LESSON PLANNING:

DEVELOPMENTAL HIERARCHY FOR VMRC

From O% to 100% in 10 Rehearsals of 6 Minutes:
One Suggested Sequence

Sept 6- Detwiler Auditorium: Rehearsal 0 – “Hook” and

introduction to the piece (tone set games, rote introduction,
and rote to note in the music.)

Sept 13-Strite Auditorium: Rehearsal 1 – Hook transferred into

music, map the piece and learn Section A – melody all

Sept 20-Strite Auditorium: Rehearsal 2 - Review Section A and

teach all harmonies, if time, repeat it in all the A sections that
are the same or slightly different throughout the piece.

Sept 27-Strite Auditorium, or Oct. 4-Detwiler Auditorium

Rehearsal 3&4 - B Sections - melody, harmony and text

Oct. 11-Strite Auditorium/ Oct. 18-Strite Auditorium:

Rehearsal 5 – Review B for corrections, link A and B Sections,
singing long chunks, review for meaning and expression.

Oct. 18-Strite Auditorium: Rehearsal 6 - What’s different or

new?! Sections C & D OR perfecting tone.

Oct. 25-Strite Auditorium: Rehearsal 7 - Review what’s

different (Sections C & D) or new and link to A and B
sections, if time, sing all the way through

Nov. 8-Strite Auditorium: Rehearsal 8 - Sing all the way

through, improving and perfecting tone, adding reminders
about meaning

Nov. 29-Strite Auditorium: Rehearsal 9 – “Buzzwords” to

deepen expression, tone, and sophistication
 Dec. 6-Detwiler Auditorium: Rehearsal 10 - Run Fix Run,
INSPIRE! (Any extra rehearsals? Digging deeper, working on
tone, breathing, meaning, expression, sophistication!)

VMRC Intergenerational Choir

Rehearsal Number 1: Schedule and General Lesson Plan:
Sept. 13, 2018 (50 x minutes = 30.9 min. = Golden Mean of the Class = Harder stuff before
this!)

1. REHEARSAL # 1: NAME______Alton______________________________________(6 minutes each!)

REHEARSAL THREADS: Learning the “hook” (melody) of the piece through tone set games,
rote introduction, and rote to note in the music.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES: Establishing clear pitch and beautiful tone, and tuning octaves.

Assessment Strategies:
Throughout this rehearsal I will engage in formal assessment by:

Throughout this rehearsal I will engage in informal assessment by:

Start Timings Activity or Piece Developmental Hierarchy Differentiations

Time Totals Level/Chunks, Plan and Sequence

Time: (:30/6:00) Activity 1: Chunk 1: Welcome and Goals

Welcome & Goals

Activity 1: DIRECT INSTRUCTION SCRIPT:

Chunk 1: Welcome and Goals

1s. Good Morning VMRC!

2v. Good Morning

1a. My rehearsal threads and goals for today to introduce the “hook” or the melody my song through
games, echos and transfers to the music itself . The goals and objectives of this lesson are to learn the
melody in a very clear way, establish clear pitch and beautiful tone.

TRANSITION WITH: 1d. Please echo me: (or just start singing!)

Time (1:00/1:30/6:00) Activity 2: Tone set Chunk 1: Tone Set Babble Patterns
echos: Melody and Chunk 2: Solfege (depending on time)
harmonies

Activity 2: DIRECT INSTRUCTION SCRIPT:

Chunk 1: Tone Set Babble Patterns (You can do about 10 in a minute!)

1a. Babble #1 sol do re mi do (on nu)
2v. Choir echos
1a. Repeat Babble #1 Wind it forward:
2v. Choir echos -Pace this quickly,
trick them!
1a. Babble #2 sol la fa re so mi
2v. Choir echos Wind it back:
1a. Repeat Babble #2 -Go more slowly
2v. Choir echos
Wind it back:
1a. Babble #3 mi re do ti -Wait 4 seconds
2v. Choir echos between each
1a. Repeat Babble #3 pattern to let their
2v. Choir echos brains rest.

1a. Babble #4 do la sol do ti do

2v. Choir echos
1a. Repeat Babble #4
2v. Choir echos
Etc……. for as many patterns as you choose!

