Secondary Teaching Unit

EARTH SONG
FRANK TICHELI
MANHATTAN BEACH
MUSIC
GRADE III

Taton Bennett
MUSIC 670
 Introduction
Unit goals:
Goal 1 – Knowledge: By the end of this unit/concert block, students in Wind Ensemble will
demonstrate understanding of how phrasing functions individually
and as an ensemble.
Goal 2 - Skill: By the end of this unit/concert block, students in Wind Ensemble will
demonstrate effective dynamic contrast, both individually and as an
ensemble
Goal 3 - Musicality: By the end of this unit/concert block, students in Wind Ensemble will
describe what it means to create a musically expressive performance.
Goal 4 – Skill: By the end of this unit/concert block, students in Wind Ensemble will
aurally identify when they are/are not fitting within the ensemble
sound in terms of intonation and balance, and will describe ways to
address issues.
National Standards Goal 1: Perform 5.3, 6.1, Respond 8.1
Goal 2: Create 3.1, Perform 4.3, 5.3, 6.1, Respond 7.2, 8.1
Goal 3: Perform 4.2, 4.3, 5.3, 6.1, Respond 7.2, 8.1, Connect 10.0
Goal 4: Perform 5.3, 6.1, Respond 9.1, Connect 11.0

Unit objectives:
Goal 1: - Students will visually identify the peaks of phrases.
- Students will describe what role each “voice” (bass, soprano, etc.) in the
ensemble plays in developing a phrase.
- Students will demonstrate proper breath support through the end of the
phrase.
Goal 2: - Students will perform at all basic dynamic levels (p, mp, mf, f) with proper
air support.
- Students will describe how to adjust individual dynamics to fit the group
dynamics of a section of the piece.
Goal 3: - Students will evaluate the lyrics for Earth Song and pick one word to
describe how they make them feel.
- Students will perform with both accurate phrasing and dynamics and
proper breath support.
- Students will evaluate their final performance of Earth Song and describe
specific ways that they created a musically expressive performance.
Goal 4: - Students will demonstrate proper tuning techniques on their individual
instrument.
- Students will aurally identify when their band is in tune.
- Students will describe what balance means in band and how balance can
change depending on the context of the piece.
- Students will identify at least one strategy to improve overall ensemble
balance.
Skill Outcomes:
 Students in Wind Ensemble will perform Earth Song with full complete phrases using
characteristic tone, contextual breathing, and full note lengths.
 Students in Wind Ensemble will demonstrate accurate rhythmic counting skills in
measures 13 – 26 of Earth Song with fewer than 3 mistakes and then with no mistakes
within the week of the concert.
 Students in Wind Ensemble will perform Earth Song using proper intonation and balance
while making decisions on their own and adjusting to minor errors within the measure
they occur.

Knowledge Outcomes:
 Students in Wind Ensemble will identify the peak of a given phrase in Earth Song by
notating and verbally identifying it.
 Students in Wind Ensemble will aurally identify at least one of the instruments in the
ensemble that has the melody at a given section.
 Students in Wind Ensemble will identify which ensemble has a properly balanced sound
when given multiple aural examples (recordings) to choose from and provide 2
strategies for addressing those issues within their ensemble.

Affective/Musical Outcomes:
 Students in Wind Ensemble will evaluate the lyrics of the poem from Earth Song and
explain at least 2 ways this influences the music and their playing.
 Students in Wind Ensemble will evaluate a recording of themselves playing Earth Song
and come up with at least 3 strategies to make it more musically expressive connecting
to performance and musicality.
 Score Analysis
Melody
The melody of this piece is very simplistic and repetitive and gets passed around
between instrument groups frequently. After a brief intro with the whole band mostly in unison
rhythm, the main melody is introduced in the upper woodwinds (clarinet and saxophone) and
trumpet 1. At 17, the clarinet and saxophone take over the melody, while a countermelody is
introduced in the flute. The melody is then joined by lower voices for a few measures before
the B section begins. This section features the woodwinds playing a new melody against a
trumpet drone. Then, the main melody comes back in the mid-low voices (bass clarinet and
down), but with a few variations. Finally, the piece closes with a modulation to new key in the
last three bars. For this closer, there is no main melody, but instead sustained chords

