Alexander Finney

High School
The Effective Music Reader
10 Days

1
 Table of Contents

Purpose of the Unit………………………………………………………………………………..3

Specific Skill Objectives keyed to the academic standards and indicators……………………….4

Vocabulary………………………………………………………………………………………...6

Timeline…………………………………………………………………………………………...7

Resources………………………………………………………………………………………….8

Letter to Parents………………………………………………………………………………….25

Student Project and Rubric…………………………………………………………………...….26

Technology………………………………………………………………………………………27

Detailed Lesson Plans……………………………………………………………………………28

Differentiation and/or Accommodations………………………………………………………...38

Authentic Real-life Applications………………………………………………………………...39

Pre-Test, Post-Test, and Project Results…………………………………………………………40

Narrative Statements and Reflection Questions…………………………………………………41

2
Purpose of the Unit:

The purpose of The Effective Music Reader is to show the students the knowledge they

need in order to be able to read music on their own, effectively. A lot of students develop bad

singing habits because they are not taught how to practice effectively as well. This directly

relates because students will sing out of key regularly because they do not know how to find

what key signature they should be in. Students also struggle to read music when they are first

learning a new piece because the information has not been taught to them regularly, which is a

failure to repeat information, such as that based on the direct instruction cycle. With constant

reminder, and information presented to the students they will then be able to look at a simple

piece of music, and will be able to read it, find and identify the key signature, find and identify

the time signature, locate the starting note on a piano, and set up the key that they are to sing in.

These skills put together identify one as an effective music reader.

3
Specific Skill Objectives keyed to the academic standards and indicators:

Content Objective: The students will be able to look at a piece of music and identify the major
key hey are in.

IN State Standard: Anchor Standard 4: Listen and Respond to a varied repertoire by audiating
music.

LR.4.B.1: Audiate and speak or sing music written in the clef appropriate for their
own voice/instrument and in major keys, and simple or compound meter
using gesture and/or traditional music notation.

Interdisciplinary and Curricular Connections: This standard addresses the ability for a
student to look at music and be able to look at the key signature, or notes in a scale, and identify
the major key that the music is written in.

How this objective will be assessed: This objective will be assessed by means of the post-test,
and student project by writing key signatures and identifying key signatures that are already
written.

Content Objective: The students will be able to look at a piece of music and identify the time
signature they are using.

IN State Standard: Anchor Standard 4: Listen and Respond to a varied repertoire by audiating
music.

LR.4.B.1: Audiate and speak or sing music written in the clef appropriate for their
own voice/instrument and in major keys, and simple or compound meter
using gesture and/or traditional music notation.

Interdisciplinary and Curricular Connections: This standard addresses the ability for a
student to look at music and be able to look at the time signature and explain what that time
signature means, and/or look any measure of music and identify the time signature by grouping
into beats, and identifying the beat, and how many beats are present in a measure.

How this objective will be assessed: This objective will be assessed by means of the post-test
and student project by naming a time signature with a measure already given, or by grouping
notes into beats and counting the beats to identify a time signature.

4
Content Objective: The students will be able to identify a pitch in music and play it on the
piano as a starting note.

IN State Standard: Anchor Standard 8: Perform a varied repertoire of music by playing

instruments, alone and with others, from rote, memory, and written notation.

P.8.B.2: Demonstrate, using music reading skills where appropriate, how

knowledge of formal aspects in musical works inform prepared or
improvised performances.

Interdisciplinary and Curricular Connections: This objective reaches past the choral
classroom and into the band classroom just by a little bit. This allows a choral student to enter
into the world of instrumental music, albeit at a very basic level, it does encourage students to
learn more about instrumental music. It also helps the student in rehearsal practice within the
choral classroom because they can actually practice singing a capella in the correct key.

How this objective will be assessed: This objective will be assessed by means of the student
project where students will discover what their starting note is for the sight-singing exercise and
then will play this note on the piano.

Content Objective: The students will be able to identify any pitch on either a treble clef, or bass
clef between E2-B5.

IN State Standard: Anchor Standard 5: Listen and respond to a varied repertoire of music by
describing, interpreting, analyzing, and evaluating music and its elemental components.

LR.6.B.1: Express differences in musical sounds that are higher or lower, faster or
slower, louder or softer, and demonstrate them through movement, body
percussion, and/or conducting.

Interdisciplinary and Curricular Connections: This is the foundation in which students will
be able to read music, and truthfully know what it means. Without knowing what these notes are
the students can only follow the contour of the music.

How this objective will be assessed: This objective will primarily be assessed by means of the
post-test where the students were asked to label notes on a staff, and identify notes that go above,
and below the staff on leger lines.

