Orchestra Apprenticeship

8/6/2019 Orchestra Apprenticeship

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Orchestra Apprenticeship

Description

Teach how to play a stringed instrument by exploring the rhythmic values of notes andrests, examining sheet music, teaching how to position their bodies correctly when

playing, and explaining how to care for and set up instruments. Apprentices are requiredto practice at home and are motivated by a practice tracker as a reward. Note: Need toinvest parents or guardians to help motivate apprentices to practice outside of apprenticeship.

WOW!

Assist apprentices while they perform several songs they perfected throughout theapprenticeship for an audience!

Resource GuideListed below are a number of different resources that were very helpful in creating and teaching

my music apprenticeship. In addition to the more general resources included here, I would recommend finding some instrument-specific websites or books so that you can better tailor

your lessons to fit the needs and expectations of your apprentices (like a Suzuki book).

Music Theory: Gary Ewer’s Easy Music Theoryhttp://www.musictheory.halifax.ns.ca/lessons.html

Free Sample Lessons, $$$ for Full Curriculum

Although this website is designed to sell a curriculum, there are 25 well-developed samplelessons available for free. All of the lessons break down new vocabulary and concepts into easy

to understand chunks that work really well with the apprenticeship model. In addition, eachlesson includes a quiz that can be used as-is or adapted to better fit your specific apprenticeship.

Music Theory: Note Reading and Music Theory Basicshttp://theheartstring.org/theory_basics.htm FreUnlike the website listed above, this resource does not break down music theory concepts intocompartmentalized lesson plans. Still, it is very helpful because it explains the concepts a littlebit differently and the diagrams are helpful. Again, the resources on this website are free.

Music Theory: Music Instruction By A Computerhttp://www.mibac.com/Pages/Theory/Main_Theory.h

tm

Fre

This website resembles an in-depth glossary of music theory concepts. In addition to the concisedefinitions provided, there are diagrams that are very helpful in making flip chart and handouts.Also, this website includes information on and diagrams of different clefs, which is helpful if thestudents in the apprenticeship are playing different instruments (violin plays treble clef, violaplays alto clef, and cello plays bass clef).

Music Theory: Teoriahttp://www.teoria.com/tutorials/reading/index.h Fre

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http://www.musictheory.halifax.ns.ca/lessons.html


http://theheartstring.org/theory_basics.htm


http://www.mibac.com/Pages/Theory/Main_Theory.htm


http://www.teoria.com/tutorials/reading/index.htm









tmUnless each student has access to a computer, these lessons will not be directly applicable in theclassroom since they are in Flash format. The website is a great resource for the instructor,however, especially for reviewing different theory concepts.

Sheet Music: Curriculum Onlinehttp://www.mtrs.co.uk/resources_11_16.htm Fre

This United Kingdom website is a government sponsored forum for teachers to share their lessonplans, activities, resources, and best practices. There are a variety of classroom activities to befound throughout the site and there are links to free sheet music that is appropriate for beginners(or for activities like “Create Your Own Fingering Guide”).

Sheet Music: Suzuki Method BooksAvailable at most music stores or Amazon.com Under $10 Per Boo

These inexpensive books are available for musicians at all levels for more than 10 instruments,although the series for string instruments is probably the most popular. The books includearrangements of famous classical pieces that have been rewritten as solos or duets for variousskill levels.

Staff Paper Generatorhttp://www.8notes.com/school/theory/musictheory/files/utilities/html/id96_en.html

Fre

There are a number of websites that will create staff paper to your specifications – at this websiteyou can choose number of staffs and which clefs to print.

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http://www.mtrs.co.uk/resources_11_16.htm

http://www.8notes.com/school/theory/musictheory/files/utilities/html/id96_en.html



http://www.mtrs.co.uk/resources_11_16.htm





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Week Stage

done today?

Learning

Objective:

What will the

students learn

today?

Activities

1Learn new

skillsMODEL WOW ‘em!

SWBAT teach back about how to

handle and care for

their instruments,compare and

contrast various

string instruments,and chose which

instrument to play

this semester

Activity 1: Introduce

students to string

instrument family,

compare and contrastdifferent instruments

Activity 2:Demonstrate Do’s

and Don’ts of

instrument care

Activity 3: Try out

each instrument that

is available anddecide which one to

pursue

2Learn new

skillsMODEL

1. Learn (or relearn) how to

correctly hold the instruments

2. Learn rhythmic note valuesand various rhythm patterns

3. Practice “Twinkle,Twinkle, Little Star”

SWBAT teach

back about the

values of differentnotes, correctly

hold their

instruments, and play an easy song

Activity 1: Model

how to play the entire

“Twinkle, Twinkle,Little Star” song and

coach students

through the song

Activity 2: Teach

about note names and

their rhythmic valuesand then play

“Memory” to

reinforce knowledge

Activity 3: Discuss

the importance of practicing, pass out

practice logs, and

outline expectations

for practice this week

3Learn new

skillsMODEL

1. Learn rhythms that will

help students develop bowcontrol (like “Massachusetts

Up Down” and “Alligator,

Alligator)

2. Practice reading and

clapping note rhythms

3. Discuss new vocabulary

SWBAT play

“Massachusetts Up

Down,”demonstrate

understanding of

rhythmic notevalues by reading

and clapping

complex rhythms,and teach back the

Activity 1: Model

how to play“Massachusetts Up

Down” (this song

helps studentsdevelop their bow

skills) and coach

students throughlearning it

Activity 2: Model an

coach how to claprhythms based on

what students already

know about notevalues

WOW! Plan



Lesson # 1

Name of the Apprenticeship: Orchestra Apprenticeship

Citizen Teacher:

Pre-Planning

Lesson Objectives: What do we need to get done today?

By the end of the lesson, the students will be able to:

1. Pluck the first few measures of “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”2. Teach back important instructions for instrument care

3. Students will get excited about learning to play a new instrument

Learning Objectives: What will the students learn today?

By the end of the lesson, the students will have learned:

1. Recognize their prior knowledge about music and string instruments

2. Be able to identify several key similarities and differences between the violin,viola, and cello

3. Understand how to properly care for their instruments

4. Be able to correctly hold their instruments

Agenda based on the lesson plan. Post in the room for the students to see.

1. Opening Ritual

2. Review Agenda and Set Context

3. Activity: Instrument Introduction

4. Activity: Parts, Pieces, and Care

5. Activity: Try-Outs!

6. Closing and Teach Back

7. Clean up

10 Minutes

15 Minutes

10 Minutes

10 Minutes

15 Minutes

10 Minutes

2-3 MinutesPreparation and Space Set up:

•

Meet with the NBPS music teacher and agree on information to becovered this week

• Talk to apprentices and their guardians ahead of time about this

opportunity and what it means (practice outside of Citizen Schools, return theinstrument at the end of the semester, etc.)

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Vocabulary What terms or concepts will you introduce in this session? Post these for the

students to see.

• Instruments: Violin, Viola, Cello

• Parts of the Instrument: Fingerboard, Strings, Bridge, F-Holes, Peg Box, Shoulder, Neck, Chin Rest, Bow, Frog, Tip

• Instrument Care: Rosin, Varnish

Materials and Equipment

Visual with agenda and objectives

One violin, one viola, and one cello for students to try out

Loan agreement contracts and permission slips to participate in music lessons

(NBPS District Requirement)

Blank flip chart paper or whiteboard and markers for teach backs

“Parts of your Instrument” Handout

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Lesson # 1

Planning the Lesson

Foreshadowing (A regular opening ritual will be introduced

next week when students have their instruments)

Time: 10 Minutes

Ask students to sit or stand in a circle along with the Citizen Teacher and Team Leader.

The goal is for everyone to introduce themselves and share something with the group.

Citizen Teacher or Team Leader should specify what each participant should include inhis/her introduction (name, grade, team, favorite band, favorite song, why they picked

this apprenticeship, etc). After introducing him/herself, the CT or TL tosses the ball toanyone else in the circle. The receiver must thank that person by name and then

introduce him/herself. The game ends after everyone has introduced themselves.

Set the Context and Review Agenda Time: 15 Minutes

Thank students for participating in the opening activity, and ask a volunteer to read

today’s agenda and objectives out loud. Explain that a lot of what will happen today is an

introduction, but that students will have the opportunity to actually try out all of theinstruments that are being offered and ultimately select which one they will start with the

following week.

Although many students may not have had the opportunity to play musical instruments in

the past, they may know more than they think about music and instruments. Ask students

to line up on one side of the room (the path in front of them should be relatively clear).Explain that this is an activity that will help us figure out how much each of them knows

about music – the goal (but don’t tell them this yet) is to demonstrate that even if you

haven’t had the chance to formally study music, you probably know more than you think.

Tell students that you will read out loud a series of “I” statements. If they feel that thestatement is true for them, they should take a step forward. The statements should be

geared towards the specific group of students, but might include some of the following:

- I have played a musical instrument- I know how to read music

- I have a favorite band or artist

- I like to sing in the shower

- I know about fractions

- Someone in my family is a musician

- I have taken a music class in school

- I have messed around on the piano before

- I have heard a string instrument other than guitar in pop/rap/hip hop music before

- I can name at least one composer

After reading 10 or 12 “I” statements, ask students to stay where they are to debrief. Atthis point, it is unlikely that anyone is still at the starting position. Point out to studentsthat even though they may not have answered yes to all of the questions, they still know

something about music. Also point out that even though some people may have

answered yes to more questions than other people, everyone here will be a beginner onthe instrument they choose. If you have past experience, share it with the group to help

everyone learn!

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ACTIVITIES (Please factor a 5 minute break in the middle of 1

activity or in between 2 activities)Time: 35 minutes

Activity 1: Instrument Introduction Time: 10 minutes

Includes demonstration, guided practice, individual or group practice. Be sure and link to

your learning objectives.

After students are seated in a semi-circle, explain the

concept of “family” as it applies to instruments. Justlike in families of people, not every instrument in thestrings family is exactly the same, but there are some

similarities between all of them. Hang a Venn

diagram on the wall and ask a volunteer to scribe thesimilarities and differences between the instruments

throughout the discussion.

Introduce the first instrument, tell students which it isand play a short piece that demonstrates the volume,

range, and sound of that instrument. Vocabulary isn’t

the focus right now – rather, students shouldconcentrate on finding their own words to verbalize

what they are hearing. Try to fit the sounds into a

framework that students are already comfortable withlike emotions (does the instrument sound happy, sad,

mellow, strong, goofy, etc). Ask students to articulate

why they picked the emotions they did (It soundshappy, because the sounds are high, like a bird; It

sounds mellow because the sounds are smooth and

deep). Then follow up with the other instruments. Be

sure to pause and ask student which sounded the most

similar, and how they sounded different. Encouragestudents to think about the range and tone, and try to

describe that in words.

