Name: Justin Ekstrom Date: Week 1

Class: Wind Ensemble Rehearsal in Sequence: 1-5

Objectives: Students will be able to read through all pieces for the units concert. (NS 1, 5) Students will be able to make general comments about style of the pieces by the end of the week. (NS 6) Materials: Pentland Hills Colorado Peaks Elegy for a Young American Aurora Awakes Written Assignment One (Ex. 1) *Note: Throughout the unit, the above pieces will be used as material every week. Only additional materials will be listed in the following outlines. Activities and Concepts: Monday: Technique warmups in B-flat and E-flat major Read Pentland Hills Isolate major problem areas and identify piece construction Read Pentland Hills again Tuesday: Technique warmups in C, D, and B-flat minor (compare to major) Read Colorado Peaks Isolate major problem areas and identify piece construction Read Colorado Peaks again If adequate time remains, students will revisit Pentland Hills to address any remaining issues after second read Wednesday: Technique warmups in A minor (technique will focus more heavily on tone quality, intonation, and sustained tones) Read Elegy for a Young American Isolate major problem areas and identify piece construction Read Elegy for a Young American again If adequate time remains, students will revisit Colorado Peaks to address any remaining issues after second read Thursday: Technique warmups in E-flat and F major (technique will focus heavily on articulation style and syncopated rhythms) Read Aurora Awakes (mm. 121-end) Going letter by letter, isolate major problem areas along the way With remaining time, isolate problem areas

Friday: Technique warmups in G-flat major Read Aurora Awakes (mm. 69-end) Going letter by letter, isolate major problem areas along the way Attempt to connect multiple letter segments of Thursdays material With remaining time, address sections of the music students feel uncomfortable with in terms of clarity (at request of ensemble) Assign informal writing assessment (Ex. 1) Assessment: Assessment for the first weeks will be informal and will be achieved by the teacher monitoring student achievement as the pieces are first read, identifying problem areas that will be addressed in more detail in the following weeks. More informal assessment dealing with NS6 will come at the end of the week as students write their first reactions to the music and briefly compare characteristics of style. (Ex. 1)

Name: Justin Ekstrom Class: Wind Ensemble Date: Week 2 Rehearsal in Sequence: 6-10 Objectives: Students will be able to explain the historical context of Elegy for a Young American. (NS 9) Students will be able to make observations on musical expression. (NS 6) Students will be able to clap and count difficult rhythms in Aurora Awakes. (NS 1, 5) Continue working large sections of music for clarity. (NS 2, 5) Materials: Elegy for a Young American Handout (Ex. 2) Elegy for a Young American recording (The Presidents Own YouTube) Activities and Concepts: Monday: Technique warmups for Colorado Peaks (technique will focus heavily on staccato articulations an vertical alignment) Rehearse Colorado Peaks (mm. 1-39) o Vertical alignment of motor rhythm o Vertical alignment of upbeat attacks o Balance of melody With remaining time, rehearse Aurora Awakes (H-I) Tuesday: Technique warmups for Colorado Peaks Rehearse Colorado Peaks (mm. 39-67) o Saxophone soli o Clarinet/horn duet o Alignment of entrances mm. 60-62 o Balance of melody mm. 62-67 With remaining time, connect to Mondays segment (mm. 1-67) Wednesday: Sustained tone warmups (at quiet dynamics with gentle articulations) Read opening of Aurora Awakes (mm. 1-69) Going letter by letter, isolate major problem areas along the way o Explain how events will be conducted (no beating time) o Isolate C-D for clarity o Promote confidence of independent entrances Thursday: Elegy for a Young American handouts distributed Sustained tone warmups from previous rehearsal Briefly discuss context of piece (presidential assassination) to put students in the correct mindset Rehearse Elegy for a Young American (mm. 1- Rehearsal 4) o Get comfortable with pulling back dont rush o Dynamic contrasts and balance of textures

Friday: Rhythmic echoing warmups (based on rhythms found in Aurora Awakes) o 4/3 hemiolas o Alternating downbeat/upbeat (with rests) o 1-e---a-2---&-a---e-& Students will play the above figures anywhere in the music it occurs, regardless of pitch (promote confidence with full group) o Define style Rehearse rhythms in context (mm. 121-153) Assign playing test for next week and sections to be covered Assessment: Assessment for the first weeks will be informal and will be achieved by the teacher monitoring student achievement as the pieces are first read, identifying problem areas that will be addressed in more detail in the following weeks. A more formal assessment of NS6 will occur with discussions on how students labeled the parts of Elegy for a Young American based on the handout.