5
Vocabulary:

Key Signature: Any of several combinations of sharps or flats after the clef at the beginning of
each stave, indicating the key of a composition.

Time Signature: An indication of rhythm following a clef, generally expressed as a fraction

with the denominator defining the beat as a division of a whole note and the numerator
giving the number of beats in each bar.

Clef: A musical symbol used to indicate the pitch of written notes. Placed on a stave, it indicates
the name and pitch of the notes on one of the lines.

Treble Clef: A clef that is often used to show notes that belong to the upper voices.

Bass Clef: A clef that is often used to show notes that belong to the lower voices.

Ledger Line: A short line added for notes above or below the range of a staff.

Diatonic: Only notes that “naturally” belong in a key signature appear in the exercise.

Accidental: An alteration to a written note in the score that takes the note outside of the original
key.

Tempo: The marking that tells the performer at what speed he/she should perform the music.

6
Timeline:

Pre-Test: Assess student’s knowledge before any lessons.

Day 1: Teach: Note Names on Staff and Keyboard

Day 2: Teach: order of flats/sharps, ledger lines

Review: Note Names

Day 3: Teach: beginning of key signatures

Review: order of flats/sharps,

Day 4: Teach: key signatures, what diatonic means

Review: beginning of key signatures

Day 5: Review: Note Names, order of flats/sharps, and key signatures

Day 6: Teach: Time Signature, and meter identification

Review: key signatures

Day 7: Teach: combination of key signature, time signature, and clefs

Review: Time signature and meter ID,

Day 8: Review: key signatures, Note Names, ledger lines, order of flats/sharps

Day 9: Review: everything

Day 10: Student Project Day

Post-Test: Assess student’s knowledge after lessons have been given.

LAMP Objectives:
SWBAT: look at a piece of music and identify the key they are in
SWBAT: look at a piece of music and identify the time signature they are using
SWBAT: identify a pitch in music and play it on the piano as a starting note
SWBAT: identify any pitch on either a treble clef, or bass clef between E2-B5

7
Student Resources:

Supplemental Worksheet Packet (Created, and compiled by Alexander Finney)

1. Draw 2. Draw 3. Draw 4. Draw

a dot a loop the loop two dots,
on the up to down one above
fourth the top just past and below
line line the 2nd the fourth
Order of Flats: Father Charles Goes Down And Ends Battle line line
Order of Sharps: Battle Ends And Down Goes Charles’ Father

Key Signature: Last flat is fa, last sharp is ti, no flats no sharps means do is C.
Second to last flat is do. Last sharp is leading tone (go up half-step to do).

Time Signature:
Simple meter- top number = how many beats, bottom number = beat
Compound meter- top number = how many divisions of beat, bottom number = division

8
1. Please practice drawing each clef 6 more times each.

2. Please label each note underneath the note head with the correct letter name.

3. Please write out the mnemonic device for the order of flats/sharps.

F__________ C__________ G__________ D__________

A__________ E__________ B__________

B__________ E__________ A__________ D__________

G__________ C__________ F__________

4. Please draw the note (quarter notes) and write out the letter names on the lines and spaces
then fill out mnemonic devices underneath.

Treble Clef:
Spaces: __________ __________ __________ __________
Lines: __________ __________ __________ __________ __________

Bass Clef:
Spaces: __________ __________ __________ __________
Lines: __________ __________ __________ __________ __________

9
5. Please practice drawing each clef 6 more times each.

6. Please label each note underneath the note head with the correct letter name.

7. Please write a treble clef on the top staff, and a bass clef on the bottom staff, then please
write the order of sharps on both staves and write the order of flats after that on both
staves.

10
8. Please write a treble clef on the top staff, and a bass clef on the bottom staff, then please
write the order of sharps on both staves and write the order of flats after that on both
staves.

Last flat is Fa, Last sharp is Ti, No flats no sharps means do is C.

9. Please write the major, and relative minor key signature in blank underneath each
example.

11
10. Underneath each note please label each note with the correct letter name.

11. Please write in each key signature as labeled below each empty staff.

G Major/E minor E Major/C# minor Bb Major/G Minor C# Major/A# minor

Eb Major/C minor F# Major/D# minor F Major/D minor B Major/G # minor

Ab Major/F Minor Cb Major/Ab minor A Major/F# minor Gb Major/Eb minor

D Major/B minor C Major/A minor Db Major/Bb minor

12
12. Please write a treble clef on the top staff, and a bass clef on the bottom staff, then please write
the order of sharps on both staves and write the order of flats after that on both staves.

