Name: Juan Rivera

District: LAUSD
School: Emerson Middle School
Subject: Choral Music
Grade: 6th Grade
Date: February 18 , 2016
Lesson Plan Number: 1
National Standards for Music Education
MU:Pr5.1.6a Identify and apply teacher-provided criteria (such as correct
interpretation of notation, technical accuracy, originality, and interest) to rehearse, refine, and
determine when a piece is ready to perform
MU:Re7.2.6b Identify the context of music from a variety of genres, cultures, and historical
periods
MU:Cn11.0.6a Demonstrate understanding of relationships between music and the other arts,
other disciplines (Dance) , varied contexts, and daily life
California Visual and Performing Arts Content Standards
1.0 ARTISTIC PERCEPTION
Students read, notate, listen to, analyze, and describe music and other aural information, using
the terminology of music.
1.2 Read, write, and perform rhythmic and melodic notation, using standard symbols for
pitch, meter, rhythm, dynamics, and tempo in duple and triple meters.
1.5 Analyze and compare the use of musical elements representing various genres and
cultures, emphasizing meter and rhythm.
2.0 CREATIVE EXPRESSION
Creating, performing, and participating in Music: Students apply vocal and instrumental musical
skills in performing a varied repertoire of music.
2.1 Sing a repertoire of vocal literature representing various genres, styles, and cultures
with expression, technical accuracy, good posture, tone quality, and vowel shape (level of
difficulty: 3).
2.2 Sing music written in two parts.
Objectives:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Students will be able to sing with expression

Students will be able to incorporate movement to the music
Students will be able to understand the historical and language context of the piece
Students will be able to sing in two-part harmony in syncopated rhythm

Equipment and Supplies:

1. 30 copies of score for Siyahamba (South African Folksong Arr. Donald Moore)
2. Piano
Procedures:
1. Start class with a greeting
2. Go over the text and ask the students to speak the words in rhythm and then add pitch.
Listen carefully and offer suggestions if needed. (4 minutes)
3. Start right away in Syiahamba without saying anything about the piece. Sing through the
entire song if possible so student can get a feel for how it sounds with everyone (2
minutes)
4. Ask them to tell me the mood of the song.
a. The class should respond by saying that it is a happy piece. In which case I will
ask them if they sang it that way or not.
b. Most likely, they sang the song not in a very cheerful way in which case I will
suggest they sing it again in the happy manner described earlier. (2 minutes)
5. Talk about the music and its roots in south African music
a. Mention the language it is from (Zulu)
b. When it was written
c. Ask them for what occasion this was written for?
i. There answer might include that it is for a party or celebration of
something. I will add that it is a celebratory piece about freedom in South
Africa. 4 minutes)
6. Introduce movement with the song by modeling how the students can dance while
singing the music. (3 minutes)
7. Sing through the entire song.
Evaluation:
Overall, I think my lesson was successful though I would have done quite a few things
differently. First I will talk about the good things which are that the choir was able to get through
the song multiple times with minimal to no stopping. Every time we went through the song, we
were able to fix and add things like the dance, number of repeats, and get a fuller sound. I think I
had good classroom management as I was able to keep students engaged through most of my
lesson with minimal talking by students. Some of the things I need to work on is more on
delivery as I felt I could have said things better in a more efficient and clear way with less words
and more modeling. My conducting of the piece was okay but I felt I didnt count off the tempo
too well certain times as when I did, it wouldnt be what I wanted. I should have stopped and
started again so they can look and listen better. The ending of the piece was a little rough as I
wasnt sure how to conduct that section which I will work on for the future. I also felt I was
working with the boys more rather than with both. My reason for doing so was that I felt the
boys were having difficulty with getting the pitch and I had made a decision, while I was

conducting, to focus more on them in order to improve the overall quality of the sound and help
them feel they accomplished something in the lesson.
Extension:
1. Make an activity that places emphasis on the dotted eighth- sixteen notes like going up
the scale from do to sol with that rhythm as I feel that it was one of our trouble spots
during the rehearsal.
2. Ask boys and girls to sing by themselves, then together slowly while paying close
attention to each others part.
3. Ask class to come up with their own appropriate dance they can use for the music
4. Give examples of music of similar style so they can hear how to express the song better
and explain further the different characteristics that make up Siyahamba.
5. Get them into groups and have them practice and sing it for the class keeping aware of
what we talked in the lesson.