Lesson Plan for Week 3

 

This post is the third in a series of beginning-of-the-year lesson plans.  For previous weeks, please see:

• Lesson Plan for Week 1
• Lesson Plan for Week 2

Week 3!  Students keep asking "When are we using the bow?"  "Are we using the bow today?"  And my answer is ambiguous--"We're getting there" or "We're getting close, aren't we."  Or, "Look on the agenda on the screen to see what we're doing today."  In this third week, students are writing their own composition using the open strings.  We review the bow hold and add bowing with tubes (toilet paper tubes).  While the only piece students pluck this day is my sample composition (and perhaps their own), this is also their first week of full orchestra, and we play everything on p. 8 and 10 in Orchestra Expressions as well as much of p. 1 of the Orchestra Expressions Supplement packet, so I feel it balances out.

After students turn in their compositions, I will type them up over the next week, saved as Google Docs, so students can play everyone else's the following week.

Again for this lesson plan's script, I will assume this is a violin group.  For the other instruments, just substitute out the different sayings for the open string or instructions for how to draw the different open strings on the staff.  This lesson plan is for a 30-minute small group, designed for groups of about 3-4 students all on the same instrument.

ON THE BOARD:

• Agenda on screen

ON MUSIC STANDS:

• Name card for each student

ALSO NEEDED:

• Have spare folders and Orchestra Expressions books handy in case students forgot theirs
• Composition #1 worksheet (already in folders if prepped by semester--but have extras ready for students who forgot theirs or the rare student who already discovered it in their folder and already wrote a composition on their own)
• Pencils for students (already in folders attached with yarn)
• Basket of toilet paper tubes
• Dry erase marker/whiteboard
• CD player with Orchestra Expressions CD
• Camera/cell phone to take a few pictures of a few groups
• Spare instrument for me
• 1-page Google Doc condensed version of this lesson plan

AS STUDENTS ARE ENTERING:

Welcome!  Go ahead and grab your case off the rack.  Cases go on the left-hand side of the chair with the little end in the back.

UNPACKING:

Pull the handle in towards you to put the case flat on the floor.  Unzip or unlatch the case to open the top of the case.  Take the violin out of the case by holding on to the neck.  Sponge or shoulder pad goes on, then find rest position. [While they are getting settled in, I am pulling out their Composition #1 worksheet from their folders]

COMPOSITION #1:

So far this year, we've been playing lots of music that other people have composed.  Today, YOU get to be a composer.  You get to write your own music for the violin!  I'll take a volunteer to read the paragraph at the top.

[Student reads]

Thanks [name].  And we'll practice drawing the different open strings together in a moment, but first, do you see the composition that I wrote?  It's called "Falling Leaves."  I see the treble clef at the beginning, so I know it's violin music.  Next is the 4/4 time signature telling us 4 beats in a measure.  Up above I see pizz. with means...pizzicato, the Italian word telling us to pluck.  What's the first open string in my piece?  And then?

Let's play "Falling Leaves."  Playing position, left hand underneath, way up high, jawbone on chinrest.  L shape, thumb on the corner of the fingerboard, "Good Dogs Always."  Ready, play.

[If needed, may pause before m. 3 and regroup by figuring out the next open strings or go back and play the second half again]

Rest position.  Actually, leaving the sponge or shoulder rest on, gently set your instrument in its case.  In your folder you have a pencil.  Go ahead and take out the pencil, and let's go through the check list together.

First, we'll need a title.  I named my piece "Falling Leaves"; you can name your piece whatever you like.  Next, we need the name of the composer, so go ahead and write your name on the "by" line.  

We need a treble clef at the beginning so we know it's violin music--that's been done for us already!  We can check off "treble clef."

Next, we need a time signature after the treble clef so we know how many beats go in each measure.  Your choices are 3 beats or 4 beats in a measure.  I chose 4 beats in a measure for my composition, so I wrote the 4/4 time signature after the treble clef.  If you'd rather have 3 beats in a measure, write the 3/4 time signature after the treble clef.

We need bar lines between each measure--that's been done for us, so we can check off "bar lines."

Then, we need a double bar line at the very end.  That's been done for us too, so you can check that off.

For rhythms, we'll use quarter notes and quarter rests, which each count as one beat.

Then, you can use any of the open strings, G, D, A, E.

Do you see the picture of the pencil about halfway down on the paper?  That's where we're going to practice drawing the different open strings.

The G string is the lowest sounding string of the violin.  It is so low it doesn't fit on the staff, so first we are going to draw two ledger lines below the staff [I draw the two ledger lines on the board, after the treble clef that's already up there, then walk around and make sure everyone has drawn two ledger lines on theirs and that they know where on the page we are]

Next we draw the note head below the bottom ledger line.  The note head is this oval shape.  We color in the note head, then give G an up-stem, up to the right.  Go ahead and draw a couple of open Gs. [Walk around and look at papers to make sure everyone's following along]

The D string is a little higher sounding, so we'll find it a little higher on the staff, just below the staff.  Draw the note head, the oval part, just below the staff.  Color in the note head, then give D an up-stem, up to the right.

Are you ready for A?  The A string is a little higher sounding, so we draw it even higher on the staff, in the second space, between the lines.  Draw the note head between the second and third lines, on the space, and color it in.  A gets an up-stem, up to the right.

The E string is the highest sounding open string for the violin, so we'll find it way up high on the staff, on the top space.  Draw the note head for E between the top two lines, in the space, and color it in.  Now, E is a little bit different from the other open strings.  E gets a down-stem, down to the left.  [If someone asks why, I draw an E with an up-stem and show how the stem is hanging out in the white space outside of the staff and say we want the stems to mostly be in the staff area and just keep it at that]

You may want to include a rest in your composition too.  I like to draw a rest like a zig-zag or lightening bolt.  A rest counts as one beat too.

Okay, it looks like we're ready to write our first composition for the violin!  Congratulations!

