Unit Plan 3 (Grade 7 Band): Tone Quality Development

Focus: Develop characteristic tone and consistency across range, while understanding how tone color and instrumentation contribute to musical meaning.

Grade Level: 7

Subject Area: Band (Performing • Tone Production • Listening & Analysis)

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

I. Introduction

In this unit, students focus on making their instruments sound their best. They learn how posture, breathing, embouchure, hand position, and stick/mallet control support a clear, characteristic tone—and how that tone should stay steady across different registers and dynamic levels. Through long tones, range exercises, chorales, and focused listening, students compare tone colors across sections and explore how instrumentation and style shape the character of a piece. By the end of the week, they can both demonstrate better tone and explain how tone quality and tone color affect musical meaning.

Essential Questions

• What makes a good tone on my instrument, and how can I keep it consistent across my low, middle, and high ranges?
• How do posture, embouchure, breathing, and hand position affect my tone quality?
• How do different instruments and tone colors change the mood or character of band music?
• In what ways do articulation and style (legato vs. marcato, bright vs. dark) change how a piece feels to the listener?
• How can I listen like a tone detective—noticing and adjusting my sound to better fit the ensemble?

II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate consistent, supported tone using instrument-specific technique (posture, embouchure, breathing, hand position, stick/mallet control).
2. Maintain tone quality while playing in different registers (low, middle, high) and at varying dynamics (soft, medium, loud).
3. Use long tones, chorales, and simple exercises to focus on tone, balance, and blend with the ensemble.
4. Describe how instrumentation, tone color, articulation, and style change the character or mood of a band excerpt.
5. Reflect on personal tone goals and identify at least one specific strategy (e.g., more air, relaxed jaw, stick control) to improve their sound.

Standards Alignment — 7th Grade Band (custom, NAfME-style)

• BD:Pr4.7a — Demonstrate consistent instrument-specific technique (posture, embouchure, breathing, hand position, stick/mallet control) that supports tone and accuracy.
  • Example: Students maintain steady airflow and correct hand position through a full rehearsal excerpt.
• BD:Re7.7b — Explain how instrumentation, tone color, articulation, and style contribute to meaning in band music.
  • Example: Students explain how brass and woodwind timbres create contrasting character in a piece.

Success Criteria — Student Language

• I can produce a clear, characteristic tone on my instrument most of the time.
• I can keep my tone steady and supported in my low, middle, and high ranges.
• I can explain how tone color and instrumentation change how a piece feels to the listener.
• I can use listening and feedback to adjust my sound and better match my section and the band.
• I can name at least one specific technique that helps me improve my tone (e.g., taller posture, more air, relaxed embouchure, controlled stick height).