This post is the fourth in a series of beginning-of-the-year lesson plans. For previous weeks, please see:
It's Week 4! Again, a bit of context. I see students for 30-minute small groups once a week and full orchestra for 30 minutes once a week. At this point, it is the end of September/beginning of October, and my elementary schools have a winter band/orchestra/choir concert coming up the first or second week of December. Ideally, I would like to spend more time on technique and review and refining, but realistically, I know all the skills we need to get to by the winter concert and then January's String Fest and how little time we have before then, so we press ahead. Although I would like everyone's set-up to look great from the beginning (and some do!), I have to trust that, even if students aren't all there yet, we will do enough review as we go on that they will keep getting more and more. I also know that many students have tried playing with the bow at home even though we haven't gotten there yet at school, so I might as well show students sooner rather than later before everyone teaches themselves bad habits at home :)
In preparation for Week 4, I have typed up everyone's compositions onto a Google Doc (see Week 3's post for templates) and shared the link for each instrument's document on our Canvas page. I've printed out one copy of everyone's compositions on colored paper and taped those up on our STAR Musician wall too. I have also created a "Green Sheet" that includes a reference of the D string notes as well as three melodies typed using Alpha notation. One is always the melody of "Barcarolle" that I have been playing, and then the other two preview String Fest pieces that students will be learning later in the semester. Ideally, I'd like to use the book to start with the D string notes (which I have in past years), but I also have future concert repertoire in mind and have started using this green sheet the first week with fingers instead (we'll get to the book the next week).
Again for this lesson plan's sample script, I will assume this is a violin group. 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:
- Pile of student compositions from last week, in order of the order I will be seeing students that week
- Grade/attendance sheet ready to write down marks for Three-Point Shot
- Have spare folders and Orchestra Expressions books handy in case students forgot theirs
- "Green sheet"--this sample has "Au Clair de la Lune," "Bile 'em Cabbage Down," and "Barcarolle"
- CD player with Orchestra Expressions CD
- Spare instrument for me
- 1-page Google Doc condensed version of this lesson plan (includes lesson plan for full orchestra too)
AS STUDENTS ARE ENTERING:
Welcome! Cases on the left-hand side, little end in the back.
UNPACKING:
Instruments out, sponge or shoulder pad on. [While students are getting settled in, I am opening books to p. 10]
p. 10--THREE POINT SHOT:
We have been reading and plucking the open strings for a couple weeks now, so we should be pretty comfortable reading and playing the pieces on p. 10. Today, we are going to take turns playing "Three Point Shot" so I can see that we are able to find playing position, sitting tall in the chair with feet flat on the floor and jawbone on the chin rest, and so I can see that we are comfortable reading and plucking the different notes. Who would like to play first?
[I write down a quick mark on my grade sheet for body format and for music literacy. My district uses 4, 3, 2--4=exceeds expectations, 3=meets expectations, 2=basic]
[4= with confidence3= with hesitation or corrected notes on own
2= with assistance]
Thanks [name]. Who would like to play next? [Name], you look ready to go. [I give brief individual feedback as needed but the pace moving]
[Once everyone has played] Now let's play it everyone together, with the repeat and with the recording.
[CD track 11]
[I finish jotting down numbers if needed]
LEFT-HAND PLAYING POSITION/D STRING NOTES
Rest position. Last week we found our new left-hand playing position. In rest position, let's do our left 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.
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. Let's do another left arm swing. 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. [Make some individual adjustments, as needed]
Great. Rest position.
Now, when we've been plucking the open string, the whole string vibrates, from the nut to the bridge. Today, we're going to press fingers down on the string to get different notes. When we press fingers down, now a shorter length of string is vibrating, from the finger to the bridge. [I'm demonstrating] Do you think we'll get a higher or lower note when we press down our fingers?
[Take some guesses, then pluck the open D string, followed by all 4 fingers down to make A] Was that higher or lower? Right, higher sounding. Shorter, smaller things make higher sounds. Just like the violin is the smallest of the string instruments and has the highest pitched open strings while the bass is the biggest of the string instruments and has the lowest sounding strings.
Our fingers have numbers. The thumb does not get a number. Pointer is 1, middle is 2, ring is 3, pinkie is 4 [wiggle corresponding fingers]
Let's go back to playing position. Left arm swing, look at the palm, notice wrist is straight, fingers are curvy. Balance the neck of the violin on the base of the knobby pointer finger bone, thumb lightly across, by the red tape.
Right hand, L shape, plant the thumb. Pluck open D, no fingers. Now, we're going to add first finger, pointer finger, on the D string to cover the red tape. Give that a pluck. This is called "E," not open E, but E on the D string. [I'm helping getting the right finger on the right tape and pressed down enough to get a clear sound]
I did not give you a tape for the second finger. There's going to be a space between 1 and 2, so 2nd finger falls just under the black tape. Press down the 2nd finger on the D string, just behind the black tape and give that a pluck. 2nd finger is called "F#."
Third finger is best friends with 2. Set 3rd finger, ring finger, on the black tape, on the D string, right next to the second finger. 3rd finger makes "G." Not open G, but high G.
Stretch 4th finger, pinkie, all the way up to the blue tape on the D string. 4th finger makes "A." It sounds the same as open A--why don't you try it out and compare? 4 on D and open A. Take all the fingers off the string for open A. Press all the way down to the fingerboard for a clear sound.
