Unit Plan 6 (Grade 6 Orchestra): Bowing Unity & Tone Color

Focus: Match bow direction, bow placement, and bow speed to improve ensemble sound, balance, and tone color.

Grade Level: 6

Subject Area: Orchestra (Tone Production • Bowing • Ensemble Skills)

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

I. Introduction

In this unit, Grade 6 orchestra students learn how unified bowing and thoughtful tone color choices shape the sound of the entire ensemble. They practice matching bow direction, contact point (where the bow touches the string), and bow speed so sections sound blended instead of uneven. Students also explore how playing closer to the fingerboard or bridge, or on different strings, changes tone color and character. By the end of the week, they can describe and demonstrate how bowing choices affect ensemble sound, balance, and musical character.

Essential Questions

• How does matching bow direction and bowings help our orchestra sound more unified?
• In what ways do bow placement, bow speed, and string choice change tone color and musical character?
• How can listening across the ensemble help me adjust my bowing for better blend and balance?
• What bowing strategies can I use when my sound does not match the rest of my section or ensemble?

II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:

1. Match bow directions (up- and down-bows) with their section on common rhythms and passages.
2. Maintain characteristic tone while aligning bow placement and bow speed with the ensemble.
3. Demonstrate and describe how playing closer to the bridge or fingerboard, or on different strings, changes tone color.
4. Explain how bowing style, string choice, and instrument roles (melody vs. accompaniment) affect the character of a piece.
5. Perform a short excerpt with unified bowing and a planned tone color goal (e.g., warm, bright, dark), adjusting to blend with others.

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

• OR:Pr6.6a — Perform orchestra music with accurate pitch, steady rhythm, characteristic tone, unified bowing, and basic expression in an ensemble setting.
  • Example: Students perform a two-part string arrangement with steady tempo and matching bow directions.
• OR:Re7.6b — Explain how bowing style, string choice, and instrument roles affect tone color and character in string music.
  • Example: Students explain how playing on the G string creates a darker tone than playing on the A string.

Success Criteria — Student Language

• I can match bow directions with my section so we move together.
• I can keep a good tone while lining up my bow placement and bow speed with others.
• I can describe how changing where and how I bow affects the tone color (warm, bright, dark, intense).
• I can explain how different strings and instrument roles (melody, harmony, accompaniment) change the character of the music.
• I can play a short piece with unified bowing and a clear tone color plan that matches the ensemble.