Ethan Brown

Lesson Plan
Activity 1Aural Recognition Activity
Goals- Have students begin to aurally recognize intervals of the tonic triad using solfege.
ActivityWarming up- 5 min.
Play Major Scale on a keyboard instrument while students sit on the floor listening.
Play the scale again slowly and sing solfege along with each note in the scale. After the scale is
completed ascending and descending, arpeggiate the tonic triad and sing the corresponding solfege.
After this is completed, motion to the students to join in and repeat the scale passage and tonic
arpeggio with students singing the solfege with me. As the students sing the solfege, have them raise a
digit that corresponds with the correct scale degree.
After repeating this process twice with the students, repeat one last time and have the students sing
with the piano one last time without my assistance.
Interval identification- 5 min.
Play the scale and sing the syllables as the students listen. Then play a note from the tonic triad. Ask
the students to raise the correct digits in the air and say the name of the syllable. Perform the activity in
the manner of a guessing game and make sure to encourage the children if they do not hear the correct
interval initially. At the end of this activity, ask the students if they think the class can sing all three
notes at once. Then divide the class into three groups and have each group mach pitch with a note from
the tonic triad and have them sing a major chord.
Lessons learned- pitch identification practice, solfege practice, learn the notes of the major
scale. Harmonization practice, basic chord concepts- all these notes fit together to make something
bigger, and we can still hear the individual notes while they make this bigger construction.
Physical Activity- 15
Dance Sing, Sing, Sing.
Learning about Jazz history, rhythm, instrument identification.
ActivityTalk briefly about the history of jazz bands. Mention Benny Goodmen, and his band and how famous his
band was and how a lot of people danced at his concerts.

Explain that jazz bands often all play together and then families of instruments take turns getting their
chance to stand out from the rest. Take out pictures of rhythm section instruments, woodwinds, and
brass instruments all found in the jazz band. Have the children indentify each of the instruments, and
then divide the class into three groups, one group for rhythm section instruments, one for brass and one
for winds.
Make the whole class form a circle and when each instrument gets a solo the kids who are in the group
with the same family as the solo instrument get to dance in the center of the circle. The rest of the class
walks in a circle and snaps the beat. When the whole band is playing everyone gets to dance.
0:08- Rhythm section
0:14-Everyone
1:35-Rhythm section
1:43-Brass
2:10-Woodwinds
3:03-Everyone
3:18 Fin.
Do the activity once and point to a picture of the correct family instrument that should be dancing in the
center. After doing the activity once with my assistance I would repeat the activity again and let the
students identify the instruments on their own and figure out when do dance or walk on their own.
Activity 3 20 min.
Singing and composition.
Teach the students the traditional folk song You Are My Sunshine. Teach the individual phrases in two
bar units
1. You are my sunshine my only sun shine
2. You make me happy when skies are grey.
3. You never know dear how much I love you
4. Oh wont you please take my sunshine away
When the students can sing each phrase separately put them together and sing the whole song while I
accompany them on guitar.
Once the whole song can be sung in completion let the kids rearrange the song in two bar units. Try
singing different versions that the kids make up. Tell them at the end of this exercise that they are
composers. Show them Arron Coplands I need to ask Chris Kies to remind me of the title of a
composition I currently cannot remember the name of And explain how he did the same thing as them
but made it extra fancy.

Skills learned- phrase deconstruction, composition practicing, singing, learning traditional American folk
music. Listening and appreciating modern American composition.