Unit Plan (Emily Johnson)

Unit Title: Fall concert

Ensemble: 8th grade chorus

Time Required: 9 weeks

Stage 1 - Desired Results

Overview of Unit

Annual Context: Due to the complexity of these pieces, the longer preparation time afforded by
the spring semester makes more sense for this unit. The music is also better suited for the spring
rather than a performance in the fall that in general will be oriented for the holiday season.

Unit Objectives

Knowledge – Students will demonstrate/identify…

1. verbalize/communicate the various cultures and musical traditions that influence

modern American choral music (folk song, jazz, pre-civil war African-American
spirituals, etc.).
2. discuss the social dynamics that influenced American music over time as shown
above.
3. create their own basic performance practices such as converting written straight
eights to swung eighths, etc.
4. identify, and discuss musical score directions such as articulations, tempo
markings, style suggestions, etc.
5. discuss the challenges of singing in languages other than English.

Skills

1. Students will be prepared for high-quality performances of three pieces:

i. John Higgins: Singabahambayo
ii. Russell Robinson (arr.): Polly Wolly Doodle
iii. Elton John/Tim Rice: Hakuna Matata
2. Students will be able to tap/count syncopated rhythms as found in the three works
for this unit.
3. Students will be able to sing all assigned parts with good tone and accurate pitch
at all dynamic levels.
4. Students will be able to improvise and play folk instruments as appropriate.
5. Students will be able to both sing and speak-sing with clear, intelligible diction at
all tempi.
Stage 2 - Evidence

Overall Outcomes: Assessment for Each Outcome:

After learning the pieces, each student will… I will document individual student
achievement with…
● Sing the three pieces assigned in this ● Reflection: Students will write a brief,
unit with accurate pitch, rhythm and single double-spaced page reflection
dynamics at the spring semester on their experience preparing and
concert performing the three pieces in the unit
● Rubric: Students will fill out a rubric
“grading” the group’s performance at
concert
● accurately perform complex rhythms ● Formative: Tapping drills including all
endemic to popular/folk music such as rhythms taught during the unit such as
super triplets and extensive super triplets (quarter note triplets)
syncopations and syncopations in all three works
● accurately perform style conventions ● Summative: Listening exam with ten
common in contemporary music such short examples: Is this swung or not?
as swing eighths
● communicate the importance of ● Reflection: Students will write a brief
African music as it relates to the paragraph reflection on the importance
development of contemporary music of African music in antebellum
and the historical significance of America
African music in antebellum America
● communicate the positioning of ● Matching quiz pairing the
Disney animated musicals as a characteristics of musical
continuation of the musical theatre theatre/characteristics of Disney
tradition and the impact these films animated musical theatre
have had on the accessibility of music
theatre
● experience improvisation as an adjunct ● Formative: Small groups of students
to a written work taking turns improvising as the rest of
the group sings; students will
self-assess after their performance
using a rubric

Stage 3 - Learning Plan

PLAN 1: Singabahambayo

Objective(s): After learning this music, each student will be able to…
1. Sing his/her assigned part with accurate pitch, rhythm and dynamics
2. Students will identify where this folk song comes from
Evidence:
1. Students’ singing performance will be assessed in class by singing in small groups at the
piano with the full ensemble singing behind them. They will sing one verse and chorus. A
three-criteria, four-level rubric will provide formative feedback to students and evidence
of student achievement.
2. Students will identify where this folk song comes from in the written end-of-unit
assessment.

