KG Unit Plan Spring 2023

Unit Plan
Kate R. Goodin
Chamber Orchestra: Sinfonia in D by Elliot Del Borgo
Dates of Unit Instruction: 2/13-3/7 (10 Rehearsals)
EDUC 429
Mr. Uppercue
3/11/2023
Description of the Student Population
For my unit plan, I am using the first period orchestra which is the higher level intermediate class. The
student population is made up of 21 students and there are nine males and twelve females. All four grade
levels are represented in this class, with nine seniors, seven juniors, four sophomores, and one freshman.
The age of students range from 14-18 years old.
Race: 21 Students
Hispanic Asian African-American Caucasian
11 6 2 2
Socio-economic background: Most of these students are middle class, or lower middle class
Esol distribution: There is one student with Spanish as his first language
IEP/504 plan: There are two students with a 504 plan
Health Indicators: There are seven student profiles with a health icon, indicating a wide range of
health concerns from needing glasses, to allergies, to a serious health condition
This class period is ranked as the second highest orchestra which gives insight into the estimated ability
level of the class. Based on what I have seen, the members of this orchestra are very comfortable with all
the notes in first position, and about 85% of the students are also comfortable in higher positions such as
third position for violins and violas, fourth position for cellos, and fifth position for basses. The students
in this class understand the rhythmic breakdown of whole notes, half notes, quarter notes, eighth notes,
sixteenth notes, and thirty-second notes. They also understand how a dot alters the length of the note. This
ensemble is going to the Music Performance Assessment as a C level string-orchestra, which the Florida
Orchestra Association deems to be proficient in: “full dynamic range, any type of bowing, 3rd/4th/5th
position, syncopation, mixed meters, up to 3 sharps and 2 flats for major and minor keys.”
This class meets from 7:20-8:14 am Monday through Friday, and for the MPA Assessment, they combine
with the seventh period class.

Rationale
This unit will focus on the individual musical achievement of the Chamber Orchestra members at
Freedom High School. My unit is based on Sinfonia in D by Elliot Del Borgo, which is one of their three
pieces for the Music Performance Assessment. I chose this piece to focus on because it includes many
different fundamental techniques for string ensemble playing. Sinfonia in D has D as its tonal center, and
it is in ABA form with a coda. Having these three sections, distinguishable by color and tonal structure,
will help me teach the CPALMS Standard MU.912.O.1.1:Evaluate the organizational principles and
conventions in musical works and discuss their effect on structure. I intentionally chose this standard
because I believe that understanding form and other organizational principles are vital to playing the piece
as the composer intended it to be played. Sinfonia in D also touches on modal mixture with differing
finger patterns, and many bow and bowing techniques (like double down and tremolo) which will help me
teach CPALMS Standard MU.912.S.3.5: Develop and demonstrate proper vocal or instrumental
technique. Developing proper left hand technique with consistently precise intonation and developing the
full use of the bow are vital to the tone production and sound quality of the orchestra. Through the study
of this unit, I will keep these two elements as constant focal points. This composition also includes many
expressive markings throughout, and a contrasting lyrical B section. The lyrical and cantabile mood of the
B section helps establish its specific character and this will help me teach the last standard,
MU.912.O.3.1: Analyze expressive elements in a musical work and describe how the choices and
manipulations of the elements support, for the listener, the implied meaning of the composer/performer.
Studying this piece and exploring its form, expressive markings, technical difficulties, and eventually
performing it at MPA will assist students in building the fundamental skills in playing their individual part
and in putting it together with the ensemble.
For my pre and post assessments, I will be using the Florida Orchestra Association Music Performance
Assessment Rubric to assess my students’ playing. I will be using the first four categories on the rubric
which include: Intonation, Tone, Rhythmic Precision & Musical Effect. These elements are key to having
a successful performance, while building good quality musicians with a broad array of musical skills.
Table 1: Standards, Goals, and Objectives
Unit Title: Sinfonia in D by Elliot Del Borgo
Unit Topic: Repertoire
Unit Goals Objectives Standards
Play instruments with Students will sit on the edge of MU.912.S.3.5: Develop and
consistently correct posture and their chair with feet flat on the demonstrate proper vocal or
technique floor 100% of the time without instrumental technique
instruction to do so
Students playing violin and viola

will keep their instruments
parallel to the ground 100% of
the time without teacher
instruction
Understand how to adjust/match Students will play quarter notes

intonation for the full value, while
incorporating a double-down
bow, with 100% accuracy
Students will keep their bow

parallel to the bridge as they
play with 90% accuracy
Convey the storyline of Sinfonia Students will identify all MU.912.O.3.1: Analyze
in D as the composer originally expressive markings with 100% expressive elements in a musical
intended accuracy work and describe how the
choices and manipulations of the
Students will incorporate phrase elements support, for the
markings into their musical
listener, the implied meaning of
interpretation with 90%
accuracy the composer/performer
Students will explain how to

alter their bow technique to
achieve the desired expressive
elements
Students will play the notated

dynamics and stylistic
indications with 80% accuracy
Students will recognize, identify,

and respond to expressive
elements of music, including
dynamics, tempo, and
articulation, and will perform
music with appropriate
expressive qualities
Accentuate the form of Sinfonia Students will identify and MU.912.O.1.1: Evaluate the
in D by bringing out the respond to expressive elements organizational principles and
distinguishable characteristics of of music, including dynamics, conventions in musical works
each section tempo, and articulation 90% of and discuss their effect on
the time
structure
Students will identify and

perform various rhythmic
patterns of increasing
complexity
Utilize vibrato as a way to Students will incorporate vibrato

accentuate a lyrical melody into the B section melody for at
least 80% of the notes in the
melodic line
Students will be able to verbally

describe the mood and character
of the A and B sections
Planning for Instruction

Diagnostic Data: The students in this intermediate group have the beginning, fundamental techniques
solidified. These students can comfortably play in duple and triple meter, with first position notes and
they are knowledgeable of the key signatures from 2 flats to 3 sharps. Based on what I have seen, the
members of this orchestra are very comfortable with all the notes in first position, and about 85% of the
students are also comfortable in higher positions such as third position for violins and violas, fourth
position for cellos, and fifth position for basses.
There are very few discipline problems in this class period; however this class is the first one of the day
so the students are still waking up. I would say 65% of the students actively practice outside of the
allotted class time, and around 30% take private lessons with a certified teacher. About 95% of the
students have the class repertoire learned, at least at the most basic level. All of the students actively
participate in class and in after school rehearsals. This year, this class had four soloists/small ensembles
participate in the annual FOA Solo and Ensemble event. Three out of the four entries received superiors,
and one received an excellent. The critiques from the judges of Solo and Ensemble were mostly about
counting and intonation, especially in the higher registers.
Basic Information of Sinfonia in D:
Sinfonia in D by Elliot Del Borgo
Published by The Alfred Music Company
Grade 2
Florida Orchestra Class: CS
In the Classical Style
Key: D minor
Meter: 4/4
Tempo Indications:
A: With Vigor ( ♩= 138 )

Measures 1-52
♩
B: Cantabile ( = 72 )
Measures 53-72
A’: Tempo 1 ( ♩= 138 )
Measures 73-92
Coda: 93-100 ( ♩= 138 )
Approximate Performance Time = 4:30
Violin 1, Violin 2, Viola, Cello, Bass

Formal Analysis: Sinfonia in D
Formal Analysis: Sinfonia in D by Elliot Del Borgo
Measures Major Key Voices with the Voices with the Scoring Notable
Section Center Melody Counter- Challenges
Melody
Measures 1-52 A d minor m. 5: first violin m. 17: first violin Full String Marcato
m. 9: cellos/Bass m. 25: Orchestra Bb to B ♮
m. 19: cellos seconds/viola FF dynamic to mp
m. 25: first violin cellos/Bass
m. 30: seconds/viola
m. 45: cellos/bass
m. 51: tutti melody
Measure 53-72 B m. 53-62: m. 57: first violin m. 55: Full String Mutes
G major m. 61: seconds seconds/violas Orchestra B♮
m. 68: cellos m. 59: cellos/bass Moving eighth note
m. 63-72: m. 72: violas m. 60: violas ostinato
m. 68: bass Staying under forte
d minor
Sub.p tremolo
Pizz and arco
Accidentals
(F#/Bb/B )♮
Measures 73-92 A’ d minor m. 75: first violin N/A Full String Tempo
m. 79: seconds/viola Everyone is Orchestra
m. 83: cellos/bass resting, or Solo first violin
playing the melody
melody in a fugue
format Bb
Crescendo from mf
to FF
Measures 93-100 Coda d minor m. 94: N/A Full String Marcato

seconds/violas/cello Tutti melody Orchestra Awkward rests
s/bass Down-Down
m. 97: tutti Rit at the end
Glossary of Terms
Accent: [English] 1. A stress or special emphasis on a beat to mark its position in the measure
Arco: [Italian, bow] Directive for a musician to play a stringed instrument with a bow as
opposed to plucked or pizzicato
Cantabile: [Italian] Singing or performing in a melodious and graceful style, full of expression
Coda: [Italian] 1. The closing few measures of a composition, usually not a part of the main
theme groups of the standard form of a composition, but a finishing theme added to the end to
give the composition closure
Crescendo: [Italian] A directive to a performer to smoothly increase the volume of a particular
phrase or passage
Decrescendo: [Italian] A directive to a performer to smoothly decrease the volume of the
specific passage
Forte: [Italian] A directive in music to perform the indicated passage loudly. Forte is typically
notated by the letter "f"
Fortissimo: [Italian] A directive to perform the indicated passage very loudly symbolized by "ff"
Marcato: [Italian] Marked, accented, emphatic, stressed
Mezzo piano: [Italian] A dynamic mark meaning moderately quiet. Not quite so quiet as piano.
It is abbreviated mp
Mezzo forte: [Italian] A dynamic mark meaning moderately loud. Not quite so loud as forte. It is
abbreviated mf
Piano: Dynamic marking meaning quiet or softly. A directive to perform the indicated passage
of a composition softly. The abbreviation for piano is p

Pizzicato: [Italian] A directive to a bowed string instrument performer that the indicated notes
are to be plucked with the fingers rather than bowed (arco). The abbreviation for this term is pizz
Ritardano: [Italian] A directive to perform the indicated passage of a composition with a
gradual slowing of the tempo, or to gradually delay the tempo. The abbreviation is rit or ritard
Subito: Immediately, suddenly —used as a direction in music
Tenuto: [Italian] A directive to perform the indicated note or chord of a composition in a
sustained manner for longer than its full duration. The term is frequently used in its abbreviated
form, which is ten
Tremolo: [Italian] The art of performing or singing the same note over and over very quickly,
executed most commonly but not exclusively on string instruments

Major Concepts and Skills in Sinfonia in D
1. Maintaining dynamics through long durations/sustained notes

1. With a metronome on, go from the frog to the tip over 4 beats going from p-mf, p-f, then
p-ff
a. Stress the importance of a weighted bow
b. Stress the where on the instrument the bow should be played
c. Practice scale in sustained whole notes, adding in dynamics
2. Encourage students to think of the distance between the bridge and fingerboard in lanes.
For the opening dynamic marking, start a discussion of which lane is appropriate and
how to adjust the lane placement over time
2. Accents
1. Teach that the weight of the bow determines how loud the accent is. Weight comes from
the index finger on the bow and the position of the wrist
2. Emphasize that an accented up bow requires more weight since the player is going
against gravity
3. Pretend there is a weight from your hand to the floor to prevent an airy sound
3. Tenuto Markings
1. Go over the term “Tenuto” and explain it as in between legato and staccato
2. Add a 16th rest at the end of the tenuto quarter note. Draw on the board so that students
can visually see the length of the quarter note
3. Play a pattern of notes in staccato, tenuto and legato. Demonstrate and have the students
guess which articulation you are playing
4. Crescendo and decrescendo
1. Both of these concepts are controlled by the weight and speed of the bow. On the board,
show the visual of the sound growing from nothing (crescendo) and the volume dying
away (decrescendo)
2. Have students practice playing over the fingerboard with a very light bow arm
3. Have students practice playing by the bridge with a lot of weight
4. Use whole notes to start at piano and grow to mezzo forte using the weight and speed of
the bow
5. Playing the full quarter note value while doing a down-down bowing
1. First, play legato down and up bows
2. Then, add a rest between each note. Emphasize that the full length quarter note from the
legato bow stroke is ideal
3. Add in the articulation and bowing as written
Resources:
Score:
https://www.jwpepper.com/Sinfonia-in-D/2346641.item#.Y-l5gOzMIUs
Recording:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eb060WAcL-E
Definitions for Glossary found at:

https://dictionary.onmusic.org/terms/
Other works by Elliot Del Borgo:

Arlington Sketches
Fantasia for Strings
Sonata Vivant
Symphony No. 4
https://www.alfred.com/search/products/?t=elliot-del-borgo&f=string-orchestra-large-ensemble&
sort=popularity
String Specific Techniques

https://www.connollymusic.com/stringovation/techniques-for-teaching-vibrato
http://www.tnasta.org/aids.html
https://violinspiration.com/4th-position-violin/
http://myfoa.org/MPAPrograms
https://nafme.org/elements-alexander-technique-discovering-natural-approach-string-playing/
https://nafme.org/creating-a-thriving-middle-school-orchestra-program/
http://www.fjhmusic.com/orchestra/New-Releases.htm
http://acorchestra.net\
Lesson Plans 1-10
Introductory Lesson Plan
This first lesson is my introductory plan, complete with a motivational experience. Prior to this
lesson, the students have had the specific measure numbers of Sinfonia in D to prepare for the pre-test.
This assessment will be the first thing they do after the D minor warmup. This pre-test is serving as a
motivational experience to inspire them to evaluate their playing, and to make adjustments in order to
benefit the orchestra as a whole. A lot of the students can play the basic notes and rhythms, but I want to
inspire them to focus on interpretation, style, and articulations. Those elements are what takes a group
from good to great.
Motivational Introductory Lesson Plan
Name: Kate Goodin Date: 2/13/2023 (Lesson 1) Whole Group Period: 1st
Ensemble or Class: Which ensemble or class is this lesson plan for? Lesson Topic:
1st: Chamber Warm up
Pre-Test Assessment
MPA Repertoire: Sinfonia in D
Standards:
MU.912.S.3.5: Develop and demonstrate proper vocal or instrumental technique.
MU.912.O.3.1: Analyze expressive elements in a musical work and describe how the choices and manipulations of the
elements support, for the listener, the implied meaning of the composer/performer
MU.912.O.1.1: Evaluate the organizational principles and conventions in musical works and discuss their effect on
structure
Long Term Goal:
Play instruments with consistently correct posture and technique, and understand how to adjust/match intonation
Instructional objectives(s): Students will rehearse “Sinfonia in D” and perform the rhythms at 80% accuracy.
Students will sit on the edge of their chair with feet flat on the floor 100% of the time without instruction to do so
Students playing violin and viola will keep their instruments parallel to the ground 100% of the time without teacher
instruction
Key Vocabulary Instructional Materials/Resources/Technology:
Dr. Beat as a metronome and a drone
Pancake hand
Cello drone website for tuner
Intonation SmartBoard for writing real-life examples on the board for
Syncopation students
Critical Thinking: Lesson Structure:
How does where we play on our instrument affect our sound? Our Announcements
dynamic level? Warmup
Lesson
How does the bowing impact the articulation?
ESE Modifications CPLAMS Access Points http://www.cpalms.org/Standards/AccesspointSearch.aspx

Independent:
MU.912.S.3.In.a: Sing and/or play age-appropriate repertoire expressively.
MU.912.O.1.Pa.a: Recognize elements of music in different types of music.
MU.912.O.1.Su.a: Compare musical elements in different types of music
Supported:
MU.912.S.3.Su.b: Sight-read notes and/or simple rhythmic phrases
MU.912.S.3.Su.a Sing rounds, canons, and/or partner songs.
Participatory:
MU.912.S.3.Pa.b: Participate in rehearsal strategies to apply skills or techniques
MU.912.S.3.Pa.a Select melodies and/or accompaniments to perform.
Lesson/Rehearsal Procedures:
Pacing: Assessment:
Highlight Differentiated Instruction in Yellow
4 minutes Introduction Procedures:
Good morning and happy Monday! Did anyone do something fun
over the weekend?
Don’t forget: Pre-MPA Concert is this Wednesday! Your call time

is on the board.
1st Period: Sinfonia in D
Warmup:
4 minutes
We will do this warmup on just D, and then add in different

pitches of the D minor scale
“Let me have a volunteer to play the first five notes of the D Having a volunteer try to explain and
minor scale…before we go over the key signature” play the scale before I review helps me
gauge their understanding and if they
remember D minor
2 minutes I am having the students play down, up, down, up in order to
show them how long the quarter note needs to be played before
adding in the complex bowing
Review D Minor: Bb, F natural and C natural
D E _ G A _ (Fill in the blank on the board)
*low 2nd finger on A and D string*
5-10 minutes PRETEST: Specific measures of Sinfonia in D

By transferring directly to the
Violin 1: 17-23, 64-67 repertoire, I can assess how well they
understood the content of the warmup
Violin 2: 55-67
Viola: 37-39, 54-64
Cello: 68-72
Bass: 45-50, 83-91
“A lot of you can play the rhythms and notes without a problem
and that is great! However, I want to slightly adjust your
perspective on the music and focus you more towards
interpretation and style through the articulations and expressive
markings found in the piece.”
4 minutes Diagnostic Assessment

Play Sinfonia in D from beginning to end
Transfer to Repertoire:
5 minutes
We will start at the beginning of the piece because that bowing
and articulation work is in unison at the beginning of Sinfonia in
D
I am listening to their pizzicatos to see if
they are pizzing together, and to see if
Measures 1-14 and 41-52 are the goal for this first rehearsal
they rush or slow down. Pizzicatos
cannot be hidden when it comes to
We will incorporate the full length quarter note and the
being played together or not
crescendos that I had them write in last week
Closure Procedures: Great work today, let’s move over to the