After students have brainstormed similarities and

differences based their observations of the look andsound of instruments, point out some others that they

may not have noticed (different strings, different sized

bows, etc). Ask students to make an initial assessment

of which instrument they think they are mostinterested in now that they have seen and heard them

all – they can still change their minds.

Objective

Be able to identify several keysimilarities and differences between the violin, viola, and

cello

Activity 2: Parts, Pieces, and Care Time: 10 minutes



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Note: Before the apprenticeship fair, apprentices andfamilies were notified through a family mailing that

string instrument lessons would be an apprenticeship

option this semester. Interested apprentices and their families were invited to attend an information session

at a Citizen Schools family potluck where guardians

learned more about this apprenticeship, where theinstruments were coming from, and what expectations

there were for instrument care. When apprenticeswere selected for this apprenticeship after the

apprenticeship fair, a Citizen Schools staff member called home to talk with apprentices and their families

about the contract they would need to sign with New

Bedford Public Schools to be able to bring theinstrument home. Both apprentices and their

guardians were given the basics of instrument care at

that time (do not try to tune the instrument unless youhave been taught to by the instructor; if the instrument

breaks, do not try to repair it – instead bring it to class

to have it fixed; always keep the instrument in a warm,dry place; etc). Families were required to sign acontract acknowledging that they knew and

understood these guidelines before students started the

apprenticeship.

Activity: Transition smoothly from the discussion

comparing and contrasting the instruments by pointingout that all of the instruments have many common

parts. Point out all of the parts of the violin and viola

first, noting not only their names, but also what they

do. Then ask students to see if they can identify the parts of a cello. Students should come up one by one

to point parts out and describe how they are similar

and different compared to the violin and viola. Also point out the things that are different on the cello

(endpin, larger bow, etc). Pass out the “Parts of Your

Instrument” Handout with the parts blank. Ask students to put it in their agendas for now, and take it

out again in a few days. Ask students to fill in as

many parts as they can remember as an extra mile or during their free time.

This is also a good time to talk about how fragile and

delicate string instruments are. Note how thin the bridge is and how the strings can snap easily if over

tightened. Explain the care procedures for string

instruments – a scribe may write these on thewhiteboard or flip chart paper if appropriate for the

group. Be sure to cover temperature variations, how

cleaning products affects the varnish, why it’s

Objective

Identify different common parts

on string instruments,

Understand how to properly

care for their instruments

Teach back important

instructions for instrument care

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important not to touch the bow hair, and why it isimportant that only a professional tries to repair the

instrument if it breaks. Remind students about the

contracts that they and their parents signed agreeing tothis.

Activity 3: Try-Outs! Time: 15 minutes


your learning objectives. Note: This can be done as a station activity if the

instructor to student ratio allows. If there are not

enough instructors available, students can passinstruments around one at a time.

Activity: This will be the first time that students willhave the chance to actually hold and practice with the

various instruments. The instructor should model first

with the violin, demonstrating body position and

where the instrument sits. Then she should

demonstrate how to pluck, and play the first few notesof “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.” Next, it is each

student’s turn to try it out. In turns and with peer support and suggestions, each student should try

holing the violin and plucking those notes. The

instructor should be giving as much one-on-oneattention as possible to the student who is “trying out,”

coaching him or her through the process. As soon as

the student is done, pass the instrument along. Follow

the same procedure with the viola and cello.

Then go around and ask each student to decide whichinstrument they will play this semester (write thisdown). Walk through the process of putting the

instruments away, modeling for students how to

loosen the bow, clean the strings, and close the case.

Objective

Be able to correctly hold their

instruments, Decide whichinstrument they like the best

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Closing: Mini-Performance Time: 10 Minutes

Review what you covered in this session and tell them what is coming for the next

session. Be sure students learned by having one or more of them teach back.

Objectives: Students will get excited about learning to play a new instrument

Activity: To get students excited before they walk out the door today, do a mini-

performance of the songs that will be played at the WOW! Introduce the name of eachsong (and who it is by) and then model how it will sound when students play it at the endof the apprenticeship. After performing, point out that it takes a lot of work to get good

at a string instrument – you can’t just show up every week and expect to be able to play

these songs perfectly by the end. To really master the songs, apprentices will need to practice consistently. Ask the group if anyone has a definition of “consistent.” Wrap up

the closing activity by asking student which of the 7 Citizen Schools values will help

them be successful in this apprenticeship and why. Push apprentices to link every valueinto success in this apprenticeship (for instance, teamwork because we will all be playing

together, perseverance because we need to keep practicing even when it is hard, joy

because we need to have a positive attitude, etc).

Clean Up Time: 2-3 Minutes

What roles can you designate for each student to build team accountability?

Since we packed up the instruments as during the “Try-Outs!” activity, there will not be

much to clean up. Ask students to take care of their own space and have a volunteer take

down the flip charts.

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Lesson # 2


Citizen Teacher:

Pre-Planning


By the end of the lesson, the students will:

1. Play “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”2. Complete note duration “Memory” game



1. Demonstrate correct body position when playing instrument

2. Identify the names and rhythmic values of notes and rests

3. Play a complete song4. Commit to a regular practice schedule


1. Opening Ritual


3. Activity: Body Position Review

4. Activity: “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”

5. Activity: Pack It Up

6. Activity: Rhythm Part 1

7. Activity: Note Duration “Memory” Game


9. Clean up

15 Minutes

2-3 Minutes

5 Minutes

15 Minutes

5 Minutes

10 Minutes

15 Minutes

10 Minutes

2-3 Minutes

Preparation and Space Set up:Make sure all instruments are ready to go home with students (check strings, tuning,rosin, etc.)


students to see.

• Notes: Eighth Note, Half Note, Quarter Note, Whole Note

• Rests: Eighth Rest, Quarter Rest, Half Rest, Whole Rest


Agenda and objectives “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” handout for all apprentices (copyrighted

material – not included in lesson plan)

Note values flip chart

Cards for “Memory” game

Note duration worksheet for groups that finish quickly

Practice logs

Practice Tracking System – Includes tracker and explanation of rewards

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Lesson # 2

Planning the Lesson

Opening Ritual (It should be tied to the focus of your

Apprenticeship and this session if possible)

Time: 15 Minutes

Students will receive their instruments today (as long as they returned their permission

slips and loan agreements). Although instrument care was covered last week, studentsneed to be reminded about how to care for their instruments. The instructor should

review the Do’s and Don’ts of instrument care before handing them out.

After reviewing care instructions, the instructor can hand out instruments to students.

Before students even start to open the cases they need to listen closely to the instructions.The instructor should model and talk through EVERY SINGLE STEP, and ask students

to do unpack their instruments at that time. Apprentices should focus on how/where to

attach the shoulder rest, tightening the bow, and rosining the bow.

(This will be the opening ritual in subsequent lessons.)

Set the Context and Review Agenda Time: 2-3 Minutes

Provide Apprentices with a visual agenda – written on flipchart paper and taped up in the

classroom



Activity 1: Body Position Review Time: 5 Minutes



Ask a volunteer to demonstrate how to correctly hold

the instrument and bow. Ask other students to critiqueit and chime in with suggestions. After the volunteer

has achieved perfect body position based on his/her

own memory and the suggestions of peers, ask all

students to hold their instruments correctly. Theinstructor should give feedback and make corrections

to all students.

ObjectiveDemonstrate correct body

position when playinginstrument

Activity 2: “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” Time: 15 Minutes

Includes demonstration, guided practice, individual or group practice. Be sure and link toyour learning objectives.

Instructor should pass out “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little

Star” handout and explain to students that it is a guide

for helping to remember how to play the song, so thatthey don’t have to memorize it – handout is a fingering

guide for each of the notes in “Twinkle, Twinkle” and

is not written on a staff or using notes. Instructor

Objective

Play “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little

Star”

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should tell students about how to read the guide (eachline gives the string and fingers down for one note)

and model how to play each note. As a large group,

apprentices should play through the entire song slowlyand with plenty of pauses for the instructor to give

directions and help students. Play through the song a

couple of times until students are confident.

Activity 3: Pack It Up Time: 5 MinutesIncludes demonstration, guided practice, individual or group practice. Be sure and link toyour learning objectives.

Ask students to think about the steps they will need to

go through to pack up their instruments safely. Have

apprentices teach back different steps that they mayremember from last week or that they infer based on

their knowledge of instrument care. Apprentices

should follow all of the steps they just talked about

whenever packing up their instruments. After all of

the instruments are safely packed away, have studentsset the cases to the side and transition to chairs/desks

for today’s theory activity.

Objective

Teach back about instrument

care (objective from lesson 1)

Activity 4: Rhythm Part 1 Time: 10 Minutes



After students are settled in a semi-circle of desks or

chairs, instructor should explain that musicians need to

have a way to write down their different melodies and

rhythms on paper so that they can remember how to play songs and share their pieces with others. Just like

we have whole system of reading and writing usingletters, words, and punctuation, musicians have a

system so that they can write down songs on paper.

The first thing that we will learn about is how

musicians write rhythm. In music writing, a “note” is

the same as a letter in English. Just like there aredifferent letters, there are different types of notes that

mean different things. When talking about rhythm and

beats, musicians use eighth notes, quarter notes, half notes, and whole notes. Explain the “beat value” of each note, using the flip chart as a guide. Explain that

in addition to notes, there are rests, which are like

spaces and punctuation in between words. Whenever there is a rest in written music, it means that the

musician should pause. Just like different notes last

different numbers of beats, rests tell you how long the

Objective

Identify the names and rhythmic

values of notes and rests

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pause should be.

Make sure that students understand that they are not

expected to know and understand all of this right now.It will take some practice to really understand how all

of these pieces fit together, and for now, they just need

to familiar with the basic vocabulary and informationon the flip chart.

Activity 5: Note Duration “Memory” Game Time: 15 Minutes



Now that students have learned about the rhythmic

values of notes and rests, they are going to play agame where they will have to remember not only

where to find things, but also all of the stuff we just

talked about. Ask students if they have every played

the game “Memory” or “Concentration” (this is where

there is a deck of cards in a grid face down, and players take turns trying to find pairs – the winner is

the person with the most pairs of cards at the end). Astudent should teach back the rules, or if no one is

familiar with the game, the instructor can outline the

rules.

