Unit Plan 17 (Grade 6 Band): Rehearsing Created Music

Focus: Rehearse original or arranged music using effective rehearsal strategies (slow practice, chunking, counting, looping) and feedback to improve accuracy, timing, tone, and expression.

Grade Level: 6

Subject Area: Band (Rehearsing • Performing • Reflecting)

Total Unit Duration: 5 sessions (one week), 50–60 minutes per session

I. Introduction

In this unit, students learn how to rehearse the music they have created or arranged so it becomes performance-ready. Building on earlier composing and revising units, they now apply rehearsal strategies—such as slow practice, chunking, counting, and looping—to improve accuracy, timing, tone, and expression. Students also practice using teacher and peer feedback to guide their work, keeping simple rehearsal logs to track what they tried and how it helped. By the end of the unit, each student or small group will be able to perform a short, created piece more confidently and explain how their rehearsal choices led to improvement.

Essential Questions

• What makes rehearsal different from just “playing it over and over”?
• How can strategies like slow practice, chunking, counting, and looping help me play more accurately and together with others?
• How can teacher and peer feedback help me improve my tone, rhythm, and expression over time?
• How can I use a simple rehearsal log to track my progress and plan my next steps?

II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:

1. Use at least two rehearsal strategies (slow practice, chunking, counting, looping) to improve accuracy on difficult measures.
2. Rehearse a short original or arranged piece in small groups, focusing on ensemble timing and steady tempo.
3. Respond to teacher and peer feedback by making specific changes to improve tone quality, rhythm accuracy, or expression.
4. Keep a brief rehearsal log noting which strategies they used and how those strategies affected their playing.
5. Perform a short created or arranged excerpt that shows clear improvement in accuracy, timing, and expressive performance from the first attempt.

Standards Alignment — 6th Grade Band (custom, NAfME-style)

• BD:Pr5.6a — Apply rehearsal strategies (slow practice, chunking, counting, looping) to improve individual accuracy and ensemble timing.
  • Example: Students isolate a two-measure rhythm, count it, loop it, then reintegrate it into the full phrase.
• BD:Pr5.6b — Respond to teacher and peer feedback to improve tone, rhythm accuracy, and expressive performance over time.
  • Example: Students adjust articulation after feedback and note improvement in a rehearsal log.

Success Criteria — Student Language

• I can use at least two rehearsal strategies (like slow practice and looping) to fix tricky spots in my music.
• I can rehearse with others and stay together in steady tempo on a short created piece.
• I can listen to feedback and change how I play to improve tone, rhythm, or expression.
• I can keep a simple rehearsal log that shows what I worked on and how it improved.
• I can perform my created or arranged music more confidently at the end of the unit than at the beginning.