Harmony
The piece is in E flat major and modulates to D major in the last 3 bars. There are thick,
rich chords throughout the piece and a heavy use of dissonance and resolve through
suspensions. Because it is taken from choral work, the harmonies sometimes function like a
choral piece with clear bass voices, sopranos on top, and tenors and altos filling out the chords
in the middle. Tenors and altos also have unique countermelody lines at times.

Rhythm
This piece is not too rhythmically complex because rhythm is not the focus. There are
lots of repeating rhythmic lines. For example, the main melody is a quarter, half, quarter
repeating. The piece consists of quarters, eighth notes, half notes, dotted half note/quarter
rhythms, and whole notes. There are also a lot of composite rhythms across sections, as well as
some longer tied rhythms, both of which provide a great teaching opportunity and way to
encourage students to listen to each other better.

Form
The form of this piece is Introduction, A, B, A’, Closer. The characteristics of each section
of this form are discussed in more detail under Melody.

Timbre/Text
There are various and shifting tone colors as a major theme of this piece. The low reeds
and low brass are a very important voice in this piece and are exposed in some sections, so they
will need to be strong. Flutes, clarinets, and trumpets have some exposed soloistic lines
throughout as well. Both trumpets and clarinets will need to have large enough sections to split
into three strong parts each. The percussion writing is sparse, consisting only of vibes,
glockenspiel, and triangle. Some smaller chamber ensembles are formed at different points of
the piece, like at measure 26 with the clarinets, flutes, low reeds, and trumpets, and at measure
34 with everyone else.
 Texture
The texture varies a lot in this piece to make it interesting. Throughout the introduction,
all instruments are mostly moving in unison texturally. The texture stays full until measure 17
with trumpets, clarinets, and alto sax taking a more soloistic role at measure 9. Parts become
more independent around measure 17 with some voices dropping out and lots of layered
composite rhythms forming. Measure 26 is much thinner with only clarinets, flutes, low reeds,
and first trumpets playing. Low brass and middle voices get a chamber feature at measure 34,
and then the texture fills back out with everyone moving mostly in unison until the end.

Expression
This is an extremely expressive piece. There is large dynamic contrast and swelling
phrases, shifting tone colors, dissonant suspensions held over bars, variety in texture and who
gets the melody, etc. All of these aspects combine to form expressive elements. Tempo is
“serene and reflective” with plenty of ritardando and push and pull throughout, including
written tempo changes when the full band is in to make the A section just slightly faster.
Understanding the choral work and original poem that this work comes from is key to
expression, especially in terms of phrasing of the melodic lines.