This game of memory is a little different, because the

pairs of cards don’t look exactly the same. On onecard of the pair is a picture of a note, rest, or other

symbol. On the other card in that pair is the name of

the note, rest, or symbol. In pairs, apprentices shouldtake turns trying to find pairs of cards, but there is atwist: in order to keep the match, the player must also

tell how many beats long the note or rest is, or what

the other symbols mean (i.e. This pair is a quarter noteand quarter notes are worth one beat; This pair is a bar

line and bar lines tell where measures start and end).

If a pair of students finishes the game really early, they

can fill out the note duration worksheet attached below

for extra credit.

Objective

Identify the names and rhythmic

values of notes and rests

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Closing & Teach Back Time: 10 Minutes



Note: During the information and phone conversations with apprentices and families preceding the apprenticeship, expectations for practice were outlined. Participants

understood that they would have spent some time outside of Citizen Schools practicing

every week to be successful. Families committed to providing space and time to childrenfor practice as well.

Activity: Instructor should relate a story to students about how much practice it takes to

get good at the violin or viola. Convey that “self-efficacy” (remember School Navigation?) is at work here: the more that students practice, the better they are going to

get. As an added bonus, apprentices will be able to see and hear the progress they are

making immediately! Apprentices have an awesome opportunity to get really good attheir instruments because they get to bring them home. In addition to the benefit of

getting better with practice, students will also be competing for prizes. Every week they

will take a practice log home and fill out important information every time they practice.

They should note the day that they practiced, how long they practiced for, and whichsongs or drills they practiced. For every hour of practice that apprentices complete, they

will earn a quarter note on the practice tracker. There will also be other ways to earn

notes throughout the apprenticeship. The person with the most complete measures at theend wins a prize! Instructor should collect practice logs every week (and hand out new

ones) and update the tracker so that students can view their progress compared to others.

This week, students should practice as much of “Twinkle, Twinkle” as they canremember and just experiment with the instrument, getting used to the sound and feeling

of it.

Clean Up Time: 2-3 MinutesWhat roles can you designate for each student to build team accountability?

Students should already have their instruments cleaned up and put away (from the “Pack It Up” activity). Each group of students needs to put away their memory cards and clean

up their own space.

Curriculum Analysis (Tips for the teacher)

I cut out a significant amount of the vocabulary in this lesson in response to suggestions

that it might be overwhelming for students. For instance, I had originally included dotted

notes, time signature, bar lines, etc. The students in my group quickly picked up all of

the new vocabulary, and if your group is doing well with the notes and rests, I wouldrecommend introducing some of the other concepts this week.

Cards for Memory Game (Print and Cut Out)

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Quarter Rest

EightRest

EightNote

Quarter Note

Half RestWholeRest

Half Note

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WholeNote

Pair of Eight

Notes

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Note Durations Extra Credit Worksheet

1) Assume for now that a whole note = 4, half note = 2, quarter note = 1, and eighth note = . Add upthe numbers in each equation and write one note that represents the resulting number:

a) 1 + 1 _______

d) 1 + + ________

b) 2 + 1 + 1 _______

e) 1 + 1 +1 + + _____

c) 0.5 + 1 + _______

f) 4 - 2 _______

2) Complete the following:

a) How many eighth notes equal one half note: ________.

b) _____ quarter note(s) equal 2 half notes.

c) Four ___________ notes equal one whole note.

d) Two eighth notes equal one ____________ note.

e) One whole note can be made up of one half note and ______ quarter note(s).

f) Two whole notes is the same length as ________ quarter note(s).

g) ________eighth note(s) is the same length as two quarter notes.

h) Three eighth notes is the same as a quarter note plus _______ eighth(s).

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Weekly Practice LogName:____________

Day/Date:

Total Time: I Practiced:

Day/Date:


Day/Date:


Day/Date:


Day/Date

:


Day/Date:


Day/Date:


Total Practice Time This Week:________Page 21 of 70



Practice Tracker

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"Lesson # 3


Citizen Teacher:

Pre-Planning



1. Play “Massachusetts Up Down” and “Alligator, Alligator”, rhythms that helpdevelop bow control

2. Clap several written rhythms of varying difficulty

3. Complete musical arithmetic problems



1. Develop bow control and play consistent rhythms2. Demonstrate understanding of note durations by clapping out rhythms


1. Opening Ritual


3. Activity: “Twinkle, Twinkle” Teach Back

4. Activity: Two New Rhythmic Songs

5. Activity: Review Note Durations

6. Activity: Clap Out Rhythms


8. Clean up

5 Minutes

5 Minutes

10 Minutes

15 Minutes

15 Minutes

15 Minutes

10 Minutes


Coordinate with NBPS music teacher to align goals of instrument and theory lessonsWrite in a rhythm for the last section on the quiz before making copies

Vocabulary What terms or concepts will you introduce in this session? Post these for the students to see.

• Notes: Eighth Note, Quarter Note, Half Note, Whole Note, Dotted Notes

• Rests: Eighth Rest, Quarter Rest, Half Rest, Whole Rest


Agenda and objectives

Instrument for each apprentice

Flip chart with note durations

Rhythm lines for clapping activity

Copies of quiz and rhythm to clap

One partial deck of memory cards from last week (with only cards that picturenotes and rests)

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Lesson # 3

Planning the Lesson



Time: 5 Minutes

This is the first week that students will need to set up their instruments on their own.

Instructor should walk students through the steps of getting the instrument out of the case,

attaching the shoulder rest, and tightening/rosining the bow. After all instruments areready, apprentices should play open strings individually so that the instructor can tune

instruments as needed.


Ask a student to read the agenda out loud (agenda below only includes activities for the

theory portion of the lesson, but activities for the instrumental portion of the lesson could be included as well). The theme for today, just like last week, is rhythm. Both the songs

students will learn to play as well as the new concepts they will learn will all help build

on the rhythm concepts that were covered last week.

ACTIVITIES (Please factor a 5 minute break in the middle of 1activity or in between 2 activities)

Time: 55 minutes

Activity 1: “Twinkle, Twinkle” Teach Back Time: 10 Minutes



Ask if there is one brave volunteer who would bewilling to take a positive risk and play the portion of

“Twinkle, Twinkle” that they practiced over the last

week. After one student performs and jogs everyone

else’s memory, play through the passage a few timesas a group. Encourage students to keep practicing

“Twinkle, Twinkle” both by plucking and using the bow, because this will be one of the WOW! songs.

Objective

Review last week’s lesson andtransition into learning a new

“song”

Activity 2: Two New Rhythmic Songs Time: 15 Minutes



Before actually starting the activity, the instructor

should explain that we will learn two short rhythm

patterns that will help students get better at using their bows. Begin this activity with a review of how to grip

the bow. Instructor should model a good bow grip andthen ask apprentices to demonstrate theirs. Instructor

should coach students, giving feedback for

improvement.

After everyone is all set with their bow grips, the

instructor should model the rhythm for “Alligator,

Objective

Develop bow control and play

consistent rhythms

Page 24 of 70



Alligator” on an open string (say the words out loudand play down and up bow strokes in time with the

syllables). Then apprentices try out the rhythm on

their own instruments. As students are playing“Alligator, Alligator” the instructor should watch bow

strokes very carefully, and give tips when needed so

that students can begin building a strong musclememory.

After all of the students can confidently play

“Alligator, Alligator” on an open string, move onto“Massachusetts Up Down.” The instructor should

model this rhythm for apprentices and give an

explanation of the difference between a down strokeand an up stroke. Ask apprentices to try it on an open

string, and again the instructor should be coaching

students to success. After students have mastered bothrhythms on a single open string, they should try it on

other open strings, and finally using fingerings.

Practice Assignment (post on whiteboard): Practice“Alligator, Alligator” and “Massachusetts Up Down”

on open strings and with different fingers down every

day.

Students should pack up their instruments at the end of

this activity. Most beginner string instrument playerscannot practice for more than 20-30 minutes at a time

because it is difficult to maintain correct body position

for that long. Ask a volunteer to lead the class through

pack up, teaching back step-by-step instructions for putting the instruments away.

Activity 3: Review Note Durations Time: 15 Minutes



Review flip chart from last week about note durations,asking students questions about how many beats each

note or rest is and what all of the different notes are

called.

Then, take down or cover the flip chart. Using the

partial deck of memory cards from last week (only

cards with notes and rests), go around to eachapprentice and ask him/her to draw a card. After the

apprentice draws the card, he/she must identify the

note or rest by name and tell how many beats it isworth. If an apprentice doesn’t answer both parts

correctly, that card is up for grabs and another student

Objective

Activate prior knowledge aboutnote durations and rhythm

vocabulary

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can volunteer to answer the questions. If an apprenticeanswers both parts correctly, he/she keeps the card.

The apprentice with the most cards at the end is the

winner and earns a half note on the practice tracker.

Activity 4: Clap Out Rhythms Time: 15 Minutes



The instructor should ask students to think back to thetwo rhythms they learned to play today. We used

words to help us “sound out” those rhythms, but we

can also write those rhythms using the different noteswe have learned about last week and today. Also, we

can practice rhythms even if we don’t have our

instruments out – by using our hands to clap.

Instructor should demonstrate the “Alligator,

Alligator” and “Massachusetts Up Down” rhythmswith clapping. Explain that there is a very similar

system that we can use where we combine words and

claps to create different rhythms.

Instructor should model how to clap different written

notes and rests (the beginning of each note gets a clap

and every subsequent beat in that note gets a pulsewith hands together; rests get pulses with hands open;

eighth notes are counted with 1 and, 2 and, 3 and, 4

and).

Ask students to look at the three rhythm lines posted

on flip chart paper. First, the instructor should model

how the first line is clapped using the system he/she just explained. Then, invite the students to join in and

clap the rhythm line as a group. Do the same with the

next two (and increasingly harder) rhythm lines.

Finally, split students into three groups and put each

group in charge of a different rhythm line. Studentsshould practice their group’s line a few times in small

groups. After ample practice time, the groups should

come back together and in unison, all groups clap outtheir rhythms.

Objective

Demonstrate understanding of note durations by clapping out

rhythms

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Students will demonstrate what they have learned today by passing a short quiz aboutmusical mathematics, slurs and ties, and clapping rhythms (can be done with partners if

appropriate). Explain that if everyone who gets a 90% or above on the quiz will get a

bonus eighth note added to their practice tracker (worth 30 minutes of practice time).Apprentices should answer written questions and then practice rhythm at the bottom withclapping technique learned today to be performed for the instructor.

Practice Assignment: Before students leave, remind them of what songs they havelearned so far: “Twinkle, Twinkle,” “Alligator, Alligator,” and “Massachusetts Up

Down.” They should be using their practice time in the next week to get better at these

songs. Also, briefly point out how far different individuals are on the practice tracker.Ask students to consider whether they have heard and felt themselves getting better with

practice.



