too short
c. Solutions
i. Repetition of examples for students to hear
ii. Emphasize claps so students can hear where the words fall in relation to
the claps.
iii. Accentuate that the second beat of each little phrase comes on the
offbeat. Show using finger pointing to represent up and down beats (at
ground is down beat, in air is offbeat).
iv. Take one bar of lyrics and repeat it (one bar of music, then one bar of
rests)
6. After problem areas have been addressed, go around in a circle, with each student
singing the next line of the song.
7. When song goes all the way around, sing the song as a unit again, before dropping out
and allowing students to sing song on their own.
8. Stop students and introduce the solfege and hand symbols for the song (every word will
be Sol, except for ‘Place’ which is Do.)
a. Hand Symbols
i. Do = Closed fist held out in front of your body with knuckles pointing
across to other arm.
ii. Sol = Open hand with Palm towards you ad fingers pointing towards other
arm.
9. Write “Sol” and “Do” on the board. Then, draw an arrow from Sol to Do.
10. When students are singing on their own, begin improvising over the bar of rest between
each line (the 4th, 8th, and 12th bar of the sheet music).
a. Make sure to use only the 1 and 5 of the chord in your improvisation.
11. After a couple choruses, motion to students that they will now improvise. We will again
go around in a circle, but this time we will go around the circle the other way.
12. When everyone is done, have them return to their seats and take out a piece of paper.
a. Add exit questions to the chalkboard:
i. Why do you think each musical line ended in ‘Do’?
ii. What do you think is the relationship between Sol and Do?
b. Give students 5 minutes to answer. Feel free to pull up the audio of Ella
Fitzgerald’s version of “Duke’s Place.”
13. After collecting answers, move to piano and play a chord (C Maj)
a. Let it ring (and hold it with the foot pedal).
b. Then play just the C over top of that
c. “Can anyone tell me what scale degree this is?”
i. Answer: Do
d. If I’m playing C Major, what note does that make this
i. Answer: C
e. Do is the home base of the key, C Major, that I’m playing.
f. “How about this?” and play the C Major triad again
g. Then add a G on top of it.
h. Which scale degree was that?
i. Answer: Sol
i. If we are in C Major, then what note is that?
i. Answer: G
j. Sol, or the 5th, is the second most ‘home-sounding’ note in a key.
k. “If I play the C major scale and the G Major scale together, they are almost
exactly the same except for one note.”
i. Demonstrate by playing a C major scale on the piano
ii. Then play a G major scale starting on C (same notes except F is replaced
with F#).
l. Because they are so close together, G will often lead directly to C to close a
musical line or piece.
14. With that in mind, let’s sing through Duke’s Place again!
a. Push the Sol’s so that the lead into the Do at the end of the line.
b. Sing through the song twice without solos.
c. Then go around the circle again, allowing everyone to sing one bar of solo.
i. “Reminder to try and have your Sol move into the Do”
15. After everyone gets a chance to solo, class can return to seats again.
16. With the new information in mind, have them answer the two questions on the board
again, and hand in their answers.
Assessment
1. Teacher will assess the students’ identification of So and Do through an exit ticket and
collect answers from the students seeing how they conceptualize the relief of tension
from Sol to Do.
a. Exit Ticket Questions
i. Why did each musical line ended in ‘Do’?
ii. What is the relationship between Sol and Do?
2. Teacher will aurally assess students’ performance of Sol and Do within the melody of
“Duke’s Place.”
a. This will be done as the melody gets passed around the circle.
b. Graded on a Check+ to Check- scale.
i. Check +: student performs melody and rhythm correctly
ii. Check: student performs melody and rhythm correctly after one or two
slip ups.
iii. Check -: student performs incorrectly 3+ times before succeeding.
3. Teacher will aurally assess students’ improvisation using the notes Sol and Do.
a. Yes – Student correctly and successfully improvises over one bar using only Sol
and Do.
b. No - Student does not correctly or successfully improvise over one bar using only
Sol and Do.
Further Learning/Extension
The next step would be to add a harmony line to sing with the main melody.
1. The harmony line would replace the ‘Sol’ in the melody with ‘Mi.’ It would also replace
the ‘Do’ with ‘Sol.’
2. Now that Do-Mi-Sol are all known, we can expand that into explaining the essence of a
triad and chord.
Patrick Peters
Day 2
Lesson Plan: I, IV & V chords
6th Grade General Music
Essential Question
How can we use the Blues form to teach the notes of the I, IV, and V chords?
Materials
Orff Instruments & Mallets
DrumGenius phone application
Speaker
Piano
Computer or phone with access to Internet
Classroom with space to circle up and for some movements
Chalkboard & Chalk
Extra Notebook Paper and Pencils for students who forget supplies
Printouts of C-Jam Blues chord sheet
C-Jam Blued recording: Duke Ellington4
Glossary of Terms5
 5th – the 5th tone in a Major Scale. Also known as the ‘Dominant.’
1st scale degree/root, Sol = 5th/dominant].
 Chord - The sounding of two or more notes (usually at least three) simultaneously.
Most chords are based on triads or three notes with the interval of
a major or minor third between each of the three notes.
National Standards
MU:Cr1.1.8a: Generate rhythmic, melodic and harmonic phrases and harmonic
accompaniments within expanded forms (including introductions, transitions, and codas) that
convey expressive intent.
MU:Pr4.2.6a: Explain how understanding the structure and the elements of music are used in
music selected for performance
MU:Re9.1.6a: Apply teacher-provided criteria to evaluate musical works or performances.
MU:Cn10.0.6a: Demonstrate how interests, knowledge, and skills relate to personal choices
and intent when creating, performing, and responding to music.
4
Ellington, D. (1942). C-Jam Blues. On Chelsea bridge: 1941-1944 [CD]. Germany: History.
5
Learning Outcomes