Name: Justin Ekstrom Date: Week 3

Class: Wind Ensemble Rehearsal in Sequence: 11-15

Objectives: Students will be able to discuss how their knowledge of Aurora affects their interpretation of the musics intent. (NS 6, 8, 9) Materials: Elegy for a Young American recording (The Presidents Own YouTube) Aurora Awakes Handout (Ex. 3) Activities and Concepts: Monday: Technique warmups for Pentland Hills (development of light march style) Rehearse Pentland Hills (mm. 1- Rehearsal C) o Clarity of introduction o Clarity of melody over accompaniment o Contrast in accompaniment between Rehearsal A/B With remaining time, rehearse Aurora Awakes (mm. 1-69) Tuesday: Warmups for Elegy for a Young American Brief discussion of part labeling from Elegy handout o Play different sections to determine best label Rehearse Elegy for a Young American (Rehearsal 4 Rehearsal 8) o Dynamic contrasts/balance of texture o Subtle tempo changes With remaining time, rehearse Aurora Awakes (mm. 153-177) Wednesday: Distribute Aurora Awakes Handout (Ex. 3) Warmups for Aurora Awakes (articulation style, rhythmic patterns) Rehearse Aurora Awakes (mm. 170-216) o Independence of rhythmic ideas o Augmentation of melodic idea o Control of tone quality at louder dynamics o Melody heard above all else Thursday: Warmups for Colorado Peaks (motor rhythm and articulation style) Rehearse Colorado Peaks (mm. 85 115) o Saxophone soli o Exposed parts mm. 85-91 (Flute, Clarinet, Bassoon) o Upbeat entrances (accuracy after silences) With remaining time, address approach to mm. 67-85 (flute solo, style, etc.)

Friday: Collect Aurora Awakes Handouts Revisit rhythmic echoing, clapping and counting Rehearse Aurora Awakes (mm. 216-256) o Canonic writing o New entrances o Clarity of arrival at m. 240 o Dynamic contrast at m. 256 Assessment: By end of week: Recorded playing tests (using school recording equipment or SmartMusics free record feature) for the following segments: Aurora Awakes: mm. 137-154 Elegy: Rehearsal 9-10 Colorado Peaks: mm. 143 end Assess authenticity, thoughtfulness, and quality of responses from handout.

Name: Justin Ekstrom Date: Week 4

Class: Wind Ensemble Rehearsal in Sequence: 16-20

Objectives: Students will be able to discuss flaws in their own performances as a prerequisite to fixing errors. (NS 7) Materials: Student recordings of playing tests Reflection sheets (Ex. 4) Activities and Concepts: Monday: Assign listening reflection of previous weeks playing test o Same segments to be recorded again, showing corrections to identified issues Pentland Hills/march style warmup Read Pentland Hills (mm. 1- Rehearsal C) Rehearse Pentland Hills (Rehearsal C Trio) o Vertical alignment of transition o Balance melody/accompaniment o Articulation style o Contrast of style (countermelody) o Return of previous themes at D With remaining time, revisit Aurora Awakes (mm. 216-256) Tuesday: Warmups for Aurora Awakes Rehearse Aurora Awakes (mm. 256 288) o Return of previous theme (compare to original) o Intonation of sustained chords o Accuracy and clarity of color passages With remaining time, revisit Aurora Awakes (mm. 121-153) o Compare again to (mm. 256-288) Wednesday: Warmups for Elegy for a Young American (faster tempo than usual) Rehearse Elegy for a Young American (Rehearsal 7 End) o Tempo changes o Style of articulation o Approach to cesura o Apply emotions determined by students Thursday: Rehearse Colorado Peaks (mm. 115 end) o Balance of melodic fragments (shifting around ensemble) o Brass double tonguing o Balance of upper woodwind runs o Clarity and vertical alignment of final note

Friday: Rehearse Pentland Hills (Trio end) o Phrase construction o Resonance of sound in low wind melody o Sudden dynamic contrasts o Final note and release With remaining time, rehearse Aurora Awakes (mm. 288-end) o Tenuto accents o Augmentation of two-note motive o Ending ritardando o Balance, intonation, and tone color of final chord Assessment: By end of week: Recorded playing tests for the following segments: Aurora Awakes: mm. 137-154 Elegy: Rehearsal 9-10 Colorado Peaks: mm. 143 end Students will also be graded on the quality of their reflections and success at improving their goals.

