Some of the major changes I made were:
- Splitting up the review of expressive qualities by reviewing a particular quality, then listening to recordings of "Keep Your Hand on the Plow" to identify that particular quality. Then I'd move on to the next quality, listen again, and so on.
- Giving students a physical way to identify expressive qualities. For example, when identifying tempo, students would keep the beat in their bodies. When identifying dynamics, students would "measure" the dynamic of what they heard with their hands. When identifying articulation, students would conduct in a legato style or a staccato style.
(See the link at the end of the post for a full lesson plan and the corresponding google slides)
Here's an example of class 3 "measuring" the dynamics of "Keep Your Hand on the Plow":
After I taught this lesson to class 3, Mrs. Hamilton pointed out a really cool moment that had happened with a student who usually caused trouble in class. In the middle of the lesson, when I had been asking about differences in a particular expressive quality between performances of "Keep Your Hand on the Plow," this student raised his hand. He offered an answer that showed he had completely comprehended what had been taught and he was able to compare the two performances correctly. I was satisfied to know that the class seemed to be understanding, but hadn't thought much more of it. However, Mrs. Hamilton said this was a rare occasion for this student. Although this student got distracted later in the lesson, it was really cool that the music had been able to engage this student for a moment and he was able to learn.
My lesson wasn't perfect of course (for instance, you can see one student in the video who didn't participate in "measuring" dynamics), but I was really proud of taking a lesson that hadn't worked well and making it much more successful.
Link to view Lesson Plan
Link to view Google Slides
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