1. Students will identify the notes of the I, IV, and V chords.
2. Students will perform the I, IV, and V chords on Orff instruments.
3. Students will improvise using the Root and 5th of the I, IV and V chords.
Procedure
1. Engage
a. Have students walk into class with Duke Ellington’s original version of C-Jam
Blues playing over the speaker. Repeat if needed before class starts.
2. Review
a. Start by having everyone come around the circle and sing Duke’s place from last
time
b. Sing once through a-capella. Have students clap on beats 2 and 4.
c. Then, sit at the piano and play along the chords with the song. Chords are given
on sheet at end of lesson plan.
i. DO NOT PLAY 7ths YET. Just I, IV, and V triads.
d. Repeat a couple of times and have students improvise using Sol and Do one by
one in every 4th bar.
3. Introduction of chords
a. Students will pull out the Orff instruments
i. Each student gets one
b. “If we are in C Major, can you play Do for me?”
i. “How about So?”
c. “Can you play both pitches at the same time?”
d. “You are now 2/3 of the way to making a chord!”
e. Define chord for the class (in glossary of terms).
i. Demonstrate the C Major chord at the piano.
ii. “The simplest way to make chords is to take one note and go two notes
up the scale for the second note, then two more notes for the third note.”
1. “Place your mallet on the C. That’s our first note.”
2. “Now go up two, what note are you on?”
a. Answer: E
3. “Now go up two more. What note is that?”
a. Answer: G
4. “So, our C chord is made up of the notes C, E, and G.”
5. “In the key of C major, this chord is called the I chord. Why do you
think that is?”
a. Answer: It’s root is the first note of the C major scale.
iii. Have the students play up and down the C major triad on their orff
instruments.
f. G chord
i. “Our other note that we practice was Sol, which was G in this key.”
ii. “Can everyone, put their mallets on the G?”
iii. “Now, silently, I want you to figure out which notes would make up the
rest of the G chord.”
iv. Write “I. C chord: C E G” on the board and then write “G chord: G _ _”
underneath.
1. Have students raise their hands and select two of them to fill in
one of the two blanks.
2. Answer: “G B D”
v. Can everyone play their G chord up and down please?
vi. Now, ask for what number they think the chord is?
1. Answer is V (5). Write V. on the board next to the G chord.
g. F chord
i. “The last chord we are going to learn is the IV chord. What notes do you
think could be in that?”
1. Write “IV. _ chord: _ _ _” on the board underneath the G chord
2. Choose 4 students to come up and fill in the blanks.
a. Answer: “IV. F chord: F A C”
ii. Have students play through the F chord on their instruments
4. Blues form
a. Ask if anyone has ever heard of the blues?
i. If yes, ask examples.
ii. If no, “are you sure?”
b. Surprise them: “Duke’s Place” is actually a blues form!
c. The basic blues form uses the three chords that we just learned.
d. On the board, Write out the blues form included at the conclusion of the lesson
plan.
i. DON’T write the 7ths in yet
ii. Draw barlines
iii. Write in the letters in place of the one bar repeats
e. Explain that each ‘bar’ is just 4/4.
f. Teacher: Perform the chords and sing Duke’s Place over the chords.
5. Performance
a. Go back to the board and erase the thirds from the three chords.
b. “Since you only have two mallets, and we haven’t discussed the third/Mi yet, we
are going to just play Sol and Do of each chord together.
c. “Each bar, I want everyone to hit the two notes that correspond with the chord.”
d. Count off slowly from piano, then play along with them.
e. After a couple times through, have half the room play the mallets and the other
half sing Duke’s place.
i. Play both parts on piano (and sing along)
ii. Switch roles after once through.
f. Then start with the person closest to you on the right. That student will “Duke’s
Place” as you play the mallet part on piano. Rest of class will be clap on 2 & 4.
g. After you two are done, roles shift to the right. Former singing student now plays
the chords on the Orff instrument and student to their right sings “Duke’s Place”
i. If chords mess up, start the chorus and give them another chance
1. Ask quickly if they have any questions that they want answered
before trying again.
ii. Play vocal part on piano as needed for singing students
6. Improv time
a. Bring up how last time, we all improvised just using Sol and Do
b. Now we are expanding it to improvise with Sol and Do of each chord.
c. Teacher will play the chords at the piano and each student will take turns soloing
after every 4 bars.
i. Students have to come right in at the start of each bar.
ii. Be VERY clear with where 1 is
iii. If students falter, offer them another chance, but make them listen from
the top of the form and count the bars out loud so they come in at the
right time.
7. Hand students the chord sheet
a. Give a brief explanation of what the one-bar repeat means (keep the same chord
from the bar before it and hold that chord for the bar).
b. Tell them to ignore the 7ths, we will explore those later.
Assessment
1. Teacher will assess student’s answers to fill-in-the-blank activities on the board to see if
they have the correct answer.
a. Answers are all stated in the procedure.
2. Teacher will aurally assess each individual’s performance on the Orff instruments
a. Check+ : played through Duke’s Place without messing up any notes or timing
b. Check : played through Duke’s Place with a few errors in notes and/or timing (or
after a redo).
c. Check - : student was unable to play through the chords of Duke’s Place
3. Teacher will aurally assess student’s improvisation using only the root and 5th of each
chord.
a. Check+: improvised using only the root and 5th of whatever chord was occurring.
b. Check: had a few misplaced notes that weren’t the root or 5th of the chords
c. Check-: was unable to get through their 4 bars of the from without getting lost,
even after retry.
Further Learning/Extensions
1. Have students try doing the triad pattern (1, 3, 5, 3) with each note being a quarter note
doing every bar of the blues form.
C- Jam Blue s
(Medium Swing) Duke Ellington
Made with iReal Pro