Chunk 2: Tone Set Solfege Patterns

Repeat all your patterns above on solfege in the same order using hand signs
Repeat all your patterns above on solfege in a different order using hand signs!

3sra. Wonderful job! You have sung the main tone sets in the melody, and even most of the
harmony!

TRANSITION WITH: 3sra. Great job! Let’s now move to (or sing or echo into the next Activity!)

Time: (2:30/4:00/6:00) Activity 3: Melody in Chunk 1: Phrase 1

solfege Chunk 2: Phrase 2
Chunk 3: Phrase 3
Chunk 4: Phrase 4

Activity 3: DIRECT INSTRUCTION SCRIPT:

Chunk 1: Phrase 1
1a. Sing and sign the first phrase sol sol do do re re mi do Wind it back: If
2v. Choir echos your solfege is
1a. Repeat Sing and sign the first phrase difficult, or if you
2v. Choir echos note that they are
not remembering it
Chunk 2: Phrase 2 as you make the
1a. Sing and sign the second phrase sol sol la fa re sol mi patterns longer,
2v. Choir echos switch to you
1a. Repeat Sing and sign the second phrase singing it on
2v. Choir echos solfege and they
echo on a neutral
Chunk 3: Phrase 1 + 2 syllable.
1a. Sing and sign the first and second phrases together sol sol do do re re mi do sol sol la fa re sol mi
2v. Choir echos
1a. Sing and sign the first and second phrases together
2v. Choir echos

Chunk 4: Phrase 3 Wind it forward:

1a. Sing and sign the third phrase mi mi re mi do re do ti If they guess the
2v. Choir echos song, you sing it on
1a. Repeat Sing and sign the first phrase solfege and let
2v. Choir echos them echo on text!

Chunk 5: Phrase 4
1a. Sing and sign the fourth phrase do la sol do do ti do
2v. Choir echos
1a. Repeat Sing and sign the fourth phrase
2v. Choir echos

Chunk 6: Phrase 5
1a. Sing and sign the third and fourth phrases together mi mi re mi do re do ti do la sol do do ti do
2v. Choir echos
1a. Sing and sign the third and fourth phrases together
2v. Choir echos

3sra. WOW! You did so well on all those echos and tonal memory exercises!

TRANSITION WITH:

1a. What song is this?!

2v. Choir answers!
1a. Exactly!
1d. Please open your booklet to page…

Time: (1:30/5:30/6:00) Activity 4: Read and Chunk 1: Melody on neutral syllable

singing the melody Chunk 2: Melody on text

Activity 4: DIRECT INSTRUCTION SCRIPT: Wind it forward:

Chunk 1: Melody on neutral syllable Wind it back:

1d. Please sing the melody in your own octave on the neutral syllable nu with me, while Tonya
accompanies us. Please keep a gorgeous tone and great breath support!
2v. Choir performs
3nsra. Great!

Chunk 2: Melody on text Wind it forward:

1d. Echo me: (chant the text!)
1a. (echo any danger words that you want to be sure the pronounce correctly from the start!) Teach a harmony
2v. Choir echos part?!

1d. Please sing the melody in your own octave on text, while Tonya accompanies us. Please keep a
gorgeous tone and great breath support!

3sra. Well done! I heard great tuning and great tone on this piece! Wind it back:
TRANSITION WITH: Great work! Let’s summarize our learning for today!

Time: (:30/6:00/6:00) Activity 5: Chunk 1: Reviewing rehearsal threads

Learning Summary and goals
Chunk 2: Transfer

Activity 5: DIRECT INSTRUCTION SCRIPT:

Chunk 1: Reviewing rehearsal threads and goals

1a. My rehearsal threads and goals for today were introduce the “hook” or the melody my song
Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus through games, echos and transfers to the music itself.

We very clearly met those goals, as we did great work on our tone set work, and then
transferred into reviewing the melody aurally and THEN we read the music!

You heard the great tuning we were achieving through all the octave work, and the clear
pitch and developing tone quality.

Chunk 2: Transfer and continuation

1a/1d. Let’s transfer all of this great learning to our next conductor’s work and to next week!

POST CLASS: Meet the choir members, help clean up folders and name tags!