[If students want to try out different sounds on their instrument to get ideas of what to write, that's fine, but I do try to keep things moving along so there's time for everything else I have planned.  I walk around and look over their shoulders and say things like "What time signature would you like?  Do you want 3 or 4 beats in a measure?  The 4/4 goes right after the treble clef.  There you go." Or "Which note would you like to start on?"  Or "Let's count how many beats we have going on in this measure.  The rest counts as one.  3/4 time signature says we have room for 3 beats in each measure and I see 5 beats, so decide which 3 you want to keep and then you can move 2 over to the next measure," etc.]

[I take a picture of one or two groups working to include in the weekly orchestra newsletter]

[As students are getting close to finishing, or in an effort to speed up their work, I'll say "Once you're done with your composition, I'll collect them so I can type them up on my computer this week so that next week you can play EVERYONE's violin composition" and possibly "I bet we can finish our compositions in the next two minutes so we can move on to the bow today."]

[If a student finishes well ahead of the others, I ask them if they want to try out their piece and see what it sounds like.  Then I collect their composition--quickly glance at it to make sure their name is on it and I can read their title--and that the title is school-appropriate--and then tell the student to take out their bow.  I work on their bow hand until another student is finished with their composition and ready to join us.]

BOWING WITH TUBES:

Go ahead and take the bow out of the case.  The first thing we do is...tighten the bow.  Righty-tighty, clockwise.  You'll notice the stick and hair are getting farther apart.  Keep tightening until you can fit about a pinkie or pencil between the stick and the hair.

Then find your bow hold.  Shake, flop, back of hand in toward nose. [I make individual corrections as quickly as I can while I am also opening their books to p. 11]

Okay, I have a present for each of you.  Don't get too excited. [Put a tube on their bow]

With the left hand, hold the tube on the left shoulder [left knee for cellos, left leg for bass].  You're going to have to hold the tube with your left hand so it stays put.  Find the bow hold, pinkie on its tip, middle fingers over frog, little space for pointer, thumb is bent. [I am modeling all of this too]

There are two directions we can pull the bow: Down and Up.  Down, up. [Students are copying my motions].  Notice the upper arm stays still.  The elbow opens and closes so we can go Down and Up.  [For cello/bass, I say "Out and In."  We call "Out" "Down" and "In" "Up."  I know we're not really going down and up, but the violins and violas do.]

The Italian word that tells us to play with the bow is arco.  Say "arco."  Then, there are symbols for down-bow and up-bow.  The symbol for the down-bow looks like a staple and tells us to pull the bow down.  The symbol for the up-bow is the V shape that tells us to pull the bow up, back towards the frog.

Let's play "Rhythm No. 1."  Do we start down-bow or up-bow?  Right, down-bow, so we need to start with our hand up by the tube, so the first direction we pull the bow is down.

[Play with CD track 13, do the repeat for each rhythm and then skip to the next rhythm.  The CD timing works out that it finishes right after the repeat of "Rhythm No. 4."]

[I take a picture of one or two groups--one violin/viola group, one cello or bass group--to include in the weekly orchestra newsletter]

Now, in "Rhythm No. 2," it told us to do "down, up, rest rest" but then there weren't any bowing markings in the second measure.  How did you all know which direction to pull the bow?  [Take some student ideas]  Well, we had just played "down, up, rest, rest"--what is our hand ready to do next, down or up?  Right, we keep going back and forth, down, then up.

Tubes can go back in the basket. [I'm bringing around the basket for tubes]  Do you think you can find a tube at home so you can practice this page 11 at home this week?

We had tightened the bow before, so now we need to...loosen.  Lefty-loosy, counter-clockwise.  You'll notice the stick and hair are getting closer together.  Keep loosening until the stick and hair are just about touching.  You might see some individual hairs start to separate.  

Holding on to the frog, gently slide the tip of the bow back in the case, then turn the knob or dial to hold the bow in place.

LEFT HAND PLAYING POSITION:

[Violin/viola only; cello/bass skip right to packing up]

Today I'm going to show you a new place for our left hand, left hand playing position.  Let's pick up our violins again and find rest position.  Now, with the left arm, do an arm swing.  On one of these swings, come all the way up to look at the palm.  Notice the wrist is naturally straight and the fingers are naturally curvy.  Let's do that again.

Now, let's go into playing position.  Left hand underneath, way up high, jawbone on chin rest.  Now, instead of making an L shape, let the right hand hang on to whatever is comfortable for you so that the left arm can do an arm swing.  [Nope, your other left.  Right hand is hanging on to the violin so left arm can swing.  It might feel kind of weird] Swing all the way up to look at the palm of the hand.  Notice wrist is straight, fingers are curvy.

At the base of our pointer finger is a knobby bone.  We're going to balance the neck of the violin on that knobby bone, thumb touches lightly across (by the red tape).  This is left-hand playing position.

[I go around adjust hands as needed]

One more thing today.  Let's bring the left elbow in towards the belly button so pinkie is over the G string.  Now, as the elbow swings out, let the pinkie drag across the strings to strum all the strings.  I'll come around and help.  After you've done it, sponge or shoulder rest comes off, time to pack up.

[I go around and help each student, then direct them to pack up]

PRACTICE ASSIGNMENT:

For practicing this week, we have p. 8 and 10 in the book again.  P. 11 is new; it's the page we did today with the bow and the tube, so you'll want to find a tube at home this week.

In the white packet, we've been playing p. 1; you're ready to play everything on p. 2.  There are harmony parts for songs like "Mary Lee" and "Ode to Joy."

On Canvas, there are bonus videos that go through everything that we did today, so if you want a refresher on how to bow with the tube or find that new left-hand playing position, click here and that will take you to the video you can watch and play along with at home.

Let's check the schedule for when I'll see you next.

Cases and folders can go back on the racks.  See you at the end of the day when you come to pick up your instrument!  Congratulations on writing your first composition today!

--

As compositions get turned in, I try to keep up each day with typing them up (and drawing two stars on each with colored pencil--one for drawing the different open strings and one for writing the composition--as well as writing any corrections or comments or "nice repeat" for those who thought to add the dots to turn the double bar line into a repeat sign).  I also scan a copy of the whole stack once finished, just for myself, and I get the composition sheets in order for the next week so it's easy to hand them back.  I also print one set of typed compositions on colored paper to tape up on the STAR Musician wall.