Instruments are already put away, so all that is left for students to do is clean up their space and help take down flip charts/erase the whiteboard.

Curriculum Analysis: Tips for the teacher

Be sure to read through all activities very thoroughly and think about potential questions

or problems that may come up with your particular group of students. Also, make sure

that all small groups include students with various ability and experience levels – this willhelp group activities go more smoothly and prevent some groups from falling behind

while others finish quickly. Finally, set very clear expectations for the time that

apprentices have their instruments out, like “No playing while I am talking,” etc. If you

don’t, students will be much more interested in messing around on their instruments thanlistening to your directions.

See “Newby, Lesson 3 Attachments” for all Visual Aids and Handouts

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Lesson # 4


Citizen Teacher:

Pre-Planning



1. Create a funny or interesting acronym to help remember note order on the staff 2. Play a new song for the WOW!



1. Establish a forum for students to share their experiences with practicing

2. Play “Ode To Joy” and the D-Major Scale

3. Relate prior knowledge of reading words to reading musical notes4. Identify notes on a treble or alto clef


1. Opening Ritual


3. Activity: How Was Practice?

4. Activity: “Ode To Joy” and the D-Major Scale

5. Activity: Musical Alphabet

6. Activity: Note Acronyms


8. Clean up

5 Minutes

5 Minutes

5 Minutes

25 Minutes

10 Minutes

10 Minutes

15 Minutes


Think of ways to smoothly transition from the instrument component to the theorycomponent of this lesson

Coordinate with NBPS music teacher to make sure that note reading will be a focus of both the instrumental and theory components of this lesson

Print staff paper with the treble and alto clefs from an online staff paper generator such as



students to see.• Pitch, Musical Alphabet, ABCDEFG

• Acronym

• Staff, Treble Clef, Alto Clef

Page 28 of 70






Agenda and Objectives

Instruments for each apprentice

Copies of “Ode To Joy” with fingering guide written in (copyrighted material –

not attached in this lesson plan)

Musical Alphabet visual with treble and alto clefs

Blank flip chart paper for acronyms

Flip chart with game instructions

Staffs on flip chart paper (2 treble clef and 2 alto clef)

Quarters (1 for each student)

Staff paper for scoring in game

Page 29 of 70



Lesson # 4

Planning the Lesson



Time: 5 Minutes

Apprentices should follow the same procedure for setting up their instruments that they

used last week. Instructor should supervise as apprentices get the instruments out of cases, attach shoulder rests, and tighten/rosin bows. After all instruments are ready,

apprentices should play open strings individually so that the instructor can tuneinstruments as needed.


Instructor should ask a volunteer to read the agenda and objectives aloud. Emphasize that

apprentices will start working on “Ode To Joy” today, which is one of the pieces theywill perform at the WOW! This song is written differently than “Twinkle, Twinkle,

Little Star” was: it is on a musical staff with notes instead of as numbers and letters.Along with learning this new song, apprentices will have to build their note reading skills because from now on, all songs are going to be written using musical notations. (Agenda

pictured in the attachments document does not include “Ode To Joy” or the D-Major

scale activities – it only features activities from the theory component).


Time: 50 minutes

Activity 1: How Was Practice? Time: 5 Minutes


Take about 5 minutes to debrief on how practice went

last week. What was difficult? What was rewarding?

How did you overcome challenges like not

remembering exactly how to play something? Did youget tired while you were practicing? This should be a

time for students to share their experiences with each

other and ask questions of each other and of theinstructor.

Objective

Establish a forum for students to

share their experiences with

practicing

Activity 2: “Ode To Joy” and the D-Major Scale Time: 25 Minutes



Page 30 of 70



Instructor should introduce “Ode To Joy” and tell a

little bit about the piece’s history, and then pass out

copies of the piece written in regular musical notationwith a fingering guide written in. Instructor should

model the song by playing it and then explain how to

read the fingering guide, relating it to how studentsread the notes for “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.”

Then the students should work through the entire song,measure by measure, with the instructors help and

guidance. After each small piece of the song is solid,students can put the whole piece together any play it as

a group.

After playing “Ode To Joy” a few times, the instructor

can introduce the D-Major scale. First, apprentices

should play the scale straight through without anyrhythmic variation to focus on finger position. After

they can play the scale as is, students can start

applying the rhythmic variations that they learned lastweek (“Alligator, Alligator” and “Massachusetts UpDown”) to the scale.

When the instrumental activities are over, studentsshould follow the same pack it up procedure that they

have in previous weeks. One student leads the group

through the step-by-step process for puttinginstruments away safely.

Objective

Play “Ode To Joy” and the D-

Major Scale

Activity 3: Musical Alphabet Time: 10 Minutes


Instructor should start this activity by asking students

how they could have figured out how to play “Ode ToJoy” if the fingering guide hadn’t been written in for

them. Explain that just like we write and read using a

system of letters in our regular lives, musicians have asystem of reading and writing to help them

communicate.

This week apprentices are going to start learning howto read notes on a musical staff – they already covered

rhythm, and this week they will focus on “pitch.”

Using the flip chart visual, the instructor shouldexplain that pitch is the highness or lowness of a note

(giving a vocal demonstration of high vs. low). A note

that sounds higher to the ear is written higher up onthe musical staff.

Objective

Relate prior knowledge of

reading words to readingmusical notes

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Point out that reading notes is like reading words; after you read a note on a staff you can translate it into

sound if you know what it is and what that means, just

like you can say a word out loud that you read on paper. After learning how to read the pitch of notes,

apprentices will be able to read a note on a musical

staff and know how to make that pitch on their instruments.

Unlike our alphabet which has 26 letters, the musical

alphabet only has 7 letters that continuously repeat: AB C D E F G. After you get to the letter G, you start

over again at the beginning (A) – this means that there

are high, medium, and low versions of the same note.Every note has an assigned spot on the musical staff,

and the different clefs indicate which range of notes it

will represent.

Violinists read music on the treble clef staff; violists

read music on the alto clef (the two cover differentranges of notes because the two instruments cover different ranges of notes). Instructor should use the

flip chart with treble and alto clef staffs to point out

where each note (A-G) is written on the musical staff.

Activity 4: Note Acronyms Time: 10 Minutes


Instructor should transition into the acronym activityusing the Musical Alphabet visual. Point out that

some notes fall on lines, while others are in spaces –

this is important because it can be a good memorytool. On the treble clef, the notes on the lines go E G

B D F and the notes in the spaces go F A C E

On the alto clef the line notes go F A C E G and thespace notes go G B D F

Many people use acronyms to remember which notenames match with the places on the staff; for instance,

people use Every Good Boy Does Fine to remember

Objective

Create a funny or interestingacronym to help remember note

order on the staff

Page 32 of 70



the line notes and the word FACE for the space noteson the treble clef.

In small groups, apprentices need to come up with aneasy and fun acronym to remember the notes on the

clef that they use (remember “acronym” from school

navigation?). Students should take about 5 minutes tothink of a clever phrase that they will teach back to the

big group. After time is up, the instructor should ask groups for the acronyms they thought of and write

them onto a piece of flip chart paper (or ask avolunteer scribe to do it). This flip chart can be

brought to future lessons to help students jog their

memories as they are trying to read notes.

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Objective: Identify notes on a treble or alto clef

Instead of filling out a worksheet today, students will demonstrate what they have learned

through a game called “Quarter Note Toss.” Before students begin, the instructor shouldread ALL rules aloud and model how to play the game. Groups of 2-3 apprentices needto collect the following supplies: the appropriate staff for their instrument on flip chart

paper (treble clef for violin, alto clef for viola), a quarter for each person, and a staff

paper sheet for each person to keep score. The goal of this game is to create a song usingevery note on the staff at least once. Apprentices take turns tossing or sliding their

quarters (to symbolize a quarter note) onto the flip chart paper staff that is on the floor in

front of them. After tossing the quarter, the player should identify the name/letter of thenote where the quarter landed on the staff paper (use your best judgment) and then mark

it with a quarter note and the note letter on your score sheet. Whoever uses every note on

the staff first (from the bottom line to the top line) first wins. If some groups finish

earlier than others, have them complete the “bonus” task: select a time signature (2/4, 3/4,or 4/4) and add bar lines to the appropriate spots. Award an option eighth note to the

winner in each group to be added to the practice tracker.



Groups should return the materials they used for the quarter-note toss and take down flip

charts from the wall.


This is a really confusing concept for a lot of children – be prepared and willing to

answer A LOT of questions throughout this activity. Pausing for questions, even if they

are unrelated, may disrupt the flow of the lesson but will ultimately be beneficial for student learning especially because this is a foreign concept for a lot of kids.

See “Newby, Lesson 4 Attachments” for visual aids and handout materials

Page 34 of 70



Lesson # 5


Citizen Teacher:

Pre-Planning



1. Play “Ode To Joy” and the D-Major scale well2. Play half and whole steps on instruments



1. Confidently play “Ode To Joy” and the D-Major scale

2. Correctly identify whole and half steps in the D-Major scale

3. Teach back how sharps and flats affect notes


1. Opening Ritual2. Review Agenda and Set Context

3. Activity: Practice Last Week’s New Material

4. Activity: Introduce New Song – IF TIME

PERMITS

5. Activity: Note Reading Part Two – Intro

6. Activity: Sharp Pins, Flat Tires

7. Activity: Halves and Wholes


9. Clean up

5 Minutes5 Minutes

15 Minutes

10 Minutes

5 Minutes

10 Minutes

15 Minutes

5 Minutes

5 Minutes

Preparation and Space Set up:Select another song for a WOW! (must be appropriate for the group) – makecopies and write in fingering guide (this song will only be taught if students

have mastered the current material and there is extra time)

Create all visual aidsCheck in with students one-on-one outside of the apprenticeship time about

how practice has been going – follow up with family phone calls if necessary

(Some students said they weren’t “allowed” to practice at home; upon talkingwith their parents, I discovered that they were very much on board and didn’t

know about the practice expectations)


students to see.• Sharp, Flat

• Whole Step, Half Step

Page 35 of 70





Copies of “Ode To Joy” from previous week

Copies of a new song (to be taught only if there is time and students are ready for

new material)

Flat/Sharp Visual

Notes on a staff (flip chart), Sharp and Flat slips of paper with note names on back

D-Major Scale Visual

Whole Step/Half Step Visual

Copies of Speed Quiz

Instrument for each apprentice and instructor

Page 36 of 70



Lesson # 5

Planning the Lesson



Time: 5 Minutes

Ask students to begin leading the opening ritual. Have a volunteer or two walk everyone

through the steps of setting up instruments out loud. Other students should chime in if the leader forgets something. In future weeks, have different students lead the ritual so

that all of the students will be prepared to give a verbal teach back during workshop timeat the WOW!


