Attitude Dance Lesson Plan
Madeline Landgrebe
Score Study:
Key: Eb major and F major
Form: A-B-C-D-A
Style: Funk
Head: mm. 5-14
Solo section:
mm. 35-41 preference for piano and bass (open to ensemble)
mm. 35-36: Eb-C9-Db9-D9-Eb13
mm. 38-41: F7-Bb7-F7-Bb7-F7-Bb7-F7-Bb7-D7-Eb7-E7-F7
mm. 42-50 alto 2 and trumpet 2 preference (open to ensemble)
mm. 42-48: F7-Bb7
mm. 49: F7-Bb7-D7-Eb7-E7-F7
National Standards:
2. Performing on instruments, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music.
3. Improvising melodies, variations, and accompaniments.
6. Listening to, analyzing, and describing music.
7. Evaluating music and music performances.
Objectives:
The students will be able to:
play the piece at the written tempo of 112 BPM with a consistent rhythm section
understand the style of funk and be able to reproduce the style in the piece
play as a whole with a balanced ensemble
confidently play their part due to many tutti sections
Materials:
stereo system
digital recording of Attitude Dance by Tower of Power
traditional jazz ensemble rhythm section with piani, full drumset, bass, guitar,
and piano
instrumentalists for the number of parts in the piece
score for Attitude Dance with individual parts for each instrument
Procedures:
1. The students will hear a recording first of Attitude Dance by Tower of Power
followed by another recording of the arrangement (UC Jazz Ensemble via
YouTube)
a. Opportunity to hear the piece to pay attention to:
i.
style (especially for rhythm section and the funk style)
ii.
rhythms
iii.
articulations
2. The students will be asked to play the first four measures of the piece.
a. All of the parts have the same rhythms and it is an important defining
characteristic of the piece.
3. Depending on the accuracy, the students will be asked to play the measures at a
slower tempo. If there is still lack of clarity, the sections will be asked to play by
themselves. I will spend some time making sure there is accuracy.
a. Students that dont practice need ensemble time to know how to
practice.
4. The sections will be put together and taken at the new tempo.
5. The rhythm section will be asked to play at the beginning to hear overall feel of
the piece for not only the teacher to hear what he or she wants but for the
students to get a feel of what will be accompanying the ensemble.
6. Once the rhythm section is locked in, the teacher will have the ensemble play
the first four measures together to hear everything in its entirety.
7. The students will then be asked to play mm. 5-23 since this is the head of the
tune. The alto and tenor duet are the vocal representation while the background
parts is ornamenting and adding to it.
8. If the balance is off or the rhythms are wrong, I will go back and take each
section that needs to be worked out. The rhythm section will be separated from
the rest of the ensemble so the inner parts are not hidden from the underlying
parts.
9. If need be, the teacher will pull up the recording again for students to hear the
style themselves. The lead players may also play the parts to show balance and
style. The teacher will move on once the players are consistently performing at
a high level of accuracy.
10. The next section rehearsed is mm. 23-28 which will be rehearsed vocally.
Students cant hide behind their instrument if they are saying the wrong
rhythms.
11. The shout chorus will be rehearsed if time allows at m. 63 because the
ensemble mainly yells the words what it gonna be like while the sax duet
plays. The teacher will encourage enthusiasm since it is the end of the piece.
12. The last section from mm. 71-the end will be rehearsed because it is a slightly
different rhythm than what has been played throughout the piece.
13. The piece will be run with the solo sections addressed beforehand.
Assessment:
Informal:
Students will play within the section when asked by the teacher to perform
their skills for the piece. If there is a wrong note or rhythm, the students will
perform it slower and take into consideration the notes and rhythms. If there
are further problems, individuals may be asked to play a small section
individually to show progress.
If the piece is being played correctly by the ensemble as a whole, progress is
being made.
Formal:
Individual playing tests outside of class or in class could be helpful for the
teacher to know the progress of the student.
Instructional Strategies to Consider:
Modeling
Chunking
Questioning to facilitate student discourse
Guided practice
Fostering student inquiry (creative thinking, brainstorming)
Student self-evaluation