I also add a couple pictures to the weekly orchestra newsletter of students composing and bowing with tubes, so families get a visual too.

Lesson Plan for Week 2

[See Lesson Plan for Week 1 here]

It's now Week 2 of orchestra.  My plan is to review rest/playing position and plucking the different open strings while adding a few new elements--transposing Barcarolle, improvising a 4-beat pattern, and finding the bow hold for the first time.  There are lots of opportunities for students to fill in the blanks in what I'm saying, indicated by ..., which helps me see what they remember from the previous week.  For all the "Are we playing with the bows today?" questions, I just say that we're getting there and move on.  I try to answer student questions as briefly and quickly as I can so that there will be time to get through everything I had planned.  I'm also modeling everything I'm describing, and playing along/saying letter names as much as possible.

Again, my disclaimer is that I'm not saying this is the best or only way to approach beginning strings; this is just the format that I have been using and that works for my teaching situation.  Feel free to use as an example or to adapt and and use for yourself.  Again, at my schools, we have 30-minute small groups once a week with 3-4 students per small group, by instrument.  Full orchestra would begin the following week, which is 30 minutes, once a week, during recess.

For this more-or-less script, I will assume this is a violin group.  For the other instruments, just substitute out the different sayings for the open string or unpacking directions etc.

ON THE BOARD:

• Welcome to orchestra!
• [my name]
• Agenda on screen

ON MUSIC STANDS:

• Name card for each student

ALSO NEEDED:

• Phone/camera to take a picture (to be shared in weekly newsletter and printed for STAR musician wall)
• Open-string phrases poster
• Have spare folders and Orchestra Expressions books handy in case students forgot theirs
• Week 1 Getting Started handout
• Word document
• PDF
• Orchestra Expressions Supplement Packet (white packet)
• Sharpies/markers for students to write name in book who didn't the week before
• Keyboard
• CD player with Orchestra Expressions CD
• Spare instrument for me
• 1-page Google Doc condensed version of this lesson plan

AS STUDENTS ARE ENTERING:

Welcome!  Go ahead and grab your case off the rack.  Cases go on the left-hand side of the chair with the little end in the back.

UNPACKING:

Pull the handle in towards you to put the case flat on the floor.  Unzip or unlatch the case to open the top of the case.

We'll start today by taking the violin out of the case by holding on to the neck.  Sponge or shoulder pad goes on, then find rest position.

REST POSITION/PLAYING POSITION:

In rest position, the instrument is under the right elbow, the scroll is pointing up, and the bridge is pointing out, away from us.  In rest position, we're sitting tall in our chairs, with feet flat on the floor, about shoulder-width apart, so that at any moment, without moving our feet, we could....stand up

Let's stand up.  Playing position.  Left hand underneath, way up high, end button aimed in toward the neck, coming in for a landing on the left shoulder, jaw bone on chin rest.  L shape, thumb on the corner of the fingerboard, pointer finger reaching about an inch over the fingerboard to find the lowest, thickest string and give it a pluck.  This string is called...the G string.  Next is...D, then...A, and...E.  The sentence I like to help remember the open strings is..."Good Dogs Always Eat."  Let's do it: "Good Dogs Always Eat."  Did anyone come up with another sentence to remember G, D, A, E who would like to share? [If yes, I jot down their phrase on my poster while the students say and pluck the new sentence; if no, we move on]

OPEN STRINGS:

And rest position.  Have a seat.  In your folder you have your purple Getting Started sheet.  Let's take that out so we can play "Barcarolle," down on the bottom, by the French composer Jacques Offenbach.  The pattern was G, rest, D, rest, D, rest, G rest.  From rest position, let's find playing position.  Left hand underneath, way up high, end button in towards the neck, jaw bone on chin rest.  L shape, thumb on the corner of the fingerboard.  The first string we need in "Barcarolle" is...G, Good.  Ready, play. [I play melody with the bow while saying "G, rest, over to D, rest, D again, back to G, repeat..."]

There's a higher version of "Barcarolle" the we can play with the D and A strings.  This time our pattern will be D, A, A, D.  Find our L shape, thumb on the corner of the fingerboard, "Good Dogs," ready, play. [I play same melody but up a string, starting on F#]

There's even a higher version of "Barcarolle" we can play, this time using the...A and E strings.  Our pattern will be A, E, E, A.  "Good Dogs Always," ready, play. [Same melody, but starting on C#]

Rest position.  We just played three versions of "Barcarolle," a low version with G and D, a middle version with D and A, and a high version with A and E.  Which was your favorite of the three? [Ask each student their opinion]

Let's find playing position again.  L shape, thumb on the corner of the fingerboard.  Find the D string, "Good Dogs."  Please echo what you hear.  I'll play first. [pluck Ta, Ta, Ti-Ti, Ta, then cue for students to echo by saying "ready go," then pluck Ti-Ti-Ti-Ti Ta, Ta, students echo]

[Name the student sitting on one end], would you make up something on the D string please, and we'll echo you? [They pluck a 4-measure pattern, I say "ready go" to cue rest of students to echo] Thanks [Name].  [Next name], D string please.  [Each student takes a turn plucking a pattern for the others to echo]

Rest position.  Thanks everyone, and congratulations--you all just improvised!  Thanks for letting me put you on the spot--I didn't give you any time to think and you were able to make something up right in the moment.  That is called improvising.  Nice job, also, using your ears to know what to echo back.