This week’s lesson is largely a follow-up to last week's activities. Apprentices will

practice “Ode To Joy” and the D-Major scale which were introduced last week, and then participate in a second note reading lesson. Instructor should have a volunteer read the

agenda out loud. Then ask apprentices to get ready for the start playing.



Activity 1: Practice Last Week’s New Material Time: 15 Minutes



Instructor should engage students in a discussion about

how practice went the previous week. What weresome successes and challenges in practicing “Ode To

Joy”? Did anyone have trouble reading the musicafter they got home and didn’t have the visual aids to

help them? Did you enjoy practicing this piece? Did

anyone in your family comment on how you are doing

with it? Students should raise their hands or respond popcorn style. Be sure to address any statements that

students make about their family reacting negatively to

their practicing. Brainstorm with those studentsalternative practice venues or times that would disrupt

others less (for instance, some students decided to practice in their basements where they wouldn’t bother anyone). Conclude with a reminder that you don’t get

good at the violin just by showing up to lessons every

week: the amount you practice directly affects how

good you will become.

After gauging where students are at with the song

based on their comments about practicing, the

Objective

Confidently play “Ode To Joy”

and the D-Major scale

Page 37 of 70



instructor should initiate a large group run through of the song. Students should play the song together and

according to the cues given by the instructor (such as

when to start, how fast to go, etc). During the first andsecond run through, the instructor should be

evaluating student performance and looking for weak

points in the piece.

Ask students to take a few minutes with their stand partners to identify some of the hardest parts of the

song. Have them circle or underline those passages ontheir music. After each group has had some to identify

difficult passages, ask for each stand to share their

thoughts. Point out commonalities between thegroups, and make sure students understand that there

are parts of the song that are hard for everyone, not

just them. Practice the hard passages together a fewtimes and encourage students to do the same when

they are practicing. The instructor should pay special

attention to how correctly students are playing thesedifficult passages to keep students from continually practicing their mistakes.

Ask for comments from students about whether theygot better since the first time they played it today.

Why do you think the last time was better than the first

time? Were you better at the parts that you struggledthrough the first time? Why? Did it help you to break

up the hard parts and practice certain measures a few

times? Do you think you could do this when you are

practicing at home?

Transition away from “Ode To Joy” and begin

practicing the D-Major scale. Ask students what theyremember about playing the D-Major scale from last

week. Which string does it start on? How many notes

long is it? Have students play through the scale as alarge group once with no rhythm variations. Then

remind them of the rhythm variations that they learned

earlier in the class (“Massachusetts Up Down” and“Alligator, Alligator”). The next time playing the

scale students will use one of the rhythm variations.Practice a few times with the rhythm variations,

modeling first, and then asking students to mimic.

Activity 2: Introduce New Song – IF TIME PERMITS Time: 10 Minutes


Page 38 of 70



If students speed through “Ode To Joy” and the D-

Major scale and are ready for new material, introduce

a new song for the WOW! Instructor should modelthe song by playing it all the way through and then

have students work through it measure by measure as

a large group.

Objective

Introduce a new song for the

WOW!

Activity 3: Note Reading Part Two – Intro Time: 5 MinutesIncludes demonstration, guided practice, individual or group practice. Be sure and link toyour learning objectives.

Ask students to set their instruments down in their

cases, but they do not have to pack them up

completely. Last week we learned how to read noteson a musical staff – this week we are going to take it a

step further and learn how to translate the note letters

we learned to read last week to fingerings on our

instruments. In order to do that we will learn four new

vocabulary words – sharp, flat, whole step, and half step.

Objective

Activate prior knowledge about

note reading and transition into

theory lesson

Activity 4: Sharp Pins, Flat Tires Time: 10 Minutes


Using visual aid as a guide, introduce the concepts of

sharps and flats. A "sharp" looks like a number or tic-

tac-toe sign (#) and means to go one half step higher in

pitch. On the fingerboard "higher" means moving

toward the musician and away from the scroll.Instructor should model on her instrument the

difference between a regular note and a sharp note,asking students if they heard and saw the difference.

A "flat" looks like a squished letter b and means to go

one half step lower in pitch. (Toward the scrollapproximately one finger's width) Instructor should

model this as well and ask students if they can hear the

difference between sharps and flats by playing a seriesof 2 notes and asking which was flat and which was

sharp. You can remember that sharp means going up

in pitch if you think about what you do when you siton a SHARP pin; you can remember that flat meansgoing down in pitch if you think about what happens

to a car when it has a FLAT tire.

Sharps and flats can be written in two different places

o Key Signature: At the beginning of the

song after the time signature (the sharp

Objective

Teach back how sharps and flats

affect notes

Page 39 of 70



or flat falls on the same line or in thesame space as the note of the same

letter would)

o Accidentals: Right before the note that

is supposed to be flat or sharp

Before starting the guided practice activity, ask

students to think back to last week when they came up

with their acronyms – review the note order on thestaff. After students can confidently identify notes on

a staff, give students small slips of paper with a flat or

sharp written on one side, and the letter of a note onthe other. Ask students to write their names on the

same side as the flat or sharp; one by one invite

students up to tape their flats or sharps onto the flipchart in front of the note written on the back, and ask

students to identify whether they symbol they placed

in front of the note makes it higher or lower in pitch.

Activity 5: Halves and Wholes Time: 15 MinutesIncludes demonstration, guided practice, individual or group practice. Be sure and link toyour learning objectives.

During the last two weeks we have learned how to

play a D-Major scale – this is the scale the goes from

the open D string all the way up to having 3 fingers onthe A string. Today, we will use our knowledge of the

D-Major scale to learn about half steps and whole

steps. Referring to the visual aid, the instructor should

explain the concept of whole and half steps, using

fingering patterns on string instruments as a concreteexample of how students can actually see the

difference between whole and half steps.

Then use the D-Major scale as an example. First, look

at the D-Major scale written on flip chart paper. Ask students if they can tell just by looking at the scale

which notes are half steps apart and which ones are

whole steps apart. Then, all students should take outtheir instruments again, but no one is to play until

instructed. On string instruments we can tell if notes

are half steps or whole steps apart based on how far apart our fingers are. If there is space between our fingers it means that it is a whole step, but if there is

not, it is a half step. As a group, play the D-Major

scale from last week – students will use the stickers ontheir finger boards to help them place their fingers in

the right spots. Ask students to answer the following

questions:

Objective

Correctly identify whole and

half steps in the D-Major scale

Page 40 of 70



o Which of the notes have half steps

between them (Hint there are two pairsof notes that only have a half step

between them) – Students can tell

which order half and whole stepsoccurred at this point

o Refer to the D-Major scale written on

flip chart paper – Where are the notes

with half steps on the staff? (Ask student to come up draw them in – green brackets for whole steps and red

carrots for half steps) What are the

names of those notes?

o Remind students of how sharps and

flats are indicated – Are either of those

notes sharp or flat?

Point out to students that even though they couldn’ttell half steps from whole steps just by looking at the

scale, when they played the scale it was prettyobvious.

Finally, use the visual with the piano keyboard to

point out the exact same note can have two differentnames: B-flat is the same as A-Sharp. What other

example can you see where one note can have two

different names?

Closing & Teach Back Time: 5 Minutes Review what you covered in this session and tell them what is coming for the next


Objective: Demonstrate understanding of flats, sharps, half steps and whole steps

Activity: Apprentices should form groups of 2-3 to complete a speed quiz – the group

that correctly answers all the questions first gets extra eighth notes added to their practicetracker. After quiz is complete and there is a winner, go over all the questions and ask for

teach backs and questions from various groups about how they found the answers.

Clean Up Time: 5 Minutes


Students should follow the same pack it up procedure that they have in previous weeks.

One student leads the group through the step-by-step process for putting instruments

away safely.

As students are putting their instruments away the instructor can take down flip charts

Page 41 of 70



and erase the board.


At this point in the apprenticeship you should have a pretty clear sense of which students

are excelling because of their practice efforts and natural talent, and which are lagging behind. If you have the staff resources (like 2 CTs and a TL), you may want to consider splitting students into smaller groups to more effectively develop each student’s

strengths. In addition, be sure to carefully evaluate where students are at before assigning

any new material – the focus at week 5 should be preparing for the WOW! and if new

songs won’t be ready in time or would only distract student from practicing their WOW! pieces, then hold off.

Obviously, lack of practice is going to be an issue for some apprentices. Try as hard asyou can to motivate students to practice outside of the apprenticeship time by pointing

out the self efficacy angle and using the practice tracker as a reward. Also engage parents

in conversations about how important practice is for their children to be successful asviolinists and violists. If students face genuine barriers to practice at home, be prepared

to set up alternative arrangements. For instance, invite those students to practice in the

Citizen Schools office on Friday afternoons or ask the school music teacher if thosestudents can use a practice room during Celebration Time.

See “Newby, Lesson 5 Attachments” for photos of visuals (Speed Quiz below)

Page 42 of 70



Speed Quiz!Directions: In your group answer the following questions correctly as fast aspossible

1. Of the following note pairs, which is only a HALF STEP apart?

a. A G

b. E F

c. C D

2. What is another way to write C♭? _________ 3. What is it called when a sharp or flat is written right before the note?

(Hint: You don’t do it on purpose!) _________________ 4. If you have three fingers on the D string, what note are you playing?

__________

Page 43 of 70



Lesson # 6


Citizen Teacher:

Pre-Planning



4. Create a fingering guide for an easy song



1. Play two songs to be performed at the WOW!2. Identify how to finger various notes on their instruments

3. Write fingering guides for themselves on sheet music


1. Opening Ritual

2. Review Agenda and Set Context3. Activity: Group Practice

4. Activity: Note Reading Review

5. Activity: Create Your Own Fingering Guide –

Teacher Directed Portion

6. Activity: Create a Fingering Guide – Guided

Practice

7. Closing and Teach Back/Clean-Up

5 Minutes

5 Minutes25 Minutes

10 Minutes

15 Minutes

10 Minutes

5 MinutesPreparation and Space Set up:

Make all necessary copies

Find two easy pieces to add fingering guides toCheck in with NBPS music teacher about readiness for WOW!


