Piece: “Last Rose of Summer”

Analysis—What are the teachable aspects in this piece?

Rhythm: ¾ time
50 bpm (Andante Con espressione) rallentando
Eighth notes, paired eighth notes, eighth note triplets, dotted eighth sixteenth, quarter note,
half notes.

Melody: F Major

Harmony: F Major: Includes: I, IV, V, V7, and Timbre: Wind Band: Woodwinds, Brass,
Passing 6/4 Percussion. Alto Saxophone Solo

Expression: pianissimo, piano, mezzo piano, Style: Ballad

mezzo forte, forte, fortepiano, crescendo,
decrescendo. Tenuto.
1: Forte
 2-3: decrescendo to a piano, every instrument
stay at piano while the alto saxophone soloist
plays at a mezzo forte
16: fortepiano
24: crescendo
26-27: decrescendo to a mezzo piano
35: crescendo to mezzo forte
40: every instrument plays at piano under the
alto saxophone soloist playing at a mezzo forte.
43: Crescendo to a forte in m. 43
45-47: decrescendo to a piano.
Every instrument plays the final chord at a
pianissimo.
Form: A, B, A’, B’ History/Culture/Other Disciplines: Written by
Leroy Anderson as part of a larger piece called
“The Irish Suite” in 1947 for the Eire Society of
Boston. The piece was originally written in less
than two weeks. It was performed frequently by
the Boston Pops Orchestra. This movement and
another were added to the piece in 1949. This
movement was originally a poem written in 1805
by Thomas Moore and was set to a traditional
Irish tune called “The Young Man’s Dream.”

Students will learn about transpositions to and

from concert pitch for instruments in Bb, Eb, and
F.

*Highlight, bold, or color the teachable technical and meaningful aspects of the piece.

Grade/Level: 8th grade

Based on Curriculum Map from: Chelmsford Public Schools
Objectives/Outcomes (Standard) Assessment
After learning this piece, each student will: Each student will be assessed by:

1. play selected measures from “The Last Rose 1. going into a practice room one by one
of Summer” that contain both a duple and and record themselves playing the
triple beat division with fluency between the measures selected. Students will follow a
mixed beat divisions and with good intonation. metronome in the room. A rubric will be
(MU:Pr6.1.E.8a) (SOL MIAD.2) used to assess student’s fluency between
the mixed beat divisions and their
intonation.

2. transpose the alto saxophone solo 2. turning in the handwritten copy to the
(measures 4-24) for their particular teacher. A rubric will be used by assessing
instrument. The transposition must be that the arrangement is handwritten on a
 handwritten on a five-line staff in the correct five-line staff, with the correct time
time signature, key signature, with proper signature, correct key, proper rhythms,
rhythms, pitches (including grace notes), and pitches, and notation.
notation. (MU:Cr2.1.E.IIa) (SOL MIAD 1.1, 2,
4)

3. write a one-page single spaced paper about 3. having students turn in the paper onto
“The Last Rose of Summer.” The paper must Google Classroom. A rubric will be used to
concisely summarize the original poem by determine if students concisely summarized
Thomas Moore and connect the poem to the the Thomas Moore poem and if they
piece and elaborate how the poem can connected the poem to the piece to
influence their playing of the piece, with influence the performance.
specific references to the poem and the piece.
(MU: Re9.1. E. IIIa) (SOL MIAD.19. 2, 20.2)

Reinforced (Prior) Content: Pre-Assessment Process:

[What do students need to know/be able to do before [How will you determine that they know/can do those
teaching this piece?] things?]