Now let's open our books to p. 8, "Two String Salsa."  I see the treble clef at the beginning of the line showing us that this is violin music.  Next I see the 4/4 time signature telling us 4 beats in the measure.  Above that is the pizz. which stands for...pizzicato.  Say "pizzicato."  Pizzicato is the Italian word that tells us to...pluck.  The two strings we need are...D and A.  I see D just below the staff and A on the second space.  From rest position, let's find playing position.  Left hand underneath, way up high, jawbone on chin rest.  L shape, thumb on the corner of the fingerboard.  The first note is...D.  "Good Dogs." Your challenge is to say the letters while we play.  [While saying this, I am discretely taking off the name cards from the music stands and setting them aside as well as grabbing my phone so I can take a picture of the group playing this piece]

[Play #6 "Two String Salsa" while saying the letter names and taking a picture]

"Les Toreadors" by the French composer Georges Bizet.  First note is...D.  "Good Dogs."  Again, say the letters while we pluck [no CD yet--it goes too fast to start out with].  D, D, D, rest, D, D, A, rest, D, D, D, rest, D, D, A and pause--is this the end of the piece?  Why not?  Right--we haven't run into a double bar line or repeat sign yet, and there's a second line.  The second line begins on...ready play.

That was a lot of open As near the end.  How many As in a row did we have?  7? Wow, that's a lot!  Let's play with the recording now.  Just a heads up that it goes a little faster than we just did.

[Play #7 "Les Toreadors" while saying the letter names.  If running behind time-wise, skip the repeat]

Turn the page to p. 10.  Let's look at "Two String Reggae."  What are the two strings that we need in "Two String Reggae"?  Yes, G and D strings.  You'll remember that the G string is our lowest string and it's so low it doesn't fit on the staff and is found below the two ledger lines.  Playing position, L shape, first note is...G, "Good."  Again, your challenge is to say the letter names while we play.

[Play #10 "Two String Reggae" while saying letter names]

[If running behind on time, I will skip the white packet and go right to bows]

Rest position.  Let's take out our white packet so we can play "Waltzing Up High."  I see the treble clef, so I know this is violin music.  I see the 3/4 time signature which is telling us how many beats in a measure?  Yes, 3 beats, then the barline.  I see pizz. up above which stands for...yes, pizzicato, which is the Italian word telling us to...pluck.  The two strings that we need are...A and E, starting on...E.  Playing position, L shape, "Good Dogs Always Eat."  Again, your challenge is to say the letter names while we play.

[I play on the piano]

Holding the neck of the instrument, let's set it in the case.  You can keep the sponge or shoulder rest on for now; we might be coming back to it. [Or, if running tight on time, just take the sponge/shoulder rest off at this point]

BOW HOLD:

Let's take the bow out of the case by moving the flap or dial, hold on to the black frog part, and gently slide the bow out of the case.  The first thing we do is tighten the bow by turning the screw righty-tighty, clockwise.  You'll notice the stick and hair are getting farther apart.  Keep tightening until you can fit about a pinkie or pencil between the stick and the hair at its narrowest point.

There's a special way to hold the bow that looks like this.  I will show you how to find the bow hold today.  First, with the left hand, so not the bow hand, hold the stick of the bow out in front of you so that the frog end is on the right-hand side.  Now, with the right hand, the bow hand, shake shake shake, and let the hand flop.  Notice how the fingers are naturally curvy, and how they are loose and relaxed feeling.  Now turn the back of the hand in towards the nose [I bring my hand all the way to my nose].  Believe it or not, this is pretty much our bow hold.  Now we just add the bow to the hand.

We're looking for pinkie up on its tip, on top of the stick of the bow.  Middle two fingers hug the black frog.  If your bow has a white dot, that's a good place for the ring finger.  Or maybe you have an imaginary white dot for the ring finger.  We leave a little space for the pointer finger.  The thumb in back here is bent, and it's bumped up right against the edge of the frog, right where the frog meets the stick of the bow.

I'm going to come around and help as we're finding our first bow hold.

[I start with a student on an end, prompt them to "shake shake shake, flop, back of hand towards nose; is it okay if I touch your hand?" and walk them through finding their bow hold.  "Now, shake shake shake and do it again," as I move on to the next student.  Ideally I do two or three rounds with each student, but if short on time, sometimes just one round]

We had tightened our bow before, so now we need to...loosen the bow.  Turn the screw lefty-loosy, counterclockwise.  You'll notice the stick and hair are getting closer together.  Keep loosening until the stick and hair are just about touching.  You might even see some individual hairs start to separate.

Holding the frog of the bow, gently slide the tip of the bow back into the case.  Turn the flap or dial to hold the bow in place.

[If there happens to be an extra minute or two, I may take a request of something on p. 8 or 10 or on the first page of the white packet]

PACKING UP:

It's time to pack up the instrument.  Sponge or shoulder pad comes off, rubber band stays on.  Holding on to the neck of the instrument, set it flat in its case.  Sponge goes on top of the scroll or pocket area.  Close the top of the case and latch or zip it up.

PRACTICE ASSIGNMENT:

Let's talk about the practice assignment.  For practicing this week, you're ready to keep playing the different versions of "Barcarolle" on the purple sheet.  All the pieces on p. 8 and 10--remember the challenge is to say the letters while we play.   White packet, p. 1.  Then, this is new, find your bow hold 10 times every day--shake, flop, back of hand towards the nose--you can even use a pencil.  10 times every day to help this become more automatic.

If I scroll down on our Canvas page, you'll find our violin resources with what the open strings look like on the staff, and the links to our different audio files, so you can play along with our different pieces at home.  

Let's check the small group schedule.  We're the __ group, so the next time I'll see you is ___.  Next week we also start our first full orchestra rehearsal, so on [day of the week], be sure to bring your instrument to school.  When it's time for recess, everyone in orchestra will come to the orchestra room so we can play all together, with all the instruments.

Then, farther down on Canvas are the bonus videos for this week.  These are videos of everything we did today, so if you want a refresher at home, you can click on any of these videos, like how to find the bow hold.

Okay, it's time to put cases back on the rack.  Folders can go back on the rack, or you can put them right in your back pack.  See you at the end of the day when you come to grab your case!

--

At the end of the week, I tape up the open-string phrases posters near the instrument racks.  I also add the photos to the weekly orchestra newsletter and order prints to hang on the STAR musician wall.