Historical/Cultural Context
In this piece, there is lots of tension and release, color, and dramatic dynamics. Students
will enjoy playing this. It is important to talk to the students about both of the pieces from
which this piece is inspired. They should listen to both the original Sanctuary and the following
Earth Song for choir. Students should also be given an opportunity to read and discuss the
poem that is the text for Earth Song. It could also be important to discuss the cultural/historical
context of the piece. Ticheli is quoted as saying that he wrote Earth Song during a time when
the war in Iraq left many in the US longing for a sense of peace. This piece was a way to reflect
on the power of music to provide that peace and healing.
 Concept Lessons
Concept Lesson #1:
Warm Up
 Introduction:
o “We’re going to listen to a recording of one of my old clarinet professors, Dr.
Kerstetter, from K-State! The song is called L’Atalante by Couperin and arranged
by Thurston. This first time through I just want you to watch and listen and think
about what you like about his performance.”
o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DwL6Zac2nc
o “Now let’s listen a second time and I want you to try to slowly start raising you
hand while he plays until he gets to the strongest, biggest parts of the music, and
then as soon as he gets there, start lowering your hand until you feel him start to
build it back up again. You may find that there are a lot of strong parts in this
piece, so you will raise your hand more than once.”
 Activity:
o Discussion: see what students notice about this exercise and what stands out to
them. Try to guide them towards the point of this lesson, which is identifying the
peaks of each phrase and learning how to build to it and come down from it.
 What did you notice while trying to raise and lower your hand?
 Was it hard to decide where the strongest or biggest parts of the song
was?
 Did you find that some big parts were stronger than other big parts?
 How often do you think the big parts happened? (Hopefully they say
something about there being a big part in each phrase)
 Discovery:
o Ask students: “Do you think there is a peak to each musical phrase?”
o Following discussion:
 How do we decide where the peak is in each phrase?
 Do you think there are smaller sub-phrases in the long phrases?
 What did you notice about the way Dr. Kerstetter shapes his phrases?
How does he show where the peak is? How does he build to it and come
down from it?
 Transition to the piece:
o Let’s look at Earth Song and see how we can use what we just learned. Do you
think we can identify where the peaks of each phrase is? By the end of this
rehearsal, let’s see if we can figure out how to play our instruments in a way that
helps us build up to the peaks and come down from them.
Objectives:
 Students in Wind Ensemble will perform Earth Song with full complete phrases using
characteristic tone, contextual breathing, and full note lengths.
 Students in Wind Ensemble will identify the peak of a given phrase in Earth Song by
notating and verbally identifying it.
Activity
 Draw the phrase shape to find highs and lows of the phrase and discuss all the different
ways students interpret/visualize this, as well as what physical things we need to do to
show this in our sound.
Sequence
 Play mm. 9-14 of Earth Song
 Now listen to a recording of mm. 9-14 and ask students to draw the phrase on their
paper while they listen to it. Ask them what shape it makes. A square? Circle? Squiggle?
Flower? Mountain?
 Ask for a few volunteers to come draw their shapes on the board. With each example,
discuss where they think the highest points of the phrase are and the lowest points. Ask
the class what they like about each new shape.
 Discuss: How do we show the peak of the phrase when we play it? How do we show the
lower points? Let’s write those in our music all together.
 What do we need to do physically to achieve this (air support, dynamics, phrasing, etc.)?
Now try playing it that way - exaggerate the highs and lows.
Assessment
 Because this lesson has two objectives, it will have two assessments to cover both.
 Assessment 1:
o Assessment 1 task: Playing test over measures 1-14 of Earth Song for students to
demonstrate proper breathing, note lengths, and playing to the end of the
phrase.
o Tool for Assessment 1: Rubric
Emerging Approaching Meets Exceeds
expectations expectations expectations expectations
(1 pt.) (2 pts.) (3 pts.) (+1 pt. extra)
Breathing Air support is Air support is Air support is Air support is
not sufficient to sometimes sufficient to used to produce
sustain proper sufficient to sustain proper a full,
tone. create proper tone. characteristic
tone. tone.
Note Lengths There are more There are 1-2 All note lengths N/A
than 2 rhythmic rhythmic are correct.
mistakes. mistakes.
Phrasing The student The student The student The student not
does not have a either does not steadily builds only steadily
steady approach have a steady to/descends builds to and
to/descent from approach to or from the peak of away from the
the peak of the descent from the phrase and peak and shows
phrase and it is the peak of the it is clear where the peak clearly,
unclear where phrase OR it is the peak is. but also shapes
the peak is. unclear where the phrase in
 the peak is, but such a way that
the other quality shows an
is present. understanding
of the larger
phrase
structure.

