Lesson Plan : First note on a brass instrument
Teacher Name: | Mr. Gronberg |
Grade: | Grade 6 |
Subject: | Music |
Topic: | Making a quality sound on a brass instrument, using correct posture and hand positions. |
Content: | Embouchure- how you form your mouth in order to produce a sound. Aperture- the opening where air is expelled between the lips. Breath control- the manner in which air is allow taken in, held, and expelled. Diaphragm- the muscle under the lungs that aids in expanding and contracting lungs. |
Goals: | 1. Students will be able to produce a characteristic embouchure for their instrument. 2. Students will understand what it means to take a "deep breath" and how to control their airstream so that air is not all allowed to escape too quickly(also known as air management). 3. Students will be able to produce a high quality sound on their instrument. |
Objectives: | Play and sustain a steady tone on the mouthpiece and instrument for five seconds. Students will play trumpets, trombones and baritones. Students will all skill and drill playing a "Concert F" on both the trumpet and trombone. |
Materials: | Band method books with pictures of embouchure and instructions on producing sound, instruments, white board, large clean towel. Enough mint flavored cleaning solution for all mouthpieces, which will be played by more than one student. |
Introduction: | Students will review previous lesson on posture and new vocabulary words - embouchure, aperture, and diaphragm. The teacher will hand out "clean" mouthpieces to half of the class- 7 trombone mouthpieces and 7 trumpet mouthpieces. Teacher and "gifted student will model the technique for sustaining a pitch on either mouthpiece |
Development: | First the teacher will demonstrate proper posture and then will sustain a pitch (around concert f) for five seconds on a trumpet mouthpiece. The gifted student will do the same activity on the trombone mouthpiece. One-half of the class will then try to replicate the demonstration - first trumpets then trombones. The students will spray the mouthpieces and hand them to the other 14 students who will repeat the activity. |
Practice: | Skill and drill. teacher and gifted student will have a competition using the mouthpieces. The teacher will play a high note, a low note, and another high note. The gifted student will copy the three notes and their motions. The teacher will play many different arrangements of low and high pitches and the student will mimic them. Next the class will try to follow the same activity with the teacher playing opposite the class. The class will clean the mouthpieces and trade so the other half of the class has a chance to do the exercise. |
Accommodations: | The ADHD students will be assigned different groups and will be seated near the teacher. The teacher will closely monitor the ADHD students for any focus problems. The ELL student will be able to join this activity because the lesson is visual and the sounds have less to do with English and more to do with sounds. The student with a learning disability can play along just like the rest of the class. He will be expected to try both mouthpieces and horns and also exhibit proper posture. He may have an easier time with the trumpet because it is smaller, a cornet will also be provided which is even smaller than a trumpet. |
Checking For Understanding: | The assessment is simple and fun. The students will play in groups of seven. Trumpets VS Trombones. The students will assemble the horns and play a Concert F for five seconds on the seven trumpets and then the trombones will play their F for five seconds. After several rounds of "skill and drill" the teacher will check for individual success by checking one by one. |
Closure: | The ADHD kids should be able to keep focused because of the temptation of playing the shiny new horns. The teacher will check their progress constantly by asking "are you with me?" "Does everyone understand?" and look for affirmation in the eyes of the ADHD, the learning disabled, and ELL student. All students should be able to get some sounds out of the horns. |
Evaluation: | The special needs students may need a few more attempts, but all students should achieve success on this "Brass Lesson." |
Teacher Reflections: | I have used this lesson plan in many classes, but the special needs students were made up of the following: new braces, mild retardation, Cleft Palate, and deformed hands. All students were able to perform this lesson. |
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