[See Lesson Plan for Week 3 here]

Lesson Plan for Week 1

 

There are many ways to approach the very first day of studying a string instrument, and I thought it was about time to share the lesson plan that I have been using for several years.  To give some context, my district begins orchestra in 5th grade, and I teach small groups of about 3-4 students at a time (grouped by instrument) for 30 minutes, once a week, during the school day on a rotating schedule.  We also have full orchestra for 30 minutes, once a week, during recess time, with everyone in 5th grade orchestra all together.  Full orchestra begins the third week of orchestra, so the fourth week of school.

We start orchestra the second week of school (the first week I am recruiting--though the formal recruiting happened the previous spring and and an email with an online sign-up form has gone out to all the 5th grade families before Meet the Teacher Night before the school year starts to catch any new students or students who didn't sign up in spring--and creating the first small group schedule).

Before their small group time, I have already labeled spots on the instrument racks, so when students come to drop off their instrument in the morning they have a place to put them.  I also ask students if they have their book already and if they need a marker to write their name inside the front cover.  Ideally some students drop instruments off the first week of school so I can get a head start tuning them, putting on a rubber band and adding a sponge for violins/violas, and putting on tapes.  The very first thing I do when students drop off instruments is check that their name is on their case.  If not, I write it on a piece of masking tape with a Sharpie.  This happens before I even open the case to tune the instrument (because if there's no name, I will forget where on the rack I pulled the case from, and things will get confusing...).  I already also have folders labeled and stuffed with Semester 1 handouts/music and then in order of when I will be seeing students for small groups, so I can just pull the top folders off the pile for each group.  I also have name cards printed and in order according to the schedule.  Phew!

We also use the book Orchestra Expressions, book 1, along with some supplementary materials I have created.  Because I have been in communication with families over the summer and we don't start orchestra until the second week of school, I can assume most students will have their instrument and book for their first small group (and I have spare instruments/books for those who don't have them yet).  

Again, there are so many ways to approach beginning a string instrument, but here is one example that has worked in my specific teaching situation.  It's a lot of talking on my end, but it covers what I want to cover in a first lesson, it gets students playing right away, and I can get through everything in a 30 minute small group.  If students arrive late or unpacking the bass takes super long, we may just mention the C/E string and not actually play out of the Orchestra Expressions Supplement packet.

With all that, here is the script of what I say, pretty much word-for-word, on the first day of orchestra each year.

ON THE BOARD:

• Welcome to orchestra!
• [my name]
• Agenda on screen

ON MUSIC STANDS:

• Name card for each student

ALSO NEEDED:

• Folders for each student with student's name labeled and stuffed with the contents for semester 1
• Week 1 Getting Started handout
• Word document
• PDF
• Orchestra Expressions Supplement Packet (white packet)
• Sharpies/markers for students to write name in book
• Keyboard
• CD player with Orchestra Expressions CD
• Violin/viola/cello/bass for me
• Chair for me to demonstrate with
• 2-page Google Doc slightly condensed version of this lesson plan

AS STUDENTS ARE ENTERING:

[Violin/viola] Please grab your case and put it on the left hand side of your chair, with the little end towards the back (or bumpy end away from you--for those with the rectangular cases).  [Cello/bass] Let's bring our case over to our chair.  Use two hands, one hand on the handle, and one hand on the neck area.  Cases go on the left hand side of your chair, on their sides, with the little end towards the back.

Does anyone need to write their name in their book still?  Pick a marker, any marker.

WELCOME/EXPECTATIONS

Welcome to orchestra!  I'm so excited to see you all!  My name is ______, and before we get started, let's go through our orchestra expectations.

In orchestra we are RESPONSIBLE, just like you all brought your instruments and books on your orchestra day, you checked the small group schedule at the beginning of the day so you knew what time to come, and you came all together at your time so we could get started on time.  When orchestra is done in a half an hour, I know you will check in with a friend when you get back to class to know what kind of classroom work you might need to do in order to stay on top of your classroom work.  Then, at the end of the day, when it's time to get your backpack, I know you'll come back to the orchestra room to grab your instrument so you can take it home to practice for the week.

In orchestra we are RESPECTFUL, just like you are showing me respect right now by listening to me talk.  We are also respectful of instruments, so we only touch our own instruments in here.  We share this room with a lot of instruments, including band, and it's important that we only touch our own instruments.

In orchestra we are also SAFE.  That's why we put cases on the left-hand side of the chair, so everyone has their own space in here.  If you ever see a large instrument on the floor, like this cello (or bass), we would walk AROUND the cello or bass, not try to step over it because we could accidentally trip and fall and hurt ourselves or the instrument.

UNPACKING

Okay, you look like you are all ready to begin!  [Violin/viola] Pull the handle of the case in towards you to set the case flat on the floor.  Undo the latches or unzip the case to open the top of the case. [I am modeling all of this too]

[ALL] The first thing we are going to take out of the case is the BOW.  Turn the dial or flap [violin/viola] or unzip the pocket with the bow or open the velcro flap [cello/bass] and then hold on the black frog end and gently slide it out of its case.  [ALL] We hold on to this black frog end, and we do not touch the bow hair.  I'll say that again--we do not touch the bow hair.  Our skin and hands have oil on it that would stick to the bow hair and make it not work, so we do not touch the bow hair.  

That is all we are going to do with the bow this week.  [Cello/bass] Set your bow on your music stand in front of you.  [Violin/viola] Gently slide the tip of the bow back into your case just how your found it, and turn the dial or switch or latch to hold the bow in place. [Check that all the bows are put away correctly]

[Cello/bass]  The next thing we are going to take out is the rock stop/rock stop strap.  You'll find it in a zippered pocket.  Let's set the rock stop strap under the foot of the chair (or rock stop on the floor out in front).

Now let's take the instrument out of the case by holding onto its neck (and corner [cello/bass]).

[Violin/viola] We're going to put the sponge on next.  If you have a green sponge, we're going to put it on the back of the instrument so it makes a straight line across the top.  If you have a gray sponge, we want the thicker end towards the middle [I assist each student].  If you have a shoulder rest, we want it to look like a smile, not a rainbow.  Line the feet up at the top and then shove down both ends equally until it's in place [I pretty much do it for them this first day].