o Implementation of Assessment 1: After learning about how to shape a phrase

and use our air support to build to the peak of the phrase, students will
demonstrate that this skill on their instrument in the context of the piece. While
doing so, they will also need to perform with proper breath support and correct
note lengths. I chose a longer passage so they have plenty of material with which
to demonstrate their phrasing abilities.
 Assessment 2:
o Assessment 2 task: Written test in which the student names an example of a
phrase anywhere in their music except mm. 9-14 and identifies which note or
notes are the peak of this phrase.
o Tool for assessment 2: written test
o Implementation of assessment 2: After learning about how to aurally identify the
peaks of phrases, students will also learn about how to do so visually. To
demonstrate this ability, students will be asked to select one phrase from their
piece Earth Song and identify the peak of that phrase. I am letting the student
choose because Earth song does not have a lot of long phrases in it; rather, there
are many shorter phrases across different instruments that combine to make
larger composite phrases. This makes it hard to choose an example that students
will be familiar with no matter their part. Asking the student to choose also
forces them to look at their own part analytically from a composer’s standpoint
and helps transfer the new knowledge directly to a different part of the piece for
them.

Concept Lesson #2:

Warm-Up
 Introduction
o Pay mm. 13-26 of Earth Song as a class
 Activity (Primary objective and learning sequence)
o Objective: Students will discover what role they play in the ensemble during this
section of the piece and open their ears up to get them listening to other voices
in the ensemble.
o Activity: Discussion - Ask students, “Who has the melody here? You can only
answer if it is not you.” Ask more guiding questions like, “Who is the bass voice?
What is the bass voice doing? Who do we listen to for pulse? What other
interesting parts can you hear?”
 Discovery
 o Ask each instrument section to use 3 words or less to describe what their role is
in this section of the piece (ex: “Support the melody” or “Harmony line”). Allow
them to discuss with others in their section and then share with the class.
 Transition to the piece 
o “So today as we play, we’re going to really open up our ears and listen to each
other. We’re going to figure out who has the melody and see how that affects
our playing.”
Objectives
 Students in Wind Ensemble will aurally identify at least one of the instruments in the
ensemble that has the melody at a given section.
 Students in Wind Ensemble will demonstrate accurate rhythmic counting skills in
measures 13 – 26 of Earth Song with fewer than 3 mistakes and then with no mistakes
within the week of the concert.
Activity
 Do several listening exercises to get students listening to different parts of the ensemble
such as having them stand when they have the melody, play in small ensembles, or
change the seating arrangement.
Sequence
 Ask students to stand up when they think they are playing the main melody
o If they struggle with this, try to figure out why. Try things like: asking them to
sing the melody to see if they even know how it sounds or asking each part to
play individually and letting the students decide which is the melody. Then try
the first activity again.
 Have students play in small groups based on how their parts line up at mm. 13-26:
o Mm. 13-14: oboe, cl. 1 and 3, alto sax 1 and 2, tenor sax, trumpets, F. horn,
euph.
 Everyone else at 13-14
o Mm. 15 – 20: cl. 2, cl 3, bass cl., bassoon, alto sax 2, tenor sax, bari sax, F. horn,
tbn 1 and 2, euph., tuba
 Flutes, oboes, cl. 2, alto sax 1 at 15 – 20
o Mm. 21 -23: everyone with quarter notes vs. everyone with half notes
o Mm. 24-26: everyone that starts on beat one of each measures vs. clarinet 1 soli
o Then start putting some parts together (ex: just melody and harmony)
 Change the seating arrangement so woodwinds are sitting on one side of the room and
brass are on the other (facing each other) to encourage them to listen to each other to
form those composite rhythms
 Use these activities as an informal assessment (especially the first 2) to assess if
students are able to hear the melody and to assess if they can play their parts with
correct notes and rhythms
Assessment
 Assessment task:
o Option 1: Give each student staff paper along with the rhythm worksheet. Each
student will select four rhythms from the rhythm worksheet to put together in
whatever order they choose. If they’re using a rhythm with a pick-up measure
 and they have already started their composition, they can omit the pick-up
measure to make it flow better. Pick a key (either B flat major or the key of the
piece, E flat major) and write that scale on the board as a class. Tell them they
can use any note in that scale in their composition as long as it is playable. The
final part of this assessment will be for the student to record themselves playing
their composition and turn it in.
o Option 2: As a class, create a short warm-up using the rhythm worksheet bank.
Let them choose what order to put the rhythms together and what pitches to
use. Have them pick 1 pitch per rhythm and consider using something like the B
flat major scale (or E flat since it’s the key of the piece). Have a volunteer lead
the warm-up next class period.
 Assessment tool: Written test/worksheet (below)

