Lesson Plan

Symphony Band Woodwinds- Saxophone Sectional

April 9, 2015

Objective

The objective of this lesson is for all students to be able to match articulation
with one another. This will be done through rehearsal of the Percy Grainger
piece Lost Lady Found. This is a very important skill for any type of musical
performer, because it makes a groups cohesive sound more powerful. A secondary objective to this lesson is to have students think critically about how
their peers sound and to give them feedback regarding how they are playing.
It is important that students begin to develop a language with which they can
properly talk about the discipline in a coherent manner with one another. This
is especially important when acting as a band or group leader; one must have
the language to articulate exactly what kind of sound he/she is looking for.

Educational Standards Addressed

This lesson will address several different standards. First and foremost, the
students are learning to play instruments together. The students will also be
reading music throughout this lesson. They will then be asked to listen to their
peers and analyze their playing to create constructive criticism. Lastly, the
students will be asked to evaluate the musical performance of their peers.

3
3.1

Procedure
Five Minutes

Begin by having all players play the melody together at a slow, manageable
tempo. Use this time to assess the students initial understanding of the music
and how to match articulation. Use this time to also talk about how to make
the articulation easier and more precise. Ask students to think about how long
their notes are compared to the other players. Talk about how for this particular
piece the articulation should be short and very light (because of the tempo),
and not heavy and lethargic.

3.2

Ten Minutes

Explain to the students that we are now going to practice the melody, but only
half of the class will be playing at one time. Have the students count off in
twos from left to right. Explain that the 1s are going to play the melody
1

first, and the 2s are going to listen to the 1 on their right to see how well
they are matching the groups articulation as well as to see if the tongue is
articulating light enough. After the performance, the 2s are to talk to their 1
about how their performance went, and what could be changed for next time.
After recieving feedback, the 1s perform the melody again, and the 2s again
tell the 1 if they thought it was better than the time previous. After this,
responsibilities will flip and the 2s will now perform the melody for the 1s.
This same process will happen another time, so that both groups are effectively
playing the passage two times each. Be sure to walk around and listen to what
students are saying, and make sure to answer any questions that students may
have about terminology.

3.3

Five Minutes

Have the students come together again to play the melody as a full group.
Re-assess how the students are collectively articulating and their general understanding of the music.

Materials

None that differ from what is already in the band room. The group of students
is quite small, so a microphone is not necessary. Trumpet could possibly be
used to model "correct" articulation.