Patrick Peters
Day 3
Lesson Plan: Major and Minor Triads
Essential Question
How can we use the third of a scale to explain what major and minor triads are?
Materials
Speaker
Piano
Chalkboard & Chalk
Oscar Peterson: C Jam Blues6
Glossary of Terms7
 Perfect 5th – the 5th tone in a Major Scale. Also known as the ‘Dominant.’
1st scale degree/root, Sol = 5th/dominant, Mi = 3rd/mediant].
 Major 3rd – the 3rd tone in a Major Scale. Also known as the ‘Mediant.’
 Minor 3rd – the 3rd tone in a minor scale.
National Standards
MU:Cr3.2.6a: Present the final version of their documented personal composition or
arrangement, using craftsmanship and originality to demonstrate an effective beginning, middle,
and ending, and convey expressive intent.
MU:Pr6.1.6a: Perform the music with technical accuracy to convey the creator’s intent.
6
Ellington, D. (1942). C Jam Blues [Recorded by Oscar Peterson]. On Night train [MP3 file]. Los Angeles,
California: Verve. (1962).
7
MU:Re8.1.6a: Describe a personal interpretation of how creators’ and performers’ application of
the elements of music and expressive qualities, within genres and cultural and historical context,
Learning Outcomes
1. Students will listen and differentiate between a major 3rd and a minor 3rd.
2. Students will perform the full C, F, and G major triads (including Mi).
a. Possibly perform the minor triads if time.
3. Students will improvise using the Major 3rd of the given chords.
Procedure
1. Engage
a. Have written on the board already:
i. “I. C chord: C E G”
ii. “IV. F chord: F A C”
iii. “V. G chord: G B D”
b. Have Oscar Peterson’s version of C Jam Blues playing as students enter the
room.
2. Review
a. Take out the Orff instruments
b. Go through Duke’s Place using the root and 5th chords from last class.
c. Have students sing along as they play the chords
3. Introducing “Mi”
a. “Today, we are going to be adding a new note to our chords.”
b. We already know a little bit about it when we figured out the chords last class.
c. Can anyone guess what note I’m talking about?
i. Answer: the 3rd or Mi
d. Explain: After the root and 5th, the 3rd is the next most important note in the key.
i. The third can determine whether a song is major or minor.
e. Play a major triad on piano. Have students hit Do-Mi-Sol-Mi-Do on their
instruments.
i. This is called a major triad.
ii. If you count the number of notes between C and E, but not counting C,
you’ll count 4 notes. Each whole step is 2 notes, so a Major third is equal
to two whole steps.
f. Now, take the E you just played, and move it down a half step to Eb
i. Have students play Eb
ii. Play the C minor triad for the class
1. Have them play Do-Me-So-Me-Do on their instruments.
iii. “Sounds pretty different right?”
iv. This is a minor third.
v. If you count the number of notes like last time, you’ll notice there are only
3 notes between C and Eb. So a minor third is one whole step and one
half step.
vi. Play the triads a few more times while saying the quality of each chord.
g. Now, everyone close their eyes and listen carefully. I’m going to play a chord and
I want you to tell me what triad it is.
i. If it is Major, hold up 1 finger
ii. If it is minor, hold up an open palm.
iii. Play 5 examples. Note students who answered incorrectly on a separate
sheet of paper.
iv. Provide answer after each example and the guesses
4. Performance Time
a. The board now has all the notes written on it from each triad.
b. Have the students take out their chord sheet from last class.
c. The rhythm and melody of the exercise is going to be:
i. 4 quarter notes
ii. Do-Mi-So-Mi
d. Teacher and students will all perform together. Teacher will split the class in half.
One half plays the Do-Sol chords, the other plays Do-Mi-So-Mi.
i. Switch them after a try
e. Make groups of three. (if two leftover, join a group) (if one leftover, make a group
of four.
i. One person will sing Duke’s Place (Two in group of four)
ii. One person will play chords
iii. One person will play Do-Mi-So
iv. Each group will play three choruses, and will play a different part on each
chorus
v. Every group gets a chance to perform together for the class before
moving on to the next activity
5. Improvise
a. Whole group joins back together to improvise
b. Play once through exercise together, then have everyone solo together for two
bars before playing the pattern for two bars.
i. Repeat through the whole form
ii. Go through the form twice this way
c. Students will then cycle every four bars, improvising with 3rds as well as roots or
5ths. Teacher will start by going through one whole chorus improvising.
6. BONUS!