Name: Justin Ekstrom Date: Week 5

Class: Wind Ensemble Rehearsal in Sequence: 21-25

Objectives: Students will be able to play through each piece with no more than 2 falling apart moments (NS 2) Materials: Recording equipment (for teacher use and reflection) Activities and Concepts: Monday: March style warmups Run Pentland Hills completely (while recording) Spend remaining time on any issues that require immediate attention Tuesday: Rehearse Pentland Hills o Any issues from previous recording that the educator detected Run Pentland Hills completely With remaining time, rehearse Aurora Awakes (mm. 1-69) Wednesday: Articulation-based warmups Run Colorado Peaks completely (while recording) Spend remaining time on any issues that require immediate attention Thursday: Rehearse Colorado Peaks o Any issues from previous recording that the educator detected Run Colorado Peaks completely With remaining time, rehearse Aurora Awakes (mm. 69 121) Friday: Rehearse Aurora Awakes o Sections students feel uncomfortable with o Transitions, style, tempo, etc. o DO NOT practice for the student in rehearsal Assessment: Assessment this week will be informal, with the recordings giving the educator an opportunity to revisit performance issues and track the progress of sections and/or individuals.

Name: Justin Ekstrom Date: Week 6

Class: Wind Ensemble Rehearsal in Sequence: 26-30

Objectives: Students will be able to play through each piece with no more than 2 falling apart moments (NS 2) Materials: Recording equipment (for teacher use and reflection) Activities and Concepts: Monday: Tone/intonation warmups Run Elegy for a Young American completely (while recording) Spend remaining time on any issues that require immediate attention Tuesday: Rehearse Elegy for a Young American o Any issues from previous recording that the educator detected Run Elegy for a Young American completely With remaining time, rehearse Aurora Awakes (mm. 197-216) Wednesday: Run Aurora Awakes (mm. 1-154) (while recording) Spend remaining time on any issues that require immediate attention Thursday: Rehearse Aurora Awakes o Any issues from previous recording that the educator detected Run Aurora Awakes (mm. 153-end) (while recording) Spend remaining time on any issues that require immediate attention Friday: Rehearse Aurora Awakes o Any issues from previous recording that the educator detected Run Aurora Awakes completely Assessment: Assessment this week will be informal, with the recordings giving the educator an opportunity to revisit performance issues and track the progress of sections and/or individuals.

Name: Justin Ekstrom Date: Week 7

Class: Wind Ensemble Rehearsal in Sequence: 31-35

Objectives: Students will be able to improvise melodies over an existing march accompaniment. (NS 3) Students will be able to create and record their own march melody based on their improvisations (NS 4) Materials: Manuscript paper Recording equipment Activities and Concepts: Monday: Run Pentland Hills o Address any immediate issues Return to Trio/Rowan Tree o Isolate accompaniment o Allow students to take turns improvising parts of a melody o At home, students will create a 16-bar melody to fit the accompaniment With remaining time, run Aurora Awakes as long as possible (until time runs out) Tuesday: Full performance of Aurora Awakes (while recording) o Address only major issues Rehearse Colorado Peaks (mm. 38-85) o Transitions between tempos o Density of scoring/confidence/timbre Wednesday: Rehearse Aurora Awakes o Any issues from previous recording that the educator detected o Section requests from ensemble With remaining time, rehearse Colorado Peaks (mm. 108-121) Thursday: Rehearse Elegy for a Young American o Spot check based on previous issues o Requests from ensemble Full performance of Elegy for a Young American With remaining time, rehearse Aurora Awakes (mm. 1-69)

Friday: March melody assignments due Rehearse Colorado Peaks (mm. 121-end) Full performance of Colorado Peaks Students volunteer to perform their march melody while the rest of the ensemble accompanies If not enough students volunteer and time remains, full performance of Pentland Hills o Revisit any areas that need work Assessment: Assessment this week will be based on the students abilities to compose within the harmonic guidelines of the march accompaniment.