• Ledger Lines

• Fingering Chart

• Fingering Guide


Instruments for apprentices and instructor

Copies of “Ode To Joy” and “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” from

previous weeks Agenda and objectives

Copies of new song (if applicable)

WOW! Program on flip chart paper (songs listed in order they will be

played)

Copies of Treble Clef and Alto Clef Ledger Line handouts

Ledger Line flip chart

Copies of Violin and Viola Fingering Charts

Page 44 of 70



Fingering Chart flip chart

Copies of two easy pieces in treble and alto clefs to add fingering guides

to

Flip chart with one easy piece in alto and treble clef to add fingering

guides to

Flip chart instructions for writing fingering guides

Treble/Alto Clef flip chart from previous week

Acronym flip chart from previous week

Page 45 of 70



Lesson # 6

Planning the Lesson



Time: 5 Minutes





So far apprentices have only been given music with fingering guides already written in.

This week they will take their note reading and fingering skills a step further by creatingtheir own fingering guides for new songs that they have never seen before. In addition,

they will polish some of the songs they have learned already, and possibly learn a newone (if not done last week). Instructor should go over agenda and objectives out loud andthen ask students to take their seats or places standing to start playing.



Activity 1: Group Practice Time: 25 Minutes



Ask a student volunteer to read through the WOW!

Program. Students should understand that they will play “Ode To Joy” first and then “Twinkle, Twinkle”

with four rhythm variations (these should also be

listed in order).

As a large group, students should run through “Ode To

Joy” with sheet music visible. The instructor should

then focus on problem passages (like last week) practicing those first as a group and then each student

or pair of students individually. Run through theentire song again a few more times.

Then, move onto “Twinkle, Twinkle” with the

fingering cheat sheet from the first lesson. Practice

this song once or twice as written and then introducedifferent rhythmic patterns. Explain that even though

this is a pretty easy song, we will play it at the WOW!

with rhythmic variations that demonstrate our bow

ObjectivePlay two songs to be performed

at the WOW!

Page 46 of 70



skills.

If a third song was introduced last week, practice that

as a group as well, paying special attention to problematic passages.

If a third song was not introduced last week, andstudents are now ready, pass out copies of that song.

Instructor should model the song first so that studentsknow how it is supposed to sound, and then play

through the song slowly and as a group several times.Assign this piece as “homework.”

Students should set their instruments aside in their cases, but not fully disassemble them yet.

Activity 2: Note Reading Review Time: 10 Minutes



Using visual aids and handouts from previous classesremind apprentices of some of the topics covered in

the theory component of lessons thus far. Ask

students questions about

• Note reading and acronyms to help remember

note order on a musical staff

• Flats, sharps, half steps, and whole steps

• Rhythm and note durations

Tell students that they will need to call up all of the

information and skills they have learned so far tosuccessfully complete today’s activity.

There is one new piece of information that studentsneed to be successful today. Using the flip chart

visual, explain what ledger lines are and how to figure

out which notes are on the ledger lines.

ObjectiveActivate prior knowledge of note reading, sharps and flats,

and fingering musical passages

Activity 3: Create Your Own Fingering Guide – Teacher

Directed Portion

Time: 15 Minutes



In this activity, the instructor will guide students, step-

by-step, through creating fingering guides for newsongs. First ask students to pull out “Ode To Joy” and

look at the fingering guide that was written in for

them. Ask them to identify the different parts of thefingering guide (string, which finger is down, whether

Objective

Identify how to finger various

notes on their instruments

Page 47 of 70



finger is high or low, etc.). As students are naming off characteristics of the fingering guide, instructor should

be writing them on a flip chart or whiteboard. After

students have identified several characteristics, explainthat all of these thing combined help students play

songs even though they aren’t super good at reading

music yet.

Next, turn to the flip chart outlining the step-by-step process for creating fingering guides.

Step 1: Identify names of notes – be sure toinclude whether they are sharp, flat,

or natural

Step 2: Reference your fingering chart to findout which string each note is played

on, how many fingers you use, and

whether it is “high” or low”Step 3: Write in a fingering that MAKES

SENSE TO YOU – include whatever

information you need to help you findthat note when you are playing

Using the three steps, create a fingering guide for the

easy song that is on flip chart paper. Pass out copiesof the song so that students can follow along and write

in the fingering guide on their own copies. Ask

students to give you the information for each step andwrite it in. Encourage students to think back to the

acronyms the created a few weeks ago and use the

fingering chart as a reference.

After creating the fingering guide on the flip chart,

practice clapping out the rhythm of the song using the

clapping method from several weeks ago. After students can confidently clap beats, invite them to take

out their instruments and play the song through

slowly.

Congratulate students on this huge step in their music

educations: for the first time they were able to takemusic and independently translate it into something

that they could play on their violins and violas.

Activity 4: Create a Fingering Guide – Guided Practice Time: 10 Minutes



Page 48 of 70



Ask students to set their instruments aside again. Split

students into small groups of 2-3 and make sure they

are armed with the fingering guide and ledger linehandouts. Give them a second easy song (similar to

the one in the teacher directed activity) and instruct

groups to create a fingering guide following the samesteps we just used as a group. Instructor should float

between groups, checking on progress, givingfeedback and suggestions, and helping students along.

When students have completed their fingering guides,

collect them (look over guides after class to make sure

they are accurate and bring them to next week’s class).Again, congratulate students on taking this huge step

and tell them that next week they will test out their

fingering guides to see just how well they did increating them.

Objective

Write fingering guides for

themselves on sheet music

Closing & Teach Back/Clean Up Time: 5 Minutes



Ask one student to lead clean up. This student should talk the group through the steps of

disassembling the instruments, cleaning them, and packing them safely away in their

cases.



When I actually taught this lesson, most students weren’t ready by the end to create

fingering guides independently. I could tell that they would be frustrated if I sent them

off into small groups to work on it. Instead, we created the second fingering guide as alarge group, but students directed the process – each pair of students was responsible for

1 measure which they figured out and taught back. There was immediate feedback for

students who were on the wrong track, and students who excelled had the opportunity to

use the tools they were given to figure out the answers on their own.

See “Newby, Lesson 6 Attachments” for all Visual Aids and Handouts

Page 49 of 70



Lesson # 7


Citizen Teacher:

Pre-Planning



1. Practice final song selection for WOW! straight through and as a large group2. Test the quality of last week’s fingering guides by practicing and critiquing them

3. Cover the basics of sight reading


By the end of the lesson, the Students Will Be Able To:

1. Play, almost perfectly, the songs for the WOW!

2. Sight read a new song with the fingerings written in3. Use their new sight reading and fingering skills to solve a sheet music mystery


1. Opening Ritual


3. Activity: Large Group Practice

4. Activity: Sight Reading Basics

5. Activity: Fingering Feedback


7. Clean up

5 Minutes

5 Minutes

25 Minutes

10 Minutes

20 Minutes

5 Minutes


- Reserve 1 room for class today – students will be participating in activities in one

large group rather than two smaller lesson groups today

- Make follow up phone calls to students who forgot their instruments last week


Sight Reading


All handouts from last week (fingering charts, sheet music, etc)


Sight Reading Basics flip chart

Instructions for feedback activity on a flip chart

Copies of “Twinkle, Twinkle” in musical notation without fingering guide and

without the title written at the top (copyrighted material – not included in lesson plan)

Page 50 of 70



Lesson # 7

Planning the Lesson



Time: 5 Minutes


used last week. Instructor should supervise as apprentices get the instruments out of

cases, attach shoulder rests, and tighten/rosin bows. After all instruments are ready,apprentices should play open strings individually so that the instructor can tune

instruments as needed.


Provide Apprentices with a visual agenda – written on flipchart paper and taped up in the

classroom

This week, we are going to put together our entire WOW! performance for the first time.

In addition to that, we will have some time to experiment with the fingering guides thatapprentices created last week, and solve a sheet music mystery.

ACTIVITIES Time: 60 minutes

Activity 1: Large Group Practice Time: 25 minutes


Have students stand or sit approximately how they

will on stage during dress rehearsals and the WOW!

performance. Students should put their sheet music

for both “Twinkle, Twinkle” and “Ode To Joy” on thestand in front of them (students should probably share

stands and music). Remind students of the programorder from last week and set expectations for how

each song should be played (straight through, no stops,

order of rhythmic variations, etc). The instructor

should count down to get students started and then play along with exaggerated bow strokes to keep

students on beat. After the first song is finished,

transition immediately into the second song, againcounting down to start and playing along. Students

should practice taking their bows (bend over, say hi toyour feet, and count to 5).

Then the instructor should engage students in a debrief

discussion about how that practice went. Was it weird

to go straight from song to song without stopping?Was it difficult not to stop when you made mistakes?

Did you get tired after playing for so long? This is

how we are going to play at the WOW!, so we need to

Objective

Play, almost perfectly, the songs

for the WOW!

Page 51 of 70



practice getting used to it.

After debriefing, the instructor should lead students

through practice as it has been done in previous weeks,where the group plays the songs several times and

repeats weak spots.

Then, repeat the first part of this activity, and again

practice the songs straight through without pauses or repeats.

Ask students to set aside their instruments in the open

cases, but not pack them up yet. Transition into a

semi-circle of chairs for the theory activities.

Activity 2: Sight Reading Basics Time: 10 minutes



Start this activity by talking about what it means to

“sight read” music – playing a song from writtenmusic without ever practicing or hearing it before.Explain that this is an important skill for violinists and

violists in orchestras because often they will show up

for a rehearsal and will be expected to play a brand-

new song right away.Outline the Sight Reading Basics using the flip chart

as a guide

1. Look for major clues before you get started – key signature, time signature, etc

2. If there is a fingering guide, look to see which

strings you will be playing on3. If there isn’t a fingering guide, quickly review

your note reading acronyms and fingering chart

4. Try clapping out the rhythm using thetechnique we learned if you aren’t sure about

the beat

5. Play nice and slow – if you start the song

playing fast you are more likely to stumblelater on

6. If you make a mistake or miss a note, just

move on – it might be hard the first couple of

times not to stop, but it is better if you justkeep going

Transition into the next activity in which students will practice sight reading

Objective

Cover the basics of sightreading

Activity 3: Fingering Feedback Time: 20 minutes


Page 52 of 70



Ask students to reform the groups they were in lastweek when they wrote the fingering guide. This

activity will test both the quality of the fingering guide

you wrote last week and let you practice sight reading.Each group will give receive the fingering guide they

wrote last week, try it out, and then critique their own

work. Outline instructions for this activity:1. Either taking turns as individuals or as a small

group, follow the “Sight Reading Basics” to play the song on your instrument

2. After you have sight read it once, go back tothe spots where you had trouble and practice

them a few times

3. Think about what you will do differently nexttime you write a fingering guide for yourself.

Answer the following questions on a piece of

scrap paper.