[As much as I'd like to talk about "tabletop" fingers, I find that I don't on this day, though as I'm helping students, I do make sure fingers are curved. If students have long fingernails, I will say individually to that student, "Oh, this will be easier to do once you trim your fingernails" and show them what we're trying to do with the fingers on their tips. I'm also taking out the "Green Sheet" from folders]
What we just played sounds like "Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol." On the green sheet is a handy reference off all the notes we just played and what they look like on the staff. Notice that as the notes get higher on the staff, we add a finger.
Let's try ______ (one of the pieces on the green sheet). First note is....which is how many fingers on the D string? Good, next note is... [walk through the line giving no thought to rhythm, just getting the fingers down and plucking] You are ready to try all of these at home this week.
Keeping the sponge or shoulder rest on, set the instrument in its case for a bit.
[For cello/bass, I talk about forming a "C" shape in the left hand, like they are about to pick up a water bottle, fingers open wide, thumb touching lightly in the back across from red tape for cello (2nd finger tape), thumb pointed to the side--not up, left elbow up. Basses shift already--1 and 4 in 1st position are red tapes; 1 and 4 in 3rd position are black tapes; thumb across from middle finger]
ROSIN:
Let's 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.
In your case you have some rosin. Go ahead and take the rosin out of your case. It might be in a little pocket in your case. Take it out of its packaging. Rosin is made out of hardened tree sap. We need it in order to get sound with the bow in a moment. To rosin the bow, one hand holds the frog of the bow, thumb covers the little metal part, so we're not making a bow hold right now, we're just covering the little metal part so that when we rosin the bow, we run into our thumb down by the frog rather than the rosin running into the metal and possibly chipping the rosin.
We rub the rosin on the bow hair [I'm demonstrating while students follow my lead]. What's happening is little bits of rosin dust are sticking to the hairs of the bow and putting little bumps of rosin dust on the bow, even though we can't see it. Then, when we play with the bow in a moment, the bumps of rosin dust pull the string of the instrument and make it vibrate. Without the rosin, we wouldn't get any sound when we play. We don't need to rosin our bow every day; about once every-other week or so is fine. Be careful not to drop your rosin because it can break; it can shatter [show a broken rosin]. Okay, that should be good. Rosin goes back in the packaging, and set it gently back in the case.
BOWING:
Find your bow hold. Shake, flop, back of hand in toward nose. Pinkie on its tip, middle fingers hug the frog, little space for pointer, thumb is bent.
Now, with your left hand, can you pick up your instrument by its neck and find rest position? Great.
In a moment, we are going to go into playing position. In a moment, we are going to set the bow near the frog, on the A string, between the bridge and the end of the fingerboard. Then, in a moment, we are going to pull the bow down and up [I'm demonstrating each step]. Okay, let's go up into playing position. Set the bow near the frog on the A string, between the bridge and the end of the fingerboard. Play down, up, down up. [I'm going around and helping to pull bows parallel to the bridge with elbows opening/closing for a straight bow]
Raise the elbow a little bit to find the D string level and play open D, down, up, down up.
Raise the elbow even more for the G string.
Now lower the elbow a lot to find the E string.
[I'm opening books to p. 13]
Great. Rest position, relax a bit. Let's look at "A String Level." I see the word arco which tells us to play with...the bow. Above the first note I see what looks like a staple. This is called a...down-bow, where we start from the frog and pull the bow down. And after it is the V-shape, which is called an...up-bow.
[I have the symbols for down-bow and up-bow on the board and draw little arrows on their ends to show how the arrows on the down-bow point down and the arrows on the up-bow point up]
Okay, let's play "A String Level." Find the bow hold in the right hand. Now playing position. Set the bow near the frog on the A string, between the bridge and the end of the fingerboard. Ready, play. "Down, up, down, up, rest rest rest rest, down, up rest rest, down, up, rest repeat" [No CD, I'm walking around helping each student bow for a measure or two, saying the bow directions]
You are ready to play all of p. 13 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.
COMPOSITIONS:
[I return compositions]
Here are your compositions from last week. Congratulations again on writing your first composition for the violin! Do you know how I got to this page on Canvas? Great, now I'm going to scroll down a bit, and there's the link for our violin compositions. I'm going to click on the link, and here are all of our violin compositions. [I scroll through the entire document so students can skim the titles of each and find their name] I think we have just enough time that you can play one composition on your own before we pack up [I try to find the compositions written by the students who are there in that small group so they can try their own or someone else in their small group]
PACKING UP:
Okay, now it's time to pack up. Sponge or shoulder pad off, instrument flat in its case. Let's go over the practice assignment.
PRACTICE ASSIGNMENT:
This week you're ready to be playing p. 10, 11, 13, and 14 in the book. 10 we've been doing, 11 is with the bow and the tube, 13 we just started with the bow, an 14 uses the left hand fingers.
We have the green sheet where we're pressing down the fingers on the D string to play the different notes. You're ready to play all of those at home.
Then, we have p. 2 of the white packet, and you saw where you can find the link to everyone's violin compositions on our Canvas page. Enjoy trying out everyone's compositions at home this week!
Again, on Canvas, there are bonus videos that go through everything that we did today, so if you want a refresher on anything, 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!
--
The link to the condensed lesson plan also includes the lesson plan for full orchestra this week, our second full orchestra. We do NOT use bows in full orchestra yet; students are not yet independent enough to try this out in the full orchestra setting. Instead, we play p. 8 and 10 in the book and try out the open string pizz. harmony parts on p. 2 of the Orchestra Expressions Supplement Packet that were on last week's practice assignment. These should be very doable even if students didn't practice those at home yet as they were supposed to :)
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