ENSEMBLE REHEARSAL PLAN

Conductors Name: Alexa Kleiman Zimmerman Ensemble Name: 6th Grade Chorus
Title of Piece: When You Believe (Hal Leonard Corporation)
Composer/Arranger: Stephen Schwartz, Choral Arr. Audrey Snyder, Instrumental Arr. John Moss
Grade of Piece: Middle School/6th grade

Learning Goals (Objectives):

What singers will:

Be able to do (behavioral): The singers of the 6th grade chorus will be able to
accurately perform an arrangement of When You Believe by composer Stephen Schwartz

Understand (cognitive): The singers will have perspective on the musical techniques
needed in order to make a piece performance ready and interpret the lyrics with how it
correlated to the time period.

Encounter (experiential): The members of the sixth grade chorus will experience a
performance ready example of When You Believe by Stephen Schwartz through a YouTube
video and work together to analyze techniques used to enhance their own performance.

Construct meaning (constructivist): Members of the sixth grade chorus at Carusi
Middle School and Beck Middle School will realize the relationship between music, text, and
historical time period as it relates to meaning, expression, and interpretation.

Aligns with the New Jersey Core Arts Standards: MU:Pr4.2.E.5a, MU:Re8.1.E.5a,
MU:Re9.1.E.IIa, MU:Cn10.0.H.5a



Technical Skills (Intonation, Breath, Posture, Phonation, Balance, Bowing, Sticking for
Percussion, Diction for Singers)

Clear diction with specic attention to the Hebrew text in the middle of the piece.
Intonation of a minor key, with attention to two key changes. Strong breath support for
connected phrasing.

Musical Concepts (Melody, Rhythm, Harmony, Form, Timbre, Texture)

Proper distinction of staccato during the Hebrew section, following the descending
harmony line against the melody during sections of the chorus, simple rhythmic patterns,
challenging range for soprano line, simple compositional form with a bridge.

Empowering Musicianship (Historical Perspective, Stylistic Integrity, Musical Artistry)

After learning about the history of this piece, the members of the sixth grade chorus will
apply their new knowledge to enhance the overall feel for an artistic performance.




Process

Warm Up (Introduction to choral selection, historical information to help guide the overall feel of
the piece, vocal warm ups)

Focus exercise:
-
What is brain noise? (extra thought outside of the current activity.) Things like, what
am I having for dinner?, What do I have to do for the next class?
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Thoughts like this are not needed for what we are currently doing. We are going to do
this exercise to eliminate brain noise.
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Count out loud with me, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, repeat.
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Have students continuously speak out the numbers on the downbeat of a 4/4 pattern
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When my hands are facing up, you speak the numbers out loud, when my hands are
facing down, you count the number in your head. Dont lose track of where we are.
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If students have a hard time understanding, model an example for them.
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patterns: up-up-up-down-up-up-up-up; up-down-up-up-down-up-up-up; up-down-
down-up-up-down-down-up; up-down-up-down-down-down-down-up.
At the start of rehearsal, begin with stretches:
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Stretch arms straight up and reach the sky, try to reach the ceiling.
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Slowly bring the arms down but keep your rib cage up (try again)
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Roll shoulders: forward, backwards, one forward and one backwards
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Lightly pat your arms and wake them up
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Massage your neck up to your jaw
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Feet shoulder width apart
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Breathe in for 3 counts, and hiss out on 4. Hold as long as you can and sit down when
youve run out of air.
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Imagine a string attached to the top of your head and while keeping your feet at on
the oor, someone or something is slightly pulling the string upwards. The string isnt
pulled so much so that it strains anything, but just enough to elongate your posture.
-
We do this so all of our body is open enough for our breath to be easily supported for
great sounding music
Vocal Warm ups:
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I love to sing (1, 8, 5, 3, 1/do, do, so, mi, do)
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Pretend like you are holding a nail and your other hand acts like the hammer. Pretend
like you are hammering the nail into a wall when you sing this: Ming, ming, ming,
ming, ming (5, 4, 3, 2,1/fa, so, me, re, do)
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Pretend like you are pulling a rope. Once from the right, and once from the left. Me-
eh-me-eh-me-eh-me-eh-me (5, 3, 4, 2, 3, 1, 2, 7, 1/so, mi, fa, re, mi, do, re, ti, do)
Few very nasal then transition to a few open tone with spacial vowels.
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Simple vowel major third ascending and descending, then minor thirds to introduce
the feel of the song
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**When rehearsal the Hebrew section: Nai Up a forth and back

Teach song by rote:
Sing through rst verse and chorus for students.
Teach line by line of verse, sing the whole verse
Teach line by line of chorus, sing the chorus
Put both sections together.
Teach line by line of verse two, sing the whole verse
Teach the second chorus and how it adds the echoes, sing the chorus
Put both sections together
Sing verse 1, chorus, verse 2, chorus 2

Hebrew section:
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Repeat after me: Ashira (Ashira), lAdonai (lAdonai) ki ga-oh ga-ah (ki ga-oh ga-
ah)
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Ashira lAdonai ki ga-oh ga-ah (Ashira lAdonai ki ga-oh ga-ah) Repeat if needed
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Micha mocha (Micha mocha), ba-e-lim (ba-e-lim), adonai (adonai)
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Micha mocha ba-e-lim adonai
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ne-dar (ne-dar), ba-ko-desh (ba-ko-desh)
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ne-dar-ba-ko-desh (ne-dar-ba-ko-desh)
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na-chi-tah (na-chi-tah)
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vchas-dcha (vchas-dcha)
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am zu ga-al-ta (am zu ga-al-ta)
Show visuals of Hebrew by line, speak in rhythm rst, then vocally.
1. Ashira lAdonai ki ga-oh ga-ah
2. Ashira lAdonai ki ga-oh ga-ah
3. Micha mocha ba-e-lim adonai
4. Micha mocha ne-dar-ba-ko-desh
5. Na-chi-tah vchas dcha am zu ga-al-ta
6. Na-chi-tah vchas dcha am zu ga-al-ta
7. Ashira ashira ashira


Present: (Ensemble members in specic voice part collaborate together predictions on how to
enhance the performance by watching a video of a chorus performing this piece. Locate the
challenges and brainstorm the solutions together by responding). This can be done during the
sectional rehearsals.

Singers in the sixth grade chorus will watch a choral performance of _____ singing
When You Believe by Stephen Schwartz. After the video is completed, students will break off
in groups within their section to discuss what they liked about the video, and what they need to
do in order for them to sound the same. The students will also discuss what they think are the
challenging sections of the piece and what they think they could do to help x the issues. The
groups will write their ideas on a piece of paper. After a couple minutes go by, we will go around
to each group to discuss what they have come up with.
Have singers return to their seats (if at Carusi) and sing the entire song with the
discussed ideas intact. The group will also pay attention to articulation, phrasing, breath marks,
and the dotted 8th notes to the sixteenth pairings.
The conductor along with the singers of the 6th grade chorus will work together to make
this piece performance ready. Everyone will pay attention to the expression of the piece, and
make sure the meaning of the lyrics are coming through.


Perform: (Demonstrate teaching music when singers perform)

The sixth grade chorus at Carusi Middle School combined with Beck Middle School will
perform the piece, When You Believe by Stephen Schwartz at a combined music winter
concert.


Assessment:

Formative: Student engagements will strengthen with the ability to work in groups within
their voice sections. The students will participate in a dialogue about musical techniques and
how it can impact the performance of the piece.

Summative: The students will show their mastery of musical concepts as it relates to
expression by performing the choral piece, When You Believe in the winter concert.

Integrative: Teacher reects on the following questions:

1. Did students understand the connection between the history of the piece and the connection
of the lyrics?
2. In what ways, did the students perceptions change when working on this piece?
3. Having worked on this piece, what have I noticed that could help improve my future teaching
as a conductor?
4. In what ways did the singers nd value in working together to improve the overall
performance of the piece?