Name: Justin Ekstrom Date: Week 8

Class: Wind Ensemble Rehearsal in Sequence: 36-40

Objectives: Students will be able to successfully perform the entire repertoire. (NS 2, 5) Students will be able to understand historical/cultural influences on music. (NS 8,9) Students will be able to describe how the aesthetic qualities of the repertoire have changed since week one. (NS 6) Materials: Written Assignment Two (Ex. 5) Activities and Concepts: Monday: Student requests for major problem areas in any piece Performance runs of Pentland Hills and Elegy for a Young American o Rehearse corrections Tuesday: Performance runs of Colorado Peaks and Aurora Awakes o Rehearse corrections Wednesday: Written Assignment Two assigned Concert etiquette rehearsal o Stage etiquette o Stage entrance/exit o Etc. Rehearse problem areas in Aurora Awakes Thursday: Full run of all repertoire o Take note of issues, address only major flaws Friday: Written Assignment Two due Rehearse small corrections Have a great concert Assessment: Students will be assessed on their concert performance, etiquette, and their final reflections will be taken into consideration for their aesthetic development and appreciation in comprehensive musicianship.

Example 1 Name: __________________ Wind Ensemble ____/____/________ Briefly reflect on your initial aesthetic responses to the following pieces. What did the music make you feel? Did you enjoy the piece? Discuss some general characteristics of the pieces in terms of style and mood. Pentland Hills:

Colorado Peaks:

Elegy for a Young American:

Aurora Awakes:

Elegy for a Young American Handout Program Note

Example 2

The Elegy For a Young American was written in 1964 and is dedicated to the memory of President John F. Kennedy. The many stages of mourning can be felt as the work unfolds. A quiet adagio sets a tone of respect and solemnity in the beginning. Feelings of shock and denial are reflected by the dynamics and octave jumps in the melody. Anger and remorse express themselves, building to an intense allegro section. The maestoso closing reminds us of the contributions of this great American and creates a sense of acceptance and final resolution. The Five Stages of Loss and Grief 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) Denial and Isolation Anger Bargaining Depression Acceptance

Reference Recording https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BI2N8g7ouYw (The Presidents Own) Listen to the above recording with your music and label where YOU think the composer portrays each of the five stages of grief.

Aurora Awakes Handout

Example 3

In Roman mythology, Aurora is the goddess of the dawn. Each morning, she announces the arrival of the sun. She appears in many literary classics. Two examples are given below. Excerpt from Virgils Aeneid:
Aurora now had left her saffron bed, And beams of early light the heav'ns o'erspread, When, from a tow'r, the queen, with wakeful eyes, Saw day point upward from the rosy skies.

Excerpt from Homers Iliad:

Now when Dawn in robe of saffron was hastening from the streams of Okeanos, to bring light to mortals and immortals, Thetis reached the ships with the armor that the god had given her. (19.1)

Application to Music Imagine the first rays of light creeping over the horizon. What techniques does Mackey use to convey the idea of Auroras nature? How does this affect your interpretation and performance of the piece from now on? Write a brief (~200 word) statement that reflects on the above content and answers the questions.

Playing Test Reflections

Example 4

With your music, review your playing test recordings. For each of the excerpts write a brief, but thoughtful response that addresses positives heard in the recording as well as TWO things you will improve for this weeks recording of the same section. Aurora Awakes: mm. 137-154:

Elegy: Rehearsal 9-10

Colorado Peaks: mm. 143 end

Example 5 Name: __________________ Wind Ensemble ____/____/________ Briefly reflect on your final aesthetic responses to the following pieces. What did the music make you feel? Did you enjoy the piece? How did this perception change from your first thoughts? Discuss some general characteristics of the pieces in terms of style and mood. Pentland Hills:

Colorado Peaks:

Elegy for a Young American:

Aurora Awakes: