Reply To: choir & 3 part lesson

[nafmeadmin]

For years I have used a 3-part lesson plan I learned from my choral teacher. It was simply: 1. Tell them what they will learn that day. (State objective0 2. Teach them. (Development part of the lesson) 3. Ask them what they have learned. (See if you met the objective). I made up my own fill in blank lesson plan pads and filled them in at the end of the day for the next day so I could keep continuity and not forget those things that needed to be continued. I also used the same idea for each song I introduced so I multiple objectives during one class period. The math and science areas have now been introducing a 3-part lesson plan idea that is this same concept but it works very well in the music classroom. You really need to prepare in advance so you have time to gather all the materials you need to teach your lessons. For example recordings or videos of choirs for good tone, art depicting periods and styles, instruments to demonstrate timbre, white boards for writing notes, staves of sight reading, research on the choral music text or story behind the song, material for overhead and much more. Then 1. Grab the students attention (connect your lesson to something the students enjoy or get them involved in a discussion about something relating to your lesson) This is your objective. 2. Teach the Material. (Change methods of delivery every 10 to 15 minutes. Keep all students involved.) 3. Closure or Evaluation (Review what you covered and evaluate what the students learned) Make notes so you can pick up instruction on a future day.

LeAnna Willmore, NAfME Choral Education Chair