-count rhythms using numbers 1. A variety of rhythm patterns will be

-3/4 time handed out and students must identify
-whole, half, dotted half, half, quarter, dotted which rhythms are in ¾ time. They must
quarter single eighth, sixteenth notes/ rests also write the counts for each rhythm
-Concert F Major patterns. (Counting rhythms by numbers,
-form ¾ time, various rhythmic values)
- dynamics: pp, p, mp, mf, f, ff, fp, sfz, cresc,
decresc 2. students must play a concert F major
-accents, slurs, staccato, legato, tenuto scale at a specified dynamic level or with
specified articulation variations. (Concert F
Major, dynamics, accents, slurs, staccato,
legato, tenuto)
Teaching Process:
Lesson 1:
Goal/Focus: Differentiate duple and triple
1. The teacher will have the class clap their hands to a steady beat.
2. The rhythm warm-up will begin with eighth notes.
3. The teacher will speak numbers to represent eighth notes. These numbers will follow
the rhythm numbering system developed by Marcel Tabuteau and begin with the
Number ‘1’ on the down beat, then saying ‘1’ again on the upbeat and saying ‘2’ on the
next downbeat and continuing on with ‘1’ and ‘2’ as normal. This gives the students
direction in their counting by leading the upbeat to the downbeat.
4. The class will then shift to doing eighth note triplets.
 5. Continue clapping a steady beat and use the same counting system for triplets. Begin
with ‘1’ on the first eighth note triplet, then repeat ‘1’ on the second, then ‘2’ on the
third, and finally ‘3’ on the next downbeat.
6. Hand out papers with one line of only eighth notes, one line of only triplets, one line of
measures alternating eighth notes and triplets, one line alternating beats of eighth
notes and triplets, and finally one blank line for students to write their own
combinations.
7. Project copies of each line on the board while doing this activity.
8. Below each eighth note and triplet, have students write in the numbers in the way that
they were spoken during the warm-up.
9. Speak through the exercise with a steady beat while looking at the paper. Do this
process for each line.
Informal assessment: Have students clap a steady beat and speak their own written
combination of eighth notes and triplets to a partner.

Lesson 2:
Goal/Focus: Phrasing in Measures 24-40
1. Warm-up with the class by speaking the eighth notes and triplets as learned in the
previous class.
2. Begin at measure 24 and have students only play if they have triplets. This will allow
students to hear the hand off of triplets from measure 24 to the new voices the
continue them into measure 25.
3. Have all students play and make them aware to not cover the triplet line.
4. Begin playing now at the anacrusis to measure 28 and instruct students to stop playing
when the feel they have playing a complete musical thought (phrase.)
5. Hopefully students will stop playing at 31 on beat 2.
6. If students have conflicting feelings on where the phrase ends, discuss their points with
the class and see if you can explain to them why that I the end of the phrase.
7. Within that 28-31 phrase, have students discuss with a small group where the high point
of that phrase is.
8. After determining a high point, work with the students to lead to that high point and
then come away from it after it is reached.
9. Repeat the same process for measures 31-35.
Informal/Formal assessment: Listen to discussions about phrasing when deciding the high
points of the two periods.

Lesson 3:
Goal/Focus: Alternating between duple and triple beat divisions in measures 1-5
1. Again, warm-up with the class on rhythm counting as before.
2. Have students look at measure 3 and using a pencil lightly write the numbers
underneath the notes.
3. Count that measure as a class, for students that don’t have that rhythm, project the
measure on the front board.
4. Have students play that measure on a concert F only.
 5. Once that has been done successfully, have students add in all the notes, making sure
that they are counting with numbers in their heads.
6. Start at the beginning and play until measure 4, being sure to switch on the super power
counting in measure 3.
Informal Assessment: Have woodwinds, brass, and percussion play separately the beginning to
measure 4.

Lesson 4:
Goal/Focus: Alternating between dotted eighth sixteenth and eighth note triplets in measure
44.
1. Begin class by playing measure 3 as review from last class.
2. Then play the beginning to measure ensuring that the rhythm stays solid in measure 3.
3. Jump to measure 44, ask students what is different about the measure and measure 3.
(Students will answer, “the rhythm on beat 2 is different.”)
4. Have the students play that measure on a Concert F but have them play beat 2 as just
eighth notes.
5. Then have students play it again but turn the second eighth note into two sixteenth
notes.
6. Lastly, have students play it again but take out the first sixteenth and leave in the last
one (so play the rhythm printed on the page.)
Informal Assessment: Same as before, have woodwinds, brass, and percussion play the
measure as groups.