 Implementation of assessment: The first objective, aurally identifying the melody, will
be informally assessed through the main activity of this lesson. If students struggle with
identifying the melody throughout the activities, the lesson allows for a chance to work
on this aural skill as a class. The second objective deals with rhythmic accuracy, which is
the purpose of this assessment. Students will get to work with every rhythm that can be
found throughout mm. 13 – 26, whether it is in their part or another person’s part,
which encourages listening across the ensemble. Getting to manipulate the rhythms and
form a new warm-up composition from them also get students more comfortable with
these rhythms and tests their understanding of them. The main opportunity for
assessment will be when the students either play the warm-up as a class or when
student submit individual recordings of their composition. This is solely to test their
rhythmic accuracy to see if further class time needs to be spent working on their
understanding of rhythm/pulse.
Concept Lesson #3:
Warm-Up
 Introduction
o Project the lyrics to Earth Song for choir on the board and read it as a teacher so
as not to single out any struggling readers. Ask students to draw or write down
words that this makes them think of.
 Activity:
o Have small group discussions about what the lyrics make them think of and how
they think it influences 1. The music and 2. Their playing. Discuss if they have
ever had something that made them feel the way the lyrics talk about and what
“refuge” they might have turned to in that time.
 Discovery:
o Using the think-pair-share model, discuss as a class the things the lyrics make
them think of and how they related to them. Discuss how this will inform the
way they play this piece.
 Transition:
o Tell students to jot down things that stick out to them during the discussion
because they will be revisiting them later in the class.
o “Now that we’ve read the lyrics, we’re going to learn a little more about how
they were written.”
Objectives
 Students in Wind Ensemble will evaluate the lyrics of the poem from Earth Song and
explain at least 2 ways this influences the music and their playing.
Activity
 HISTORICAL/CULTURAL lesson
 ARTS integration lesson
 TECHNOLOGY lesson
 This lesson will likely be introduced in one class period, but will take multiple to
complete.
 Students will come up with a way to creatively respond and connect with the piece and
will create a small research project showcasing this connection to the piece. They will
also work with other teachers to make a cross-curricular project.
Sequence
 Begin by discussing the history/background of the piece – how it was Ticheli’s response
after 9/11, how it uses material from another work of his, Sanctuary, and how it began
as a choral piece and was adapted for wind band.
 Ask students to remember what they talked about in the warm-up about times when
they felt lost or hopeless and sought out a “refuge”.
 Introduce the cross-curricular project. Students will have much creative control of this.
They will have to find a way to create a meaningful response and connection to the
piece. Some examples of what they could do are:
o Find lyrics from another song or find a poem that deals with similar themes of
going through dark times and finding a refuge. Research the author, the reason
 they wrote the song/poem, and write a short paragraph response about why it is
similar to Earth Song. Create a display that shows the poem/song lyrics, some
info about the song/poem and writer, and their paragraph about the connection.
o Find a piece of visual art that reminds you of this piece or is inspired by the same
themes of using art as a refuge in dark times. Research the artist and reason for
the creation of the work and write a short paragraph about why it is similar to
Earth Song. Find a way to display all of this.
 Or create your own art piece and do the same!
o Write your own poem/song lyrics about a similar theme or a time in your life
when you sought out a refuge. Write a reflection about how your words connect
to the themes in the lyrics to Earth Song.
o Find a historical story about another situation where people went through a dark
time and found music as a refuge. Write about its similarities to Earth Song.
o Or more. Students can suggest their own ideas for a project as long as they find a
way to connect it to the meaning of Earth Song.
 Students will find a way to display their project. If they aren’t comfortable writing a
reflection about how their project connects to the themes of Earth Song, they can
record a video of themselves talking about it. Some research needs to be done, so
students will need to use technology for this and possibly for the creation of their
project.
 This can be cross-curricular. The band can work with the language arts teachers to learn
more about the lyrics to Earth Song. Those teachers could choose to study one of the
poems found that explores similar themes of finding a refuge in dark times. The work
could also be connected with history teachers to talk about the time period when this
was written and how 9/11 impacted the nation. Art teachers could get involved by
creating a project as a response to the music.
 All of these projects can be shared with the class on a class Padlet to keep track of
progress and be inspired by each other’s work. They should also be shown as an art
gallery that parents and families can walk through before the concert.
Assessment
 Assessment activity: Revisit the warm-up activity. Discuss as a class specific ways that
the lyrics will influence their playing and write them down on the board. These must be
specific examples that are immediately applicable to the way they play (ex: this is a
mournful piece, especially in the first part, so I will play with a more somber, dark tone,
or a quieter dynamic, etc.) Students will turn in a journal entry that lists two specific
ways they will personally use the lyrics to influence their playing and strategies for how
they will do this. Revisit these strategies as a class before the concert.
 Assessment tool: checklist – did they turn in 2 strategies? Y or N
 Implementation of assessment: This assessment will directly assess the objective for the
lesson and will draw back on work done in the warm-up and throughout the lesson. The
purpose is to make sure that students find an emotional connection to the piece,
understand how the meaning of the piece will influence their playing, and come up with
real, applicable ways to apply this to the way they play. This assessment may take place
 at the end of this lesson or even during it, as it will likely take many class periods to
finish this project.