[Cello] Looking out for the people and instruments around you, set your cello on your lap so we can pull out the end pin.  Loosen the screw just a tiny bit, then pull out the end pin about as long as your elbow to your wrist.  Now tighten the screw back up.

[Bass] Let's roll the bass on its side so we can pull out the end pin.  Loosen the screw just a tiny bit, then pull out the end pin about as far as your pinkie to thumb.  We want to catch the screw right in the notch of the end pin, so using two hands, one hand is going to wiggle wiggle wiggle the end pin (in and out) while the other hand is tightening the screw until you can feel that you have caught the screw in that groove.  Then it should be easy to tighten the screw the rest of the way.

REST POSITION/PLAYING POSITION

[Violin/viola]  Let's find REST POSITION.  We're going to hug the instrument under the right elbow so the scroll is pointing kind of up and the bridge is pointing out.  The bridge is the most delicate part that we are careful to protect since it's not glued down--just held in place by the strings pressing down--so we are careful not to bump the bridge.  And the bridge is being protected in rest position because it's not getting squished.  What's also nice about rest position is both of our hands are free.  In rest position, we are also sitting tall in our chair with feet flat on the floor, about shoulder-width apart, so that at any moment--without moving our feet--we could stand up [stand up].

From rest position, let's find PLAYING POSITION.  Take your free left hand and put it underneath the instrument.  Now hold it way up high.  Can you see the end button?  Aim the end button right at your neck and come in for a landing on the left shoulder.  The jaw, not the chin, sits on the chin rest. [Go around and make adjustments, as needed]

[Cello] Let's find REST POSITION.  Let's stand up first and make sure the end pin is in the rock stop strap, about an arm's length in front of us.  Feet are about as wide as the feet of the chair.  We're holding onto the neck of the cello with the left hand.  Now, let's sit down on the front part of the chair and pull the cello in towards us.  We want this top part to rest against our chest area and the peg to sit behind our left ear. [Readjust end pin length if needed]

For cello, rest position and playing position are the same thing :)

[Bass] Let's find REST POSITION.  We want to stand tall, with feet about shoulder-width apart.  Hold the neck of the bass with the left hand, about an arm's length in front of us.  See this shoulder part of the bass?  We want this part to lean against our stomach area. [Readjust end pin length if needed]

For bass, rest position and playing position are the same thing :)

OPEN STRINGS

How many strings are on your instrument?  With the right hand, make an "L" shape.  Place the thumb [violin/viola] on the corner of the black fingerboard ([cello/bass] near the end of the fingerboard).  Pointer finger is going to reach about an inch over the black fingerboard [violin/viola].  With the pointer finger, find the lowest, thickest string and give it a pluck.  This is called the G [C/E] string.  Next is the D string [all pluck], then A, then E.

The way I like to remember that is "Good Dogs Always Eat."  Let's try.  "Good Dogs Always Eat."  Rest position, under the right elbow, and have a seat. [viola/cello: Cats Go Down Alleys; bass: Eagles Always Do Great]

[I place folders on each student's stand]

Inside your folder you will find a purple [yellow/green/blue] sheet.  Take out the purple sheet.  On the top of the sheet it has some pages in your book you can read this week that tell about how to take care of the instrument and the bow and how to find rest position and playing position.

Below that are the names of our open strings and my sentence "Good Dogs Always Eat."  But you are creative people--I bet you could come up with another way to remember G, D, A, E, and if you do, you can write it on your purple sheet at home this week.

Next, say "pizzicato."  Pizzicato is the Italian word which is telling us to pluck.  

Then below that is our first piece of music: Barcarolle by the French composer Jacques Offenbach.  It starts on open G, then does anyone know what that next musical symbol is?  A rest.  Good, then comes open D, rest, D again, rest, back to G.  Let's play.

Playing position: left hand underneath, way up high, end button aimed at the neck, coming in for a landing on the shoulder, jaw bone on chin rest.  Right hand: "L" shape, thumb on the corner on the black fingerboard, pointer finger about an inch over the fingerboard to find the G string, "Good" [viola/cello: "Cats Go;" bass: "Eagles Always Do Great"].  

Ready, play.  G, rest, D, rest, D again, rest, G.  

Does anyone know what that musical symbol at the the end with the two dots is?  Repeat sign--play it again.  Let's play it again, but this time I'm going to play the melody while you play the same part as before.

Rest position.  That was lovely!  Our first duet together!

Turn the purple sheet over to the back side.  Here you will see lots of rhythm patterns--quarter notes and quarter rests.  I bet you have seen those in music class before--all one-beat notes and rests.  Does it tell us which open strings to pluck?  No?  You get to make it up at home--you get to pluck whichever strings you would like to pluck.

Congratulations, you are ready to play the pieces on pages 8 and 10 in the book!  Let's open our books to p. 8. [I help crease books to keep them open]

Let's look at "Rockin' on D."  First you will see a treble clef [alto/bass clef].  All of our violin [viola/cello/bass] music starts with a treble [alto/bass] clef at the beginning of the line so we know we are playing the violin [viola/cello/bass].  After that I see the 4/4 time signature, telling us 4 beats in a measure.  Above that is the abbreviation pizz.  Does anyone think they know what that stands for or what it's telling us?  Say "pizzicato"!  Pizzicato is the Italian word telling us to pluck.  In this piece we need the D string.  We'll find the D string just below the staff [on the third space/on the middle line].  All of these are open Ds.

Okay, we should be in rest position right now, sitting tall, feet flat on the floor.  Now let's find playing position, left hand underneath, way up high, end button towards the neck, jaw bone on the chin rest.  L shape, thumb on the corner of the black fingerboard, pointer finger over the black fingerboard.  We need the D string, "Good Dogs" ["Cats Go Down"/"Eagles Always Do"].  Give D a pluck once you've found it.  You'll hear 4 clicks and then we play "Rockin' on D."

[Play with CD track 4; I say letter names while plucking; I keep an eye out for any student whose eyes are not tracking along on the page or who looks lost and point along in their book]

"Rockin' on A."  The A string is a higher string on the violin, so we'll find it higher up on the staff, on the A string.  Let's find the A string, "Good Dogs Always."  Give A a pluck once you've found it.  Let's play "Rockin' on A."

[Play with CD track 5]

"Two String Salsa" uses notes on two different strings.  Which two strings do you see?  Yes, D and A.  We start on...D.  Plant the thumb, "Good Dogs"

[Play with CD track 6]

And Rest Position.  You are ready to play all of these pieces at home this week including "Les Toreadors."  Turn the page to page 10.

The G string is the lowest string on the violin, and it is so low it doesn't fit on the staff.  The G string has two ledger lines below the staff, so anytime you see the note with the ledger lines below, you know it's open G.  

Let's look at "Two String Reggae."  Which two strings do we need?  Which note do we start on?  We should be in Rest Position right now, check our feet, sitting tall.  Playing Position.  Left hand underneath, way up high, jaw bone on chin rest.  Is this feeling easier the more we're practicing it?  L shape, thumb on the corner, "Good."

[Play with CD track 10]

And Rest Position.  You are ready to play all these pieces at home this week too.  

Which string have we not yet played together today? [E/C]  In your folder you will find a white packet.  Take out the white packet.  Let's look at "Plucking Open E."  The E string is the highest sounding string on the violin, so we'll find it way up high on the top space of the staff.  Notice that the E string is the only open string with a down stem, down to the left.  I see the treble clef, so I know we're playing violin music.  Next is the 4/4 time signature, telling us four beats in a measure.  Above that is the pizz.  Do we remember what that is telling us?  Say "pizzicato."  Pizzicato is the Italian word that tells us to...pluck.

Okay, break time is over.  From Rest Position, let's find Playing Position.  "Plucking Open E/C."

[I play piano, I and IV chords along with C or E]

[If more than 5 minutes of the small group left; otherwise, skip to packing up]

Let's look at the next piece, "Waltzing Up High/Down Low."  I see the treble clef telling us this is violin music.  Next there's a 3/4 time signature, so only three beats in a measure this time.  And above that is the pizz.  Which two strings do we need?  Which note do we start on?  Playing Position, L shape, Good Dogs Always Eat.

[I play piano]

[If more than 5 minutes left for violin/viola groups, may take a request of something we've already played today or something else on p. 8 or 10 or first page of white packet.  Cellos/basses will take a long time to pack up this first day--don't play anything extra]

PACKING UP

Believe it or not it is time to pack up.

[Violin/viola] At the beginning we put on the sponge/shoulder rest, so now we need to take it off.  The rubber band stays on, but the sponge comes off.  Holding on to the neck of the instrument, set it flat in its case.  Let's find a good spot for the sponge [generally over the scroll/pocket part of the case].  Now, close the top of the case and fasten the latches to secure the case.

[Cello] At the beginning we pulled out the end pin, so now we need to push it back in.  Looking out for the people and instruments around you, put the cello on your lap, loosen the screw just a tiny bit, push the end pin all the way in, and then tighten the screw.

[Bass] At the beginning we pulled out the end pin, so now we need to push it back in.  Roll the bass gently down on its side.  Loosen the screw just a tiny bit, push the end pin all the way in, and then tighten the screw.

[Cello/bass] As we pack up, notice the case has a flat back pocket and the instrument has a flat back [I know it's not really flat, but in comparison to the front with the bridge, it is...].  The cello/bass was the last thing to come out of the case, so it's the first thing to go back in.  Lay the flat back of the cello/bass against the flat back of the case.  We hold onto the neck and corner parts of the instrument.  This might be a two-person job today :)  Zip up the zipper until you get to the end pin, then zip up the other side, so the end pin can poke out.  The bow was the first thing to come out of the case, so it's the last thing to go back in.  Holding on to the black frog end of the bow, gently slide the tip of the bow into the sleeve in the case.  Rock stop straps/rock stops can go back in the pocket of the case too.

PRACTICE ASSIGNMENT

All your papers and your book can go in your orchestra folder.  Let's look at the practice assignment.  First, we have our Getting Started purple/yellow/green/blue sheet.  This is the sheet that has "Barcarolle" on the front and all those rhythm patterns on the back.  Then, you are ready to play everything on pages 8 and 10 in the book.  And finally, in the white packet, you are ready to play everything on the first page.

Do you know we have a Canvas page for orchestra?  Let me show you a few things on Canvas.  If you scroll down a bit, you'll see our small group schedule.  We are the [letter name] group in here.  The next time I'll see you for small groups is next [day] at [time], so bring your instruments and folders back to school next [day].

Then, if you scroll down a bit more, you'll see a button that says "All Instruments."  That will take us to what we did today.  On there, if you scroll down a bit, you will see our violin resources [or past the violin, viola, and cello resources to find the bass resources].  There's a picture of what the different open strings look like on the staff, and there are links where you can play along with audio files for our different pieces.

Okay, it is time to put cases back on the rack.  Folders can either go back on the rack by your case or right into your backpack, whichever makes the most sense for you.  [Cello folders can go in the big back pocket on the case].  I'll see you at the end of the day--when it's time to get your backpack, come back to the orchestra room to grab your instrument so you can take it home and practice this week.  Congratulations on your first day in orchestra!  Next up should be [names of students], so if they're in your class, you can send them on in if they're not already on their way to orchestra.

[As students are leaving, I grab the name cards off the stands and put the next set on]

And that is one 30-minute small group!  It's a lot of talking all day for me, but I don't see another way around it.  I approach these small groups as a pretty immersive experience--we jump right into to playing and reading music right away, rather than spending time doing worksheets about instrument care and instrument parts, etc.  Students are there because they want to play, and in my teaching situation, students should all have their instruments by our first day (or will be getting them within the week and can use a spare while at school).  The second week we'll do lots of review, a bit of improvisation, and find bow holds for the first time, and the third week students are writing their first open-string pizzicato composition already.  Then, the fourth or fifth week, while students are unpacking, we go over the instrument parts and see how many students have picked up on, just from hearing me say them during previous small groups.