Score Analysis:

Title Singabahambayo
Composer/Arranger John Higgins
Publisher Music Express
Level Beginning Chorus
Orchestration/Voicing Unison (optional divisi)
Tempo With joy, quarter note = 108
Dynamics Unmarked; otherwise, mf
Rhythm (meter, values, & 4/4
patterns) No meter change
Three patterns:

Melody (pitches & tonal Upper Divisi: F#4 – B4

patterns) Middle Divisi: E4 – B4
Lower Divisi: C4 – B4
Tonal Patterns:

Harmony (Key & G major

Structure) Mainly I – IV – V – I patterns in accompaniment
Form Intro (1-4), Verse 1 (5-12), Chorus (13-22), Verse 2 (5-12), Chorus
(13-22), Verse 3 (5-12), Chorus (13-24) Outro (25-26)
Style South African Folk
Historical Background Song of celebration
South African folk song
Other Notes

PLAN 2: Polly Wolly Doodle

Objective(s): After learning this music, each student will be able to…
1. Explain the history of the piece and how it originated
2. Sing both parts with accurate pitches and rhythms
3. Use proper articulations and diction to sing the eighth note passages
Evidence:
1. Students will write a paragraph explanation of the history of the piece at the end of the
unit
2. Students will sing in small groups twice and the voice parts will be flipped the second
time
3. Students will submit a video of them singing the eighth note passage up to speed and with
appropriate diction.

Score Analysis:

Title Polly Wolly Doodle

Composer/Arranger Arr. Russell Robinson
Publisher BriLee Music
Level Moderate
Orchestration/Voicing 2-part for treble voices
Tempo With vitality, half note = 92
Dynamics mp, mf, f
Rhythm (meter, values, & Cut time
patterns) Whole note, half note, quarter note, eighth note, dotted
quarter/eighth note pattern
Melody (pitches & tonal Part 1: E4-E5
patterns) Part 2: C4-D5

Harmony (Key & F major to G major

Structure) I-IV-V-I
Form Intro (1-4), A (5-16), B (17-24), C (25-36), B (37-44), A+C
(45-56), B (57-64), Outro (65-77)
Style American folk, mostly homophonic
Historical Background This is a children’s song from the late 1800’s. While the author is
unknown, it is often credited to Dan Emmett who is the founder of
minstrel shows and is credited with writing “Turkey in the Straw”.
Other Notes -- Clapping offbeats will be hard
-- Singing straight sixteenth notes will also be difficult

PLAN 3: Hakuna Matata

Title Hakuna Matata

Composer/Arranger Sir Elton John/Roger Emerson
Publisher Hal Leonard
Level Middle School/Low Level HS Choir
Orchestration/Voicing Two-part choir, piano, optional clarinet in Bb
Tempo Fast (Measures 1-8 = 100 bpm, 9-100 = 168 bpm)
Dynamics p-ff, with patter-song sections p-mf generally softer
Rhythm (meter, values, & 4/4 throughout
patterns) Quarter, eighth, half notes only with quarter note super-triplets
Swung, but as a bounce or rock-shuffle rather than a hard jazz
swing
Melody (pitches & tonal Tonal throughout with sections of patter song, unpitched
patterns) Occasional flat 3rd borrowed from major blues scale
Altered tones otherwise aligned with underlying secondary
dominant chords
Harmony (Key & Two tonal centers, G Major and A-flat Major
Structure) Except for a few passing chromaticism in the piano part, the chord
6
structure contains I, IV, V, vi, V/V, V/vi, and IV 4 to V
Form Strophic with minor variations and short B section (key, patter song
versus sung, basic two-part polyphony)
Essentially a refrain without a verse
[I] Intro (1-8) {Solo}
[A] Strophe 1 (9-18) {Unison}
[A1] Strophe 2 (21-36) {Unison}
[A2] Strophe 3 (37-54) {Polyphony/Harmony}
[B] Bridge (58-64) {Patter song}
[A3] Strophe 4 (65-80) {Mixed sung/patter}
[A4] Strophe 5 (81-100) {Polyphony/harmony/patter}
Style Contemporary popular music
Rock Shuffle
Historical Background This piece is an adaptation of an extremely popular song from the
Disney’s The Lion King, an animated movie that was released in
theatres in 1994. The movie was critically acclaimed and is still the
highest grossing hand-drawn animated feature of all time. Elton
John and Tim Rice collaborated on the music and lyrics, with Hans
Zimmer composing the orchestral score. The official soundtrack is
the only 10x platinum (diamond) certified recording from an
animated film. The movie has since been recast in several formats
including a musical and a recent photorealistic CGI remake. This
piece, “Hakuna Mata,” was nominated for the Best Original Song
Academy Award but lost to another song from the movie (“Can
You Feel the Love Tonight?”).
Other Notes The piece is a fun way to introduce some basic popular music
elements to a choir.
Teaching for Musical Development Over Time
[1] Concept Matrix: Teaching Musical Elements

Concepts/ Plan 1 (Piece 1): Plan 2 (Piece 2): Plan 3 (Piece 3):
Elements “Singabahambayo”: “Polly Wolly Doodle”: “Hakuna Matata”:

Melody Diatonic Melody Diatonic Melody Blues scale with

occasional major
third
Harmony G major F major to G major Two tonal centers, G
Mainly I – IV – V – I-IV-V-I Major and A-flat
I patterns in Major 
accompaniment Except for a few
passing chromaticism
in the piano part, the
chord structure
contains I, IV, V, vi,
V/V, V/vi, and IV64
to V
Rhythm Some syncopation Cut time 4/4 throughout
Whole note, half note, Quarter, eighth, half
quarter note, eighth notes only with
note, dotted quarter note
quarter/eighth note super-triplets 
pattern Swung, but as a
bounce or
rock-shuffle rather
than a hard jazz
swing
Expression Unmarked; mp, mf, f; p-ff, with patter-song
(dynamics, tempo,
articulations) otherwise, mf With vitality, half sections p-mf
With joy, quarter note=92 generally softer;
note = 108 Fast (Measures 1-8 =
100 bpm, 9-100 =
168 bpm)
Timbre Bright Bright Laid back
Form Intro (1-4), Verse 1 Intro (1-4), A (5-16), Strophic with minor
(5-12), Chorus B (17-24), C (25-36), variations and short B
(13-22), Verse 2 B (37-44), A+C (45- section (key, patter
(5-12), Chorus song versus sung,
(13-22), Verse 3 56), B (57-64), Outro basic two-part
(5-12), Chorus (65-77) polyphony) 
(13-24) Outro Essentially a refrain
(25-26) without a verse 
 [I] Intro (1-8) {Solo} 
[A] Strophe 1 (9-18)
{Unison} 
[A ] Strophe 2
1

(21-36) {Unison} 
[A ] Strophe 3
2

(37-54)
{Polyphony/Harmony
} 
[B] Bridge (58-64)
{Pattern song} 
[A ] Strophe 4
3

(65-80) {Mixed
sung/pattern} 
[A ] Strophe 5
4

(81-100)
{Polyphony/harmony
/pattern}
Style South African folk American folk Contemporary
song popular music, 
Rock shuffle

[2] Skill Matrix: Teaching Musical Processes

Briefly describe in which plan(s) each of the musical processes become a focus. Each process needs
to be addressed for skill development over time; however, not every process may
become a focus for every plan. There may be a few empty boxes. Bold those that are objectives.

Skills/ Plan 1: Plan 2: Plan 3:

Processes “Singabahambayo”: “Polly Wolly Doodle”: “Hakuna Matata”:
Singing Zulu diction Diction Tone quality at all
dynamics and rapid
changes from patter
singing to singing with
pitch
Playing Improvisation with Tapping drills
folk percussion
Improvising Instrumental
improvisation
Composing Write a new verse Write a new verse
that is line with the that is in line with the
theme of the song theme of the song
Listening Other American folk Listen and identify
(analyzing & tunes and how they examples of swung
describing) compare to this one eighths versus straight
 eighths. Listen to three
versions of “Hakuna
Matata.”
Evaluating Rhythmic accuracy Intro to basic music
theory of chord
progressions
Connecting to Zulu language American history and
Other Jim Crow Era
disciplines
Connecting to Learning about Learning about Linking jazz/blues to
History/ South African folk American folk tunes the development of
Culture tunes and culture and the history of pop/rock
minstrel shows
Hakuna Matata Assessment 1