Was the hand writing clear enough to

read?

Did the fingerings make sense? What was one thing that you did very

well when you wrote the fingering

guide?

What is one thing that you couldimprove next time?

Student groups should split up throughout the room,staying away from each other so that they won’t get

distracted. Students should be trying to play the song

and giving encouragement to each other. Throughout

this activity the instructor should also be floating between groups giving encouragement to the students

who are sight reading and making sure groups stay ontask. Try to get students to let go of mistakes and

move on – this is often the hardest thing for beginners

to learn to do.

After students have had some time to try sight reading,

ask groups to answer the critique questions. Give

groups a few minutes to critically evaluate their work.Ask for a teach back from each group about one plus

and one delta that they identified for their fingeringguide.

Objective

Sight read a new song with the

fingerings written in

Test the quality of last week’s

fingering guides by practicing

and critiquing them

Closing & Teach Back Time: 5 minutes

Page 53 of 70





Option 1: Ask students for teach backs about one thing that they think they have

improved on in the last week. This could be something from today’s lesson like sightreading or bowing for long enough, or it can be something that they got better at because

they practiced at home like holding the bow so that it doesn’t squeak against the strings.

Option 2 (if there is extra time): Solving the Sheet Music Mystery

Hand out a copy of “Twinkle, Twinkle” in musical notation, but without a fingeringguide and without the title written on the top. Tell students that you accidentally cut off

the song title, and you need to figure out which one it is. Have students write in afingering guide using their fingering chart and then sight read the song. Does it sound

familiar? The first team to identify the song correctly wins an eighth note on the practice

tracker.

Clean Up Time: 5 minutes


Ask one student to lead clean up. This student should talk the group through the steps of disassembling the instruments, cleaning them, and packing them safely away in their

cases.

See “Newby, Lesson 7 Attachments” for all visual aids and handouts

Page 54 of 70



Lesson # 8


Citizen Teacher:

Pre-Planning



1. Play WOW! pieces in unison as a large group2. Work out any problem passages with individual apprentices

3. Motivate students to practice at home to prepare for the WOW!



1. Follow the instructor’s lead

2. Teach back about what and how to practice in the next two weeks3. Demonstrate body position, composure, and presence appropriate for performance


1. Opening Ritual


3. Activity: One-on-One Extra Help

4. Activity: D-Major Scale and Follow the

Leader

5. Activity: Switch it Up!

6. Activity: Ode To Joy


8. Clean up

5 Minutes

5 Minutes

5 Minutes

15 Minutes

15 Minutes

15 Minutes

10 Minutes

5 Minutes

Preparation and Space Set up:- Set up enough stands in a line for all of the students (two students per stand)- Secure practice room for students to take turns working one-on-one with the

instructor

- Remind students to bring their instruments


- Stage Presence

- Rest Position

Materials and Equipment Agenda and Objectives

Instruments

Music Stands

Practice Room

Page 55 of 70



Lesson # 8

Planning the Lesson



Time: 5 Minutes





Today we will rehearse for our WOW! There are only a couple of weeks left for us to

work together and get these songs to the level where we can perform them for anaudience. Everyone needs to be on the ball today, paying attention to instructions and

participating.



Activity 1: One-on-One Extra Help (Outline Expectations) Time: 5 Minutes



Even though practice today will be as a large group,

apprentices will have the opportunity to get some one-on-one help if they think they need it. While Daniela

is working with the large group, apprentices can taketurns practicing with Kate in the adjoining practice

room. Outline expectations for one-on-one practice:

- Come prepared: Think ahead of time about

what you need extra help with- Stay on Task: Only student who demonstrate

that they are staying on task both in the large

group and in one-on-one practice time willhave this opportunity

- Be Considerate: Remember that there are probably a lot of people who need extra help – come and practice what you need to and then

go back to the large group

Practice sessions will last 10-15 minutes. Ask for a

couple of volunteers who need some extra help tocome first. After they are finished ask if any other

students would like to come spend some one-on-one

time practicing. One instructor should always stay

Objective

Work out any problem passages

with individual apprentices

Page 56 of 70



with the large group while small groups of apprenticestake turns either until the end of the session or until

everyone is satisfied.

During the one-on-one or small group practice

sessions students should bring their instruments and

the pieces that they want to practice. Depending onhow comfortable and confident students are, they

should play their problem songs or passages first for the instructor. After that the instructor can identify

problems and help students work through the difficult passages with some combination of modeling,

practicing together, talking students through the steps,

and establishing practice techniques. Students willonly have a short amount of time getting one-on-one

help, so they need to make the most of it.

Activity 2: D-Major Scale and Follow the Leader Time: 15 minutes



Begin the large group session today with the D-Major

scale. Ask students to stand in “rest position” at their

stands. Then, when given the cue, students should get

into correct playing position (in our case, the “cue”was the instructor doing it herself). The instructor

should verbally remind students of how they should be

standing and give feedback to individual apprenticeswhen necessary. Then, the instructor should model the

scale for students, reminding them of the fingering.

Then, students should play along.

After students have finished the basic D-Major scale,

instructor should incorporate rhythm variations(Massachusetts Up Down, Alligator Alligator) through

a follow the leader game. The goal of the game is for

students to mimic the rhythm the instructor plays – the

rhythms will be ones that they have already learned, but they will not be told which one it is. Students need

to remain totally silent with their bows off the strings

while the instructor is playing so that they can hear

which rhythm they need to mimic. Students who break this rule will be asked to sit out. Instructor

should start with a “practice round” by playing arhythm on the open D-string. Then give the cue for

apprentices (could verbal or an action) to follow the

leader. Ask if anyone could identify that rhythm just

from hearing it. Play the game a couple more times ona single note.

Objective

Follow the instructor’s lead

Demonstrate body position,

composure, and presenceappropriate for performance

Page 57 of 70



Then, add another component to the game. Instead of

just playing back the rhythm once on one note,

students will need to play the rhythm on each note inthe D-Major scale. Instructor should play the rhythm

once on the D-String, and then students should copy it

on every note of the scale. Try it out with a fewdifferent rhythms. After students have gotten the hang

of mimicking the instructor, move onto the nextactivity.

Activity 3: Switch it Up! Time: 15 minutes


Take a quick break from Follow the Leader, but let

students know that they will return to the game in just

a little bit. Ask students to take out their sheet music

for “Twinkle, Twinkle.” Instructor should model how

the song looks and sounds on her instrument, and thenask students to play along. Play through the song a

few times, making sure that students are playing theright notes and in-tune.

Then, ask students to incorporate “Twinkle, Twinkle”into the Follow the Leader activity. Just like we did

with the D-Major scale, students will be playing this

familiar song, but will have to pay attention to theinstructor to figure out which rhythm to play with it.

Instructor should tell students which rhythm she will

play first and then model how the song will soundwith a different rhythm. Then ask students to playalong with the instructor, paying special attention to

the rhythm. This is the way that we will play

“Twinkle, Twinkle” at the WOW! For the nextrhythm, the instructor should just model (don’t tell

which one it is), and then students should mimic.

Keep running through different rhythms until studentsare really paying attention to the instructor and

following along. End with a run through of “Twinkle,

Twinkle” using all of the rhythm variations without

any pauses (Instructor models, students play,instructor models, students play, etc). During the time

the instructor is modeling the rhythm, students should

be poised to play (in playing position with a good bowgrip, but the bow not on the strings).

Objective

Follow the instructor’s lead

Play WOW! pieces in unison as

a large group


composure, and presenceappropriate for performance

Activity 4: Ode To Joy Time: 15 minutes


Page 58 of 70




Take a quick break from playing by asking students to

teach back facts that they know about “Ode To Joy”and Beethoven (there is a paragraph about the song

and its composer on the sheet music). Students should

be standing in rest position as they teach back a few

facts. Ask for one or two volunteers who would bewilling to write a summary of these facts to present at

the WOW! as an introduction to the song. Instructor

should follow up with these students after class to getthem started on the project, potentially as an extra mile

activity.

Ask students to get their sheet music set up on their

stands. Instructor should outline the procedure for

playing “Ode To Joy” out loud, and then model how itwill go. (In our case, the instructor played the first 4

measures as an “intro” and then everyone started at the beginning and played all the way through.) Havestudents get into playing position, making sure that

they are following cues and paying attention to each

other. Instructor should play the intro and then kids

should join in. Play the song all the way through, evenif kids mess up or get lost. At the end, indicate to kids

that they should go into rest position (tell them and

model it), and then practice your bows (say hi to your feet and count to 5). Follow the same procedure a few

more times until kids are used to playing the piece

straight through without stops. Any students who arestill struggling with certain passages should take this

opportunity to go into the practice room for one-on-

one coaching.

Objective

Play WOW! pieces in unison as

a large group


composure, and presence

appropriate for performance

Page 59 of 70






Students will probably be tired from practicing for so long today (most of the kids in this

apprenticeship could only go about 20 minutes until they started complaining non-stopabout being tired). Instead of making kids do a teach back today, the instructor will.

Students should put their instruments away and find a seat on the floor or in a desk.

(Students who still need extra help are welcome to go for one-on-one coaching duringthis time instead.) The instructor should play some of the solo pieces or other fun piecesthat she has learned over the years. In our class, the kids made requests and Daniela did

the best she could. This should be a chance for kids to sit back and just enjoy the music:

they have worked hard so far in the semester and will have to set it up in the next twoweeks for the WOW!, but this is a time for them to just have fun.



Most students should have put their instruments away before the Teach Back, but any

who were still getting extra help need to pack up with others make sure the room is clean.

Curriculum Analysis/Tips for Teacher

Throughout this apprenticeship kids complained of being too tired to play after only 15 or 20 minutes of playing because it takes quite a bit of endurance build up to be able to

maintain correct body position for any longer than that. This was particularly true in this

lesson when kids had an even longer practice session than they ever had before. Onereally useful way to combat complains and whining from the kids is to plan a few 5

minute activities that you can throw in as mini-breaks when the kids need it. For

instance, students could do teach backs about the history of the pieces they have learned,they could review note reading by identifying the different notes on their sheet music, or

they could shuffle stand partners (this transition always takes a while).

Page 60 of 70



Lesson # 9


Citizen Teacher:

Pre-Planning



1. Play WOW! pieces on stage2. Motivate students to practice at home to prepare for the WOW!

3. Set each student up for success at the WOW!



1. Demonstrate strong stage presence

2. Enter and exit the stage like it will happen at the WOW!


1. Opening Ritual2. Review Agenda and Set Context

3. Activity: Warm-Up and Stand Partner

Selection

4. Activity: Transition to Stage

5. Activity: WOW! Selection Run Through


7. Clean up

10 Minutes5 Minutes

15 Minutes

10 Minutes

20 Minutes

5 Minutes


- Make sure there are enough stands for each pair of students

- Secure stage for the afternoon- Remind students to bring their instruments- Assign stand partners for WOW! performance


students to see.

