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Derry Township HIgh School

Mr. Jonathan Pinkerton, Cooperating Teacher

While at Hershey High School,  I had the opportunity to conduct both the Wind Symphony and the Symphonic Band,  leading rehearsals, sectionals, and conducting multiple pieces over the span of two concerts.  I also had the opportunity to conduct, play and solo with the jazz band and play with the Pit Orchestra of the musical during my  time.  Furthermore, I co-taught an AP Music Theory class with Mr. Pinkerton. 

My unit plan was based on the piece "An American in Paris" by George Gershwin.  I worked with the Wind Symphony to refine this piece for the Spring concert on May 16, 2018.

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  • GOALS for this unit:

    1. Approach the performance of “An American in Paris” by George Gershwin in a technical, cognitive, and artistic perspective.

    2. Formulate thoughts about the piece and performances of the piece into words and paragraphs.  

    3. Prepare the ensemble for the upcoming concert on May 16, 2018

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  • SWBAT objectives/ behaviors that will result from these goals:

    1. Play his or her part to “An American in Paris” with rhythmic and tonal accuracy

    2. Play his or her part to “An American in Paris” with appropriate expressiveness

    3. Understand and play common modes

    4. Understand and play all major and minor scales

    5. Develop listening skills to alter the blend and balance of the sensemble

    6. Analyze the different sections of music and decipher what the composer wanted in every section.

    7. Contrast styles of the piece

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  • Techniques/ Strategies developed and used to help students accomplish the GOALS

    1. Incorporate aural, visual, and kinesthetic learning styles in rehearsal

    2. Develop writing assignments for students to further analyze the piece

      • Students will critique/ compare performances

      • Students will analyze sections of the piece

      • Students will explore orchestration of the piece

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  • Assessment tools/ methods

    1. Students will choose two out of three prompts given to write a paragraph about and further explore the piece

    2. Informal audio assessments will take place during every rehearsal

      • Playing Modes

      • Intonation

      • Singing chords

    3. Students attend one lesson per cycle.   Students will be informally assessed during these lessons

    4. The performance of this piece in the concert will serve as the final assessment

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  • Role of Cooperating Teacher

    1. Provide feedback on rehearsal techniques and ideas

    2. Provide a second opinion on appropriate and effective assessment techniques

    3. Offer other different and creative ways to teach to my goals in my unit

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  • Standards:

          1. PA Arts Standards: 9.1.12.A, 9.1.12.B, 9.1.12.C, 9.1.12.D, 9.1.12.F,         

              9.1.12.G, 9.2.12.A, 9.2.12.G, 9.4.12.A

          2. National Standards: MU:Pr4.1.E.IIIa, MU:Pr4.2.E.IIIa, MU:Pr4.3.E.IIIa,                    MU:Pr5.3.E.IIIa, MU:Re7.2.E.IIIa, MU:Re8.1.E.IIa, MU:Cn10.0.H.IIIa

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  • Assessment Strategies​

           1. Written Assignments:  Students wrote two paragraphs about the piece                   "An American in Paris" by George Gershwin.  These paragraphs were                   on topics including analysis of sections of the piece, comparing and                       contrasting performances of the piece, and transcribing the piece. 

           2. Students were assessed aurally at the beginning of each period.  There                 is evidence of this in the videos.  The students were assessed  on 

               singing chords,  playing different major and minor scales, as well as       

               playing different modes.  The students were also assessed on     

               intonation.  

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  • Self Reflection

I learned a lot by creating this unit for the Wind Symphony.  I was given a lot of freedom when planning and leading rehearsals and assessing the students for this concert.  It was a great experience to program the concert for both the wind symphony and concert band and see it all come together during my time at Hershey.  I was very surprised by the technical and musical level of these students.  They definitely pushed me to challenge them, which was very rewarding for both parties.  The most difficult part of this unit for me was conducting this piece.  There are so many different sections, which all have a different tempo and feel to them.  I struggled to show this difference in my conducting.  I pushed the students to analyze the music further than just the notes they are playing on the page.  We watched and listened to different versions of this piece and compared them to our own playing.  I also challenged the students to dissect the music's different parts and understand why Gershwin wrote these parts the way that he did.  Overall, I feel that this unit ran very smoothly.  I learned a lot by creating it, and I pushed the students to become better musicians and lifelong music lovers. 

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