Class: Grade 10-12 Date: March 12, 2021
Topic: Theory Subject: Choir
| Lesson Plan | 20 minutes warm ups, 20-30 minutes theory work |
| Content: Physical and vocal warm ups to prepare students for their 30 minutes of singing. Large group separated into two groups. Jana works with 3 advanced students: teach what a minor scale is, how to find a minor key, a minor key’s key signature. | |
| Outcomes and Indicators: Develop an understanding of the fundamentals of music theory and their application to structural elements of music. Extend knowledge of scale structures and how they apply to musical repertoire encountered. | |
| Assessment: Formative: Sit with small group of three students that already have understanding of major scales/ basic music theory. Hand out photocopied page 44, Minor Scales. | |
| Prerequisite Learning: Understanding of major scales and basic music notation. | |
| Lesson Preparation Equipment/Materials 3 photocopies of pages 41, 44 from The Complete Elementary Music Rudiments. Advanced Preparation Photocopies | |
| Presentation Set: (5-8 min) Have you ever heard the word ‘minor’ in reference to music before? Explain that minor is often associated with a “sad” sound. Development: (45 min) Technically, minor means that the 3rd, 6th, & 7th notes in a scale are altered. The 3rd note is (usually) always lowered a half semi-tone. The 7th note of the natural minor scale (third is still lowered a semi tone from the major scale) will be raised a half semi tone and this is called a harmonic minor scale. 7th note is raised for both the ascending and descending scale. Then there is a melodic minor scale in which both the 6th and 7th notes of the natural melodic scale are raised one half semi tone ascending but descending both 6th & 7th are lowered. How do we know what the key signature will be for a minor scale? Every major scale has a relative minor scale. The major scale along with its relative minor have the same key signature. The relative minor is three semitones lower than the tonic major. Closure: (20-25 min) | Classroom Management Strategies Allow students time to give their ideas and suggestions about minor sounds. Allow for a lot of practice time finding relative minors: I find it easiest to use a keyboard. |
Extensions:
May introduce more relative minors (there are 15 major scales and 45 minor scales) so lots of room for practice. See page 40, The Complete Elementary Music Rudiments
Adaptive Dimension:
If the concept is difficult, just focus on C M (Am)= no sharps/ flats.
F M, (Dm)= Bb