Messiah!
Post Rehearsal or Lesson Reflections
Content Adjustment: Based on diagnostic and formative assessments during today’s lesson/rehearsal, list any repertoire or
activities that were omitted from the plan. Why? Will the omitted items need to be included in tomorrow’s lesson/rehearsal?
Based on the diagnostic and formative assessments of these classes, nothing was left out. We were able to cover the warmups on
the appropriate scale for each class period. The warmups were based on articulations and rhythms from the pieces, and so they
transferred well to the repertoire. We were able to focus on the problem areas of each piece and get them more ready for the
concert this week. The intonation on the allegretto still needs a lot of work, and the overall feeling and articulation needs more
attention for Sinfonia in D. A lot of things are going well in the pieces, so I made sure to praise them on the good things.
Rehearsal or Lesson Adjustment: If you were going to re-teach today’s lesson/rehearsal, how would you have done it differently.
If I were to reteach this lesson to the classes, I would have made a general adjustment of writing specific measures for each of the
instruments that needed the most help. I would use it as sort of a learning goal for the students to aim to improve on before the
next rehearsal. Sometimes, looking at the whole piece can be overwhelming, so zeroing in is beneficial.
I could also include some fun practice suggestions for different types of problem areas
For example:
Pitch problems = play note by note, slowly, with a drone or a tuner
Have the drone on in a third below your note
Rhythm problems = break down the rhythm into different patterns, play with a metronome, start slow and slowly
increase the metronome mark over time
Take out the bowing if the bowing is giving you extra trouble
Tempo = metronome!!! Play with a solid recording
Lacking Lyrical/musical direction = create a personal storyline to go along with what you are playing
Make up characters or a setting that you want to convey to the audience
Listen to recordings for inspiration
Record yourself playing and *gently* critique yourself and make specific goals for how you can improve
Perform for others
Reflection on Teaching: Analyze and evaluate your lesson/rehearsal and classroom management.
The lesson and rehearsal went well today! I was happy with the work we did. We focused on certain areas that are consistently
causing problems. Doing this allows for concentrated instruction to best work on the actual problem and figure out solutions
together. Working in small sections is basically orchestra sectionals! Sometimes, it is completely necessary to focus on a few
measures or a certain concept in order to help the overall idea of the piece.
The classroom management was fine today. It was Monday, so the students were a little bit drowsy from the weekend, but they
still managed to be engaged and focused on the music at hand. There was good interactions between myself and the students,
and they laughed at some of my comments haha. As the teacher, you have to work harder to get the students to wake up because
you want them to be engaged and you also want them to take away something from the lesson. It’s also important to still be
compassionate to the students, because weekends can be physically and emotionally exhausting for a variety of reasons.
Finding new ways to engage students and to get them excited for class is always beneficial.
I could run this idea by the teachers, but it could be fun to have a “Piece of the day” playing on the speakers as the students enter
the class to get them excited for the class. Especially if the recording was meaningful to them in some way.
Name: Kate Goodin Date: 2/14/2023 (Lesson 2) Sectionals Period: 1st
Standards:
structure
Long Term Goal: The long term goal is to perform our very best at our Pre-MPA concert this week and for MPA in March
by understanding how to adjust/match intonation and by improving on our ability to internalize and match pitch
Instructional objectives(s): Students will rehearse “Sinfonia in D”and perform the rhythms at 80% accuracy. Students
will match their pitch to the drone with 85% accuracy
Students will be able to identify when my pitch is sharp or flat compared to the drone
Accents
Finger patterns SmartBoard for writing real-life examples on the board for
Minor vs major students
Melodic minor
“Create your own pattern using C#/C natural and F#/F” Announcements
“How does the finger pattern change as you go from natural Warmup
minor, to harmonic minor, to melodic minor?” Lesson

Independent:
Supported:
Participatory:
Pacing: Assessment:
Good morning and happy TUESDAY!
Don’t forget: Pre-MPA Concert is this Wednesday! Your call time

is on the board.
4 minutes 1st/7th Period: Sinfonia in D I will assess their ability to go from D
minor to G major
Warmup
We will do a warmup in G major because the Cantabile

section of Sinfonia in D is in G Major, pretty much. B
natural and F# appear quite a bit
We will begin by doing a lyrical warmup in the key of G

major to practice accidentals and to practice holding
notes for their full duration and using ascending scales
to lead into the next note
Class Discussion: Guided class self-assessment: This will

4 minutes “Based on the runthrough from yesterday, what went well and help me gain perspective from the
what could we improve on before tomorrow's concert?” students on what they heard in the
diagnostic assessment
I will be writing down their responses on the SMARTBoard in a
T-chart
What we liked | What can we improve on
We will also brainstorm possible solutions to help with the

improvement category
“From my perspective, intonation, especially in the B section,

needs the most help. Let’s focus on that for the remainder of the
class.”
By jumping into the repertoire, I can
4 minutes B section in Sinfonia in D, measures 53-72 assess their understanding of the
warmup and their ability to move from
BPM: 72 the warmup to the repertoire
I know that the intonation and rhythm of 55 in the seconds and I will be listening specifically for Bb
violas needs work. I will have them play with a drone for versus Bnat, and Fnat versus F#
intonation
I might have the other sections counting aloud, or have one

section count while the other section plays
I’ll also experiment with having them take out the slurs, because
that’s causing some confusion as well Having the orchestra in unison will help
me assess the intonation at a very basic
5 minutes Around measure 64, we start exploring different key areas so I level. I will walk around, and assist the
will be listening for correct intonation and accidentals students who are out of tune
Closure Procedures:
4 minutes So it’s Valentine's Day and I have chocolate for you all……
The catch is, you have to say something positive about yourself, a
friend, a teacher, a loved one and then you can have candy
1st: Nothing was left out of the lesson today. We covered the warmup and jumped into the repertoire. We were able to cover the
Cantabile section and we went over the transition from the DS coda to the beginning, and back to the coda. Tomorrow, we will
definitely run the piece.
1st: If I were to reteach the lesson today, I would have timed out my lesson better so that I could have time to run the piece. We
have to perform it tomorrow and we’ve only run it once. I would have also tried to challenge the students to play without looking
at their music. I know that I still need to work on conducting and being effective when I’m on the podium, but the least I can do is
give them the down beat which a lot of them need. I would have had them memorize one measure and just practice playing with
me.
1st: The lesson and rehearsal flowed fine, but we didn’t have enough time to run the piece. In my eyes, the warmup was good because it
incorporated the bowing of the cantabile section but I didn’t make that transfer for them, so I don’t think it happened. The notes we worked on
also kinda disappeared as we moved into the repertoire. I will try to make that transfer more clear for the next lesson.
Classroom management was fine, however this class is so DEAD in the morning and it makes it especially challenging to be awake and ready for
the day when they’re all just staring at me. The other thing, a lot of the students don’t wish to be awake so forcing them to be awake doesn’t
really mesh with their vibe. Either way, I know that the early morning isn’t a good enough excuse to be off topic/disengaged, but it definitely is a
real challenge that I’m facing. I think making them stand up could work potentially? Or having them do something different. We are in a bit of a
time crunch with Pre-MPA and MPA so I’m not sure how many engaging activities I could fit into the lesson.
Technology Integration - Lesson Plan
Name: Kate Goodin Date: 2/15/2023 (Lesson 3) Small Group Period: 1st
Standards:
structure
Long Term Goal: Our long term goal is to play our instruments with consistently correct posture and technique and to
actively listen to each other as we play
Instructional objectives(s): Students will sit on the edge of their chair with feet flat on the floor 100% of the time without
instruction
Accents
Dress rehearsal SmartBoard for writing real-life examples on the board for
Intonation students
Tone production
Integration of ELL/English Class (Another Content Area)
Slurs
Announcements
How does your sitting position impact your left hand? Warmup
Why must you play with a straight wrist, rather than a Lesson
pancake hand?
How does a pancake hand affect your tone?

Independent:
Supported:
Participatory:
Pacing: Assessment:
Good morning and happy Wednesday!
It’s concert day today so let’s treat this rehearsal like a dress
rehearsal.
Your call time is on the SMARTboard. You are only
required to be there when you play, and 30 minutes
before
1st/7th Period: Sinfonia in D
4 minutes I turn on the cello drone: https://www.dronetonetool.com/

“Everybody, tune your A string! You need to be able to hear the
drone over your own instrument”
*I go around and fine tune some instruments that need

assistance*
Order of tuning: D string, G string, C string for viola/cello, E string
for bass/violins
4 minutes Warmup for SInfonia in D
We will do a warmup in G major because the Cantabile

section of Sinfonia in D is in G Major, pretty much. B

major to practice accidentals and to practice holding I will be listening specifically for Bb
notes for their full duration and using ascending scales versus Bnat, and Fnat versus F#: This
to lead into the next note will help me identify constant
problem areas with intonation and
The exercise below will be displayed on the SMARTBoard, and on rhythm. I can specifically focus on
the screen projector in the back of the classroom so that every finding various solutions
student can easily see the exercise
5 minutes Rehearsal:
We will move onto the Cantabile section in Sinfonia in D, and
transfer the lyrical warmup to the Cantabile melody.
“Everyone, we are going to tie this lesson into English/ELL class.

Think of a book/story/excerpt that made you feel like you were
longing for something more…or something that was just
effortlessly flowing. Share with a partner!” By jumping into the repertoire, I can
assess their understanding of the
Activity related to ELL/English: We are going to write a short warmup and their ability to move from
narrative to describe the transition from the A to B section. the warmup to the repertoire
*Interactive group writing on the SMARTBoard*
“Can someone read our story in the most dramatic way

possible?” The Pre-MPA concert also serves as a
post test AND diagnostic assessment to
“Everybody listen to the inflection in their voice, that is what we what we need to work on for the next
need to put into our playing. Let’s try it!” three weeks before MPA
3 minutes Order of melody:

Violin 1
Violin 2
Cello/Bass
Violas
Work on Transition between the Tempo Primo (A section) and
the Cantabile (B section)
Dr. Beat on the metronome setting (quarter note = 138) Doing a runthrough of the piece acts as
The Cantabile section is the same metronome marking, a diagnostic assessment of what needs
but just half speed (eighth note = 138, 1+ 2+ 3+ 4+) the most attention asap
Using the metronome will help establish the steady

4 minutes pulse of the piece which makes the transition between
the two sections easier
We will run through Sinfonia in D from the beginning, without

stopping
We’ve only run through the piece once, and we need to The Pre-MPA concert also serves as a
perform it tonight. post test AND diagnostic assessment to
I will emphasize the fact that we must keep going, no what we need to work on for the next
matter what happens! three weeks before MPA
During a performance, you just keep going
I am giving the downbeat so if you get lost, look for the

down bow
Closure Procedures:
2 minutes We’ve made a lot of progress this week on this piece! I am
excited for tonight, and I’ll see you all at 6:30!
Based on each diagnostic and formative assessment during today’s rehearsal, nothing was left out. The structure was the same for
each class.
Run through the two pieces for Pre-MPA
Make a list of good and bad from the run-through
Work through those bad parts, find solutions together
Move on to the next piece
For the next class, we can use the data from this class to guide our rehearsal and performance.
If I were to re-teach today’s lesson, I would not have changed anything BESIDES recording the runthrough of each piece. Recording
the dress rehearsal would be a good base assessment to see how much improvement there is at MPA, and for the pre-mpa
concert. I would have also had the students make a prediction list to what the judges would possibly comment on, and we would
see if our predictions were right on Thursday when the comments came out.
Otherwise, the structure of the rehearsal was beneficial because it gave them time to run through the piece, and gave us time to
work on the most vital parts that needed immediate help. The Pre-MPA concert was a great idea because it helped them get their
nerves out of the way, hopefully to prepare them for the real MPA assessment in three weeks.
The lesson and rehearsal went well today! We did a run through of the pieces, made a class list of what went well and what we
needed to work on, and then worked on those things. The structure of the lesson was pretty beneficial, and it allowed us to get a
lot done in the class management. Doing the run through helped them gain confidence in getting through the whole piece. It also
gave them a heads up on what to focus on and what to pay special attention to.
Classroom management was fine! The students were a little bit tired, and it was hard to keep them focused. For the actual
runthrough, the students were focused because I think they wanted to get through the pieces to make sure that it was possible for
the concert. The students were engaged and made good comments on what they individually needed to focus on for the next
performance of the pieces.
The utilization of technology benefited my students and made the rehearsal run smoothly. The tuner is a part of the daily
procedures, and it helps the students work on adjusting and matching pitch. The Dr. Beat also helps to audiate the steady beat,
that they will eventually internalize while they play. Having the SMARTBoard display my daily warm ups and agenda helps to
reinforce my verbal instruction, and gives them an expectation for how the class will run.
The students are good at being focused when they need to be. They can sense where there is external pressure (like preparing for
a concert) lies, and they are good at focusing their nerves toward the piece and making improvements.
MPA Repertoire
Standards:
structure
Long Term Goal: The long term goal is to perform our very best at MPA in March.
Our other goal is to match articulation with each other without guidance from the teacher and to play the melody out
confidently
Instructional objectives(s): Students will play with weight in the bow and space between the notes when it is marked
staccato in the music, 90% of the time
Students will match the part of the bow that their section leader is in with 90% accuracy
Accents
Flow SmartBoard for writing real-life examples on the board for
Dynamics students
Character
Announcements
How is the bow weight and pressure different between a Warmup
staccato and an accent? Lesson
“How are the staccatos in the Sinfonia in D different from the
staccatos in the Allegretto”

Independent:
Supported:
Participatory:
Pacing: Assessment:
Good morning and happy Thursday.
Nice job at the performance last night! How do we all feel about
it?
1st
4 minutes We are first going to listen to our recording from last night. Self Assessment: Listening to
Mark in the music what stands out to you for needing recordings, as a class, is a great way for
improvement or any parts that you need clarifications from me students to self-assess their progress
on and their performance
We are three weeks away from MPA! We need to zero in and

figure out how to go from our pre- MPA performance to the
actual MPA performance.
Let’s actually look at the MPA Rubric and grade ourselves.
4 minutes Let’s make a class list of what needs to be worked on

Timing Giving students a voice to talk about
Intonation their concerns and their praises helps
Not accenting smooth notes create a safe environment, and helps
Bowings establish self-accountability in the
Articulations students
Our class goal: ____________________________________
1st Period: Sinfonia in D

Warmup
3 minutes G Major in legato half notes, working on sustaining the tone to
the very end of the note
3 minutes Then, we will isolate the transition from the Tempo Primo section
to the cantabile section. That transition is reliant on myself, and
the seconds and violas
Having the students self assess when
Bring attention to who has the melody they have the melody and when the
Have students participate in a choral response by raising other sections have the melody will
their hand when they have the melody impact how they play their parts with
Matching bow lengths and bowings in the Cantabile one another
section
Closure Procedures:
2 minutes We’ve got three weeks until MPA! We need to be convincing to
the judges that we know this piece inside and out.

Today, for all three classes, we reviewed the recordings of the Pre-MPA concert last night. It was great to be able to hear what the
audience heard, and make comments and polite criticisms about each piece. Nothing was omitted. The structure was the same for
each class
Listen to recording
Follow along in music
Make comments
Tune
Rehearse the piece that wasn’t performed last night
Self reflection and assessment of the pre-mpa recordings is very beneficial for the students!
If I was to reteach this lesson, the only thing I would have changed would be having the students grade us on the FOA MPA rubric
on their computers or on paper. At DP, when I was in high school, we would always be mock judges and that helped us to better
understand how to move onto that next level (excellent to superior) and so on. We could have also had every student share a
comment, rather than having the same 4 people making comments about all the pieces.
Otherwise, I think the self-reflection aspect of todays class was very beneficial for me and for the students. Problem areas stood
out to them, and further emphasized the fact that there needs to be a lot of individual practice on the pieces before we go to MPA
in three weeks.
The lesson and rehearsals went well! We were able to have the students self-assess their performance, and that was helpful for
the teachers and the students. I think that as the teacher, I could have guided the conversation a little bit more, bringing up what I
heard or by making a physical list of what the students were saying. Otherwise, the structure worked out well and we were able to
squeeze in a lot of content in the 30 minute class. Today’s schedule was modified because of mental health day, so the actual class
period was less time than usual.
Classroom management was good! I think that there could have been a more even distribution of comments, because the same
people kept commenting while others were silent. Having every student participate could have been useful.
I think a good idea would be to come up with one main praise and one main goal to work on before MPA in three weeks. That
would help to create self-accountability and responsibility within the students, and have them working toward a common goal
that is clearly communicated to the students.
I think that students liked listening to themselves and giving comments. It gives them a voice and an outlet to give honest
feedback on their own performance, and on the group overall. I think that adding in the rubric would have been helpful to help
give the students even more guidance on their responses and criticisms. It would have helped them to know what to look for, and
how to improve to get to that next level of points.
Name: Kate Goodin Date: 2/20/2023 (Lesson 5) Inquiry Period: 1st
MPA Repertoire
Standards:
After our runthrough, evaluate the difference in tone quality and dynamic from the beginning and the coda.
Evaluate how you thought it went at MPA
structure
Long Term Goal: The long term goal is to perform our very best at MPA in March. Additionally, the goal is to match articulation and
intonation without guidance from the teacher.
Instructional objectives(s): Students will match the part of the bow that their section leader is in with 90% accuracy
Students will match their pitch to the drone with 85% accuracy
Students will be able to identify when my pitch is sharp or flat compared to the drone
Accents
Staccato SmartBoard for writing real-life examples on the board for
Tenuto students
Crescendo
“How do the finger patterns vary from C Major to C minor? Announcements
Which notes tend to be out of tune the most? How can you Warmup
prepare for this?” Lesson
How is the bow weight and pressure different between a

staccato and an accent?

Independent:
Supported:
Participatory:
Pacing: Assessment:
Good morning and happy Monday! I hope you all had a great
weekend.
1st Period: All three pieces, starting with the Sinfonia in D
warmup
4 minutes Warmup
D Minor
Quarter notes first I will be listening for the difference
between forte and fortissimo
4 minutes
DYNAMICS FOCUS (FORTE vs
FORTISSSSISSSSSSIMMMMOO)
Marcato eighth notes
I will observe the section leaders (5
students), looking for bow usage and
Have section leaders do the scale up and down.
the part of the bow they are in: This
Make sure section leaders are matching the part of the will help isolate bowing issues. This
bow they are in, and the amount of bow they are using includes using too much bow,
utilizing the wrong bow directions
Have everyone join back in, after observing where their section and articulations, and being in the
5 minutes leader is playing in the bow wrong part of the bow.
Students will also be observing the

section leaders and their bow usage
Move into the repertoire at the beginning

4 minutes Have the section leaders play the first 5 measures
Everyone from the beginning Bow usage is the most important

Full length quarter notes AND full length quarter rests thing to influence the tone of string
players. Isolating this issue and
working on it as a class will help
Goal: Beginning until measure 29
produce a greater overall tone
Based on the diagnostic and formative assessments of these classes, nothing was left out. We were able to cover the warmups on
D minor and work on dynamics. The warmup also included articulations and rhythms from the pieces and they transferred well to
the repertoire. We were able to focus on the problem areas of each piece and get them more ready for the MPA assessment. The
intonation on the allegretto still needs a lot of work, and the overall feeling and articulation needs more attention for Sinfonia in D.
A lot of things are going well in the pieces, so I made sure to praise them on the good things.
If I were to reteach this lesson to the classes, I would have made a general adjustment of writing specific measures for each of the
instruments that needed the most help. I would use it as sort of a learning goal for the students to aim to improve on before the
next rehearsal. Sometimes, looking at the whole piece can be overwhelming, so zeroing in is beneficial.
For example:
Rhythm problems = break down the rhythm into different patterns, play with a metronome, start slow and slowly
increase the metronome mark over time
Perform for others
The lesson and rehearsal went well today! I was happy with the work we did. We focused on certain areas that are consistently
causing problems. Doing this allows for concentrated instruction to best work on the actual problem and figure out solutions
together. Working in small sections is basically orchestra sectionals! Sometimes, it is completely necessary to focus on a few
measures or a certain concept in order to help the overall idea of the piece.
The classroom management was fine today. It was Monday, so the students were a little bit drowsy from the weekend, but they
still managed to be engaged and focused on the music at hand. There were good interactions between myself and the students,
and they laughed at some of my comments. As the teacher, you have to work harder to get the students to wake up because you
want them to be engaged and you also want them to take away something from the lesson. It’s also important to still be
compassionate to the students, because weekends can be physically and emotionally exhausting for a variety of reasons.
I could run this idea by the teachers, but it could be fun to have a “Piece of the day” playing on the speakers as the students enter
the class to get them excited for the class. Especially if the recording was meaningful to them in some way.
Name: Kate Goodin Date: 2/22/2023 (Lesson 6) Sectionals Period: 1st
MPA Repertoire
Standards:
structure
Long Term Goal: The long term goal is to perform our very best at MPA in March. Additionally, our goal in to convey the storyline of
Sinfonia inD as the composer originally intended
Instructional objectives(s): Students will incorporate phrase markings into their musical interpretation with 90% accuracy
Students will explain how to alter their bow technique to achieve the desired expressive elements
Students will play the notated dynamics and stylistic indications with 80% accuracy
Accents
Dynamics SmartBoard for writing real-life examples on the board for
Dynamic range students
Differentiation
How does the mood change from A to B? What changes in the Announcements
rhythm and tonality? Warmup
Lesson
How does the key change/modulation affect the mood?

Independent:
Supported:
Participatory:
Pacing: Assessment:
Good morning and happy (early day) Wednesday!
4 minutes Lesson/Rehearsal Procedures:

1st period: Sinfonia in D
Everybody get out a pencil

I want you and your stand partner to point out
Written assessment identifying
EVERY dynamic marking (crescendo, decrescendo,
every dynamic marking and style
forte, piano, fortissimo)
marking: Dynamics and stylistic
Circle the ones that you think are not being markings take a group from “good”
portrayed in our performance to “great.” Marking dynamics and
Notate those on a blank sheet of paper and be bringing attention to the unison
prepared to share dynamics will help the overall
presentation of the piece.
“Are there similar dynamics for the two A sections?
How are the dynamics in the B section different? Are there
less or more?”
4 minutes Class List on SMARTBoard: Class list allows the entire classroom be
Marking the dynamics that are NOT being portrayed engaged and involved in
dramatically enough to where the audience can hear self-assessment of the dynamics
Work on those specific spots in the A and A’ sections in

4 minutes particular
Play through transition between A to B, mood changes Creating the class list also instills class
goals and objectives
Rehearsal Measure Goals:
31-64 (Transition from A to B)
64-73 (Maintaining tone and dynamics for the cantabile
section)
1st: Nothing was left out of the lesson today. We covered the warmup and jumped into the repertoire. We were able to cover the
Cantabile section and we went over the transition from the DS coda to the beginning, and back to the coda. Having the students
mark in their parts the dynamics was beneficial and I’m going to steal this idea for the other classes! It also helps to involve more
students, rather than the few that always participate in class.
1st: If I were to reteach the lesson today, I would have had the students find other people to compare notes/opinions with. Each
section has their strengths and weaknesses, and I think it would have been fun for students to hear different perspectives from
across the orchestra.
I would have also had a picture of the score on the board so that we could all mark it together, and have the SMARTBoard be
useful in this activity. Otherwise, I liked the structure of this lesson and I thought it flowed well.
1st: The lesson and rehearsal flowed fine today! I was glad that I had them work with their standpartner to bring attention to a
few dynamics. It helped to engage all students. I have found that some students prefer talking in smaller groups rather than in
front of everyone, so this activity was beneficial in that way. I also had more responses from more students today which is a win! I
am happy to see that they care about this piece and the performance coming up in a few weeks.
Classroom management was fine, however this class is so DEAD in the morning and it makes it especially challenging to be awake
and ready for the day when they’re all just staring at me. The other thing, a lot of the students don’t wish to be awake so forcing
them to be awake doesn’t really mesh with their vibe. It’s definitely challenging trying to wake them up without pushing them too
far. Mr. Hellhake is really good at being kind but also blunt about the fact that they have to be engaged because it’s just not
optional. Maybe having them stand up and move around would help in waking them up. Eventually, I would also like to have the
front stand move to the back of each section, and have the 2nd top stand move up. A lot of students tend to air bow/fake play
because they’re out of hearing range of the conductor. I want all of my students to be successful, and I want to be able to hear
everyone. That allows me to give personalized feedback that could help their individual playing.
Name: Kate Goodin Date: 2/24/2023 (Lesson 7) Small Groups Period: 1st
MPA Repertoire
Standards:
structure
Long Term Goal: The long term goal is to perform our very best at MPA in March
Instructional objectives(s): Students will keep their bow parallel to the bridge as they play with 90% accuracy
instruction
Accents
Weight SmartBoard for writing real-life examples on the board for
Bow pressure students
Cantabile
How does the bow index finger affect the sound? What does it Announcements
control? Warmup
Lesson
How can you utilize different vibrato speeds in the Cantabile
section?
Pacing: Assessment:
Good morning and happy Friday! It’s almost the WEEKEND!!! One
full week less of rehearsal before MPA
1st:
4 minutes Warmup
Juxtaposing two different note lengths

D minor scale, marcato eighth notes first at BPM: 138
and dynamics will allow me to assess
Dynamic level forte and fortissimo
how well they follow directions, and
D minor scale, half notes at BPM: 72
assess their differences in playing
4 minutes Dynamic level mp
fortissimo, forte, and mezzo piano
We are ONE week away from MPA! We need to zero in and figure
out how to go from our pre- MPA performance to the actual MPA
performance.
Yesterday, we spent a lot of time going over dynamics, and

specifically the dynamics that need to be brought out more.
Doing a post-test recording will allow

4 minutes
me to listen and track which dynamics
I want to do a run-through and record it. THe focus is dynamics are coming out and which still need to
be emphasized/focused on in the
and emphasizing the difference in style from the A section to the
coming lessons
B section in Sinfonia in D
3 minutes Class self-assessment: This will allow

me to assess their dynamics, which
As a class, we will listen to the recording and go through our will guide my next lesson for what
dynamic checklist on the board and rate out progress/success on needs to be addressed
each specific dynamic!
Nothing was omitted from this lesson. I was able to cover the warm up, and the dynamics exercises within Sinfonia in D. We did
each articulation on the D minor scale which works on matching articulation and matching intonation.
If I were to reteach this lesson, I would have had the students grade each other on their dynamics. I could have volunteers come
up to the podium, close their eyes, have the orchestra play for them, and then they write the dynamic they heard on the board. I
think that would be a fun way to include self-assessment into the lesson.
I also would have also sorta reinforced the fact that we only have a week left before MPA. I still feel like some students are
guessing on certain parts, and it’s harming the orchestra as a whole.
Additionally, If I were to reteach this lesson to the first period, I would have added more individual assessments to gauge where
they are. We are in crunch time to get ready for MPA, and some students are still guessing on accidentals and rhythms. Although
playing tests aren’t the most fun, they help create self-accountability in the students where they feel external pressure to come to
class prepared with the MPA repertoire. Based on the playing levels of the students, the teachers and I are adding in different
playing tests to meet the needs of the students. For example, the seventh period has a playing test on the intonation of Allegretto,
while the first period does not have the same playing test.
I would try to plan more in advance so that the warmup directly translates to the piece that they are working on first.
The lesson and rehearsals for each class went alright! Fridays are always a bit challenging because the students are either very
sleepy and groggy from the week, or super energetic. As stated before, the classes are in crunch time because MPA is in one week
from now. Some students are still scrambling for notes and rhythms, which is quite concerning. The rehearsals went well today,
and the goal is to work on each piece every day. A lot of students know certain sections very well, but not the whole piece.
Eventually, we will also need to do full program run throughs to work on endurance and keeping the energy levels high.
There were quite a few students missing in the classes today. Gaining their attention was a bit hard, because it’s Friday and a lot of
students are quite out of it, and just wanted school to end asap. There was also a bit of disruptive talking where students weren’t
listening (or couldn’t hear) the directions I was giving, so they consistently spoke out of turn to try and figure out what was
happening. I think that I need to speak louder or maybe use the voice amplifier tool that was mentioned a while ago. I don’t think
any of the students have malicious intent, but it does cause a break in the flow of the lesson and in the quality of my teaching
because I’m having to pause consistently to try and focus their energy.
I think reminding them of my personal procedures would be helpful. I also would like to incorporate some attention grabbers that I
can use and they’ll know to stop playing or talking. I just need to brainstorm what that will be and what will work for the class
periods.
MPA Repertoire
Standards:
structure
Long Term Goal: The long term goal is to perform our very best at MPA in March and to play with consistently correct posture and
technique.
Students will be able to verbally describe the mood and character of the A and B sections
Bowing
ABA form SmartBoard for writing real-life examples on the board for
Intonation students
Why does the wood of the bow have to be over the bow hair? Announcements
Warmup
Analyze the difference between the A and the A prime section Lesson
Pacing: Assessment:
Good morning and happy Tuesday!
We are getting extremely close to MPA. How are you all feeling??
Throw out some adjectives!.
1st: Sinfonia in D
4 minutes Warm up: Articulation from the beginning parts of the A and A’
section
Focus: Matching lengths of quarter notes Listening for matching lengths of
Matching intonation on F naturals in particular quarter notes, correct intonation on the
F naturals and Bbs
Maintaining the quarter note length for the entire
warmup
2 minutes Having small groups perform and

Demonstration! One student from each section
demonstrate allows me to assess
individuals. This helps me give specific
related feedback to students
3 minutes
THINK, PAIR, SHARE:
Everybody, turn your chairs so you can see everyone in

Think, pair, share: They will be
your section.
Take three minutes and come up with one thing that you
guiding their own instruction by
like about our current state of Sinfonia in D and one pointing out what they need to work
thing that MUST be improved on before we go to MPA on the most in Sinfonia in D.
Be prepared to share
3 minutes
Class List:
Solutions for the improved category: Class T Chart
Take volunteer responses for the measures they want to work on

Focused practice trying out the new solutions we figured
out as a class

Based on the diagnostic and formative assessments during today’s rehearsals, nothing was omitted. I planned to have short and
concise warm ups because we’re a little short on time for MPA and we’re focusing a lot of our time on the repertoire. We have one
week left before the assessment, and it’s crunch time.
The warmups took an articulation from the piece that they were working on, with the scale of the piece. This was beneficial
because it worked on articulation and finger patterns/correct intonation. The focus is playing the quarter note for its full value
every time it comes around.
So far, we’ve reached our goal of reading each piece every day. Now, the trick is to incorporate sight-reading into our daily
rehearsals.
If I were to reteach these lessons to the class periods, I would have added more individual assessments to gauge where they are.
We are in crunch time to get ready for MPA, and some students are still guessing on accidentals and rhythms. Although playing
tests aren’t the most fun, they help create self-accountability in the students where they feel external pressure to come to class
prepared with the MPA repertoire.
If I were to reteach these lessons, I would stick to my original idea of playing through the piece before working on certain things.
It’s really hard to keep going through a runthrough when there are so many things that need help, but it has to be done because
otherwise, they will never be able to get through the piece without stopping. Working on endurance is an important part of MPA
prep.
However, I did really like the think, pair, share activity and I will be doing that for more classes down the road! The T Chart also
helped to engage the majority of students. Having certain students demonstrate also helps to encourage leadership and motivates
all the students to learn their part, well enough that they could play it in front of the class.
The lesson and rehearsals for each class went alright! The first period class was so dead, and it was hard not to match their energy.
As the teacher, I know I have to be the most energetic one, but it is hard. The think-pair-share was definitely a useful activity for
this class because it allowed for small groups to communicate and share their ideas about what needs to be improved upon
Otherwise, the short warmup I did for the classes helped make the transition to the pieces smooth and simple.
As stated before, the classes are in crunch time because MPA is in two weeks from now. Some students are still scrambling for
notes and rhythms, which is quite concerning. The rehearsals went well today, and the goal is to work on each piece every day. A
lot of students know certain sections very well, but not the whole piece. Eventually, we will also need to do full program run
throughs to work on endurance and keeping the energy levels high.
The problem today was not them talking out of turn; it was them not being engaged and being bored instead. I am being
challenged to find new ways to engage them!
Name: Kate Goodin Date: 3/2/2023 (Lesson 9) Small Groups Period: 1st
MPA Repertoire
Standards:
structure
Long Term Goal: The long term goal is to perform our very best at MPA in March and to convey the storyline of Sinfonia in D as the
composer originally intended
Instructional objectives(s): The Chamber Orchestra will play the piece all the way through, following the roadmap with
100% accuracy.
Students will incorporate vibrato into the B section melody for at least 80% of the notes in the melodic line
Dynamic levels
Lanes on the violin SmartBoard for writing real-life examples on the board for
Pulse students
How does the bow speed affect the dynamic levels? Announcements
Warmup
How can we prevent rushing in the beginning A section? Lesson
Pacing: Assessment:
Good morning and happy Thursday.
1 School day away from MPA!!!
4 minutes
Warm Up:
Warmup for SInfonia in D
We will do a warmup in G major because the Cantabile I will be listening for F#, F naturals, Bb
section of Sinfonia in D is in G Major, pretty much. B and B naturals
Listening for connection between notes,
We will begin by doing a lyrical warmup in the key of G legato bow stroke, even distribution of
major to practice accidentals and to practice holding weight for each long note
The exercise below will be displayed on the SMARTBoard, and on

the screen projector in the back of the classroom so that every
student can easily see the exercise
Sectional Work Sectionals on these specified sections:

Sectionals allow for students to work
on specific parts with their section.
This is where very focused work
occurs on intonation, rhythm and
style.
4 minutes I will be Observing individual sectionals and listening for

improved sections and effective group-guided practice
Having all the sections come back
together after sectionals allows me
3 minutes If time permits, we will meet together and run through the A’ to assess their progress on the
section as a class specified sections
concise warm ups because we’re a little short on time for MPA and we’re focusing a lot of our time on the repertoire.
The warmups took a slurred pattern from the piece that they were working on, with the scale of the piece. This was beneficial
because it worked on controlling the bow usage, and allowed me to assess their intonation on the B naturals and the F sharps. It
also allowed me to assess their sight-reading skills.
Rehearsal or Lesson Adjustment: If you were going to re-teach today’s lesson/rehearsal, how would you have done it differently?
If I were to reteach this lesson, I would have done more small group assessments. For example, I could have each row play a line
and see how that goes. Doing this can help create self-accountability and group responsibility in the class. The students that are
still guessing on their parts are harming the orchestra as a whole.
We are in crunch time to get ready for MPA, and some students are still guessing on accidentals and rhythms. Sectionals were
beneficial because it gave small groups the opportunity to work towards a common goal. Maybe, I would have added a section
leader to encourage on task behavior within the sectional time.
The lesson and rehearsals for each class went alright!. We did a lot of sight reading in preparation for MPA and we also focused on
the Messiah. There were quite a few students missing in the classes today. Gaining their attention was a bit hard today and a lot of
students are quite out of it. First period is quite dead in the morning and it’s hard to wake up as the teacher when all the students
are giving you blank stares. However, breaking them up into sectionals helped some of them wake up. Sometimes, it’s easier to
engage in smaller groups rather than in front of the class. I assessed their progress from the sectional to the group rehearsal, and a
lot of things fell into place which is great!
When we met up as a group again, there was a bit of disruptive talking where students weren’t listening (or couldn’t hear) the
directions I was giving, so they consistently spoke out of turn to try and figure out what was happening. I think that I need to speak
louder or maybe use the voice amplifier tool that was mentioned a while ago. I don’t think any of the students have malicious
intent, but it does cause a break in the flow of the lesson and in the quality of my teaching because I’m having to pause
consistently to try and focus their energy. The sectionals were focused, however, and they yielded good results.
I think reminding them of my personal procedures would be helpful. I also would like to incorporate some attention grabbers that I
can use and they’ll know to stop playing or talking. I just need to brainstorm what that will be and what will work for the class
periods. I’m thinking of adding a bell that means stop playing and talking. A bell would sound over most of their instruments, and
it would be a quick way to gain their attention and focus.
I think that I might start introducing a fun fact of the day that’s music related to park their interests.
Name: Kate Goodin Date: 3/3/2023 (Lesson 10 - Culminating Lesson) Problem

Solving
MPA Repertoire
Standards:
structure
Long Term Goal: The long term goal is to perform our very best at MPA in March with no serious flaws and to convey the storyline
of Sinfonia in D as the composer originally intended.
Instructional objectives(s): The Chamber Orchestra will play the piece all the way through, following the roadmap with
100% accuracy.
Students will identify and respond to expressive elements of music, including dynamics, tempo, and articulation 100%
of the time
Accents
Holistic SmartBoard for writing real-life examples on the board for
Performance etiquette students

After our runthrough, evaluate the difference in tone quality Announcements
and dynamic from the beginning and the coda. Warmup
Lesson
Pacing: Assessment:
Good morning and happy Friday.
MPA is on Monday: general announcements, reminders about
where to be and when
1st: Warmup on D Minor
4 minutes Marcato and forte eighth notes
Connected, but detache
Listening to recordings, as a class, is a
NOT ACCENTED
great way for students to self-assess
their progress and their performance
Run-through the piece and record as a final post test before MPA
4 minutes Mock-score using the FOA MPA Rubric A post-test will always be beneficial
Post-test (Same measures as pretest) because it allows the students to track
their own progress, and find last minute
things that they want to work on
Have students reflect on my unit, and on our progress on Sinfonia

5 minutes in D from 2/13-now.
Written responses on a pre-made google form

Reading responses on my unit will
What did YOU improve on
inform me of what they understood
What do you think THE GROUP improved on
and what still needs to be retaught or
What could have been better? reinforced
What would have helped you in the success of this unit?
What activities did you find repetitive or boring?
Any suggestions to me!
Go over any concerns or anxieties about MPA on Monday
Closure Procedures:
Make sure you get a restful weekend and that you know where
3 minutes you need to be on Monday morning! It’s gonna be an early
wakeup call, but you MUST be here on time!

Based on the diagnostic and formative assessments of the class periods, nothing was omitted. We used the data from the
diagnostic assessment of yesterday’s concert to form today’s lesson. We worked on the certain articulations and intonation spots
that stuck out to us. We were able to cover a good amount of problem areas and students were also given time to individually
practice those spots that they know they need to work on. Having them reflect on their progress thus far, and on the unit as a
whole was beneficial for them and for me.
If I were to reteach today’s lesson/rehearsal, I would have had the students assess themselves and assess each other. I could have
the different sections assess each other and name one thing they really liked and one thing they think could be better. I think
doing this will help in giving students individual responsibilities, and allowing them to say something nice to their classmates. Most
of the students in the program are quite harsh critiques of themselves and their abilities, but they fail to acknowledge the progress
and growth that’s happening throughout these rehearsals.
I would have also taken suggestions from the students on what exactly they need to work on. I could have them assess their own
sections and make a group statement on what was good and what needs improvement. Team bonding of sorts! Having a google
form helped them form their thoughts into sentences, which will help guide my lesson before the MPA assessment.
The lesson and rehearsals went well today for the three classes. Since the pre-MPA concert, we all, students included, have a clear
vision of what we wish to work on the most and what sticks out from the recording. This helps set internal goals for each of us,
and we can collectively come up with a written goal on what we wish to improve upon. We took the problem spots that we have
identified throughout the week, and used that to guide our rehearsal today. Having the google form also allowed me to collect
individual data about their progress and the current state of Sinfonia in D.
Classroom management was good today! The students were very happy that it was Friday. MPA is on Monday, and I think some of
the students are excited and some are pretty scared. I think that they will perform successfully, and that it’ll be a good experience
for them regardless of the scores. I think, overall, the students are pretty content with the progress they’ve made. I can see some
of the frustration from the students who know the piece really well, but the quality of the group as a whole has definitely
improved a lot over the course of the unit.
Culminating Experience
For this last lesson plan, I included a culminating experience to allow students to reflect on my unit of
study, and on the improvement of Sinfonia in D as a whole. This helps to tie up any loose ends, and
allows me to collect valuable feedback on what worked for them and what could have been adjusted.
Additionally, reflecting on Sinfonia in D and reflecting on our other two MPA pieces helps to encourage
them before the MPA assessment.
Table 2: Types of Learning Experiences
Lesson Type of Learning Experience Objective during this Learning Experience
Number
1: 2/13 Whole Group: Diagnostic Students will play “Sinfonia in D” 100% through, no stopping
Assessment of running through the
piece Students playing violin and viola will keep their instruments parallel to
Small Group the ground 100% of the time without teacher instruction
Hands on
2: 2/14 Sectionals Students will rehearse “Sinfonia in D” and perform the rhythms at 85%
Inquiry accuracy
Small Group
Students will sit on the edge of their chair with feet flat on the floor
100% of the time without instruction to do so
3: 2/15 Small Group Students will play “Sinfonia in D” from measures 1-40 with intonation
Pre-MPA Inquiry at 90% accuracy
Problem Solving
Students will keep their bow parallel to the bridge as they play with
90% accuracy
4: 2/16 Whole Group Students will self-assess their Pre-MPA Performance

Small Group
Hands on
5: 2/20 Inquiry Students will play the notes and rhythms with 100% accuracy from
Sectionals measures 41-52 of “Sinfonia in D”
Whole Group
6: 2/22 Sectionals Students will play the notated dynamics and stylistic indications with
Whole Group 80% accuracy
Cooperative Groups
Students will identify all expressive markings with 100% accuracy in
“Sinfonia in D”
7: 2/24 Small Groups Students will play the notes and rhythms with 100% accuracy from
Whole Group measures 53-72 with 100% accuracy.
Problem Solving
Students will incorporate phrase markings into their musical
interpretation with 90% accuracy
8: 2/28 Whole Group Students will recognize, identify, and respond to expressive elements of
Sectionals music, including dynamics, tempo, and articulation, and will perform
Problem Solving music with appropriate expressive qualities in “Sinfonia in D”
Students will identify and respond to expressive elements of music,

including dynamics, tempo, and articulation 90% of the time in
“Sinfonia in D”
9: 3/2 Whole Groups Students will incorporate phrase markings into their musical
Sectionals interpretation of “Sinfonia in D” with 90% accuracy
Small Groups
Students will explain how to alter their bow technique to achieve the
desired expressive elements in “Sinfonia in D”
10: 3/3 Whole Groups Students will play through “Sinfonia in D” with no major problems
Friday Sectionals
before Problem Solving
MPA
Technology Integration Component: Describe the Assistive Technologies
In the first period orchestra class at Freedom High School, I consistently use three specific
technological resources during my instructional time.
1. Tuner: https://www.dronetonetool.com/
This tuner has been developed by music educators to provide high quality reference pitches with the rich
sounds of a real cello. This is a free resource that provides the pitches (shown on a digital keyboard) with
varying octaves, all played on string instruments. This website is incredibly useful for tuning a string
orchestra because the pitches sound authentic, not digitized. Not only do I use this every day to assist with
tuning, but I also have it on through the speakers as we play to act as a drone. Doing slow warmups with a
drone, such as this one, can benefit students with intonation work.
2. Metronome: Dr. Beat and the metronome on https://www.dronetonetool.com/

Dr. Beat is a metronome that has many different features, such as subdivision, a reference-tone for tuning,
an instrument input, a drumbeat, and so on. This has been a staple in many music classrooms for assisting
with tempo, rhythm, and establishing the steady pulse. My CT has speakers in the classroom so the Dr.
Beat metronome can be heard over light string playing. Helping students establish a steady beat as they
play is made easy with Dr. Beat.
3. Interactive SMARTBoard
The classroom I am teaching in has an interactive SmartBoard installed at the front of the class. It is
responsive to touch, and it allows me to write musical examples and terms on the board in order to
provide clarification for my students. I can save past lessons and slides and return to them at any time to
help retrieve background information. The SMARTBoard also allows me to display pre-made powerpoint
presentations that state the warm up, daily agenda, and learning goals for that specific rehearsal. This
made it easier for students to follow along with my lesson.
Student Work Examples

Example 1: Students Tuning with Drone
Audio File Link:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JiYava5uGXmlI-S8huBMJKN55rM3v2LQ/view?usp=share_link
Example 2: Student using Electronic Metronome to establish a steady beat in Sinfonia in D

Audio File Link:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/16tOv_2LpzV4DzIaA_c8dvQeMOixvU2yw/view?usp=share_link
Technology Lesson Plan
Technology Integration - Lesson Plan
Name: Kate Goodin Date: 2/15/2023 (Lesson 3) Period: 1st
Standards:
structure
Long Term Goal: Our long term goal is to play our instruments with consistently correct posture and technique and to
actively listen to each other as we play
instruction
Accents, Flow, Dynamics, Character, Intonation
SmartBoard for writing real-life examples on the board for
students
How does your sitting position impact your left hand? Announcements
Why must you play with a straight wrist, rather than a Warmup
Lesson
pancake hand?
How does a pancake hand affect your tone?

Independent:
Supported:
Participatory:
Pacing: Assessment:
Good morning and happy Wednesday!
It’s concert day today so let’s treat this rehearsal like a dress
SUB ALL DAY rehearsal.
Your call time is on the SMARTboard. You are only
required to be there when you play, and 30 minutes
before
1st/7th Period: Sinfonia in D
4 minutes I turn on the cello drone: https://www.dronetonetool.com/

“Everybody, tune your A string! You need to be able to hear the
drone over your own instrument”
*I go around and fine tune some instruments that need

assistance* I will assess their ability to go from D
Order of tuning: D string, G string, C string for viola/cello, E string minor to G major
for bass/violins
4 minutes Warmup for SInfonia in D
We will do a warmup in G major because the Cantabile Having the orchestra in unison will help
section of Sinfonia in D is in G Major, pretty much. B me assess the intonation at a very basic
natural and F# appear quite a bit level. I will walk around, and assist the
students who are out of tune
major to practice accidentals and to practice holding
The exercise below will be displayed on the SMARTBoard, and on The Pre-MPA concert also serves as a
the screen projector in the back of the classroom so that every post test AND diagnostic assessment to
student can easily see the exercise what we need to work on for the next
three weeks before MPA
Rehearsal:
We will move onto the Cantabile section in Sinfonia in D, and
transfer the lyrical warmup to the Cantabile melody.
Order of melody:
Violin 1
Violin 2
Cello/Bass
Violas
Work on Transition between the Tempo Primo (A section) and
the Cantabile (B section)
Dr. Beat on the metronome setting (quarter note = 138)

The Cantabile section is the same metronome marking,
but just half speed (eighth note = 138, 1+ 2+ 3+ 4+)
Using the metronome will help establish the steady

pulse of the piece which makes the transition between
the two sections easier
By jumping into the repertoire, I can
We will run through Sinfonia in D from the beginning, without assess their understanding of the
stopping warmup and their ability to move from
We’ve only run through the piece once, and we need to the warmup to the repertoire
perform it tonight.
I will emphasize the fact that we must keep going, no Post test of running through the piece
matter what happens!
During a performance, you just keep going
I am giving the downbeat so if you get lost, look for the

down bow
Closure Procedures:
We’ve made a lot of progress this week on this piece! I am
excited for tonight, and I’ll see you all at 6:30!
Based on each diagnostic and formative assessment during today’s rehearsal, nothing was left out. The structure was the same for
each class.
If I were to re-teach today’s lesson, I would not have changed anything BESIDES recording the runthrough of each piece. Recording
the dress rehearsal would be a good base assessment to see how much improvement there is at MPA, and for the pre-mpa
concert. I would have also had the students make a prediction list to what the judges would possibly comment on, and we would
see if our predictions were right on Thursday when the comments came out.
Otherwise, the structure of the rehearsal was beneficial because it gave them time to run through the piece, and gave us time to
work on the most vital parts that needed immediate help. The Pre-MPA concert was a great idea because it helped them get their
nerves out of the way, hopefully to prepare them for the real MPA assessment in three weeks.
The lesson and rehearsal went well today! We did a run through of the pieces, made a class list of what went well and
what we needed to work on, and then worked on those things. The structure of the lesson was pretty beneficial, and it allowed us
to get a lot done in the class management. Doing the run through helped them gain confidence in getting through the whole
piece. It also gave them a heads up on what to focus on and what to pay special attention to.
Classroom management was fine! The students were a little bit tired, and it was hard to keep them focused. For the
actual runthrough, the students were focused because I think they wanted to get through the pieces to make sure that it was
possible for the concert. The students were engaged and made good comments on what they individually needed to focus on for
the next performance of the pieces.
The utilization of technology benefited my students and made the rehearsal run smoothly. The tuner is a part of the daily
procedures, and it helps the students work on adjusting and matching pitch. The Dr. Beat also helps to audiate the steady beat,
that they will eventually internalize while they play. Having the SMARTBoard display my daily warm ups and agenda helps to
reinforce my verbal instruction, and gives them an expectation for how the class will run.
The students are good at being focused when they need to be. They can sense where there is external pressure (like
preparing for a concert) lies, and they are good at focusing their nerves toward the piece and making improvements.
Technology as a Professional Teaching Tool
I use the three listed technological resources daily. I use the drone website as my tuner to get each
class started. I play the drone “A” over the speaker, and the students softly play their A string and adjust
their fine tuners to match the pitch of the drone. Tuning is a very important part of the string culture
because if the open strings aren’t in tune, then absolutely nothing will be in tune. Going around to each
individual student with a tuner would not be as effective because it would take up instructional time and
leave students with ample opportunities to be off task. Using the drone over the speaker also helps to train
their ears to adjust and match pitch. This tuner was in use for the entire duration of my unit, as it is the
first thing we use every day.
The Dr. Beat metronome and drone have also been used consistently throughout my unit.
Working on rhythm, subdivisions, and pitch accuracy fall under the standard “MU.912.O.3.1: Analyze
expressive elements in a musical work and describe how the choices and manipulations of the elements
support, for the listener, the implied meaning of the composer/performer” and the standard
“MU.912.O.1.1: Evaluate the organizational principles and conventions in musical works and discuss
their effect on structure.” The Dr. Beat helps the students establish the internal steady beat that is
necessary to play Sinfonia in D as it is intended by the composer.
The interactive SMARTBoard has been very beneficial for my style of giving instruction. For
some lessons, I had prewritten warm ups compiled into a Google Slides presentation that I could easily
present to the students. Doing this, instead of printing out the exercise for each student, saved paper and
also saved time that would have been used passing out the exercise. It also helps to focus the students’
attention to the center of the room where the SMARTBoard is. Having my agenda and warmups on the
SMARTBoard provided a visual display of what I wanted to accomplish each day, which was beneficial
for the students who learn best by sight. It also helped me stay on task and on topic with what I planned to
do for that specific lesson. The actual white-board element of the SMARTBoard was also very beneficial
throughout my unit. I was able to notate different articulations, bowings, finger patterns and note values
on the board where all of the students could easily see and follow along. Doing this allowed me to focus
their energy and focus onto one thing at a time.
Family Communication
Introduction to Unit: English
Dear Family,
I am excited to introduce my unit of study to you and your students in the upcoming week! My
unit will be focusing on one of their MPA pieces for this semester: Sinfonia in D by Elliot Del
Borgo. This unit will help me teach three specific CPALMS Music Standards, focusing on correct
instrument technique, expressive markings and interpretations, and the overall form and
organizational principles of Sinfonia in D. This unit consists of a pre-test, 10 rehearsals with
technology integration and differentiated teaching on my end, and a posttest to assess individual
progress and growth.
I invite you to engage with your students by encouraging them to perform for you! A lot of
students can suffer from performance anxiety, and as a parent, you can help them to feel more
comfortable playing in front of others by being supportive and compassionate. Additionally, I am
formally inviting you to attend our Pre-MPA Concert this Wednesday, starting at 5pm in the
Performing Arts Center. The official Music Performance Assessment is taking place on
March 8th, 2023 and I would love to see you all there as well! This year, the festival will be taking
place at East River High School. More details to follow!
I have high standards for your students, and I believe that they all will be successful throughout
this unit of study.
Thank you for your continuous support!
Warm Regards,
Ms. Kate Goodin
Intern Teacher
Freedom High School Orchestra
Introduction to Unit: Spanish
Querida familia,
¡Estoy emocionado de presentarles mi unidad de estudio a ustedes y a sus estudiantes en la

próxima semana! Mi unidad se centrará en una de sus piezas de MPA para este semestre:
Sinfonia in D de Elliot Del Borgo. Esta unidad me ayudará a enseñar tres estándares musicales
específicos de CPALMS, centrándome en la técnica correcta del instrumento, marcas e
interpretaciones expresivas, y la forma general y los principios organizativos de Sinfonía en D.
Esta unidad consta de una prueba previa, 10 ensayos con integración de tecnología y enseñanza
diferenciada por mi parte, y una prueba posterior para evaluar el progreso y el crecimiento
individual.
Los invito a involucrarse con sus estudiantes animándolos a actuar para ustedes! Muchos
estudiantes sufren de ansiedad por el rendimiento y, como padre, puede ayudarlos a sentirse
más cómodos jugando frente a los demás si los apoya y los compasivamente. Además, los invito
formalmente a asistir a nuestro Concierto Pre-MPA este miércoles, a partir de las 5:00 p. m. en el
Centro de Artes Escénicas. La evaluación oficial de interpretación musical se llevará a cabo el 8
de marzo de 2023 y me encantaría verlos a todos allí! Este año, el festival se llevará a cabo en
East River High School. ¡Más detalles a seguir!
Tengo altos estándares para sus estudiantes y creo que todos tendrán éxito a lo largo de esta
unidad de estudio.
Un cordial saludo,
Ms. Kate Goodin
Profesor Interno
Orquesta de la escuela secundaria Freedom
During the Unit: Progress Check with Three Parents
First Communication
Parent of Minaya Amarasekera
Date: March 1st
Time: 11:28 am
Duration: 4 minutes
Outcome of Conversation: I called the parents of Minaya Amarasekera to discuss their student’s
progress throughout my unit on Sinfonia in D. I told them that Minaya was doing an amazing
job, that she is very intuitive musically, and that she has really solid technique. I told them that
she is a great leader, and that she has shown a lot of growth throughout my 10 week unit. They
were happy to hear the positive report about Minaya! They said they were happy that she was
involved in orchestra and that she enjoys the class each year.
Second Communication
Parent of Brianna Gutierrez
Date: March 3rd
Time: 2:25pm
Duration: 8 minutes
Outcome of Conversation: I called the parents of Brianna Gutierrez to tell them how much
Brianna has progressed through my unit! I told them Brianna is a very driven student, and that
it’s inspiring that she’s involved so much in the school environment. I was sure to comment on
her progress on the viola, specifically with her technique and dynamic expression. She has grown
a lot through my unit and I wanted to share the good news. Her parents were very receptive, and
they were happy to hear that she was doing well. Her mom said my communication made her
day!
Third Communication
Parent of Sophia Acosta
Date: March 7th
Time: 3:04pm
Duration: 5 minutes
Outcome of Conversation: I called the mother of Sophia Acosta to relay a positive progress
report on Sophia during the course of my unit. I introduced myself, and told her that Sophia has
been doing a wonderful job in class and on Sinfonia in D. I told her that Sophia has really good
intonation, and also has a developed ability of making adjustments to blend with the rest of the
group. Her mother was happy to receive a positive report and I think she appreciated that I
called! She said that Sophia really enjoys orchestra, which is great.
Conclusion of Unit: English
Dear Family,
I am excited to share with you that your students and I have completed our Unit on Sinfonia in D.
Throughout the course of this unit, I worked on three specific music standards with your students
in the Chamber Orchestra:

MU.912.O.3.1: Analyze expressive elements in a musical work and describe how the
choices and manipulations of the elements support, for the listener, the implied meaning
of the composer/performer
MU.912.O.1.1: Evaluate the organizational principles and conventions in musical works and
discuss their effect on structure
Your students participated in a playing test before the unit and at the conclusion of the unit which
served as the pretest and posttest assessments. I took the data from these assessments to track
their growth on all three music standards and I am happy to report that 100% of the students who
participated in this unit reached proficiency on the three music standards!
In order to assess your students, I used the Florida Orchestra Association - Music Performance
Assessment Rubric for their pre and post playing assessments which is the same rubric that is
used at Music Performance Assessment (MPA). They played a total of 14 measures from the
piece, and they were graded on intonation, tone, musical effect, and rhythmic precision, which
aligned with the three standards previously mentioned. Most students scored around 55-68%
proficiency on the pre-test, and scored around 80-98% proficiency by the post-test! This is a
wonderful improvement, possible by the hard work of your students.
I greatly appreciate your constant support for your student and for the Freedom Orchestra
Program! Their success would not be possible without your dedication and support;
Thank you for all that you do!
Warm Regards,
Ms. Kate Goodin

Intern Teacher
Freedom High School Orchestra
Conclusion of Unit: Spanish
Querida familia,
Me emociona compartir con ustedes que sus alumnos y yo hemos completado nuestra Unidad
sobre Sinfonía en D. A lo largo de esta unidad, trabajé en tres estándares musicales específicos
con sus alumnos en la Orquesta de Cámara:
MU.912.S.3.5: Desarrollar y demostrar una técnica vocal o instrumental adecuada.

MU.912.O.3.1: Analizar elementos expresivos en una obra musical y describir cómo las
elecciones y manipulaciones de los elementos respaldan, para el oyente, el significado
implícito del compositor/intérprete
MU.912.O.1.1: Evaluar los principios y convenciones organizacionales en obras musicales
y discutir su efecto en la estructura
Sus estudiantes participaron en una prueba de juego antes de la unidad y al final de la unidad
que sirvió como evaluación previa y posterior a la prueba. Tomé los datos de estas evaluaciones
para hacer un seguimiento de su crecimiento en los tres estándares de música y me complace
informar que el 100 % de los estudiantes que participaron en esta unidad alcanzaron el dominio
de los tres estándares de música.
Para evaluar a sus estudiantes, utilicé la Rúbrica de Evaluación de Interpretación Musical de la

Asociación de Orquestas de Florida para sus evaluaciones previas y posteriores a la
interpretación, que es la misma rúbrica que se utiliza en la Evaluación de Interpretación Musical
(MPA). Tocaron un total de 14 compases de la pieza y fueron calificados según la entonación, el
tono, el efecto musical y la precisión rítmica, que se alinearon con los tres estándares
mencionados anteriormente. ¡La mayoría de los estudiantes obtuvo alrededor del 55-68 % de
competencia en la prueba previa y obtuvo alrededor del 80-98 % de competencia en la prueba
posterior! Esta es una mejora maravillosa, posible gracias al arduo trabajo de sus alumnos.
¡Aprecio mucho su constante apoyo a su estudiante y al programa Freedom Orchestra! Su éxito

no sería posible sin su dedicación y apoyo.
¡Gracias por todo lo que haces!
Un cordial saludo,
Ms. Kate Goodin

Profesor Interno
Orquesta de la escuela secundaria Freedom
Assessment Strategies and Data Collection
The unit standards that will be assessed:
1. MU.912.S.3.5: Develop and demonstrate proper vocal or instrumental technique
2. MU.912.O.3.1: Analyze expressive elements in a musical work and describe how the choices and
manipulations of the elements support, for the listener, the implied meaning of the
composer/performer
3. MU.912.O.1.1: Evaluate the organizational principles and conventions in musical works and
discuss their effect on structure
MU.912.S.3.5: Develop and demonstrate proper vocal or instrumental technique

This standard will be assessed by the right-hand, left-hand, body posture and instrument positioning seen
in the pre-test assessment, various formative assessments, and the post-test assessment. I will also be
assessing their bow placement and bow hold as they play the measures of the assessment. Formative
assessments like posture checks will be happening during the duration of this unit. Tone quality will also
be assessessed in relation to the right and left hand positions. On the FOA Rubric, the categories that fall
under this standard are “Intonation” and “Tone.”
ESE/ESOL Modification: Students will be assessed in the same categories as listed above, however, they
will be offered the rubric in their first language for ease of understanding and comprehension. For posture
and instrument positioning, they will be assessed visually through posture checks and video playing tests.
MU.912.O.3.1: Analyze expressive elements in a musical work and describe how the choices and
manipulations of the elements support, for the listener, the implied meaning of the
composer/performer
This standard will be assessed through the “Musical Effect: Balance, Articulations, Dynamics,
Phrasing & Style” category on the FOA Rubric. The students will be assessed on their overall balance
and blend with the orchestra, articulations, dynamics, phrasing that matches the expressive markings in
the music, and playing in the appropriate style to the composer’s intent through the pre-test, formative
assessments, and the post-test assessment.
will be offered the rubric in their first language for ease of understanding and comprehension. They will
be assessed audibly through video playing tests.
MU.912.O.1.1: Evaluate the organizational principles and conventions in musical works and discuss
their effect on structure
This standard will be assessed through the “Rhythmic Precision” Category on the FOA Rubric and
through an individual virtual assessment. The virtual assignment will include the form of the piece, and I
will have the students identify which theme belongs to which sections. I will also have the students mark
down adjectives that go with each section, to help influence their interpretation of the piece. I will transfer
the knowledge from the virtual assessment into our daily rehearsals. I want each section of the piece to
have a different character.
will be offered the virtual assessment in their first language for ease of understanding and comprehension.
Assessment Descriptions
Pre-Test Assessment: Playing Test on Sinfonia in D

The first assessment is a diagnostic playing test on 14 designated measures of Sinfonia in D. In planning
for my unit, I pre-selected the most challenging measures to assess them on. This assessment took place
during class and I used the FOA-MPA Rubric to assess their intonation, tone, rhythmic precision, style,
posture, and hand positions.
Formative Assessment #1: Class Assessment: Good + Needs Improvement

T-Chart on first run-through
This formative assessment took place during class on February 14th, the day before the Pre-MPA Concert.
We listened to a recording of our run-through, and self-assessed our run-through as a class. I made a
T-Chart on the SMARTBoard and labeled the two sides “Good” and “Needs-Improvement.” All together,
students raised their hand and added a comment on either side of the chart. Doing this allowed for us all
to reflect on our pieces and isolate what we need to prioritize before our Pre-MPA Performance.
Formative Assessment #2: Written feedback on the Pre-MPA Concert Recording of Sinfonia in D
This formative assessment took place on 2/16 during class. I had the students mark in their part what they
heard from the Pre-MPA recording, and what they needed to individually improve on before MPA. Doing
this allowed for individual self-assessment using data from the concert recordings.
Formative Assessment 3: Observation of Think, Pair, Share on Dynamics

This formative assessment took place in class on 2/28. I had the students mark every single dynamic in
Sinfonia in D and share with their standpartner. I wanted them to assess which dynamics needed to be
more present, and how they were going to accomplish that goal. Allowing them the opportunity to share
with their partner helps them be at the center of their learning. They brainstormed different solutions, and
explained them in a way that was tangible to them.
Post-Test Assessment: Playing Test on Sinfonia in D

The last assessment is a summative playing test on 14 designated measures of Sinfonia in D. Through the
course of my unit, I implemented instruction on different techniques, rhythmic difficulties, intonation
problems, bowing difficulties and so on. I used a variety of teaching tools and resources to differentiate
my teaching to benefit all students. I assessed the same 14 measures as the pre-test during class and used
the same rubric to assess their intonation, tone, rhythmic precision, style, posture, and hand positions.
This post-test allowed me to track their growth and progress from before my unit to the conclusion of my
unit.
ELL/ESE Modified Test

For the playing pretest and protest, students that require an ELL/ESE Modified test will have the
opportunity to perform with a stand partner in order to provide them extra support. I will still be able to
individually assess their tone, intonation, musical effect, and rhythmic precision but having a stand
partner there will help make them more comfortable performing for me. That peer can also assist with
translating directions and feedback to the ELL student. Additionally, the rubric will be translated into
Spanish for the ELL Student as seen below.
Pre-Test Rubric
Sinfonia in D - Measures of Pre-Test Assessment
Total: 14 measures x 20 points each = 280 points in total
MU.912.S.3.5: 14 x 10 = 140
MU.912.O.3.1:Standard 2: 14 x 5 = 70
MU.912.O.1.1: Standard 3: 14 x 5 = 70
Violin 1: 17-23, 64-68 (14)

Violin 2: 55-68 (14)
Viola: 37-39, 54-64 (14)
Cello: 68-72, 83-91 (14)
Bass: 45-50, 83-91 (14)
ELL/ESE Modified Test
For the playing pretest and protest, students that require an ELL/ESE Modified test will have the
opportunity to perform with a stand partner in order to provide them extra support. I will still be able to
individually assess their tone, intonation, musical effect, and rhythmic precision but having a stand
partner there will help make them more comfortable performing for me. That peer can also assist with
translating directions and feedback to the ELL student. Additionally, the rubric will be translated into
Spanish for the ELL Student as seen below.
ELL/ESE Modified Test: Translated Rubric
Entonación
5 La música está constantemente afinada sin fallas graves.
4 La música está afinada, excepto en varios pasajes técnicamente desafiantes.
3 La falta de ajuste de tono provoca imprecisiones de tono sutiles pero constantes.
2 Los problemas con el tono y la falta de ajuste crean un tono consistente y significativo
inexactitudes
1 Los problemas graves de tono y la falta de ajuste hacen que el modo o la clave sean difíciles de reconocer
Tono
5 La calidad del tono en general es característicamente madura, enfocada y transmite apropiadamente
intensidad y sensibilidad a lo largo de la selección.
4 La calidad del tono es mayormente madura, enfocada y transmite la intensidad y sensibilidad apropiadas
a lo largo de la selección.
3 La calidad del tono carece de enfoque y aún no transmite un sonido maduro.
2 La calidad del tono es demasiado fina o áspera.
1 Calidad tonal deficiente y débil durante la interpretación.
Precisión rítmica
5 Los ritmos son consistentemente precisos; los tempos son apropiados para la música. todas las entradas,
las cadencias y los cambios de tempo están bien ejecutados.
4 La mayoría de los ritmos son precisos; los tempos son consistentes y apropiados para la música.
Las entradas, cadencias y cambios de tempo están generalmente bien ejecutados.
3 Ocasionalmente ocurren algunas imprecisiones rítmicas. Existen problemas menores de prisa o arrastre.
Las entradas, cadencias y cambios de tempo carecen de precisión.
2 Las imprecisiones rítmicas son frecuentes. El apresuramiento o el arrastre moderados provocan un conjunto
problemas. Las entradas, cadencias y cambios de tempo constantemente carecen de precisión.
1 Las imprecisiones rítmicas son graves. Apresurarse o arrastrarse causa problemas importantes en el conjunto.
Las entradas o cadencias imprecisas dan como resultado una actuación propensa al desastre.
Efecto musical (equilibrio, articulaciones, dinámica, fraseo y estilo)

El equilibrio general, las articulaciones, la dinámica, el fraseo y el estilo son muy musicales y bien
definido.
4 La mayoría del equilibrio, las articulaciones, la dinámica, el fraseo y el estilo son muy musicales y están bien
definido.
3 El equilibrio, las articulaciones, la dinámica, el fraseo y el estilo carecen de refinamiento.
2 El equilibrio, las articulaciones, la dinámica, el fraseo y el estilo están presentes con poca frecuencia.
1 Se observa poca o ninguna dinámica, estilo, articulaciones o equilibrio entre las secciones.
Table 3: Formative Assessment Table
Lesson Objective Assessment Assessment How does this assessment guide your
Number Name Description teaching?
1: 2/13 Students will sit on the Diagnostic Play Sinfonia in D This will help me diagnose what needs the
edge of their chair with Assessment from beginning to most work in order to be prepared for our
feet flat on the floor 100% end Pre-MPA Concert
of the time without
Students playing violin

and viola will keep their
instruments parallel to the
ground 100% of the time
without teacher instruction
2: 2/14 Students will match their Guided class Based on the This will help me gain perspective from the
pitch to the drone with self- run-through from students on what they heard in the diagnostic
85% accuracy assessment yesterday, the class assessment
will make a class list
Students will be able to of what went well
identify when my pitch is and what could be
sharp or flat compared to improved upon
the drone before the concert
tomorrow
3: 2/15 Students will sit on the Isolating pitch I will be specifically This will help me identify constant problem
Pre-MPA edge of their chair with and rhythmic listening for areas with intonation and rhythm. I can
feet flat on the floor 100% issues, improvement on specifically focus on finding various solutions
of the time without listening for ♮ ♮
F and B , and
instruction to do so improvement watching for the
amount of bow the
Students playing violin students are using
and viola will keep their
4: 2/16 Students will play with Self We will listen to the This will help the class and I assess our
weight in the bow and Assessment Pre-MPA Recording current state on Sinfonia in D, which will help
space between the notes as a class, marking guide future rehearsals
when it is marked staccato down in individual
in the music, 90% of the parts what needs
time improvement
Students will match the

part of the bow that their
section leader is in with
90% accuracy
5: 2/20 Students will match the Observing I will be watching This will help isolate bowing issues. This
part of the bow that their parts of bow students and tracking includes using too much bow, utilizing the
that students where they are most wrong bow directions and articulations, and
section leader is in with are in commonly in the bow being in the wrong part of the bow.
90% accuracy
Students will match their Students will watch Bow usage is the most important thing to
pitch to the drone with their own bows, and influence the tone of string players. Isolating
85% accuracy Student watch recordings of this issue and working on it as a class will
self-assessing their playing to help produce a greater overall tone
Students will be able to bow usage reflect on their
identify when my pitch is posture and bow
sharp or flat compared to usage
the drone
6: 2/22 Students will incorporate Written Read student Dynamics and stylistic markings take a group
phrase markings into their assessment responses to the from “good” to “great.” Marking dynamics
musical interpretation with identifying written assessment and bringing attention to the unison dynamics
90% accuracy every dynamic will help the overall presentation of the piece.
marking and Make sure that
Students will explain how style marking unison dynamics are
to alter their bow indicated as such in
technique to achieve the individual parts
desired expressive
elements
Students will play the
notated dynamics and
stylistic indications with
80% accuracy
7: 2/24 Students will keep their Listening to Listen and track This will allow me to assess their dynamics,
bow parallel to the bridge dynamics and which dynamics are which will guide my next lesson for what
as they play with 90% style changes coming out and needs to be addressed
accuracy throughout the which still need to be
different emphasized in the
Students playing violin sections of performance
and viola will keep their Sinfonia in D
8: 2/28 Students will sit on the Observation Make a group list This will benefit the students because they
edge of their chair with of Think, Pair, using the responses will be listening to their performance from a
feet flat on the floor 100% Share from the Think, Pair, different perspective than usual.
of the time without Share Activity
instruction to do so They will be guiding their own instruction by
Prompt: Have a 3 pointing out what they need to work on the
Students will be able to minute discussion most in Sinfonia in D.
verbally describe the mood with your section,
and character of the A and and come up with
B sections one thing that you
think MUST be
improved upon
before MPA
9: 3/2 Play the piece all the way Listening for Observing individual Sectionals allow for students to work on
through, following the improved sectionals and specific parts with their section. This is where
roadmap with 100% sections that listening for very focused work occurs on intonation,
accuracy were improved sections rhythm and style.
specifically and effective
Students will incorporate brought up group-guided
vibrato into the B section yesterday practice
melody for at least 80% of
the notes in the melodic
line
10: 3/3 Play the piece all the way Unit Read student Reading responses on my unit will inform me
Friday through, following the Reflection responses and class of what they understood and what still needs
before roadmap with 100% responses to the Unit to be retaug/ht or reinforced
MPA accuracy General and to the progress
reflection on on Sinfonia in D
Students will identify and Sinfonia in D
respond to expressive
elements of music,
including dynamics,
tempo, and articulation
100% of the time
Item Analysis
Pre-Test Item Analysis
Test Question Mean of Score Total score % Correct Analysis - Going forward I
for 21 Students available will…
1 10 20 50% Work on finger patterns
2 15 20 75% Finger patterns and bowings
3 14 20 70% Scale with bowings from the

piece
4 14 20 70% D Minor patterns
5 16 20 80% Reestablish pitch
6 13 20 65% Focus on length of quarter

note, and correcting
intonation
7 12 20 60% Work on the difference

between major and minor
8 16 20 80% Reestablish goals
9 17 20 85% Reestablish goals with

intonation and quarter note
lengths
10 15 20 75% Sectionals on pitch and

intonation
11 16 20 80% Work on style and expression

as a group
12 16 20 80% Work on style and expression

as a group
13 17 20 85% Work on storyline of the

piece
14 14 20 70% Review the finger patterns of

this measure
Post-Test Item Analysis
Test Question Mean of Score Total score % Correct Analysis - What
for 21 Students available Happened?
1 18 20 90% Finger patterns and

intonation improved
2 17 20 85% Some students are still

playing with the wrong
bowings
3 20 20 100% Teaching was effective to

improve this measure

5 16 20 80% Continue to work on pitch

with a drone, tuner, or piano
6 18 20 90% Quarter note length improved
7 19 20 95% Working on pitch helped, but

they still need reminders on
major/minor key signatures
8 19 20 95% Working on pitch helped, but

they still need reminders on
major/minor key signatures
9 18 20 90% Quarter notes were

consistently matching, so
much that the judge
complimented us at MPA


12 17 20 85% Work on establishing new

tools to implement style
13 17 20 85% Work on establishing new

tools to implement style
14 18 20 90% Encourage individual

practice and sectionals to
continuously improve pitch
Table 4: Impact on Student Learning Summary Table
Candidate Grade Unit # of Standards Taught # and % # and % # and % of Categories of
Name Level Topic students of of students students at Concern per
in the students at proficiency Standard
class with proficienc level after
learning y after reteach &
gains per post-test assessment
standard per per
standard standard
Kate High Repertoire 21 MU.912.S.3.5 21 / 100% 21 / 100% NA NA

Goodin School: Sinfonia in D MU.912.O.3.1 21 / 100% 21 / 100%
by Elliot Del
9-12 Borgo MU.912.O.1.1 21 / 100% 21 / 100%
Assessment Reflection: Graph Maker
Pre/Post Assessment Scores for All Students
This graph represents all of the Pre-Assessment and Post-Assessment Scores for all 21 students.
All 21 students showed growth and improvement from the Pretest to the Post test. Most students
started around 55-68% proficiency, and ended up around 80-98% proficiency by the post-test.
These results help illustrate the success of my unit.
Pre/Post Assessment Data for All Students Taught
These graphs demonstrate the percentage of students demonstrating overall proficiency after
instruction (after the post-test). 100% of students demonstrated overall proficiency by the end of
the unit. The average of the pre-test assessment was around 64%, but it improved to almost 90%
percent.
Pre/Post Assessment Data by Gender
These graphs represent the Pre/Post Assessment by gender. There was growth to 100%
proficiency for both males and females. Both groups had overall improvement, with the females
having around 25% growth, and the males having around 23% growth. There are three more
females than males. For the first violin section, there are 5 males and 1 female, and in the second
violin section, there are 5 females and 1 male. Second violins are at a slightly lower level, so
their pre-test scores were lower than the first violins and that helps to explain the lower initial
percentage of proficiency for the females.
Pre/Post Assessment Data by Ethnicity
All students improved over the course of the unit. There was growth between the pre-test and the
post-test in all four ethnicity categories of Asian or Pacific Islander, Black: Non-Hispanic,
Hispanic or Latino/Latina, White: Non-Hispanic. This classroom and program is very diverse,
and the students work together to improve. I don’t believe that race or ethnicity impacts their
ability level or their ability to improve. All students were given the same instruction, with
differentiated and guided teaching when appropriate.
Pre/Post Assessment Data by Socioeconomic Status
This graph represents the growth from the Pre-Test to the Post-Test by Socioeconomic
Status/Lunch Status. All students improved to 100% proficiency by the end of the unit. All
students were given the same pre-test, and the same instruction throughout the unit. All 21
students were provided with guided instruction, specific related feedback, and opportunities to
improve.
Pre/Post Assessment Data by Disability Status
These graphs show the percent of students demonstrating overall proficiency by disability status.
All of these students showed growth to 100% proficiency by the end of the unit.
All students were given the same pre-test, and the same instruction throughout the unit. All 21
students were provided with guided instruction, specific related feedback, and opportunities to
improve. The students classified with having a disability had a vision impairment.
Pre/Post Assessment Data by ELL Status
These graphs represent the pre-test and post-test assessment averages by ELL Students. There is
only one student in this class that has ELL Services. This student showed growth from 62.5% to
86.8% proficiency over the course of my unit.
Written Reflection on Data
The results yielded from the pre-test and post-test assessment showed that 100% of the
students (21/21 students) reached a score on the post-test that showed proficiency for all three
standards. The three standards I assessed were MU.912.S.3.5: Develop and demonstrate proper vocal
or instrumental technique, MU.912.O.3.1 Analyze expressive elements in a musical work and describe
how the choices and manipulations of the elements support, for the listener, the implied meaning of the
composer/performer, and MU.912.O.1.1: Evaluate the organizational principles and conventions in
musical works and discuss their effect on structure. I chose these standards because they all contribute to
a well-rounded musician. By basing my unit on these three standards, I was able to address intonation,
technique, style, articulation, dynamics, and more. The results that were found in the post-test assessment,
and the results that I observed from the daily rehearsals showed me that my unit was effective. Overall,
tone and style improved tremendously over the 10 lessons through expanding the use of the bow, and
focusing on telling a story with the melodies, rather than just playing the notes. I will use the results of
these data to help guide future units of study. Once the students realized that their bow was their greatest
tool, their musical ability expanded. I will always try to incorporate more modifications for students with
disabilities or with a different primary language. I can only imagine how hard it is to engage in a
classroom when the communication is not in your native language, or when other disabilities prohibit
your ability to understand and to participate.
Possible Discrepancies
All of the students took the pretest and the posttest assessment; however, I’m sure there were
some discrepancies throughout the unit. Some of the students may have had more time to practice due to
instrument access at home, or due to little involvement in extracurriculars outside of the school day. The
emotional well-being also will affect a playing test and how well a student performs which could cause
various discrepancies in data. Additionally, playing in front of me and in front of other students may have
been a very anxious environment for students, which would have made them perform under their usual
performance level/capability. Other than those factors, I think that the performance task and the various
formative assessments during my ten instructional lessons concluded stable and consistent data showing
growth and improvement.
Reteaching and Reassessment
Since the data from all 21 students showed 100% proficiency in all three standards, reteaching
and reassessment was not necessary. All of the students improved in the three standards, resulting in a
very wonderful performance at the Music Performance Assessment on March 7th. It should, however, be
noted that no student scored a 100% on the pre-test or the post-test. Since reteaching and reassessment is
not necessary for this unit plan, the following table illustrates ideas that I could utilize if hypothetically,
reteaching and reassessment were necessary on the most complicated standard that was MU.912.O.3.1:
Analyze expressive elements in a musical work and describe how the choices and manipulations of the
elements support, for the listener, the implied meaning of the composer/performer. Students, and
musicians in general, can always add more interpretation and style into a piece of music.
Table 5: Reteaching and Reassessment Table

Standards needing Name of Description of Justification of why Explanation of how How do you know
reteaching students instructional particular strategies reteaching was reteaching was
needing strategy used were employed scheduled successful?
additional to reteach (when/how)
instruction
MU.912.O.3.1 N/A Making a class This is an interactive Hypothetically, the I would know that my
Analyze expressive Every mood board activity that has all reteaching would have reteaching was successful
elements in a student with words and students involved. taken place after the by how they play, and
musical work and showed images that Although students MPA Assessment. with how they include
proficiency
describe how the describe the may not be There was reflection moods and expressive
in all three
choices and standards distinct feelings well-versed in highly on the MPA markings into their
manipulations of the that go with academic music performance and on playing.
elements support, each section of language, they are the judges sheet, and
for the listener, the the piece capable of sharing after that reflective
implied meaning of (ABA’) adjectives and feelings moment, I could
the that they want to reteach this standard
composer/performer include in their using the strategies
interpretation of listed to the left.
Sinfonia in D
Doing a simple Having a warmup that is

warmup adding not technically difficult
in articulations, will allow us, as a class,
to focus on style and
dynamics, bow
interpretation rather than
lengths, and tricky notes or rhythms.
moods to We can work together to
experiment transfer that knowledge
with style and from the warmup to the
interpretation repertoire
Grading Strategies
For the Pre-Test and Post-Test playing assessments, students were assessed using the
Official Florida Orchestra Association - Music Performance Assessment Rubric. The playing test
for each instrument was 14 measures long, and they were graded on all four categories on the
rubric (Intonation, Tone, Musical Effect, Rhythmic Precision) making a total of 20 points per
measure. That makes each playing test worth 280 points (14 measures x 20 points per measure).
MU. 912.S.3.5 was assessed through the “Intonation” and “Tone” category on the rubric;
MU.912.O.2.1 was assessed through the “Musical Effect: Balance, Articulations, Dynamics,
Phrasing & Style” on the rubric, and MU.912.O.1.1 was assessed through the “Rhythmic
Precision” category on the rubric.
The first formative assessment was graded out of 10 points, and if students gave valuable
feedback, they received full credit. For the second formative assessment, the written feedback
was worth 20 points and as long as the students turned in the response form, they received full
credit. The last formative assessment was graded on participation; all students received 10/10
points. The total number of points for this unit is 600 points which includes the pretest
assessment (280), three formative assessments (40) and the posttest assessment (280). In the
gradebook, their score will be divided by 10 in order to make it fit into a Canvas assignment.
The unit grades are found in Table 6: Unit Grades.
.
Table 6: Unit Grades

Student Pretest Formative Formative Formative Assessment Posttest Overall
Assessment 1: Assessment 2: 3:
280 points 10 points 20 points 10 points 280 points 600 points
Playing Test Class Written feedback Observation of Think, Playing Test on Top: The scores
on designated Assessment: on the Pre-MPA Pair, Share on Dynamics designated (x) out of 600
measures of Good + Needs Concert Recording measures of
Sinfonia in D Improvement of Sinfonia in D Sinfonia in D
T-Chart on first
(20 points per run-through (20 points per Bottom: x/10 to
measure x 14 measure x 14 make score out
measures) measures) of 60 points
Sophia 190 10 20 10 253 483/600

Acosta 48.3/60
Minaya 200 10 20 10 275 515/600

Amaraseker 51.5/60
a
Karina Ann 170 8 20 10 230 438/600

43.8/60
Santiago 175 9 20 10 243 457/600

Guedez 45.7/60
Geronimo 190 10 20 10 230 460/600
Vivas 46/60
Marianna 175 10 20 10 240 455/600

Martinez 45.5/60
Pierce 190 10 20 10 270 500/600

Gopie 50/60
Brianna 180 10 20 10 270 490/600

Gutierrez 49/60
Adam 170 10 20 10 260 470/600

Heredia 47/60
Victoria 160 10 20 10 240 440/600

Hidalgo 44/60
Jennifer 175 8 20 10 260 473/600

Kim 47.3/60
Sujan 200 10 20 10 276 516/600

Koggala 51.6/60
Alexis 160 8 20 10 225 423/600

Peters 42.3/60
Kareena 160 8 20 10 220 418/600

Raghubans 41.8/60
Henrique 170 9 20 10 239 448/600

Ribeiro 44.8/60
Andres 185 10 20 10 245 470/600

Medina 47/60
Jenane 155 8 20 10 225 418/600

Saincyr 41.8/60
Elizabeth 180 9 20 10 255 474/600

Sanderson 47.4/60
Allison 188 9 20 10 260 487/600

Sique 48.7/60
Ryan 203 10 20 10 267 510/600

Torres 51/60
Alex Zhang 220 10 20 10 273 533/600

53.3/60
Differentiating Instruction to Meet the Needs of All Students
For my Unit on Sinfonia in D, I incorporated differentiated teaching into my daily lessons and
rehearsal. In the first few weeks of my internship, I took special care to talk with each student to learn
more about them and their “why” for being in orchestra. I gave this class my music interest inventory
which helped me gauge where they were in their musical development, and inform me on what they
wanted to accomplish through this unit of study. I also was careful to look into the demographics of the
classroom to ensure that I could tailor my teaching appropriately to fit the needs of all 21 students.
From observing the class for the first few weeks of the semester, I could tell which students knew
their parts and which students were hiding behind the section leaders. In order to combat that, I worked
with the students in sectionals so that I could track individual progress and ensure that all students were
participating in the music making. I would also occasionally move the students around in the section, so
they could experience playing from different parts of the room. This was my way of differentiating the
environment so that all students had the opportunity to be under the conductor at the front of the section.
The content and process was differentiated for the class as a whole based on how successful they
were while I was on the podium. Each day, I would review background knowledge and touch on the
content from the previous class in order to allow students to start each day on a level playing field. For
warmups and repertoire rehearsals, I would have them try certain sections and exercises and if they were
not succeeding, I would break down the exercise and teach it to them by Rote or utilize the smartboard to
notate the exercise so they could have a visual to look at for reinforcement. I figured out early on in the
unit that the students are the most successful when they can see AND hear the exercise/articulation/style
that I want them to demonstrate. Over time, I believe that they will become less dependent on audio and
visual stimulants as they grow as musicians.
In sectionals, I was able to differentiate the content and process based on the challenges presented
in each section (violin 1, violin 2, viola, cello, bass). Each instrument has their own physical challenges
with shifting, posture, hand positions and finger patterns so working in small groups was extremely
beneficial for cleaning up parts. Sectionals allow for students playing the exact same part to work out
technical difficulties, so that the orchestra rehearsal can focus on putting all five parts together to make
music.
Differentiation is absolutely required to have a successful unit of study. Students come into the
classroom with more differences than similarities, and it is up to the teacher to form lessons and rehearsal
plans that fit the needs of the students. A lot of the time, I had to adjust on the fly in order to fit the needs
of my students on that specific day. Something that I learned throughout this unit was that overall, the
potential and ability level of the students changes each day. The teacher must be able to meet the students
where they are, and go from there. This class was the first period, so if the majority of the students were
up late the night before, then their brain would automatically be less focused on my lesson based on
Maslow's hierarchy of needs. I took this idea into consideration when planning and executing my daily
lessons.
Daily Reflections (Lessons 1-10)
Lesson 1: Post Rehearsal or Lesson Reflections
Content Adjustment: Based on diagnostic and formative assessments during today’s lesson/rehearsal, list any repertoire or activities that were
omitted from the plan. Why? Will the omitted items need to be included in tomorrow’s lesson/rehearsal?
Based on the diagnostic and formative assessments of these classes, nothing was left out. We were able to cover the warmups on the
appropriate scale for each class period. The warmups were based on articulations and rhythms from the pieces, and so they transferred well to
the repertoire. We were able to focus on the problem areas of each piece and get them more ready for the concert this week. The intonation on
the allegretto still needs a lot of work, and the overall feeling and articulation needs more attention for Sinfonia in D. A lot of things are going
well in the pieces, so I made sure to praise them on the good things.
If I were to reteach this lesson to the classes, I would have made a general adjustment of writing specific measures for each of the instruments
that needed the most help. I would use it as sort of a learning goal for the students to aim to improve on before the next rehearsal. Sometimes,
looking at the whole piece can be overwhelming, so zeroing in is beneficial.
For example:
Rhythm problems = break down the rhythm into different patterns, play with a metronome, start slow and slowly increase the
metronome mark over time
Perform for others
The lesson and rehearsal went well today! I was happy with the work we did. We focused on certain areas that are consistently causing
problems. Doing this allows for concentrated instruction to best work on the actual problem and figure out solutions together. Working in small
sections is basically orchestra sectionals! Sometimes, it is completely necessary to focus on a few measures or a certain concept in order to help
the overall idea of the piece.
The classroom management was fine today. It was Monday, so the students were a little bit drowsy from the weekend, but they still
managed to be engaged and focused on the music at hand. There was good interactions between myself and the students, and they laughed at
some of my comments haha. As the teacher, you have to work harder to get the students to wake up because you want them to be engaged and
you also want them to take away something from the lesson. It’s also important to still be compassionate to the students, because weekends can
be physically and emotionally exhausting for a variety of reasons.
I could run this idea by the teachers, but it could be fun to have a “Piece of the day” playing on the speakers as the students enter the
class to get them excited for the class. Especially if the recording was meaningful to them in some way.
1st: Nothing was left out of the lesson today. We covered the warmup and jumped into the repertoire. We were able to cover the Cantabile
section and we went over the transition from the DS coda to the beginning, and back to the coda. Tomorrow, we will definitely run the piece.
1st: If I were to reteach the lesson today, I would have timed out my lesson better so that I could have time to run the piece. We have to perform
it tomorrow and we’ve only run it once. I would have also tried to challenge the students to play without looking at their music. I know that I still
need to work on conducting and being effective when I’m on the podium, but the least I can do is give them the down beat which a lot of them
need. I would have had them memorize one measure and just practice playing with me.
1st: The lesson and rehearsal flowed fine, but we didn’t have enough time to run the piece. In my eyes, the warmup was good because it
incorporated the bowing of the cantabile section but I didn’t make that transfer for them, so I don’t think it happened. The notes we worked on
also kinda disappeared as we moved into the repertoire. I will try to make that transfer more clear for the next lesson.
really mesh with their vibe. Either way, I know that the early morning isn’t a good enough excuse to be off topic/disengaged, but it definitely is a
real challenge that I’m facing. I think making them stand up could work potentially? Or having them do something different. We are in a bit of a
time crunch with Pre-MPA and MPA so I’m not sure how many engaging activities I could fit into the lesson.
Based on each diagnostic and formative assessment during today’s rehearsal, nothing was left out. The structure was the same for each class.
If I were to re-teach today’s lesson, I would not have changed anything BESIDES recording the runthrough of each piece. Recording the dress
rehearsal would be a good base assessment to see how much improvement there is at MPA, and for the pre-mpa concert. I would have also had
the students make a prediction list to what the judges would possibly comment on, and we would see if our predictions were right on Thursday
when the comments came out.
Otherwise, the structure of the rehearsal was beneficial because it gave them time to run through the piece, and gave us time to work on the
most vital parts that needed immediate help. The Pre-MPA concert was a great idea because it helped them get their nerves out of the way,
hopefully to prepare them for the real MPA assessment in three weeks.
The lesson and rehearsal went well today! We did a run through of the pieces, made a class list of what went well and what we needed to work
on, and then worked on those things. The structure of the lesson was pretty beneficial, and it allowed us to get a lot done in the class
management. Doing the run through helped them gain confidence in getting through the whole piece. It also gave them a heads up on what to
focus on and what to pay special attention to.
Classroom management was fine! The students were a little bit tired, and it was hard to keep them focused. For the actual runthrough, the
students were focused because I think they wanted to get through the pieces to make sure that it was possible for the concert. The students
were engaged and made good comments on what they individually needed to focus on for the next performance of the pieces.
The utilization of technology benefited my students and made the rehearsal run smoothly. The tuner is a part of the daily procedures, and it
helps the students work on adjusting and matching pitch. The Dr. Beat also helps to audiate the steady beat, that they will eventually internalize
while they play. Having the SMARTBoard display my daily warm ups and agenda helps to reinforce my verbal instruction, and gives them an
expectation for how the class will run.
The students are good at being focused when they need to be. They can sense where there is external pressure (like preparing for a concert) lies,
and they are good at focusing their nerves toward the piece and making improvements.
Today, for all three classes, we reviewed the recordings of the Pre-MPA concert last night. It was great to be able to hear what the audience
heard, and make comments and polite criticisms about each piece. Nothing was omitted. The structure was the same for each class
Listen to recording
Follow along in music
Make comments
Tune
Rehearse the piece that wasn’t performed last night
Self reflection and assessment of the pre-mpa recordings is very beneficial for the students!
If I was to reteach this lesson, the only thing I would have changed would be having the students grade us on the FOA MPA rubric on their
computers or on paper. At DP, when I was in high school, we would always be mock judges and that helped us to better understand how to move
onto that next level (excellent to superior) and so on. We could have also had every student share a comment, rather than having the same 4
people making comments about all the pieces.
Otherwise, I think the self-reflection aspect of todays class was very beneficial for me and for the students. Problem areas stood out to them, and
further emphasized the fact that there needs to be a lot of individual practice on the pieces before we go to MPA in three weeks.
The lesson and rehearsals went well! We were able to have the students self-assess their performance, and that was helpful for the teachers and
the students. I think that as the teacher, I could have guided the conversation a little bit more, bringing up what I heard or by making a physical
list of what the students were saying. Otherwise, the structure worked out well and we were able to squeeze in a lot of content in the 30 minute
class. Today’s schedule was modified because of mental health day, so the actual class period was less time than usual.
Classroom management was good! I think that there could have been a more even distribution of comments, because the same people kept
commenting while others were silent. Having every student participate could have been useful.
I think a good idea would be to come up with one main praise and one main goal to work on before MPA in three weeks. That would help to
create self-accountability and responsibility within the students, and have them working toward a common goal that is clearly communicated to
the students.
Based on the diagnostic and formative assessments of these classes, nothing was left out. We were able to cover the warmups on D minor and
work on dynamics. The warmup also included articulations and rhythms from the pieces and they transferred well to the repertoire. We were
able to focus on the problem areas of each piece and get them more ready for the MPA assessment. The intonation on the allegretto still needs a
lot of work, and the overall feeling and articulation needs more attention for Sinfonia in D. A lot of things are going well in the pieces, so I made
sure to praise them on the good things.
If I were to reteach this lesson to the classes, I would have made a general adjustment of writing specific measures for each of the instruments
that needed the most help. I would use it as sort of a learning goal for the students to aim to improve on before the next rehearsal. Sometimes,
looking at the whole piece can be overwhelming, so zeroing in is beneficial.
For example:
Rhythm problems = break down the rhythm into different patterns, play with a metronome, start slow and slowly increase the
metronome mark over time
Perform for others
The lesson and rehearsal went well today! I was happy with the work we did. We focused on certain areas that are consistently causing
problems. Doing this allows for concentrated instruction to best work on the actual problem and figure out solutions together. Working in small
sections is basically orchestra sectionals! Sometimes, it is completely necessary to focus on a few measures or a certain concept in order to help
the overall idea of the piece.
The classroom management was fine today. It was Monday, so the students were a little bit drowsy from the weekend, but they still managed to
be engaged and focused on the music at hand. There were good interactions between myself and the students, and they laughed at some of my
comments. As the teacher, you have to work harder to get the students to wake up because you want them to be engaged and you also want
them to take away something from the lesson. It’s also important to still be compassionate to the students, because weekends can be physically
and emotionally exhausting for a variety of reasons.
I could run this idea by the teachers, but it could be fun to have a “Piece of the day” playing on the speakers as the students enter the class to get
them excited for the class. Especially if the recording was meaningful to them in some way.
1st: Nothing was left out of the lesson today. We covered the warmup and jumped into the repertoire. We were able to cover the Cantabile
section and we went over the transition from the DS coda to the beginning, and back to the coda. Having the students mark in their parts the
dynamics was beneficial and I’m going to steal this idea for the other classes! It also helps to involve more students, rather than the few that
always participate in class.
1st: If I were to reteach the lesson today, I would have had the students find other people to compare notes/opinions with. Each section has their
strengths and weaknesses, and I think it would have been fun for students to hear different perspectives from across the orchestra.
I would have also had a picture of the score on the board so that we could all mark it together, and have the SMARTBoard be useful in this
activity. Otherwise, I liked the structure of this lesson and I thought it flowed well.
1st: The lesson and rehearsal flowed fine today! I was glad that I had them work with their standpartner to bring attention to a few dynamics. It
helped to engage all students. I have found that some students prefer talking in smaller groups rather than in front of everyone, so this activity
was beneficial in that way. I also had more responses from more students today which is a win! I am happy to see that they care about this piece
and the performance coming up in a few weeks.
really mesh with their vibe. It’s definitely challenging trying to wake them up without pushing them too far. Mr. Hellhake is really good at being
kind but also blunt about the fact that they have to be engaged because it’s just not optional. Maybe having them stand up and move around
would help in waking them up. Eventually, I would also like to have the front stand move to the back of each section, and have the 2nd top stand
move up. A lot of students tend to air bow/fake play because they’re out of hearing range of the conductor. I want all of my students to be
successful, and I want to be able to hear everyone. That allows me to give personalized feedback that could help their individual playing.
Nothing was omitted from this lesson. I was able to cover the warm up, and the dynamics exercises within Sinfonia in D. We did each articulation
on the D minor scale which works on matching articulation and matching intonation.
If I were to reteach this lesson, I would have had the students grade each other on their dynamics. I could have volunteers come up to the
podium, close their eyes, have the orchestra play for them, and then they write the dynamic they heard on the board. I think that would be a fun
way to include self-assessment into the lesson.
I also would have also sorta reinforced the fact that we only have a week left before MPA. I still feel like some students are guessing on certain
parts, and it’s harming the orchestra as a whole.
Additionally, If I were to reteach this lesson to the first period, I would have added more individual assessments to gauge where they are. We are
in crunch time to get ready for MPA, and some students are still guessing on accidentals and rhythms. Although playing tests aren’t the most fun,
they help create self-accountability in the students where they feel external pressure to come to class prepared with the MPA repertoire. Based
on the playing levels of the students, the teachers and I are adding in different playing tests to meet the needs of the students. For example, the
seventh period has a playing test on the intonation of Allegretto, while the first period does not have the same playing test.
I would try to plan more in advance so that the warmup directly translates to the piece that they are working on first.
The lesson and rehearsals for each class went alright! Fridays are always a bit challenging because the students are either very sleepy and groggy
from the week, or super energetic. As stated before, the classes are in crunch time because MPA is in one week from now. Some students are still
scrambling for notes and rhythms, which is quite concerning. The rehearsals went well today, and the goal is to work on each piece every day. A
lot of students know certain sections very well, but not the whole piece. Eventually, we will also need to do full program run throughs to work on
endurance and keeping the energy levels high.
There were quite a few students missing in the classes today. Gaining their attention was a bit hard, because it’s Friday and a lot of students are
quite out of it, and just wanted school to end asap. There was also a bit of disruptive talking where students weren’t listening (or couldn’t hear)
the directions I was giving, so they consistently spoke out of turn to try and figure out what was happening. I think that I need to speak louder or
maybe use the voice amplifier tool that was mentioned a while ago. I don’t think any of the students have malicious intent, but it does cause a
break in the flow of the lesson and in the quality of my teaching because I’m having to pause consistently to try and focus their energy.
I think reminding them of my personal procedures would be helpful. I also would like to incorporate some attention grabbers that I can use and
they’ll know to stop playing or talking. I just need to brainstorm what that will be and what will work for the class periods.
concise warm ups because we’re a little short on time for MPA and we’re focusing a lot of our time on the repertoire. We have one week left
before the assessment, and it’s crunch time.
The warmups took an articulation from the piece that they were working on, with the scale of the piece. This was beneficial because it
worked on articulation and finger patterns/correct intonation. The focus is playing the quarter note for its full value every time it comes around.
So far, we’ve reached our goal of reading each piece every day. Now, the trick is to incorporate sight-reading into our daily rehearsals.
If I were to reteach these lessons to the class periods, I would have added more individual assessments to gauge where they are. We
are in crunch time to get ready for MPA, and some students are still guessing on accidentals and rhythms. Although playing tests aren’t the most
fun, they help create self-accountability in the students where they feel external pressure to come to class prepared with the MPA repertoire.
If I were to reteach these lessons, I would stick to my original idea of playing through the piece before working on certain things. It’s
really hard to keep going through a runthrough when there are so many things that need help, but it has to be done because otherwise, they will
never be able to get through the piece without stopping. Working on endurance is an important part of MPA prep.
However, I did really like the think, pair, share activity and I will be doing that for more classes down the road! The T Chart also helped
to engage the majority of students. Having certain students demonstrate also helps to encourage leadership and motivates all the students to
learn their part, well enough that they could play it in front of the class.
The lesson and rehearsals for each class went alright! The first period class was so dead, and it was hard not to match their energy. As the
teacher, I know I have to be the most energetic one, but it is hard. The think-pair-share was definitely a useful activity for this class because it
allowed for small groups to communicate and share their ideas about what needs to be improved upon
Otherwise, the short warmup I did for the classes helped make the transition to the pieces smooth and simple.
As stated before, the classes are in crunch time because MPA is in two weeks from now. Some students are still scrambling for notes and
rhythms, which is quite concerning. The rehearsals went well today, and the goal is to work on each piece every day. A lot of students know
certain sections very well, but not the whole piece. Eventually, we will also need to do full program run throughs to work on endurance and
keeping the energy levels high.
The problem today was not them talking out of turn; it was them not being engaged and being bored instead. I am being challenged to find new
ways to engage them!
Based on the diagnostic and formative assessments during today’s rehearsals, nothing was omitted. I planned to have short and concise warm
ups because we’re a little short on time for MPA and we’re focusing a lot of our time on the repertoire.
The warmups took a slurred pattern from the piece that they were working on, with the scale of the piece. This was beneficial because it worked
on controlling the bow usage, and allowed me to assess their intonation on the B naturals and the F sharps. It also allowed me to assess their
sight-reading skills.
Rehearsal or Lesson Adjustment: If you were going to re-teach today’s lesson/rehearsal, how would you have done it differently?
If I were to reteach this lesson, I would have done more small group assessments. For example, I could have each row play a line and see how
that goes. Doing this can help create self-accountability and group responsibility in the class. The students that are still guessing on their parts
are harming the orchestra as a whole.
We are in crunch time to get ready for MPA, and some students are still guessing on accidentals and rhythms. Sectionals were beneficial because
it gave small groups the opportunity to work towards a common goal. Maybe, I would have added a section leader to encourage on task behavior
within the sectional time.
The lesson and rehearsals for each class went alright!. We did a lot of sight reading in preparation for MPA and we also focused on the
Messiah. There were quite a few students missing in the classes today. Gaining their attention was a bit hard today and a lot of students are quite
out of it. First period is quite dead in the morning and it’s hard to wake up as the teacher when all the students are giving you blank stares.
However, breaking them up into sectionals helped some of them wake up. Sometimes, it’s easier to engage in smaller groups rather than in front
of the class. I assessed their progress from the sectional to the group rehearsal, and a lot of things fell into place which is great!
When we met up as a group again, there was a bit of disruptive talking where students weren’t listening (or couldn’t hear) the
directions I was giving, so they consistently spoke out of turn to try and figure out what was happening. I think that I need to speak louder or
maybe use the voice amplifier tool that was mentioned a while ago. I don’t think any of the students have malicious intent, but it does cause a
break in the flow of the lesson and in the quality of my teaching because I’m having to pause consistently to try and focus their energy. The
sectionals were focused, however, and they yielded good results.
Based on the diagnostic and formative assessments of the class periods, nothing was omitted. We used the data from the diagnostic assessment
of yesterday’s concert to form today’s lesson. We worked on the certain articulations and intonation spots that stuck out to us. We were able to
cover a good amount of problem areas and students were also given time to individually practice those spots that they know they need to work
on. Having them reflect on their progress thus far, and on the unit as a whole was beneficial for them and for me.
If I were to reteach today’s lesson/rehearsal, I would have had the students assess themselves and assess each other. I could have the different
sections assess each other and name one thing they really liked and one thing they think could be better. I think doing this will help in giving
students individual responsibilities, and allowing them to say something nice to their classmates. Most of the students in the program are quite
harsh critiques of themselves and their abilities, but they fail to acknowledge the progress and growth that’s happening throughout these
rehearsals.
I would have also taken suggestions from the students on what exactly they need to work on. I could have them assess their own sections and
make a group statement on what was good and what needs improvement. Team bonding of sorts! Having a google form helped them form their
thoughts into sentences, which will help guide my lesson before the MPA assessment.
The lesson and rehearsals went well today for the three classes. Since the pre-MPA concert, we all, students included, have a clear vision of what
we wish to work on the most and what sticks out from the recording. This helps set internal goals for each of us, and we can collectively come up
with a written goal on what we wish to improve upon. We took the problem spots that we have identified throughout the week, and used that to
guide our rehearsal today. Having the google form also allowed me to collect individual data about their progress and the current state of
Sinfonia in D.
Classroom management was good today! The students were very happy that it was Friday. MPA is on Monday, and I think some of the students
are excited and some are pretty scared. I think that they will perform successfully, and that it’ll be a good experience for them regardless of the
scores. I think, overall, the students are pretty content with the progress they’ve made. I can see some of the frustration from the students who
know the piece really well, but the quality of the group as a whole has definitely improved a lot over the course of the unit.
End of Unit Reflections
My unit on Sinfonia in D was a valuable experience that I had the privilege of sharing
with the students in the Chamber Orchestra at Freedom High School. Through my planning and
execution of the unit, I had a glimpse into the teacher’s perspective of how an instructional unit
is put into place. Executing my unit plan has helped me grow professionally, and has helped to
form a deeper connection with the students. This unit also highlighted the importance of keeping
accurate data and records, and planning appropriately so that the lessons build on top of each
other to help reach the final end-destination. I think that this project was beneficial in many
ways, and that it has helped demystify some teaching protocols.
Overall, I believe that my lesson plans, assessments, activities, and teaching strategies
were well-aligned with the Florida Standards that I chose to focus on for my unit. I chose
standards and long-term goals that were specific to the repertoire, Sinfonia in D, and that were
also applicable to the development of a highly-skilled musician. These students have a lot of
music potential and I wanted standards and goals that challenged them to grow. I believe that my
lessons were paced appropriately, and that my planning showed scaffolding and differentiation. I
was careful to create critical tasks that were directly related to the daily objectives, and I think
that was beneficial in helping us reach our various long-term goals. I believe that the measures I
chose to assess for the pre and post assessments were appropriate because they were challenging,
but still in that optimal zone of proximal development. The students were challenged and
engaged in my daily lessons, and grew as individual musicians and as an ensemble.
One weakness of the unit was the lack of connection between what musicality means and
how to actually incorporate musicality into daily rehearsals and individual playing. I have been
in orchestras and ensembles for my whole life, so I have the tools to unconsciously play
expressively but my students do not have those tools yet. For the part of my unit that focused on
expressivity, I focused more on the end goal of playing with expression, vibrato, and emotion
rather than on the “how” behind those end goals. Students need the foundational techniques of
how to properly use their bow; how to vibrate without changing the intonation; and how to use
the bow weight and vibrato to create intensity before they can actually “play expressively.” I
failed to address these technical aspects as much as I should have, which I believe is why those
pre-test and post-test scores were the lowest for the standard “MU.912.O.3.1: Analyze expressive
elements in a musical work and describe how the choices and manipulations of the elements
support, for the listener, the implied meaning of the composer/performer” which was assessed
through the “Musical Effect: Balance, Articulations, Dynamics, Phrasing, and Style” category on
the FOA-MPA Rubric. If I were to use this unit in the future, I would definitely designate more
instructional time on teaching the techniques required to play expressively and with the
appropriate style. For example of future modifications, I could use vibrato masterclasses,
implement bow challenges and games, and play expressive recordings of the pieces we are
working on to give them an audial example of what I am looking for.
In terms of the impact of behavior management on student learning, this unit highlighted
a lot of things. Behavior management is probably the most important element in any classroom.
A teacher could plan the best lessons with world-renowned teaching strategies, but if the
students’ behavior is out of control, none of that matters. The student behavior must be managed
in a way that still allows them to be kids, while also keeping them on task with their learning and
growth as a musician. We, as teachers, want our students to be the best they can be, but if they
cannot hear our directions, or follow our instructions, that goal will not be met. I chose to do my
unit with the first period class which met from 7:20-8:14am. Classroom management was
definitely a challenge because sometimes, the students would be half-asleep. I would have to be
extra engaging and exciting in order to have them fully participating. Through the course of the
unit, as they got more used to my teaching style, they became more involved which I reflected on
in my daily lesson plan reflections. On the days where they were awake and ready for the day,
the lessons were even more effective which was wonderful. Each day, I had to utilize fun ways to
wake them up and to get them excited for the lesson to come but it paid off in the end!
Bibliography
Adrianed. (2018, May 24). Elements of Alexander Technique: Discovering a natural approach to
string playing. NAfME. Retrieved March 3, 2023, from
https://nafme.org/elements-alexander-technique-discovering-natural-approach-string-playin
g/
Armin. (2022, January 19). The fourth position on the violin – easy guide. Violinspiration.
Retrieved March 3, 2023, from https://violinspiration.com/4th-position-violin/
Drone Tone . Drone Tone Tool. (n.d.). Retrieved March 3, 2023, from
https://www.dronetonetool.com/
Elliot Del Borgo. Elliot del Borgo. (n.d.). Retrieved March 3, 2023, from
https://www.alfred.com/search/products/?t=elliot-del-borgo&f=string-orchestra-large-ense
mble&sort=popularity
FJH Publishing. Orchestra Music: New Releases. (n.d.). Retrieved March 3, 2023, from
https://www.fjhmusic.com/orchestra/New-Releases.php
Music performance assessments. FOA. (n.d.). Retrieved March 3, 2023, from http://myfoa.org/mpa
NafmeAdmin. (2019, November 27). Creating a thriving Middle School Orchestra program.
NAfME. Retrieved March 3, 2023, from
https://nafme.org/creating-a-thriving-middle-school-orchestra-program/
OCPS All-County Orchestra. (n.d.). Retrieved March 3, 2023, from http://www.acorchestra.net/
OnMusic Dictionary . OnMusic Dictionary -. (n.d.). Retrieved March 3, 2023, from

https://dictionary.onmusic.org/
Son, J. W. P. and. (n.d.). Sinfonia in D. Sinfonia in D by Elliot Del Borgo| J.W. Pepper Sheet Music.
Retrieved March 3, 2023, from https://www.jwpepper.com/Sinfonia-in-D/2346641.item
Son, J. W. P. and. (n.d.). Sinfonia in D. Sinfonia in D by Elliot Del Borgo| J.W. Pepper Sheet Music.
Retrieved March 3, 2023, from
Team, R. (n.d.). Techniques for teaching vibrato. Connolly Music Company. Retrieved March 3,
2023, from https://www.connollymusic.com/stringovation/techniques-for-teaching-vibrato
Vibrato Masterclass. Tennessee chapter of the American String Teachers Association. (n.d.).
Retrieved March 3, 2023, from http://www.tnasta.org/aids.html
YouTube. (2018, November 12). Sinfonia in D - Elliot del Borgo. YouTube. Retrieved March 3,
2023, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eb060WAcL-E
Appendices
Table 1: Standards, Goals, and Objectives
Unit Title: Sinfonia in D by Elliot Del Borgo
Unit Topic: Repertoire
Unit Goals Objectives Standards
Play instruments with Students will sit on the edge of MU.912.S.3.5: Develop and
consistently correct posture and their chair with feet flat on the demonstrate proper vocal or
technique floor 100% of the time without instrumental technique
Students playing violin and viola

will keep their instruments
parallel to the ground 100% of
the time without teacher
instruction
Understand how to adjust/match Students will play quarter notes

intonation for the full value, while
incorporating a double-down
bow, with 100% accuracy
Students will keep their bow

parallel to the bridge as they
Convey the storyline of Sinfonia Students will identify all MU.912.O.3.1: Analyze
in D as the composer originally expressive markings with 100% expressive elements in a musical
intended accuracy work and describe how the
choices and manipulations of the
Students will incorporate phrase elements support, for the
markings into their musical
listener, the implied meaning of
interpretation with 90%
accuracy the composer/performer
Students will explain how to

alter their bow technique to
achieve the desired expressive
elements
Students will play the notated
dynamics and stylistic
indications with 80% accuracy
Students will recognize, identify,

and respond to expressive
elements of music, including
dynamics, tempo, and
articulation, and will perform
music with appropriate
expressive qualities
Accentuate the form of Sinfonia Students will identify and MU.912.O.1.1: Evaluate the
in D by bringing out the respond to expressive elements organizational principles and
distinguishable characteristics of of music, including dynamics, conventions in musical works
each section tempo, and articulation 90% of and discuss their effect on
the time
structure
Students will identify and

perform various rhythmic
patterns of increasing
complexity
Utilize vibrato as a way to Students will incorporate vibrato

accentuate a lyrical melody into the B section melody for at
least 80% of the notes in the
melodic line
Students will be able to verbally

describe the mood and character
of the A and B sections
Table 2: Types of Learning Experiences

Lesson Type of Learning Objective during this Learning Experience
Number Experience
1: 2/13 Whole Group: Diagnostic Students will play “Sinfonia in D” 100% through, no
Assessment of running stopping
through the piece
Small Group Students playing violin and viola will keep their instruments
Hands on
parallel to the ground 100% of the time without teacher
instruction
2: 2/14 Sectionals Students will rehearse “Sinfonia in D” and perform the

Inquiry rhythms at 85% accuracy
Small Group
Students will sit on the edge of their chair with feet flat on
the floor 100% of the time without instruction to do so
3: 2/15 Small Group Students will play “Sinfonia in D” from measures 1-40 with
Pre-MPA Inquiry intonation at 90% accuracy
Problem Solving
Students will keep their bow parallel to the bridge as they
4: 2/16 Whole Group Students will self-assess their Pre-MPA Performance

Small Group
Hands on
5: 2/20 Inquiry Students will play the notes and rhythms with 100%
Sectionals accuracy from measures 41-52 of “Sinfonia in D”
Whole Group
6: 2/22 Sectionals Students will play the notated dynamics and stylistic
Whole Group indications with 80% accuracy
Cooperative Groups
Students will identify all expressive markings with 100%
accuracy in “Sinfonia in D”
7: 2/24 Small Groups Students will play the notes and rhythms with 100%
Whole Group accuracy from measures 53-72 with 100% accuracy.
Problem Solving
Students will incorporate phrase markings into their musical
interpretation with 90% accuracy
8: 2/28 Whole Group Students will recognize, identify, and respond to expressive
Sectionals elements of music, including dynamics, tempo, and
Problem Solving articulation, and will perform music with appropriate
expressive qualities in “Sinfonia in D”
Students will identify and respond to expressive elements of

music, including dynamics, tempo, and articulation 90% of
the time in “Sinfonia in D”
9: 3/2 Whole Groups Students will incorporate phrase markings into their musical
Sectionals interpretation of “Sinfonia in D” with 90% accuracy
Small Groups
Students will explain how to alter their bow technique to
achieve the desired expressive elements in “Sinfonia in D”
10: 3/3 Whole Groups Students will play through “Sinfonia in D” with no major
Friday Sectionals problems
before Problem Solving
MPA
Table 3: Formative Assessment Table
Lesson Objective Assessment Assessment How does this assessment
Number Name Description guide your teaching?
1: 2/13 Students will sit on Diagnostic Play Sinfonia in D This will help me diagnose what
the edge of their Assessment from beginning to needs the most work in order to be
chair with feet flat end prepared for our Pre-MPA Concert
on the floor 100%
of the time without
Students playing
violin and viola will
keep their
instruments parallel
to the ground 100%
of the time without
teacher instruction
2: 2/14 Students will match Guided class Based on the This will help me gain perspective
their pitch to the self- run-through from from the students on what they
drone with 85% assessment yesterday, the class heard in the diagnostic assessment
accuracy will make a class list
of what went well
Students will be and what could be
able to identify improved upon
when my pitch is before the concert
sharp or flat tomorrow
compared to the
drone
3: 2/15 Students will sit on Isolating pitch I will be specifically This will help me identify constant
Pre-MPA the edge of their and rhythmic listening for problem areas with intonation and
chair with feet flat issues, improvement on rhythm. I can specifically focus on
on the floor 100% listening for ♮ ♮
F and B , and finding various solutions
of the time without improvement watching for the
instruction to do so amount of bow the
students are using
Students playing
keep their
to the ground 100%
of the time without
teacher instruction
4: 2/16 Students will play Self We will listen to the This will help the class and I assess
with weight in the Assessment Pre-MPA Recording our current state on Sinfonia in D,
bow and space as a class, marking which will help guide future
between the notes down in individual rehearsals
when it is marked parts what needs
staccato in the improvement
music, 90% of the
time
Students will match

the part of the bow
that their section
leader is in with
90% accuracy
5: 2/20 Students will match Observing I will be watching This will help isolate bowing
the part of the bow parts of bow students and tracking issues. This includes using too
that their section that students where they are most much bow, utilizing the wrong bow
leader is in with are in commonly in the bow directions and articulations, and
90% accuracy being in the wrong part of the bow.
Students will match Students will watch

their pitch to the their own bows, and Bow usage is the most important
drone with 85% Student watch recordings of thing to influence the tone of string
accuracy self-assessing their playing to players. Isolating this issue and
bow usage reflect on their working on it as a class will help
Students will be posture and bow produce a greater overall tone
able to identify usage
when my pitch is
sharp or flat
compared to the
drone
6: 2/22 Students will Written Read student Dynamics and stylistic markings
incorporate phrase assessment responses to the take a group from “good” to
markings into their identifying written assessment “great.” Marking dynamics and
musical every dynamic bringing attention to the unison
interpretation with marking and Make sure that dynamics will help the overall
90% accuracy style marking unison dynamics are presentation of the piece.
indicated as such in
Students will individual parts
explain how to alter
their bow technique
to achieve the
desired expressive
elements
Students will play
the notated
dynamics and
stylistic indications
with 80% accuracy
7: 2/24 Students will keep Listening to Listen and track This will allow me to assess their
their bow parallel to dynamics and which dynamics are dynamics, which will guide my
the bridge as they style changes coming out and next lesson for what needs to be
play with 90% throughout the which still need to be addressed
accuracy different emphasized in the
sections of performance
Students playing Sinfonia in D
keep their
to the ground 100%
of the time without
teacher instruction
8: 2/28 Students will sit on Observation Make a group list This will benefit the students
the edge of their of Think, Pair, using the responses because they will be listening to
chair with feet flat Share from the Think, Pair, their performance from a different
on the floor 100% Share Activity perspective than usual.
of the time without
instruction to do so Prompt: Have a 3 They will be guiding their own
minute discussion instruction by pointing out what
Students will be with your section, they need to work on the most in
able to verbally and come up with Sinfonia in D.
describe the mood one thing that you
and character of the think MUST be
A and B sections improved upon
before MPA
9: 3/2 Play the piece all Listening for Observing individual Sectionals allow for students to
the way through, improved sectionals and work on specific parts with their
following the sections that listening for section. This is where very focused
roadmap with were improved sections work occurs on intonation, rhythm
100% accuracy specifically and effective and style.
brought up group-guided
Students will yesterday practice
incorporate vibrato
into the B section
melody for at least
80% of the notes in
the melodic line
10: 3/3 Play the piece all Unit Read student Reading responses on my unit will
Friday the way through, Reflection responses and class inform me of what they understood
before following the responses to the Unit and what still needs to be retaug/ht
MPA roadmap with General and to the progress or reinforced
100% accuracy reflection on on Sinfonia in D
Sinfonia in D
Students will
identify and
respond to
expressive elements
of music, including
dynamics, tempo,
and articulation
100% of the time
Table 4: Impact on Student Learning Summary TableTable 4: Impact on Student Learning
Summary Table
Candidate Grade Unit # of Standards Taught # and % # and % # and % of Categories of
Name Level Topic students of of students students at Concern per
in the students at proficiency Standard
class with proficienc level after
learning y after reteach &
gains per post-test assessment
standard per per
standard standard
Kate High Repertoire 21 MU.912.S.3.5 21 / 100% 21 / 100% N/A NA

Goodin School: Sinfonia in D MU.912.O.3.1 21 / 100% 21 / 100%
by Elliot Del
9-12 Borgo MU.912.O.1.1 21 / 100% 21 / 100%
Table 5: Reteaching and Reassessment Table

Standards Name of Description of Justification of why Explanation of how How do you know
needing students instructional particular strategies reteaching was reteaching was
reteaching needing strategy used were employed scheduled successful?
additional to reteach (when/how)
instruction
MU.912.O.3.1 N/A Making a class This is an interactive Hypothetically, the I would know that my
Analyze Every mood board activity that has all reteaching would have reteaching was
expressive student with words and students involved. taken place after the successful by how they
elements in a showed images that Although students MPA Assessment. play, and with how they
musical work and proficienc describe the may not be There was reflection include moods and
describe how the y in all distinct feelings well-versed in highly on the MPA expressive markings
choices and three that go with academic music performance and on into their playing.
manipulations of standards each section of language, they are the judges sheet, and
the elements the piece capable of sharing after that reflective
support, for the (ABA’) adjectives and feelings moment, I could
listener, the that they want to reteach this standard
implied meaning include in their using the strategies
of the interpretation of listed to the left.
composer/perfor Sinfonia in D
mer
Doing a simple Having a warmup that is
warmup adding not technically difficult
in articulations, will allow us, as a class,
to focus on style and
dynamics, bow
interpretation rather than
lengths, and tricky notes or rhythms.
moods to We can work together to
experiment transfer that knowledge
with style and from the warmup to the
interpretation repertoire
Table 6: Unit Grades

Student Pretest Formative Formative Formative Assessment Posttest Overall
Assessment 1: Assessment 2: 3:
280 points 10 points 20 points 10 points 280 points 600 points
Playing Test on Class Assessment: Written feedback on Observation of Think, Pair, Playing Test on Top: The scores (x)
designated Good + Needs the Pre-MPA Concert Share on Dynamics designated out of 600
measures of Improvement Recording of Sinfonia measures of
Sinfonia in D T-Chart on first in D Sinfonia in D
run-through
(20 points per (20 points per Bottom: x/10 to
measure x 14 measure x 14 make score out of
measures) measures) 60 points
Sophia Acosta 190 10 20 10 253 483/600

48.3/60
Minaya 200 10 20 10 275 515/600

Amarasekera 51.5/60
Karina Ann 170 8 20 10 230 438/600

43.8/60
Santiago 175 9 20 10 243 457/600

Guedez 45.7/60
Geronimo 190 10 20 10 230 460/600

Vivas 46/60
Marianna 175 10 20 10 240 455/600

Martinez 45.5/60
Pierce Gopie 190 10 20 10 270 500/600

50/60
Brianna 180 10 20 10 270 490/600

Gutierrez 49/60
Adam Heredia 170 10 20 10 260 470/600

47/60
Victoria 160 10 20 10 240 440/600

Hidalgo 44/60
Jennifer Kim 175 8 20 10 260 473/600

47.3/60
Sujan Koggala 200 10 20 10 276 516/600

51.6/60
Alexis Peters 160 8 20 10 225 423/600

42.3/60
Kareena 160 8 20 10 220 418/600

Raghubans 41.8/60
Henrique 170 9 20 10 239 448/600

Ribeiro 44.8/60
Andres 185 10 20 10 245 470/600

Medina 47/60
Jenane 155 8 20 10 225 418/600

Saincyr 41.8/60
Elizabeth 180 9 20 10 255 474/600

Sanderson 47.4/60
Allison Sique 188 9 20 10 260 487/600

48.7/60
Ryan Torres 203 10 20 10 267 510/600

51/60
Alex Zhang 220 10 20 10 273 533/600

53.3/60

KG Unit Plan Spring 2023

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Unit Plan

The age of students range from 14-18 years old.

Hispanic Asian African-American Caucasian

IEP/504 plan: There are two students with a 504 plan

health concerns from needing glasses, to allergies, to a serious health condition

with the seventh period class.

and in putting it together with the ensemble.

Unit Topic: Repertoire

Unit Goals Objectives Standards

Students playing violin and viola

Understand how to adjust/match Students will play quarter notes

Students will keep their bow

Students will explain how to

Students will play the notated

Students will recognize, identify,

Students will identify and

Utilize vibrato as a way to Students will incorporate vibrato

Students will be able to verbally

Planning for Instruction

Sinfonia in D by Elliot Del Borgo

Published by The Alfred Music Company

Florida Orchestra Class: CS

In the Classical Style

A: With Vigor ( ♩= 138 )

Approximate Performance Time = 4:30

Violin 1, Violin 2, Viola, Cello, Bass

Measures 93-100 Coda d minor m. 94: N/A Full String Marcato

opposed to plucked or pizzicato

give the composition closure

Crescendo: [Italian] A directive to a performer to smoothly increase the volume of a particular

Decrescendo: [Italian] A directive to a performer to smoothly decrease the volume of the

notated by the letter "f"

Marcato: [Italian] Marked, accented, emphatic, stressed

of a composition softly. The abbreviation for piano is p

Ritardano: [Italian] A directive to perform the indicated passage of a composition with a

Subito: Immediately, suddenly —used as a direction in music

Tenuto: [Italian] A directive to perform the indicated note or chord of a composition in a

form, which is ten

executed most commonly but not exclusively on string instruments

1. Maintaining dynamics through long durations/sustained notes

Definitions for Glossary found at:

Other works by Elliot Del Borgo:

String Specific Techniques

Motivational Introductory Lesson Plan

ESE Modifications CPLAMS Access Points http://www.cpalms.org/Standards/AccesspointSearch.aspx

Don’t forget: Pre-MPA Concert is this Wednesday! Your call time

We will do this warmup on just D, and then add in different

D E _ G A _ (Fill in the blank on the board)

*low 2nd finger on A and D string*

5-10 minutes PRETEST: Specific measures of Sinfonia in D

4 minutes Diagnostic Assessment

Closure Procedures: Great work today, let’s move over to the

Post Rehearsal or Lesson Reflections

Name: Kate Goodin Date: 2/14/2023 (Lesson 2) Sectionals Period: 1st

ESE Modifications CPLAMS Access Points http://www.cpalms.org/Standards/AccesspointSearch.aspx

Don’t forget: Pre-MPA Concert is this Wednesday! Your call time

We will do a warmup in G major because the Cantabile

We will begin by doing a lyrical warmup in the key of G

Class Discussion: Guided class self-assessment: This will

low 2nd finger on A and D string