13. Underneath each note please label each note with the correct letter name.

14. Please write in each key signature as labeled below each empty staff.

G Major/E E Major/C# Bb Major/G C# Major/A#

minor minor Minor minor

Eb Major/C F# Major/D# F Major/D B Major/G #

minor minor minor minor

Ab Major/F Cb Major/Ab A Major/F# Gb Major/Eb

Minor minor minor minor

D Major/B C Major/A Db Major/Bb

minor minor minor

13
 15. Please write a treble clef on the top staff, and a bass clef on the bottom staff, then please write
the order of sharps on both staves and write the order of flats after that on both staves.

16. Please practice performing these measures on Takadimi.

Beat

Division of the beat

Beat

Division of the beat

17. Please write your answer in the blank after identifying the time signature needed to make each of
these examples below one complete measure.

14
18. Please draw in a treble and bass clef on the appropriate stave, then the time signature, and key
signature labeled below.

G major/E minor Eb Major/C minor Ab Major/F minor

3 quarter notes 2 dotted quarter 3 dotted quarter
notes notes

D Major/B minor F Major/D minor Db Major/Bb

4 quarter notes 3 quarter notes minor
4 dotted quarter
notes

Bb Major/G minor B Major/G# minor Eb Major/C minor

2 quarter notes 4 quarter notes 2 dotted quarter
notes

F# Major/D# minor A Major/F# minor C Major/A minor

3 quarter notes 3 dotted quarter 2 quarter notes
notes

Gb Major/Eb minor E Major/C# minor C# Major/A# minor

2 quarter notes 4 dotted quarter 3 quarter notes
notes

15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
Student and Teacher Resources:

Cazaubon, Mantius. “The Grand Staff: Treble and Bass Staves and Piano Keyboard.” Piano,

www.piano-keyboard-guide.com/grand-staff.html.

Cazaubon , Mantius. “The Bass Clef.” Piano, www.piano-keyboard-guide.com/bass-clef.html.

Ester, Don P. Sound Connections Resource Binder.

“Music Notation Made Simple Part 1.” Distrito Musikero,

musiciansdistrict.blogspot.com/2011/11/music-notation-made-simple.html.

24
Letter to Parents:
Dear students and guardians,

Starting next week, we will be starting a mini-unit lasting the next two weeks where we

will learn what it means to be an effective music reader. We will be learning things like: what

key signatures are, where the notes are on various staves and the keyboard, what time signatures

mean, and how to put that all together to be able to read music as effective as possible to name a

few.

In order for this unit to be successful it is expected that you spend time at home practicing

these skills as well. The expectation is not that you spend several hours each night practicing, but

as much time as it takes you to be effective. This will differ from student to student, but in

general this will be approximately 15 minutes each night. This time may be spent completing a

worksheet, singing, or reviewing material from the day’s lesson. The time spent outside of class

is crucial to becoming a better musician, and although many times is not considered mandatory,

it will be obvious if that time is being used wisely, or not.

I encourage you to spend time reviewing the lesson, completing assignments, coming to

class the next day prepared with any questions you have, and ready to continue learning. These

will be ten days filled with a lot of content very quickly, but they will also be ten very fun, and

invigorating days of learning answering the questions about what you need to know in order to

be the best music reader you can be!

Yours in song,

Mr. Alexander Finney

25
Student Project and Rubric:

The goal of this student project is to allow the students to exemplify the skills learned through
The Effective Music Reader project by actualizing a sight-singing melody. This allows another
mode of assessment and requires the students to be more self-reliant on the skills and content
they learned in the 10 days of LAMP.

Name:____________________________ Score__________/50
Students will sing one of two sight singing examples working to master the requirements below.
***if all basics are achieved the minimum grade will be a 75% regardless of how the numbers
add up***

Unsatisfactory Basic Proficient Distinguished

(0-6) (7) (8-9) (10)
Accuracy of The student The student The student The student
Notes/Solfege rarely sings mostly sings frequently sings always sings
Accuracy pitches pitches pitches pitches
accurately, in accurately, in accurately, in accurately, in
tune, or with tune, and with tune, and with tune, and with
correct solfege. correct solfege. correct solfege. correct solfege.
Accuracy of The student The student The student The student
Rhythms/Steady rarely sings mostly sings frequently sings always sings
Beat rhythms rhythms rhythms rhythms
accurately, or accurately, and accurately, and accurately, and
with a steady with a steady with a steady with a steady
beat. beat. beat. beat.
Identification of The student does The student The student The student
Key Signature not understand somewhat mostly definitely
anything about understands the understands the understands the
the key signature. key signature. key signature. key signature.
Identification of The student does The student The student The student
Time Signature not understand somewhat mostly definitely
anything about understands the understands the understands the
the time time signature. time signature. time signature.
signature.
Identification of The student does The student knew The student knew The student knew
starting note on not know what the starting note the starting note the starting note
piano the starting note and could play it and could play it and could play it
is and could not on the piano. on the piano and and the major
play it on the sing the major triad on the
piano. triad. piano, they could
also sing the
major triad.

