Dr. Michael Kester-Haynes

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Grade 5 Orchestra Units

Unit Plan 4 (Grade 5 Orchestra): First Finger Patterns

Grade 5 orchestra unit teaching first-finger placement, reading basics, and simple melodies to build pitch accuracy, tone, and confident string playing.

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Grade 5 Orchestra Units

Unit Plan 3 (Grade 5 Orchestra): Posture, Bow Hold & Tone

Grade 5 orchestra unit building posture, bow hold, and open-string tone while students compare sounds across strings and instruments.

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Grade 5 Orchestra Units

Unit Plan 2 (Grade 5 Orchestra): Instrument Setup & Care

Grade 5 orchestra unit on instrument setup, posture, bow hold, tuning awareness, and care to build clear tone and strong playing habits.

Grade 5 Orchestra Units

Unit Plan 1 (Grade 5 Orchestra): Orchestra Routines & Expectations

Grade 5 orchestra unit builds rehearsal routines, instrument care, etiquette, and personal goals to support confident ensemble playing and growth.

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9-12 Lesson Plans

Lesson Plan (Grades 9-12): Cryptography Code Quest

Hands-on cryptography unit where students code Caesar & Vigenère ciphers in Python, analyze patterns, and crack encrypted messages collaboratively.

Grade 6 Orchestra Units

Unit Plan 36 (Grade 6 Orchestra): End-of-Year Performance & Reflection

Grade 6 orchestra unit: perform repertoire, reflect on growth in technique, ensemble unity, musicianship, and set goals for next year.

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Grade 6 Orchestra Units

Unit Plan 35 (Grade 6 Orchestra): Final Performance Prep

Grade 6 orchestra unit builds performance repertoire through focused rehearsal, feedback, and goal tracking to improve tone, rhythm, and ensemble unity.

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Grade 6 Orchestra Units

Unit Plan 34 (Grade 6 Orchestra): Purposeful Music Choices

Grade 6 orchestra unit where students connect bowing, tone color, and roles to audience impact, plan purposeful interpretations, and explain musical meaning.

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Grade 6 Orchestra Units

Unit Plan 33 (Grade 6 Orchestra): Evaluate Our Growth

Grade 6 orchestra unit where students evaluate ensemble growth using recordings and a rubric, cite specific evidence for tone/intonation/rhythm/bow unity/expression, and set clear rehearsal goals with strategies for continued improvement.

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Grade 6 Orchestra Units

Unit Plan 32 (Grade 6 Orchestra): Expressive Performance

Grade 6 orchestra unit performing with accurate pitch and rhythm while shaping dynamics, phrasing, and tone to create expressive, unified ensemble sound.

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Grade 6 Orchestra Units

Unit Plan 31 (Grade 6 Orchestra): Independent Rehearsal Skills

Grade 6 orchestra unit teaching chunking, looping, and bowing isolation to independently fix difficult passages and build confident rehearsal habits.

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Grade 6 Orchestra Units

Unit Plan 30 (Grade 6 Orchestra): Technique & Stamina Boost

Grade 6 orchestra technique unit building bow control, left-hand shape, posture, and endurance through warm-ups, recordings, feedback, and goal-setting across a full rehearsal.

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Grade 6 Orchestra Units

Unit Plan 29 (Grade 6 Orchestra): Sight-Reading Development

Grade 6 orchestra unit building confident sight-reading through rhythm accuracy, steady tempo, and finger pattern awareness using practical rehearsal strategies.

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Grade 6 Orchestra Units

Unit Plan 28 (Grade 6 Orchestra): Expressive Improvisation

Grade 6 orchestra unit on expressive improvisation using limited pitch sets, dynamics, tempo, and bowing to communicate emotion through short melodies.

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Grade 6 Orchestra Units

Unit Plan 27 (Grade 6 Orchestra): Ensemble Performance

Perform Grade 6 orchestra repertoire with steady tempo, unified bowing, and characteristic tone while building rehearsal etiquette, conductor focus, and reflective skills for ensemble success.

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Grade 6 Orchestra Units

Unit Plan 26 (Grade 6 Orchestra): Musical Storytelling Composition

Create and perform a Grade 6 orchestra piece that tells a story using tempo, dynamics, bowing, and contour, with students explaining their expressive choices.

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Grade 6 Orchestra Units

Unit Plan 25 (Grade 6 Orchestra): Authentic Style Choices

Grade 6 orchestra unit performing with authentic style, using context to shape tempo, bowing, dynamics, tone, and character through rehearsal and reflection.

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Grade 6 Orchestra Units

Unit Plan 24 (Grade 6 Orchestra): Music in Context—Culture & History

Grade 6 orchestra unit exploring cultural and historical context to guide tempo, dynamics, articulation, tone color, and style through listening, research, and a “Music in Context Snapshot.”

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Grade 6 Orchestra Units

Unit Plan 23 (Grade 6 Orchestra): Identity & Goals as a String Player

Grade 6 orchestra unit linking student interests to goals, habits, and identity to build reflective, motivated string players and ensemble contributors.

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Grade 6 Orchestra Units

Unit Plan 22 (Grade 6 Orchestra): Evaluate Like a Musician

Evaluate orchestra performances with criteria for intonation, rhythm, tone, bow unity, and expression, citing musical evidence to justify ratings.

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Grade 6 Orchestra Units

Unit Plan 21 (Grade 6 Orchestra): Compare Two Performances

Compare two string performances for tempo, dynamics, bowing clarity, tone, and ensemble unity, citing evidence to justify the stronger interpretation.

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Grade 6 Orchestra Units

Unit Plan 20 (Grade 6 Orchestra): Tone Color—Strings, Strings, Strings

Grade 6 orchestra unit explores tone color through string choice, bow placement, and instrument roles to shape musical character and expression.

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Grade 6 Orchestra Units

Unit Plan 19 (Grade 6 Orchestra): Elements & Form in Repertoire

Grade 6 orchestra unit teaches students to identify rhythm, melody, tempo, dynamics, and AB/ABA form through listening and score mapping skills.

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Grade 6 Orchestra Units

Unit Plan 18 (Grade 6 Orchestra): Sharing Created Music

Grade 6 orchestra students perform a final original piece, using tempo, dynamics, bowing, and phrasing to express intent, then reflect and explain choices.

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Grade 6 Orchestra Units

Unit Plan 17 (Grade 6 Orchestra): Rehearsing for Unity

Grade 6 orchestra unit teaches rehearsal strategies to improve ensemble timing, bow alignment, and accuracy using feedback and recordings for growth.