Rubrics/Assessment Tools:
Performance Skill Level 3 Level 2 Level 1
Duple and Triple Students plays the Students play the The students play the
Mixing duple and triple beat duple and triple beat duple and triple
division with steady division with steady division with
quarter note and quarter notes but unsteady quarter
equal division of the unequal division with note and unequal
beat. Students may in the beat. division of the beat.
use adapted parts as
needed.
Fluency Student switches Student switches Student switches
between duple and between duple and between duple and
triple division with no triple division with a triple division with a
pauses or “hiccups.” quick pause between long pause between
Students may use the different beat the different beat
adapted parts as divisions but does divisions that
needed. not interrupt the interrupts the flow of
flow of the measure. the measure.
Intonation Students play with Students play with a Students play with
secure intonation mostly secure pitch insecure pitch and
with adjustments with adjustments adjustments are not
 made instantly made eventually made OR are not
during the recording. during the recording. successful.
Students may use
adapted parts as
needed.

Creative Skill Level 3 Level 2 Level 1

Handwritten The arrangement is The arrangement is The arrangement is
handwritten on a 5- either not not written down
line staff handwritten or not
on a 5-line staff
Time signature The arrangement is The arrangement is The arrangement has
in the correct time in the incorrect time no time signature
signature (3/4) signature
Key Signature The arrangement is The arrangement is The arrangement has
in the correct in a different key no key signature
transposed key after transposition
signature
Rhythms 50-61 of the rhythms 30-50 rhythms are Less than 29 rhythms
are correct correct are correct
Pitches 90-98 pitches 50-89 pitches are Less than 49 of the
(including grace transcribed correctly pitches are
notes) are transcribed correctly
transcribed correctly
Notation Note heads are Note heads are not Note heads are not
properly placed in a placed properly in a placed properly in a
line or space and line or space OR line or space AND
stems are facing the stems are facing the stems are facing the
correct direction incorrect direction incorrect direction

Responding Level 3 Level 2 Level 1

Length The essay is one page The essay is half of a The essay is less than
long, single spaced. page long. one quarter page
long.
Summary The student The student’s The student does not
summarized the summary of the summarize the
original Thomas Thomas Moore poem Thomas Moore poem
Moore poem was not concise but concisely and the
concisely. captured the poem was not
summary of the summarized with the
poem. correct information.
Connection The student connects The student connects The student does not
the poem to the the poem to the connect the poem to
 Piece and uses piece but does not the piece and does
specific references to use specific not use specific
the poem and the references to the references to the
piece. poem or the piece. poem or piece.

Accommodations/Adaptations: (Pacing, Color, Size, Modality)

Pacing: The teacher will emphasize the alternating duple and triple subdivisions by giving the
class a handout with different combinations of quarter, eighth, sixteenth, and eighth note
triplets. The class will count these together with a teacher count off.

Color: Students will choose several different colored pencils. They will use different colors to
write the time signature, the key, and different pitches if needed.

Size: Parts will be specially modified for triple subdivisions to be larger on the page. This will
have to be clarified that larger does not mean louder, but it will alert students to the change
of division.

Modality: use their hands to use vertical space to trace duple and triple divisions of the beat.

Modifications of Curriculum: (forward/backward)

Performing:
Backward: Student must speak the rhythms in selected measures on a neutral syllable to
differentiate between duple and triple subdivisions.
Forward: Student will perform selected phrases with measures that contain duple and triple
subdivisions with proper articulation, accurate rhythmic performance with fluency, and must
show musical growth and direction through the phrase.

Creating:
Backward: Students will arrange the first two phrases (anacrusis to measure 5- measure 12)
of the alto saxophone solo for their instrument and must perform it.
Forward: Students will arrange the alto saxophone solo for their instrument and record
themselves playing the excerpt. The recording will be submitted on Google Classroom for
extra credit.

Responding:
Backward: Student will write a one-page double spaced paper about “The Last Rose of
Summer.” The paper must concisely summarize the Thomas Moore poem and connect the
poem to the piece and how the poem could influence performance.
Forward: Students will write a one-page paper about “The Last Rose of Summer.” Students
must concisely summarize the original Thomas Moore Poem, write a brief historical
background of the poem, and connect the poem to the piece and how the poem could
influence performance.
Reflection on Teaching: