11/05/12-11/26/12-"Christmas in the Tropics"

"Christmas in the Tropics"



Lesson Objectives: SWBAT sing in 2 part harmony. SWBAT perform and describe calypso style music. SWBAT improvise rhythms associated with calypso music on miscellaneous percussion instruments. Students will be able to perform, locate, and describe mixed meter. Students will be able to locate, describe, and perform rallentando. Students will be able to locate, describe, and perform a fermata. Students will be able to add choreography to a calypso style song.

Esssential Skill to be Mastered: Students will be able to perform and describe calypso style music. Students will be able to improvise syncopated rhythms that are associated with this style of music and perform on percussion instruments. Students will be able to select percussion instruments that best accompany this type of song. Students will be able to describe, perform, and locate rallentando and fermata. Students in small groups will create choreography that accentuates the calypso style song.

I can statements: I can sing in a calypso style. I can improvise rhythms associated with calypso music. I can locate, perform, and describe mixed meter. I can locate, describe, and perform a fermata. I can create movement to a calypso style song.


 IPI level: Teacher led instruction with student engagement, Student led learning conversations


Teaching Strategy Utilized: Day 1: Students will be handed the music to scan for 1 minute to locate unknown symbols and words such as calypso and galoshes. Students will then scan the text and music. The class will read the lyrics out loud as a whole. Students will be asked to look for the time signature and then the meter changes throughout the piece. The class will discuss how to perform these types of meter changes and sightread the piece of music. Day 2: How is the form of the song organized? How is similar or different to other pieces we have sung this year? Sightread for the second time attempting to sing more correct notes and rhythms. Day 3: What is meant by calypso style? What instruments are associated with this style of music? What is meant by syncopation? Students will work the first 2 sections of the piece noticing similarities and differences. Day 4: Teacher will demonstrate an improvised rhythm on the claves and hand to a student to improvise a rhythm that would match this style. The percussionist will play while students sing the first 2 sections of the piece. Students will work the 3rd section of the song and discuss the performance of the rallentando and fermata at mm. 40. How will the choir work together to perform? Day 5: Large group evaluation of the music. Students will evaluate their performance and give feedback about necessary improvements. Day 6: Students in small groups will be given time with a percussion instrument to create improvised rhythms that will be played for the class. Students will evaluate and select rhythms that best fit the piece of music. Day 7: Small group evaluation of the piece. Day 8: Percussionist will accompany the entire song while the class is singing. Students will discuss the outcome. Day 9: Polish expressive elements and work together for an overall blended and balanced sound. Are the percussionists balancing with the choir? Day 10: Sing as if for an audience. Day 11: Small groups of students will work together to create choreography after a discussion of the choreography scoring guide and expectations. Day 12: Students will present the choreography to the class. Day 13: The small group will teach the class the movement and practice performing as a choir. Day 14: Polish the singing and movement for the concert.


Rigor or Level reached on Bloom's Taxonomy: Analysis, Evaluate, Improvise