a. If time, redo the previous two activities (#4 & 5), but take them all in minor now.
b. Provide the notes on the board for the students to save time
c. Try playing through the pattern in minor together and then separate.
d. Invite anyone willing to try improvising on the new form in minor using their minor
3rds.
Assessment
1. Teacher will visually assess student’s answers to the Major/Minor listening quiz
a. Yes – student gets at least 3 of them right (given that they get at last one major
and one minor).
b. No – student gets less than 3 correct (or only gets the same 3 of one quality).
c. Chance will be given next class for students to retake the listening quiz.
2. Teacher will aurally assess each individual’s performance of the Do-Mi-Sol on the Orff
instruments.
a. Check+ : played through piece without messing up any notes or timing.
b. Check : played through piece with a few errors in notes and/or timing.
c. Check - : student was unable to play through the chords of Duke’s Place.
3. Teacher will aurally assess student’s improvisation using only the root, 3rd and 5th of
each chord.
a. Check+: improvised using the root, 3rd and 5th of each chord flawlessly.
b. Check: had a few misplaced notes that weren’t the root, 3rd or 5th of the chord.
c. Check-: did not add any 3rds into their solo.
1. Try the performance activity but with minor triads instead.
2. Try improvising through the form of Duke’s Place as if every chord was minor.
Patrick Peters
Day 4
Lesson Plan: Dominant 7th chords
Essential Question
How can we use our understanding of major triads and the Sol-Do relationship to teach
Dominant 7th chords?
Materials
Speaker
Piano
Chalkboard & Chalk
Charles Mingus: C Jam Blues8
Glossary of Terms9
 Dominant 7th – a 4-note chord with the following scale degrees: 1-3-5-flat 7
National Standards
MU:Cr2.1.6b: Use standard and/or iconic notation and/or audio/ video recording to document
personal simple rhythmic phrases, melodic phrases, and twochord harmonic musical ideas
8
Ellington, D. (1942). C Jam Blues [Recorded by Charles Mingus]. On Mingus at Carnegie hall [MP3 file]. New
York City, New York: Atlantic. (1974).
9
MU:Pr4.1.6a: Apply teacher-provided criteria for selecting music to perform for a specific
purpose and/or context, and explain why each was chosen.
MU:Re7.2.6b: Identify the context of music from a variety of genres, cultures, and historical
periods.
Learning Outcomes
1. Students will define Dominant 7th chord.
2. Students will perform and outline the notes of 3 dominant 7th chords.
3. Students will improvise using all 4 notes of a dominant 7th chord.
Procedure
1. Engage
a. Have written on the board already:
i. “I. C chord: C E G _”
ii. “IV. F chord: F A C _”
iii. “V. G chord: G B D _”
b. Have Charles Mingus’s version of C Jam Blues playing as students enter the
room.
2. Review
b. Go through Duke’s Place on the instruments
i. Half the class will play the Do-Mi-So-Mi-Do pattern.
ii. The other half will play the Do-Sol chords
iii. Switch after one cycle
c. Have students sing along as they play the chords, but not when they have the
pattern
3. Introducing G Dominant 7
a. “Today, we are going to be adding another new note to our chords.”
b. “Does anyone remember what we said about Sol and Do and their relation way
back in the first class?”
i. Answer: Sol is really closely related to Do. It pushes into Do.
c. We are going to add a new note to our G chord that makes it want to resolve to C
major even more than usual.
d. Point to the G in the G chord line.
e. Have students tell you what note in the C chord this note is close to. “It is a bit of
a trick question”
i. Answer: The G in the G chord is the same as the G in the C chord.
f. Try this one then: point to the B. “What note from the C chord is this close to?”
i. Look at your Orff instruments for help
ii. Answer: C
g. Here’s another tricky one: How about the D?
i. Answer C or E
ii. If one answer is given, respond with “Good! Is it close to any other notes
though?”
h. So, C and G both have notes from the G chord that only move to them. E is
feeling pretty left out. It has to split that Darn D with the C.
i. What other note from the C scale do you think we could add to the G chord that
is close to E on the Orff instruments?
i. Answer: F
j. “Correct!” Write the F on the board next to the G chord.
i. “This is called a Dominant chord”
k. Students will play the 4 notes up and down of the G dominant chord
l. Now, how far away is the F from the D in the G dominant chord? Remember
when we counted last class. [referring to major and minor thirds class].
i. Answer: minor 3rd away.
4. Introducing C7 and F7
a. “So it takes a minor third (or three notes up) from the Sol of each chord to make
a Dominant 7th chord, right?”
b. “Let’s try making our C and F chords into Dominant 7ths too.”
i. “You’ll find some weird notes if you do it right.”
ii. Answer: C chord gets a Bb/A#
iii. Answer: F chord gets a Eb/D#
iv. Have students raise their answer when they think they have both notes.
c. Fill out the empty space on the board next to C and F chords.
d. Play the chords on piano, then have the students play them ascending and
descending on their instruments.
e. Now, we described earlier that a bunch of notes in the dominant 7th chords want
to go somewhere, to resolve to something more relaxing. With that in mind, write
down how would you describe a Dominant 7th chord?
f. Collect answer sheets from everyone
5. Explanation of relation to jazz
a. “Dominant 7ths” are known for all the tension that they bring.
b. Normally, only the Sol of a key can become a dominant 7th.
c. However, in jazz, the sound that musicians create is quite full of tension, so every
single chord becomes a dominant 7 chord, even the home chord of C.
d. Pull out your chord sheets and look and see the “7” next to the C’s, F’s, and G’s.
That means the dominant 7th is being played in the chord.
e. Teacher: perform the ‘new’ chord changes at the piano.
6. Performance Time
a. The board now has all the notes written on it from each chord.
b. The rhythm and melody of the exercise is going to be:
i. 4 quarter notes
ii. Do-Mi-So-Te (1-3-5-b7)
c. Teacher and students will all perform together. Teacher will split the class in half.
One half plays the Do-Sol chords, the other plays Do-Mi-So-Te.
i. Switch them after a run through.
d. Make groups of four. (if three leftover, join them group) (if two or one leftover,
make a group of six or five).
i. One person will sing Duke’s Place (Two in groups of 5/6)
ii. One person will play chords (two in groups of 6)
iii. One person will play Do-Mi-So-Te
iv. One person will play Do-Mi-So-Mi
v. Each group will play four choruses, and will play a different part on each
chorus (or more depending on group size)
vi. Every group gets a chance to perform together for the class before
moving on to the next activity
7. Improvise
a. Whole group joins back together to improvise
b. Play once through exercise together, then have everyone solo together for two
bars before playing the pattern for two bars.
i. Repeat through the whole form
ii. Go through the form four times this way
c. Students will then cycle every four bars, improvising with 7ths, 3rds, roots and/or
5ths. Teacher will start by going through one whole chorus improvising on all
four.
Assessment
1. Teacher will assess student answers to question: “A bunch of notes in the dominant 7th
chords want to go somewhere, to resolve to something more relaxing. With that in mind,
write down how would you describe a Dominant 7th chord?”
a. Yes – student mentions the idea of tension that gets resolved (or something
insinuating that)
b. No – student does not bring up the tension and release aspect of the Dominant
7th chord
2. Teacher will aurally assess each individual’s performance of the Do-Mi-Sol-Te on the
Orff instruments.
chord.
a. Check+: improvised using the 7th, root, 3rd and 5th of each chord flawlessly.
b. Check: had a few misplaced notes that weren’t the 7th, root, 3rd or 5th fo the chord.
c. Check-: did not add any 7ths into their solo.
1. Try and teach 4-stick grip so each student can perform a full dominant 7th chord at once
2. Try and figure out where C7 and F7 would technically resolve (given that they know G7
resolves to CMaj)
Patrick Peters
Day 5
Lesson Plan: Pentatonic Scale
Essential Question
How can we use a new scale to improve our improvisation abilities in a swing jazz context?
Materials
Large Note Pipes
Speaker
Piano
Chalkboard & Chalk
Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra: C Jam Blues10
Glossary of Terms11
National Standards
MU:Cr2.1.6a: Select, organize, construct, and document personal musical ideas for
arrangements and compositions within AB or ABA form that demonstrate an effective beginning,
middle, and ending, and convey expressive intent.
10
Ellington, D. (1942). C Jam Blues [Recorded by Jazz at Lincoln Center Orcehstra]. On Live in swing city:
Swingin’ with duke [MP3 file]. New York City, New York: Columbia. (1999).
11
MU:Pr5.1.6a: Identify and apply teacher-provided criteria (such as correct interpretation of
notation, technical accuracy, originality, and interest) to rehearse, refine, and determine when a
piece is ready to perform.

MU:Cn11.0.6a: Demonstrate understanding of relationships between music and the other arts,
other disciplines, varied contexts, and daily life.
Learning Outcomes
1. Students will define a pentatonic scale.
2. Students will perform a pentatonic scale on multiple instruments
3. Students will improvise using the pentatonic scale.
Procedure
1. Engage
a. Have JLCO’s version of C Jam Blues playing as students enter the room.
2. Review
b. Go through Duke’s Place on the instruments
i. One third of the class will play Do-Mi-Sol-Te
ii. Another third of the class will play the Do-Mi-So-Mi-Do pattern.
iii. Last group will play the Do-Sol chords
iv. Switch after one cycle
c. Have students sing along as they play the chords, but not when they have the
patterns.
3. Shapes and Scales
a. Can anyone tell me what an octagon is?
i. Special emphasis on “oct”
ii. Answer: a shape with 8 sides
b. What about a triangle?
i. Emphasis on “Tri”
ii. Answer: a shape with three sides
c. Lastly, what about a Pentagon?
i. Emphasis on “Penta”
ii. Answer: a shape with 5 sides.
d. Awesome, going back to octagon, can anyone tell me a musical term that also
starts with oct-?
i. Answer: Octave
1. Don’t wait too long, just give it to them after a few seconds
ii. It is called an octave because there are 8 notes in the scale between the
octave, just like there are 8 sides to an octagon
e. How about a triangle?
i. Answer: triad
ii. Triad is referred to as such because of the three notes it has in it, just like
the three sides of a triangle
f. With that said, what do you think a “Pentatonic Scale” is?
i. Answer: A scale with 5 notes.
ii. Have them write answer down and hand in to teacher.
4. Re and La
a. The nice thing about the pentatonic scale is that you already know three of the
five notes: your major triad.
i. So a C pentatonic scale has a C, E and G in it
ii. Anyone have any idea what other notes might be in it?
1. Let students guess around until they get them.
2. Give credit to the student who picks it out
3. Answers: 2nd (Re) and 6th (La)
b. Exactly, a pentatonic scale has 5 notes in it: Do, Re, Mi, So, and La. 1, 2, 3, 5
and 6 scale degrees.
c. Every note is at least a whole step away so it sounds very open.
i. Play a C pentatonic at the piano note by note, then as a chord
d. Alright, let’s sing through the pentatonic together
i. Cue each note from piano.
ii. Don’t set a time
iii. Play note in multiple octaves on piano
iv. Sing along with students
e. Ok, everyone close their eyes. When I call your name, I want you to sing the next
note of the pentatonic scale.
i. Teacher starts for the root (play C major at the piano to set key)
ii. Call students randomly until everyone is able to pick out the note they
are on.
iii. Help them at the piano if need be.
f. First 6 students who got it right get to do something very special.
g. Take out the giant pipe notes.
i. Hand out a low C, D, E, G, A, and a high C pipe.
ii. One to a student
h. Line up the students in scale order and have them bang their pipes on the
ground one by one.
i. After they bang, students will sing the note together.
5. Explanation Time
a. A lot of jazz artists in the 50s and 60s started using pentatonic scales because
there are so many different patterns that create cool sounds.
b. Have students line up in alphabetical order by first name. Then play the tubes
and see the sound they get
c. Then have them alphabetical by last name
d. Then by birthdate
e. Each one produces a cool unique sound
6. Performance and Improvisation
a. The rhythm and melody of the exercise is going to be:
i. 2 eighths, 3 quarter
ii. Do-Re-Mi-So-La
b. Teacher and students will all practice together.
c. Tell students that this pentatonic scale will work over any part of the blues form.
d. Divide student’s evenly among 5 groups
i. Everyone will circle up.
ii. Have post-it notes with each instrument’s role in front of each instrument.
iii. 3 on big note pipes (C, F, G)
1. They will play on the first beat of every bar whose chord matches
their note.
2. They will also sing the melody of “Duke’s Place”
iv. Even split among the other 4 groups
v. Low Orff instruments: Do-Sol chords
1. Downbeat of every bar
2. They will also sing the melody
vi. Medium Orff Instrument Group 1:
1. Do-Mi-So-Mi
vii. Group 2:
1. Do-Mi-So-Te
viii. 1 student on High Orff Instruments
1. Improvise for a full chorus over the blues form using the C
pentatonic scale
e. After a run-through, everyone shifts one spot to their left.
f. Go through whole class so everyone gets a chance to play each part.
7. Leaving Class
a. Hand out Recording Permission and Clearance forms to students.
i. Remind them that this MUST be signed in order for them to be on the
class recording of the performance of “Duke’s Place”
Assessment
1. Teacher will assess student answers to question: “what do you think a “Pentatonic
Scale” is?”
a. Yes – student describes it as a five note scale.
b. No – student does not mentioned the five note scale.
2. Teacher will aurally assess each individual’s performance of the Do-Mi-Sol-Te on the
Orff instruments.
chord.
a. Check+: improvised using the 7th, root, 3rd and 5th of each chord flawlessly.
b. Check: had a few misplaced notes that weren’t the 7th, root, 3rd or 5th fo the chord.
c. Check-: did not add any 7ths into their solo.
1. Teach F and G pentatonic scales
2. Design pentatonic lines
Ridgefalls School District
Fall 2018 Semester
Student Recording Permission Slip

