Unit Plan 14 (Grade 6 Orchestra): Notation & Bowing Marks
Grade 6 orchestra students notate melodies with accurate pitch, rhythm, dynamics, and bowings, creating clear, performable scores that communicate expression.
Focus: Notate a short composition using standard notation that clearly shows pitch, rhythm, dynamics, and basic bowing indications.
Grade Level: 6
Subject Area: Orchestra (Notation • Bowing • Composition Documentation)
Total Unit Duration: 5 sessions (one week), 50–60 minutes per session
I. Introduction
In this unit, Grade 6 orchestra students learn how to write down their musical ideas so others can play them accurately. Building from previous work on melody and form, they focus on using standard notation to show correct pitches and rhythms, plus expressive details like dynamics and bowing marks (slurs vs. separate bows, simple articulation marks). Students practice reading and adding these markings to short excerpts, then create a neat, performable score of a short melody that includes pitch, rhythm, dynamics, and bowing indications.
Essential Questions
- How does standard notation help us share our musical ideas clearly with other players?
- What is the difference between writing just notes and rhythms and writing a fully marked part with dynamics and bowings?
- How do bowing marks (like slurs and separate bows) change the sound and character of a melody?
- What information must be included for a piece to be performable by another string player who has never heard it before?
II. Objectives and Standards
Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:
- Identify and use basic notation symbols for pitch, rhythm, dynamics, and bowing indications (slurs and separate bows; simple articulations like staccato/tenuto as appropriate).
- Add dynamics (e.g., p, mf, f) and bowing marks (slurs, separate bows, simple articulations) to short melodic excerpts to change expression.
- Notate a short 4–8 measure melody in a given key and meter with correct pitches and rhythms.
- Revise their notation to ensure measure accuracy, readable stem directions, and clear bowing/dynamic marks.
- Produce a final part that another student can sight-read and perform, showing the intended tone, phrasing, and bowing style.
Standards Alignment — Grade 6 Orchestra (custom, NAfME-style)
- OR:Cr2.6b — Use standard notation and/or recording tools to document compositions, including pitch, rhythm, dynamics, and basic bowing indications.
- Example: Students notate a melody and add dynamics plus simple bowings (slur marks, detach indications).
Success Criteria — Student Language
- I can write notes and rhythms correctly in a given key and meter.
- I can use dynamic markings (like p, mf, f) and basic bowing marks (slurs, separate bows, simple articulations) in my music.
- I can check that each measure adds up to the correct number of beats.
- I can create a final notated part that another string player can read and play with the intended sound and style.
- I can explain how my bowing and dynamic choices change the way my melody feels.