26
Technology:

I used my iPad as a means to show a virtual keyboard on when standing away from the

piano for the students to play their starting note on when practicing for the final student project.

The implementation of technology in this project was limited because the students do not have

individual access (one to one) to technology in order for me to successfully plan for the

implementation of technology.

27
Detailed Lesson Plans:
Lesson Plan LAMP Day 1

Behavioral Objective(s) with correlated national standards indicated:

At the conclusion of this lesson students will be able to:

 Name the note names on the treble clef (LR.4.B.1)
 Name the note names on the bass clef (LR.4.B.1)
 Name the note names for one octave on a piano (LR.4.B.1)

Materials:
 Supplemental worksheet

Procedures:

1. Hand out worksheet for students to view alongside instruction

2. Instruct students on how to draw a treble clef by drawing on the board
a. Have students practice on scrap piece of paper/on the white board
3. Instruct students on how to draw a bass clef by drawing on the board
a. Have students practice on scrap piece of paper/on the white board
4. Teach mnemonic device for line notes (treble clef) by drawing on board
a. Every Good Boy Does Fine
5. Teach mnemonic device for space notes (treble clef) by drawing on board
a. FACE
6. Teach mnemonic device for line notes (bass clef) by drawing on board
a. Good Boys Do Fine Always
7. Teach mnemonic device for space notes (bass clef) by drawing on board
a. All Cows Eat Grass
8. ***Ask for any other mnemonic devices that help students learn throughout***

Assignment:
#1-4 on worksheet

28
Lesson Plan LAMP Day 2

Behavioral Objective(s) with correlated national standards indicated:

At the conclusion of this lesson students will be able to:

 List the order of flats on a staff and draw them (LR.5.B.3)
 List the order of sharps on a staff and draw them (LR.5.B.3)
 Recognize what a ledger line is and identify the notes on them between E2-B5 (LR.4.B.1)

Content to Review:
 Name the note names on the treble clef (LR.4.B.1)
 Name the note names on the bass clef (LR.4.B.1)
 Name the note names for one octave on a piano (LR.4.B.1)

Materials:
 Supplemental worksheet 2

Procedures:
1. Pass out supplemental worksheet 2
2. Review mnemonic devices for treble clef by writing on the board
a. Have students take turns drawing on the board
3. Review mnemonic devices for bass clef by writing on the board
a. Have students take turns drawing on the board
4. Teach order of flats with location on staff
a. Battle Ends And Down Goes Charles’ Father
b. BEAD GCF
5. Teach order of sharps with location on staff
a. Father Charles Goes Down And Ends Battle
6. Practice writing order of flats/sharps on staff (on the board)
a. Have students take turns drawing on the board
7. Write words on board using note names from staff have kids spell out the words.

Assignments: #5-7

29
Lesson Plan LAMP Day 3

Behavioral Objective(s) with correlated national standards indicated:

At the conclusion of this lesson students will be able to:

 Begin to recognize key signatures
 Begin to understand how to write key signatures

Content to Review:
 Treble/Bass Clef (LR.4.B.1)
 List the order of flats on a staff and draw them (LR.5.B.3)
 List the order of sharps on a staff and draw them (LR.5.B.3)
 Recognize what a ledger line is and identify the notes on them between E2-B5 (LR.5.B.3)

Materials:
 Supplemental worksheet

Procedures:
1. Teach Major Key signatures
a. Last sharp is ti,
Last flat is fa,
No flats no sharps means Do is C
i. Have students repeat rhyme vocally
b. Second to last flat is Do in flat keys
c. Last sharp is leading tone in sharp keys
2. Teach Relative Minor Key signatures
a. Whatever the major key signature is, the relative minor key signature is whatever
letter name “la” is.
b. Give examples: G Major/E minor etc., by counting down from do to la
3. Practice writing Key signatures using order of flats/sharps
a. Give student example and allow them to write it out on the board
i. Do you agree or disagree with the answer?

Assignments: #8-9

30
Lesson Plan LAMP Day 4

Behavioral Objective(s) with correlated national standards indicated:

At the conclusion of this lesson students will be able to:

 Recognize key signatures (LR.5.B.3)
 Understand how to write key signatures (LR.5.B.3)
 Understand what diatonic is (LR.5.B.3)

Content to Review:
 Begin to recognize key signatures (LR.5.B.3)
 Being to understand how to write key signatures (LR.5.B.3)

Materials: Supplemental Worksheet

Procedures:
1. Review mnemonic device for flats sharps
a. Does anyone remember the mnemonic device for sharps?
b. Does anyone remember the mnemonic device for flats?
i. Father Charles Goes Down And Ends Battle/Battle Ends And Down Goes
Charles’ Father
2. Will ________ come write down all of the sharps in order on the treble clef?
3. Will ________ come write down all of the sharps in order on the bass clef?
4. Will ________ come write down all of the flats in order on the treble clef?
5. Will ________ come write down all of the flats in order on the bass clef?
6. Practice recognizing key signatures on the board
a. Give each student an example, and ask them to identify the key written
7. Practice writing key signatures board
a. Give each student an example and ask them to write it on the grand staff provided.

Assignment: #10-11

31
Lesson Plan LAMP Day 5

Behavioral Objective(s) with correlated national standards indicated:

At the conclusion of this lesson students will be able to:

 Identify notes between E2-B5 (LR.4.B.1)
 Order the flats on a staff (LR.5.B.3)
 Order the sharps on a staff (LR.5.B.3)
 Identify key signatures (LR.5.B.3)
 Write key signatures (LR.5.B.3)

Materials: Supplemental worksheet

Procedures:
1. Ask students to write down order of flats/sharps on top of scrap piece of paper w/
mnemonic device if necessary
2. Take example from Level 2 major and simple/compound Sound Connections Find Do
a. Choose clef
b. Take turns with students (down the row) telling me the note name to write onto
the board.
c. Choose key signature
d. Choose time signature
e. Fill them in on the board in the correct order
f. Find the starting note on the piano
g. Everyone sings the exercise
h. Repeat so each student has a chance to identify- Do, clef, key signature, time
signature
a. Review order of flats/sharps as needed
3. Ask for questions to review on topics
a. Review with students as needed at end of lesson

Assignment: #12-14

32
Lesson Plan LAMP Day 6

Behavioral Objective(s) with correlated national standards indicated:

At the conclusion of this lesson students will be able to:

 Identify time signatures (LR.5.B.3)
 Write time signatures (LR.5.B.3)

Content to Review:
 Identify key signatures (LR.5.B.3)
 Write key signatures (LR.5.B.3)

Materials: Supplemental Worksheet

Procedures:
1. Write a key signature on the board, and have students take turns identifying the key
signature.
2. Have students write a key signature on the board (their choice), and have the students
take turns identifying the key signature.
3. Write up rhythms on the board separated into measures.
a. What is the beat?
b. How many beats are in a measure?
c. Write Time signature
4. Have individual students come up to the board to identify what time signature the
example given is in.
5. Have students write up a measure and ask the other students to identify the time signature
the example is. If there is a mistake, ask students to aid in fixing the measure.

Assignment: #15-17

33
Lesson Plan LAMP Day 7

Behavioral Objective(s) with correlated national standards indicated:

At the conclusion of this lesson students will be able to:

 Set up a staff with key signatures, time signatures, and clefs (LR.5.B.3)
 Sight sing level 2 Sound Connections examples in major, and simple/compound meter
(LR.4.B.2)

Content to Review:
 Identify time signatures (LR.5.B.3)
 Write time signatures (LR.5.B.3)

Materials:

Procedures:

1. Teach order of setting up a staff

a. Clef, Key signature, Time signature
2. Have students give suggestions for clef, key signature, and time signature- I will
complete a few exercises to show students
i. Practice writing examples given by revisiting Level 2 Major simple/compound
examples from Sound Connections Find Do
j. Choose clef
k. Take turns with students (down the row)telling me the note name to write onto the
board.
l. Choose key signature
m. Choose time signature
n. Fill them in on the board in the correct order
o. Find the starting note on the piano
p. Sing the exercise
q. Repeat so each student has a chance to identify- Do, clef, key signature, time
signature
3. Complete 2-3 examples together as a class.
a. Take turns allowing the students to do this on the board while the other students
check for accuracy.

Assignment: #18

34
Lesson Plan LAMP Day 8

Behavioral Objective(s) with correlated national standards indicated:

At the conclusion of this lesson students will be able to:

 Better understand key signatures (LR.5.B.3)
 Identify notes between E2-B5 quickly (LR.5.B.3)
 Write the order of flats on the staff (LR.5.B.3)
 Write the order of sharps on the staff (LR.5.B.3)
 Set up a staff in any time signature, and any key signature (LR.5.B.3)
 Sight sing level 2 Sound Connections examples in major, and simple/compound meter
(LR.4.B.2)

Materials: Sound Connections Resource Binder

Procedures:
2. Have students direct me in writing order of flats/sharps on the board.
3. Choose example from Sound Connections level 2 major simple/compound.
a. Find Do
b. Choose clef
c. Take turns with students (down the row)telling me the note name to write onto the
board.
d. Choose key signature
e. Choose time signature
f. Fill them in on the board in the correct order
g. Find the starting note on the piano
h. Sing the exercise
i. Repeat so each student has a chance to identify- Do, clef, key signature, time
signature

35
Lesson Plan LAMP Day 9

Behavioral Objective(s) with correlated national standards indicated:

At the conclusion of this lesson students will be able to:

 Be an effective music reader (P.7.B.1), (P.7.B.2)

Materials: Sound Connections Resource Binder

Procedures:
1. Go through level 3 major simple/compound sight reading exercises
a. Find Do
b. Choose clef
c. Take turns with students (down the row) telling me the note name to write onto
the board.
d. Choose key signature
e. Choose time signature
f. Fill them in on the board in the correct order
g. Find the starting note on the piano
h. Sing the exercise
i. Repeat so each student has a chance to identify- Do, clef, key signature, time
signature

36
Lesson Plan LAMP Day 10

Behavioral Objective(s) with correlated national standards indicated:

At the conclusion of this lesson students will be able to:

Be a successful music reader individually (P.7.B.1), (P.7.B.2)

Materials: Sound Connections Resource Binder

Procedures:
1. Go through level 3 major simple/compound sight reading exercises (Individual Student
Assessment of Effective Music Reading)
a. Find Do
b. Choose clef
c. Tell me the note name to write onto the board.
d. Choose key signature
e. Choose time signature
f. Fill them in on the board in the correct order
g. Find the starting note on the piano
h. Sing the exercise

37
Differentiation and/or Accommodations:

In the class that I presented my LAMP project to did not have any students with IEPs, or

504 plans that I personally have access to (I actually do not have access to any of the IEP or 504

plans, but I am allowed to know of certain disabilities), but there were no major accommodations

that I was able to make to the teaching. For the three students that I knew would struggle with the

project, and testing were given a few of the easier sight singing examples or were given the

slightest nudge in the correct direction for answering a question on the project. This information

was available to every student, but the rest of the students did not need that information in order

to be successful. I still did not give the students the answer at all, but I just directed them to go to

the correct direction.

There were a few students that were excelling in the learning during the LAMP module,

and I allowed those students to assist some of the other students during the learning process. I

kept a close eye on the students that are assisting the other students to make sure that they are

presenting accurate information to the other students. Allowing these students to take a

leadership position, and to teach this information allowed them to take their knowledge one step

farther. This allowed the students to reach higher order thinking skills in order to re-teach, or

further educate the other students.

38
Authentic Real-life Applications:

The goal of teaching these skills to the students was simple: these are foundational skills

to become an effective music reader. In order to be musically literate, and efficient at reading

music the students must know this knowledge at a basic level and advance from there. Due to the

system that is in place for these students learning this basic knowledge has not been a priority in

their music education. Taking this knowledge, and then being able to use it when a new score is

being handed out for the first time will drastically change the way these students learn new

music. Being able to understand the key signature, and time signature in conjunction with the

Sound Connections sight-singing approach will allow learning repertoire to come much more

naturally to the students, and at a quicker rate as well. The music learning section of the

repertoire rehearsal will be much shorter and will allow for the students to delve deeper into

performance practice, historical background, interpretation, and will allow higher order thinking

skills to develop due to the time that will be opening up due to the lack of rote teaching required.

39
Pre-Test/Post-Test:

STUDENT TEST RESULTES

Pre-Test Score Post-Test Score Project Score

95%

94%
93%
91%
90%

85%
83%
81%
66%

66%
65%
63%
47%

44%
44%

44%
40%
37%

37%

32%
32%
30%

30%
28%

26%
24%
23%
6%
0
0

STUDENT STUDENT STUDENT STUDENT STUDENT STUDENT STUDENT STUDENT STUDENT AVERAGE
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 STUDENT

40
Narrative Statements and Reflection Questions:

1. Unit Narratives
a. List of content standards addressed in the unit
a. The students will be able to look at a piece of music and identify the key they are
in.
b. The students will be able to look at a piece of music and identify the time
signature they are using.
c. The students will be able to identify a pitch in music and play it on the piano as a
starting note.
d. The students will be able to identify any pitch on either a treble clef, or bass clef
between E2-B5.

b. List of ancillary standards addressed in the unit

a. The students will be able to write key signatures correctly on a staff.
b. The students will be able to write time signatures correctly on a staff.
c. The students will be able to correctly write notes between an eighth note, and a
whole note on the staff with appropriate stem directions.
d. The students will be able to identify the parts of a staff and put them in the correct
order.
e. The students will be able to identify the difference between simple and compound
meters.
f. The students will be able to list the order of flats, and sharps by means of the
circle of fifths.
c. Brief narrative addressing how you accommodated students of different abilities
a. While the overall expectations remained the same for all of the students, I adopted
Ball State University’s rubric grading system using: unsatisfactory, basic,
proficient, and distinguished. This allowed for all of the students to pass while
meeting the minimum requirements, or by achieving basic, and it gave more in
depth/difficult requirements in order to achieve a proficient or a distinguished. An
example of this is seen in the project rubric identification of the starting note on
the piano. The basic requirement was that the student would be able to play only
the starting note on the piano, while the distinguished includes playing the starting
note and major triad on the piano and being able to sing the major triad as well.
The learning for this was also varied because the students that learned quickly and
were ready to move forward past basic got more practice at how to play the major
triad, and sing it, while the students that were struggling mainly focused on
meeting the basic requirements throughout the learning.
d. Brief narrative explaining what authentic (real-life) critical thinking and/or problem-
solving skills students are developing through your unit
a. The real-life learning skills that the students developed by studying how to be a
better music reader can be applied in various situations. The multi-step process
that has been utilized in describing the situations the music should be read under
to be the most effective can act as a simulated example of multi-step situations
that require analysis of several events, or items at one time in order to fully
understand what is happening. An example of this may be when an employee in

41
 the workforce is asked to observe behaviors of guests, perhaps at a restaurant, and
report their behaviors in conjunction with that of a written review the guests
reported. This combination of multiple-step, and several pieces of information
would require the synthesis of the information to effectively communicate one
outcome, similarly to observing all of the information on a staff in order to
effectively read the example.
e. Brief narrative or bullets listing different instructional strategies used in the unit
a. Direct instruction
b. Call and response
c. Self-discovery
d. Cooperative Learning
e. Question and Answer
f. Scaffolding instruction
g. Student Practice
h. Low Threat Assessment
f. Brief narrative describing technologies/media integrated in the unit
a. I personally used my own iPad as a device for a mobile piano for the students to
choose their starting notes and set up the key for the student projects themselves.

2. Assessment Narratives
a. Brief narrative explaining any accommodations you made for the differing needs of the
students in your assessment
o The actual written exam itself has no accommodations made to the paper exam
itself. The accommodations that were made for the exam took place in the project
portion, and in the grades given at the end. The student’s grades were curved and
adjusted to reflect their learning growth over the project, and not just to fail the
students who did not learn. The written exam I did not make any accommodations
to or give students any accommodations because I am completely in the dark of
any accommodations that would be needed due to the lack of seeing IEPs or 504
plans. However, during the project, I assisted any student that asked to guide them
in the correct decision as much as possible without giving the answers away. This
information was available to any student that needed it, but only the students that
I figured would need the assistance are the ones that asked for help.

3. Project Narratives (if applicable)

a. Brief narrative explaining how directions were presented to students
o To explain the project to the students I instructed the students that they would be
given a brief sight-reading example, then I would expect them to complete the
exercise, and then sing. I would expect them to find: a do, choose an appropriate
key signature, write that key signature, identify, and write the time appropriate
time signature, find the starting note on the piano and play it, set up the key (by
singing do mi sol mi do), and then to sing the sight singing example successfully.
b. Brief narrative explaining how the project relates to the standards in the unit
o The project relates to the standards in the unit because it has the students
exhibiting their singing skills based on what they learned within the unit. The

42
 performance standard 4 say audiate and sing music, the project is the singing
section of addressing those standards. Performance standard 8 says reading music,
and the whole project is built around the students being able to identify key
musical elements I order to effectively sight read the example, which again
checks a box in the performance aspect of the standard.
c. Brief narrative explaining how the project accounts for differences in students
o The project accounts for differences in students by allowing various levels of
success to be demonstrated by the students according to the rubric. The “basic”
option on the rubric that would result in a passing grade of C would institute that
with minimal assistance the student was able to successfully complete the
requests, while the distinguished would show that the student was able to
complete the request without assistance and showed a clear understanding of the
task at hand.
d. Brief narrative explaining how the project connects/engages students in real-life
applications of knowledge or skills acquired in the unit
o The project connects to real-life applications because I wanted to present the
students with a problem that would require multiple steps to find the solution. I
think that this emulates real life problems because there is rarely a situation that
would take only one step to solve. This also allows real-life application of music
reading skills. These students overall are almost entirely musically illiterate
before this project, and this will allow the students to at least read music at a basic
level within the classroom, which will make teaching repertoire so much easier.
e. Brief narrative explaining what the criteria for the project was and how students were
informed of the criteria
o The criterion of the project was to demonstrate that the students could identify
and create the needed information to make sense of the sight-reading example in
order to read it. The students were informed of the criterion by receiving a
practice example that followed the exact steps the students would need to take in
order to be successful on their individual project. This project was an exact
simulation of the final project, and the students have been primed, and prompted
by this information previous to the simulation as well.

4. Project Rubric Narratives (if applicable)

a. Brief narrative (cut and pasted from your Student Project and Rubric section) explaining
what the criteria for the project was and how students were informed of the criteria
o The goal of this student project is to allow the students to exemplify the skills
learned through The Effective Music Reader project by actualizing a sight-singing
melody. This allows another mode of assessment and requires the students to be
more self-reliant on the skills and content they learned in the 10 days of LAMP.

5. Evaluation of Student Learning Narratives

a. Brief narrative explaining, based on the graph information, how students performed
collectively and individually on the pretest.

43
 o According to the graph for the pre-test the low score was a 6%, and the high score
was a 63%, but the majority of the students received scores in the mid, to upper
20th percentile. The average score came out to be a 32% because of two students
who scored higher (three scores above 40%) on the pre-test. Overall, I think that
the pre-test scores were relatively accurately reflective in the average category for
the pre-test, but because of the three scores above 40%, it did make the other six
students’ score (based on the average) look higher. The knowledge from the pre-
test showed me that the students essentially knew just under one-third of the
information that I was presenting (as I specifically instructed them not to guess on
the pre-test).
b. Brief narrative explaining what changes were made to the unit based on pretest data; if no
changes were necessary, explain why not
o There were no changes made to the unit based on the pre-test data because the
majority of student’s scores were sub 50%, many of which were under 30%, and
exhibited that the students did not know the information on the pre-test and left all
of the information I intended on teaching open to be learned. Although it did not
change the content I intended on teaching, it did show me what I needed to focus
on most during the unit instruction time.
c. Brief narrative (if applicable) explaining, based on the project graph information, how
students performed collectively and individually on the project. Include analysis of how
the weighting and/or performance on the rubric elements may have affected the total
score for the project.
o The project and the post-test are equally weighted in this assessment at 50 points
each. I wanted this to be equally weighted because I understand that knowing the
information on paper is important, and their paper knowledge was assessed again
in conjunction with the paper; this left singing the exercises (which were all
previous sight-reading examples that the students have done successfully before
as a group) to make up about half of the rubric’s grades. I wanted the performance
to be split evenly because it is a singing class, and if the students learned what
they needed to do but could not use it in order to better sing then I wasted my time
teaching the content.
d. Brief narrative explaining, based on the graph information, how students performed
collectively and individually on the post-test.
o Overall the student’s average growth was shown by just over doubling the pre-test
score from 32% to 65% on the post-test. While this was the difference between
the pre-test average, and the post-test average this does not most accurately show
the student growth as individuals. The average final score of 65% does not
accurately reflect the scores of any student and is acting more like a median score
because of the large difference in scores. Half of the students went from scoring
approximately the pre-test average of 32% to an 85% or higher on the post test,
while the other half of the students went from scoring below the 32% average to a
44% on the high end.
e. Brief narrative explaining, based on graph and performance information, the strengths
and weaknesses of instructional approaches used during the unit.
o I see that by utilizing many instructional strategies (InTASC 8) that I allowed
every student multiple avenues to access the content. It made the learning

44
accessible, but after that point it still is up to the student how much information
they want to retain. Four out of the eight students that took the post test showed
dramatic improvement into the 80th percentile and above. For the other four
students there are some learning disabilities at play that I was not able to
adequately address because of not being able to access the IEP or 504 plans, if
there even is one. Varying the instruction is a very big strength that I noticed
throughout teaching. I also noticed a strength was allowing the students to
physically participate in the learning. This included having the students complete
board work in front of their classmates as individuals, and with assistance from
their classmates as well. A weakness I noticed is that sometimes I was not able to
best control the responses from the students when assisting their classmates, and
there are a few very strong-willed students that get frustrated, and sometimes just
yell out answers instead of guiding the students to the correct answers. As I
worked with them all some more the students had gotten much better at assisting,
and not giving the answer away, but the first day or two that this happened
potentially messed up some of the learning for the next eight or so days left.

45