Concept Lesson #4:

Warm-Up
 Introduction:
o Play a warm-up the students are used to, such as long tones on the E flat major
scale (key of the piece) or playing a rhythm from the piece (maybe the rhythm
warm-up created in Lesson #2) on the first five notes of a familiar scale
 Activity:
o Objective: Students will aurally identify which note is out of tune.
o Sequence: Begin by telling students they’re going to play a detective game. One
student will get to be the intonation detective and they will leave the room while
the teacher selects one student to be the “spy”. When the class plays the tuning
note, the spy will play the note out of tune on purpose and the detective will
have to figure out who it is.
 When you select the spy student, have them physically alter their
instrument to play out of tune, like pulling a tuning slide way out or
pushing their saxophone neck all the way in.
o Play this game at least 2-3 times so multiple students have a chance to be the
detective and spy. The first time you play it, have the class just play the tuning
note and hold it. All the times after that, have them play the full warm-up.
 Discovery:
o The reveal of the concept happens when students figure out who the “spy” is. If
students are struggling to find them, help them out by directing them to a
certain area of the room. When the spy student is found, ask them to play and
hold their note and have the detective decide if they are too sharp or too flat. If
they can’t tell, have them ask the spy to either push out or pull in and decide if
this makes it better or worse. Work with the detective and spy until the spy gets
in tune. The whole class can observe this and be active in the situation too by
either playing the tuning note to compare against, helping give suggestions of
whether they think they are sharp or flat, and letting the detective “phone a
friend” in the band to help them.
 Transition
o “Today we’re going to work on intonation in our piece. You can see how much of
a difference it makes in our ensemble sound when our intonation is off! So we’re
really going to try to address this today and I want you all to pay close attention
to your sound throughout class today to see if you need to adjust to be more in
tune. To see how we do on this, we’re going to take a recording now of us
playing mm. 34 – end of Earth Song and then another recording at the end of
class and we’re going to see if our intonation and balance improves.”
Objectives
  Students in Wind Ensemble will identify which ensemble has a properly balanced sound
when given multiple aural examples (recordings) to choose from and provide 2
strategies for addressing those issues within their ensemble.
 Students in Wind Ensemble will perform Earth Song using proper intonation and balance
while making decisions on their own and adjusting to minor errors within the measure
they occur.