- Stage Presence

- Rest Position



WOW! Program (songs in order that they will be played) on flip chart Instruments

Music Stands

Stage

Page 61 of 70



Lesson # 9

Planning the Lesson



Time: 10 Minutes

Ask one or two apprentices to lead the group through the Opening Ritual. In the front of

the room with other students in a semi-circle around them, the leaders should walk everyone through the steps of setting up instruments. The job of the audience is not only

to follow along setting up their own instruments, but also offer feedback in the form of suggestions and guiding questions. This can be done popcorn style or with raised hands

depending on the group.


Today we will rehearse for our WOW! on the stage. There are only a couple of weeksleft for us to work together and get these songs to the level where we can perform them

for an audience. Everyone needs to be on the ball today, paying attention to instructionsand participating, especially because we are going to be in a new space.


Time: 60 minutes

Activity 1: Warm-Up and Stand Partner Selection Time: 15 Minutes


Throughout the apprenticeship students have rotatedstand partners, but for the last two weeks everyone is

going to need to remain with the same person.Instructor should assign student pairs as stand partners

based on their strengths, weaknesses, and needs.

Explain to students that stand partner assignments

were selected so that they will be the best performers possible. Also assign students to specific stands in the

lineup.

After students have settled into their stand

assignments, check to make sure that each stand has acopy of all of the music on the program. Review the program with apprentices, asking volunteers to read

the song order out loud. Students should stack their

sheet music in the order that the songs will be played.

Warm-up today will be the D-Major scale. As they

are playing, students should be paying attention to

how their instruments sound (are they playing the right

Objective

Set each student up for successat the WOW!

Page 62 of 70



notes, are they on the right string, are they playing intune) and to how everyone else sounds (are they

playing at the same speed as everyone else, do their

notes sound the same as their stand partners’).

After Warm-up is complete, get ready to transition to

the stage. Everyone should keep their instrumentssafely in rest position, and one student at each stand

should carry the sheet music, while the other carriesthe stand.

Activity 2: Transition to Stage Time: 10 minutes


Walk slowly through the hall to the auditorium/stage,

making sure students are carefully transporting their

instruments and stands carefully. Ask students to setup their stands in the same order that they were

assigned in the classroom. Make sure that stands areevenly spaced and well situated on the stage. Then,students should exit the stage with just their music and

instruments. Have students line up in order so that

they can practice entering the stage. Ask students to

brainstorm some of the do’s and don’ts of stage presence – walk confidently, don’t talk to your friends,

smile, don’t be silly, stay in the correct order, pay

attention to the person in front of you, etc. Consider acting out “mistakes” to get students to think about

how to enter the stage like professional performers.

Have students walk onto the stage in the manner they

just discussed, asking them to behave in the exact way

they would at the WOW! If students can’t take theexercise seriously or aren’t paying attention, have

them repeat their entrance until they get it right. After

students are on stage at their stands, they should

arrange their music and remain in rest position.

Objective

Enter and exit the stage like it

will happen at the WOW!

Activity 3: WOW! Selection Run Through Time: 20 minutes



Even though we are on the stage today, the run

through of our WOW! songs will be just like last

week. Review the order of songs from the program,and check to make sure everyone still has all of their

sheet music. Start with “Ode To Joy.” The instructor

should play the intro like in previous weeks and then

Objective

Play WOW! pieces on stage

Demonstrate strong stage presence

Page 63 of 70



students should join in. After “Ode To Joy,” everyoneshould take a bow, and then get set up for “Twinkle,

Twinkle.” Instructor should remind the students that

she will play the rhythm first, and then they will joinin. Run through all four “Twinkle, Twinkle”

variations without stopping. Take a bow again, and

practice exiting the stage quickly and quietly.

Use the remaining time in this activity to run throughthe program a few more times, taking breaks to bow,

enter and exit.




While still on the stage, ask students to teach back some things they learned and practiced

today. Have students raise their hands to answer. Did playing on the stage make you feelnervous? Are you nervous to perform in front of an audience because you don’t think

you are good enough? Point out that there is still plenty of time for students to practiceand get better if they didn’t feel completely confident when they were on stage today.



Transition back into the classroom with instruments, music and stands, making sure that

students are carefully carrying their things as they walk through the halls. Have students

put their instruments away and re-stack the stands.

Page 64 of 70



Lesson # 10


Citizen Teacher:

Pre-Planning



1. Polish WOW! pieces2. Review stage presence expectations



1. Confidently and professionally perform several pieces for an authentic audience

2. Sit quietly in the audience with instruments and music


1. Opening Ritual

2. Review Agenda and Set Context3. Activity: Warm-Up

4. Activity: WOW! Performance Run Through


6. Clean up

10 Minutes

10 Minutes10 Minutes

30 Minutes

10 Minutes


- Set up enough stands in a line for all of the students (two students per stand)

- Secure stage for dress rehearsal

- Remind students to bring their instruments


- Stage Presence

- Rest Position



WOW! Program (full campus dress rehearsal)

Program for Strings group on flip chart paper

Instruments

Music Stands

Page 65 of 70



Lesson # 10

Planning the Lesson



Time: 10 Minutes





Today’s dress rehearsal will be with the entire campus – all of the performance

apprenticeships will take turns practicing on stage in the order that they will appear at theactual WOW! This means that apprentices not only need to practice performing, but they

also need to practice being good audience members.



Activity 1: Warm-Up Time: 10 Minutes



After all of the students have set up and tuned their

instruments, and the agenda and expectations have been covered, have students warm up as a group with

the D-Major scale. As students play the D-Major scaleas they have in previous weeks, the instructor should

make sure that student are correctly holding their

instruments. If there is time, warm up with “Twinkle,

Twinkle” and “Ode to Joy” as well. Also, be sure toreview expectations for entering and leaving the stage

before sending students to their seats in the audience.

Objective

Warm-up and review body

position, etc.

Review stage presenceexpectations

Activity 2: WOW! Performance Run Through Time: 30 Minutes


Seat students in the audience in the same way they will

be seated at the WOW! They should also be sitting in

the same order that they stand on stage so as tofacilitate a smooth transition onto the stage. Strings

students should be holding their instruments in rest

position or across their laps at their seats. Run through

Objective

Confidently and professionally

perform several pieces for an

authentic audience

Sit quietly in the audience with

instruments and music

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the entire WOW! performance with all of theapprenticeship groups.

When it is the strings group’s turn, apprentices shouldwalk quickly and quietly on stage, set their sheet

music up on the stands, and stand in rest position

waiting for the instructors cue. A student speaker or team leader should introduce the group. Students

should follow the cues of the instructor, getting into playing position. Students should play through their

WOW! songs as they have rehearsed in previousweeks. After students have taking their final bow,

they should put their instruments in rest position, pick

up their music, and file off stage back to their seats.

Finish with the WOW! dress rehearsal.


Review what you covered in this session and tell them what is coming for the next session. Be sure students learned by having one or more of them teach back.

Congratulate the entire campus on their hard work and success. Remind music students

to bring their instruments to the WOW! and remind everyone to wear their Citizen

Schools t-shirts.



Students should pack up their instruments independently, and get ready for closing circle.

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Reflection Lesson


Citizen Teacher:

Pre-Planning



1. Reflect on the apprenticeship2. Identify a few of their favorite parts of the apprenticeship

3. Write short essays about their experience



1. Think more intentionally about their own strengths and weaknesses



2. Pluses/Deltas of Apprenticeship3. Identify Successes and Challenges

4. Reflection Essay

5. Hand in instruments

6. Clean up

10 Minutes

10 Minutes10 Minutes

15 Minutes

10 Minutes


- Create Visuals


students to see.

- Reflection- Successes and Challenges- Pluses/Deltas



Plus/Delta Flip Chart

Instruments

Reflection Essay Prompt

Paper for reflection essay and successes/challenges

Checklist for handing in instruments

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Reflection Lesson

Planning the Lesson


Today’s lesson is a wrap up of the entire apprenticeship – we will be reflecting on the

successes and challenges of our work together and you can give you suggestions for

improvement.



Activity 1: Pluses/Deltas of Apprenticeships Time: 10 Minutes



Ask apprentices if they can remember what pluses and

deltas are (think back to one of the very first schoolnavigation lessons). Review that deltas are not only

things that were bad, but that they also have to be

phrased in a way that we can think of a solution.Begin by reviewing some of the specific activities

from throughout the apprenticeship. Think way back

to the very beginning. Select a scribe to write

apprentice ideas on the flip chart. Set an expectationthat for every delta, students must think of a plus as

well. Ask for raised hands and have the scribe record

ideas.

Objective

Identify a few of their favorite

parts of the apprenticeship

Reflect on the apprenticeship

Closing & Teach Back Time: 10 Minutes Review what you covered in this session and tell them what is coming for the next session. Be sure students learned by having one or more of them teach back.

Congratulate the entire campus on their hard work and success. Remind music students

to bring their instruments to the WOW! and remind everyone to wear their Citizen

Schools t-shirts.

Activity 3: Reflection Essay Time: 15 Minutes

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The last reflection activity before we hand in our instruments for the semester will be writing a short

essay about some of our experiences in this

apprenticeship. This essay is really important becausewe will send them to the Massachusetts Cultural

Council, which is the organization that gave us themoney to help pay for this apprenticeship. Post thereflection essay prompt and read it out loud.

(Example: Write at least 5 paragraphs about something

that was fun, interesting, or challenging about this

apprenticeship.) Remind students that this is anindependent, silent activity, and that they need to take

it seriously so that we can have another instrumental

apprenticeship next semester. Give students about 10minutes to write, and then collect essays.

Objective

Identify a few of their favorite parts of the apprenticeship

Reflect on the apprenticeship

Write short essays about their experience

Activity 4: Hand in Instruments Time: 10 MinutesIncludes demonstration, guided practice, individual or group practice. Be sure and link to


Pass out checklists for students to use to make suretheir instruments are in order to hand in. Checklist

should include things like instrument, bow, rosin, and

a space for writing anything that is wrong with theinstrument (like a broken string). Ask students to

open their cases and make sure that everything is in

order, complete checklists, and turn in their

instruments.

Objective

Hand in instruments



Students should help take down any visuals, put desks back where they belong, and line

up to go to circle.

Documents

Orchestra Apprenticeship