Name of student: _______________________________________________ Date: ___________
Hello parent or guardian of _______________________,
This permission slip was sent home with your student to request and authorize permission to
create a video and audio record of your child. The students in the 6 th Grade General Music Class have
been preparing for a performance which will be recorded in class and shared with friends and family via
YouTube.com. Recording without consent is illegal in the state of Pennsylvania, and while your student
may agree to the recording, the parent or guardian of each child has the right to refuse said agreement.
The video will be published as unlisted, meaning only those who have the link would be able to
view it. The link would be sent home on a handout in class after the video is successfully uploaded. The
piece in question, “Duke’s Place” will also be performed live by the students at the end of the semester,
along with a handful of other selections from their class, and the 7 th and 8th grade General Music classes
here at Ridgefalls Junior High.
We sincerely hope you will consider allowing your child to participate in such an exciting recording for
the class. If you choose to do so, please have you and your child sign and date on the lines provided
below. This signature determines that you have agreed to allow the visual and audio recording of
______________________________ for the 6th Grade General Music class.
Student Signature: _______________________________________ Date:__________________
Parent Signature: ________________________________________ Date:__________________

Patrick Peters
Day 6
Lesson Plan: Blues Performance
Essential Question
How can we incorporate all the materials we have learned (root, 3rd, 5th, dominant 7th, pentatonic
scale) into an improvised solo?
Materials
Large Note Pipes
Video Recording Device
Quality Microphone
Glossary of Terms12
 Blues - American form of folk music related to jazz. It is based on a simple, repetitive,
poetic-musical structure.
National Standards
MU:Cr3.2.6a: Present the final version of their documented personal composition or
arrangement, using craftsmanship and originality to demonstrate an effective beginning, middle,
and ending, and convey expressive intent.
MU:Pr4.3.6a: Perform a selected piece of music demonstrating how their interpretations of the
elements of music and the expressive qualities (such as dynamics, tempo, timbre,
articulation/style, and phrasing) convey intent.
12
Learning Outcomes
1. Students will perform a blues song.
a. Students will perform exercises that focus on Do & Sol, Dominant 7th, and Major
triads in the context of the blues form
2. Students will improvise over part of the blues form.
Procedure
Before Class: set up video and audio recording equipment.
Collect student Permission Slips as students enter classroom.
1. Review
a. Everyone circles up, teacher at piano
b. Give starting notes, and whole class will sing through “Duke’s Place” three times
c. Instruments are taken out and arranged in order form last class (outlined in Step
2 of procedure)
d. Roles of each instrument will be outlined again. Post-it notes will be placed out in
front of each instrument
2. Practice Run
a. 3 on big note pipes (C, F, G)
i. They will play on the first beat of every bar whose chord matches their
note.
ii. They will also sing the melody of “Duke’s Place”
b. Even split among the other 4 groups
c. Low Orff instruments: Do-Sol chords
i. Downbeat of every bar
ii. They will also sing the melody
d. Medium Orff Instrument Group 1:
i. Do-Mi-So-Mi
e. Group 2:
i. Do-Mi-So-Te
f. 1 student on High Orff Instruments
i. Improvise for a full chorus over the blues form using any of
improvisational tactics.
3. Performance Recording!
a. Teacher will move piano off-camera
b. Camera will start running
c. Teacher will conduct (1-2-3-4) from out of frame)
d. Performance of Duke’s Place will begin with both students and teacher
performing
i. Teacher is aiming to guide students who drift a little, NOT to overpower
anything the students are doing.
e. If more time after recording, take a second take!
After Class: upload video to computer. Review footage for any inappropriate behavior.
Assess student’s performance based on video recording
After Assessment, video is uploaded as an ‘Unlisted’ video to YouTube and link is copied on to
a handout for students to take home after a future class.
Assessment
1. Teacher will visually and aurally assess student’s performance of the many parts
involved in the blues form:
Performance Part Check?

