Clarinet Notation Lesson

Lesson Plan #1 can be opened or downloaded as a Microsoft Word file by clicking or right-clicking in this link.

At the bottom of this page, you can see Worksheet 1 and Worksheet 2. These worksheets are given to the students in their second and third lessons, respectively.

Patrick Hait Clarinet Lesson - Reading Music

Grade Level:	4^th grade beginning band. This should take place at their 3^rd or 4^th lesson.
Approximate Time:	1 class period (40 minutes)
Objective:	By the end of one class period, the students will be able to read the notes C D E F G, consisting of whole, half and quarter notes off of a staff. Students will also add F and G to their bank of notes.
Standards:	MENC 1 (Singing alone and with others) MENC 2 (Performing on instruments, alone and with others) MENC 5 (Reading and notating music) NY 1 (Creating, Performing and Participating in the arts) NY 2 (Knowing and using arts materials and resources)
Materials:	White Board Handout “Worksheet 2”
Procedure:	DO NOW: Warm up with long tones C D E. Teach F G. Now, play a long E for 4 beats ~ 4 seconds. Tap your toes once per second. Assess which students are playing for 4 beats. Play an E for 4 beats, rest for 4 beats, play an E for 4 more beats. Rote. Introduce staff = 5 lines. Introduce Treble ‘G’ Clef. Review Every Good Boy Does Fine and FACE. Write EGBDF and FACE from bottom left to top right on the board. Assess students one by one by quizzing them on the line notes first and then the space notes. Review musical alphabet from A-A. C-C. E-E. Repeat the musical alphabet from E-E as you show the letter names going up the staff. Then repeat the alphabet E – high D as you point to the corresponding notes from the quiz. See Image Below Show students that notes can get higher and higher by drawing extra lines – ledger lines. Show students that as notes go up the staff, they go line – space – line – space, etc. Show students that High G is in a space, A is on a line, B is in a space. Show students that as you go up the staff from line to space, that it is like going up stairs and you go up your alphabet in order. Show students that there are 3 ways to remember the notes: EGBDF, FACE, Musical Alphabet. Draw G whole note. Draw A. “It just goes up one step.” Assess the fact that students are using their alphabet for stepwise motion, not FACE and EGBDF. Review Whole, Half, Quarter notes. Draw G whole note on staff. Sing G for 4 beats (seconds) while tapping foot Draw measure line then F whole note. Sing the 8 beat passage while tapping foot. Have the students play the notes on their clarinet. Next measure: G, F. Half notes. Sing this section “measure”. Play this measure. Assess the students that are having difficulty. Make sure they are putting their thumb down for the F, and that they are playing each note for 2 beats only. Sing the whole tune, then play it. Last measure: E F F – quarter, quarter, half. Sing, Play. Distribute Worksheet 2. Play line 1 (same thing that we just did on the board) Ask for soloist volunteers. Show them that the bottom tune is Mary Had a Little Lamb – the same as Worksheet 1, except now they use musical notation.

Evaluation:	There are several areas for assessment built in to the procedure of the lesson plan. If it appears that students are having difficulty with remembering note names or durations, modifications to the lesson should be made.

The image below shows E G B D F then F A C E then the notes drawn on the board. The notes from E to high F were used in the quick quiz, then the students are shown that the notes keep going up using ledger lines. The students are then shown the the ledger lines can also show lower notes.

The image below shows 'Worksheet 2'. This is what the student will practice the week following the introduction of notation.

The image below shows 'Worksheet 1'. This is what the student practiced in the week leading up to this lesson.