Hope this helps to see how one orchestra teacher starts off the year with beginning students!

• Week 2 Lesson Plan
• Week 3 Lesson Plan

School Values in Orchestra

 

My schools have shifted from having school rules to talking about school values.  I adjusted my school rules display to reflect this change in language.  Most of the bullet points are the same; just the headings have changed slightly.  I talk through these briefly the first day of small groups, and they stay up all year and get referred to periodically.

School values bullet points: 

• PDF
• Google doc

Reference Sheet for Folders

 

For the last couple of years, I've been wanting to put a reference sheet in folders for students.  The glossary in their book has more words than we talk about in a year, and they're sorted alphabetically, rather than by topic.  It can also be a little overwhelming to see so many words on those two pages in the back of the book.  The folders that my music store supplies does have musical terms inside, but they are not the same words that I would have picked out, and it's all just words, no symbols.  I wanted something that could work for all instruments, so I'd only have to make one per grade level and something that was a little more visually appealing.  My stumbling block has been knowing what to include and what to leave out, as there is so much that I could include but only limited space.  Here's what I came up for this first version:

Reference Sheet for Folders for 1st year students--tempo/dynamic 

• Google Slides
• PDF

Reference Sheet for Folders for 2nd year students--articulations

• Google Slides
• PDF

As always, feel free to make a copy and edit for your use!

The versions for first- and second-year players are nearly the same, except the first-year version has dynamics and tempos and the second-year version has articulations in place of those.

I used Google Slides to create the reference sheet, as it was really easy to create different text boxes and move them around and format them the way I wanted.  The symbols are screenshots from Finale (going to the "Staff" tool, I can uncheck "Barlines" under "Items to Display" to just see the symbols with white space behind instead of barlines).

Then, I downloaded the Slide as a PDF, edited the PDF to copy/paste that page into two. When printing, select a custom 1 by 2 pages per sheet (portrait orientation) to get two reference sheets per piece of paper.  When cut apart, they fit perfectly inside the folder! 

The other things I stick into folders at the beginning of the year are a pencil on a piece of yarn, a fingering chart, the concert dates for the year, and list of contents.

We'll see how these reference sheets work this year, and then I can always update them for future years!  What would you like to see on a reference sheet for beginning string students?

Concert Etiquette and Trivia Slides

 

My district recently hosted a performance of a youth orchestra from the area.  Elementary and middle school students from all the district's schools were in attendance--all the orchestra students plus other students not in orchestra.  I wasn't sure how students would do with the time before the concert started, waiting for students from all the schools to arrive and be seated, and I wasn't sure how much preparation classroom teachers would be doing in the area of concert etiquette, so I had an idea.  I wanted to create a series of slides that could be running on loop before the concert that included a slide welcoming the audience members, concert etiquette, information on the youth orchestra, and orchestra trivia.  For the trivia, I was imagining multiple choice questions, like what you'd see in a movie theater before the movie starts where the wrong answers disappear one by one.

Using Google Slides, I came up with a presentation that matched just what I had in mind.  I used different color backgrounds for each category of slides (trivia/etiquette/youth orchestra info).  In Google Slides, when you go to "Share" and then "Publish to the Web," it gives an option to auto-advance slides every 3 seconds.  That was fine for most of the slides, but others had more text and needed longer before advancing.  To solve that, I just duplicated the slides with extra text (sometimes a couple of times), ensuring they would be visible longer before advancing to the next slide.  There is also a box to check to "Restart the slideshow after the last slide" so it plays on a loop.

Trivia questions included:

• What does Mozart’s Eine Kleine Nachtmusik translate to in English?
• How many symphonies did Beethoven write?
• What are the names of the two types of bass bows?
• A symphony orchestra is made up of which group(s) of instruments?
• Which string instrument reads alto clef?
• What is the name of the white stick that conductors use to conduct music?

To create more trivia questions, just duplicate the initial slide with the question and type in the new question/choices and add an image.  Then, duplicate that slide and delete one of the wrong answers.  Keep duplicating and deleting a wrong answer until you're left with only the correct answer.  I chose to add some additional information in a text box once the correct answer was revealed as well.

Concert etiquette included tips on being silent while the orchestra is performing, applauding after each piece, and staying in seats during the concert (or leaving between pieces if necessary).

• Concert etiquette and trivia template (Google Slides)

Feel free to make a copy and update to meet your needs!

100 Notes for the 100th Day of School

 

I teach at two elementary schools, and the 100th day of school is a pretty big deal, especially for the younger grades.  I'm always looking for ways to embed orchestra into the school culture, so I've made a tradition of playing 100 notes on my violin for the 100th day of school.  Depending on how much time I can spare that day, I'll pop into as many classrooms as I can to ask if students would like to hear 100 notes on my violin and then play what I've prepared.  I look for a piece with fast notes so it doesn't take long and then count 100 notes and write in a mark to stop there :)

Then, since COVID, I started recording a short video and sharing that with teachers.  That has worked our really well, as I can't be at both schools at the same time, and my schedule doesn't always allow me to visit all the classrooms in the school that I am at that day.  This way, teachers can share my video at a time that works best for them plus more students can get introduced to me and hear some violin music.

Some pieces I've played excerpts from in the past:

• Pachelbel Canon in D (the fast bit in the middle)
• Bach--E Major Preludio, G minor Presto, G Major Cello Suite Prelude
• Bohm Moto Perpetuo
• Rimsky-Korsakov Flight of the Bumblebee

My script is basically:

"Happy 100th day of school!  My name is ___ and I teach orchestra at (name of schools).  To help celebrate, I thought I would play 100 notes on my violin for you.  This is (name of piece) by (composer)

[play piece]

And that was 100 notes!  Have a wonderful day!"

The whole thing takes less than a minute.  There's one teacher at my school who likes to have her stopwatch going while I play to tell her students how long it took me to play those 100 notes--they're pretty impressed!  There are always students who I see in the hallway later who tell me they really enjoyed my 100 notes too :)