Unit Plan 26 (Grade 5 Band): Rehearsing for Accuracy
Grade 5 band students use rehearsal strategies and teacher feedback to improve note and rhythm accuracy, building confident, focused ensemble performance skills.
Focus: Use rehearsal strategies and teacher feedback to improve note and rhythm accuracy in beginning band pieces.
Grade Level: 5
Subject Area: Band (Performing • Responding • Creating • Connecting)
Total Unit Duration: 1–2 weeks, 5 sessions, 30 minutes per session
I. Introduction
Students learn that rehearsal is more than just “playing through” a song—it is a set of strategies for finding and fixing mistakes. They practice using slow practice, counting aloud, and chunking tricky spots so their music becomes cleaner and more confident over time. Students also learn how to respond to teacher feedback about hand position, rhythm, and tone, and to notice their own improvement from one run to the next.
Essential Questions
- How is rehearsing for accuracy different from just “playing through” a song?
- What rehearsal strategies help fix wrong notes or messy rhythms?
- How can teacher feedback and self-checking help us become more accurate and confident band players?
II. Objectives and Standards
Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:
- Explain at least two rehearsal strategies (slow practice, counting, chunking, looping) and when to use them.
- Use teacher feedback to adjust hand position, air support, or counting and show improvement on a short passage.
- Practice a tricky measure or phrase using chunking and repetition until notes and rhythms are more accurate.
- Perform a short band excerpt with improved note and rhythm accuracy compared to an earlier attempt.
- Reflect in simple language on what changed in their playing and which strategy or feedback helped most.
Standards Alignment — Grade 5 Band (custom, NAfME-style)
- BD:Pr5.5b — Respond to teacher feedback to improve tone, rhythm accuracy, and performance habits.
- Example: Students adjust hand position after feedback and play the passage again with improvement.
Success Criteria — Student Language
- I can name and use at least two rehearsal strategies (like slow practice and chunking).
- I can fix a mistake after the teacher gives me feedback.
- I can show that my notes and rhythms are more accurate than before.
- I can explain what I changed in my playing and how it helped my music sound better.