Activity
 Play three recordings of different concert bands/wind ensembles (one high school, one
collegiate, one professional). After each recording, discuss as a class and write down on
the board which band they think is better balanced and why, and come up with 2
strategies for each ensemble to try to address intonation (or other issues the students
hear).
Sequence
 Play the high school recordings. As it plays, have students write down things they hear
that are good, things that need work, and what they notice about intonation/balance.
After the recording, either write on the board or have a student be the scribe while you
discuss as a class A. general things they noticed, B. what they thought of their
intonation/balance, and C. 2 strategies this band could try to improve, specifically about
their intonation/balance.
 Do the same with the collegiate and professional recording. After doing all three, decide
as a class which band had the best intonation/balance and why
o Key: the best intonation doesn’t have to be the professional ensemble! In fact,
maybe don’t tell students which ensemble is which until the end.
Assessment
 Assessment task: Have a student volunteer to lead rehearsal on mm. 34 – end of Earth
Song for 3-5 minutes and try out some of the strategies that were just discussed for
each band and written on the board to address intonation and balance. At the end, play
and record mm. 34 – end, then compare it to the recording from the beginning of class
(this comparison could also be done next class if there is not enough time). As a class, fill
out the following rubric for the final recording and discuss if anything needs to be
improved in the future regarding intonation/balance.
 Assessment tool: Rubric (could also create this rubric together as a class if time)
1 pt. 2 pts. 3 pts.
Intonation The ensemble is not The ensemble is The ensemble is in
in tune with each mostly in tune but tune – no voices stick
other and most some voices stick out out as being out of
individuals are clearly and are out of tune. tune.
out of tune.
Balance The ensemble is not The ensemble is The ensemble is
balanced and one/a mostly balanced but overall balanced and
few instrument some instrument certain instrument
sections dominate sections stick out of sections do not stick
 the sound the texture or are out of the texture or
completely. lost completely. dominate the sound,
and all instruments
can be heard.
Active listening When issues occur, When issues occur, it When issues occur,
no effort is made to may take a while, but students are
address them and students make obviously listening to
make adjustments. adjustments to each other and
Students are clearly address them and at making adjustments
focused on their least some of the as needed to address
individual sound and sections are clearly these issues as they
are not listening to listening to each come up.
those around them. other.

 Implementation of assessment: the first objective will be informally assessed during the
lesson activity. The second objective will be assessed using this recording activity. The
first part of the activity in which a student leads rehearsal for a bit allows them to serve
as a representative for the ensemble to see if the students really understood the point
of the lesson, which was to create actual strategies to address intonation and balance
issues when they hear them. If this student seems to struggle identifying issues in the
ensemble and trying out actual strategies to improve these, then this is something that
needs to be further addressed in future lessons. In the second part of this assessment
with the recording evaluation, the entire ensemble will be assessed on their
understanding of intonation/balance. The recording itself gives the teacher feedback on
how the students grasped the concepts and how they applied it to the way they played.
The students also engage in reflection/self-evaluation when they have to critically listen
to their recordings and see what improved/what didn’t in order to fill out the rubric.

Concept Lesson #5:

Warm-Up
 Introduction
o “Today, we’re going to do an exercise about how to tell a story with music!
Everyone get out your sheet music for Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.” (Make sure
students all have music for this).
 Activity
o Objective: Students will think critically about how to create a musically
expressive performance to tell a certain story and will perform on their
instruments in such a way as to evoke that image.
o Sequence:
 First, play Twinkle Twinkle straight through normally. Ask students what
story they think this song is telling and why.
 Next, tell the students to play it like it’s a lullaby and they’re trying to put
a child to sleep. Ask them what they should do to make it a lullaby –
 should it be slower or faster? Quieter or louder? Legato or staccato?
What kind of percussion (if any) should they use)? Where should the
crescendos/decrescendos be? What should be the biggest point of the
song? Don’t steer the students toward a particular answer – let them
pick. Play it this way, twice if needed so the students get a chance to try
out these strategies.
 Next, do the same but tell students to play it like they are going to war
and it is their battle song. Ask all the same questions as before and let
students try playing it this way. Make sure to really discuss what specific
strategies they should try to be more musically expressive.
 Do the same but tell students it is the theme song for a dorky, clumsy
side character in a movie. Ask all the questions, guide them towards
finding actual, applicable strategies to try on their instruments. Let them
play it once or twice to try these out.
 Do everything the same but call on a student volunteer to give an idea of
how to play it.
 Discovery
o “So in all of these different ways we played Twinkle Twinkle, what kinds of things
did we change about the way we played to change the story we were telling?”
Let students respond, hopefully they mention things like tempo, dynamics,
phrase shaping, articulation, balance, etc.
 Transition
o “So what do you think we’re going to work on today in Earth Song?” Hopefully
they answer with “telling a story!”
Objectives
 Students in Wind Ensemble will evaluate a recording of themselves playing Earth
Song and come up with at least 3 strategies to make it more musically expressive
connecting to performance and musicality.
Activity
 This activity should be done about 2-3 class periods before the final concert. Play a
recording from a previous class period of students playing Earth Song. Ask them to
journal as they listen and write down ideas about how to make this a more musically
expressive performance.
Sequence
 Play a recording of the band playing Earth Song from a previous class period. Ask
them to journal as they listen about specific ideas for how to make it a more
musically expressive performance. Ask them to decide what kind of story they think
the song should be telling (like from the warm-up!) and to come up with 3 specific
ideas that would help them accomplish that.
 TECHNOLOGY LESSON: If the students have 1:1 devices, create a class Jamboard
where students can respond with their ideas about what story the song is telling. As
a class, read some of the ideas to get inspiration and find common themes. Each
student should be encouraged to come up with their own more personal
 story/connection to the song that they think about when they play it – maybe it
makes them think of a relative who has passed on, or a happy memory from when
they were young.
 Have the students also share what strategies they came up with to create an
expressive performance. Decide as a class on 3 main strategies to try. Ex: play with
longer phrases that crescendo and decrescendo evenly, or make our legato
articulation really smooth and don’t take breaths that break the phrase.
 Play mm. 17 – end with these strategies in mind.
Assessment
 Assessment task: This assessment will take place after the final concert. As an exit ticket,
students will review the recording of their performance at the concert based on the 3
strategies for a musically expressive performance that they came up with in Lesson #5.
Students will also journal about what went well, what could be better, if it musically
expressive/did the audience connect and how, etc.
 Assessment tool: checklist + journal entry (students will get participation points for
doing this exit ticket, which makes it a checklist assessment)
Name: Response:
How did the band
perform using Strategy 1:
How did the band
perform using Strategy 2:
How did the band
perform using Strategy 3:
Other notes about the
final performance (what
went well, what could be
better, if it musically
expressive/did the
audience connect and
how)
 Implementation of assessment: The assessment of the original objective for this lesson
will take place during the lesson itself. However, this assessment also allows students to
self-reflect and apply the knowledge they learned during the lesson. This exit ticket will
allow students to evaluate their own performance and make sure they were
accomplishing the goals previously set for their final concert, which helps place the
value of the performance less on it being perfect and more on it being an opportunity to
showcase their growth as musicians and to connect with the audience.
 Resources
https://www.windrep.org/Earth_Song_for_Band

https://northshoreband.org/blog/2019/1/15/jbuha3dm6s7qzyglg4aygcknf01f3c

Sanctuary by Frank Ticheli: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dR7z4g3kd2c

Earth Song for Choir by Frank Ticheli: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NxQ6Ou4Lo-I

Earth Song for Concert Band by Frank Ticheli: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTI-

OQ1UQKU

Dr. Payne’s comments in rubric:

General: This is a fantastic unit plan. Your ideas and structure work really well. I can see the
foundation in your teaching and this will serve you well as you get into the classroom. I would
love to see how these emerge if you get to conduct this some time soon. Keep up the hard
work!

On Goals and Objectives: I really like how you framed all of this and lined it up with your goals!
Brava!

On final objective for Goal 4: Add higher order thinking skills more throughout these.

On Historical/Cultural analysis: Great work with the analysis! I would add some visual aids to
support your specific examples as well. This will strengthen this process.