Large Note Tubes: bass line
Low Orff Instrument: chord
Middle Orff Instrument: Triad
Middle Orff Instrument: Dominant 7th
High Orff Instrument: Blues Improvisation
a. Check: successful completion of activity, even with slight errors
b. No Check: unsuccessful completion of activity
2. Teacher will aurally listen for specific examples of improvisatory techniques in each
student’s solo.
a. Pass: demonstrate any two techniques
i. Do-Sol
ii. Mi
iii. Dominant 7th
iv. Pentatonic Scale
b. Try Again: show only one or zero techniques
i. Students can try again privately with teacher if they e-mail and schedule
an appointment
1. Record at multiple tempos. or with different instrument lineups
2. Add pentatonic line in as a middle Orff instrument task (3rd group!)

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Patrick Robert Peters

!The Blues Form!

MU:Pr5.1.3b Rehearse to refine technical accuracy, expressive qualities, and identified

MU:Pr6.1.3a Perform music with expression and technical accuracy.

i. Baby, take me down to Duke's Place.

b. Recording can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ol-AvCEdRQw

MU:Re9.1.6a: Apply teacher-provided criteria to evaluate musical works or performances.

Made with iReal Pro

MU:Re8.1.6a: Describe a personal interpretation of how creators’ and performers’ application of

Student Recording Permission Slip

Hello parent or guardian of _______________________,

here at Ridgefalls Junior High.

______________________________ for the 6th Grade General Music class.

Student Signature: _____________________ Date:

Parent Signature: ______________________ Date:

Performance Part Check?

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