Unit Plan 7 (Grade 7 Orchestra): Bowing Articulation Styles

Focus: Explore legato, detaché, and beginning spiccato as expressive bowing tools, and explain how articulation choices influence interpretation in string music.

Grade Level: 7

Subject Area: Orchestra (Articulation • Expression • Phrasing & Tone Color)

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

I. Introduction

In this unit, Grade 7 orchestra students explore three core bowing articulation styles—legato, detaché, and beginning spiccato—and learn how these articulations change the character and meaning of music. Through listening, demonstration, and guided practice, they discover how articulation interacts with dynamics, tempo, phrasing, and tone color. Students experiment with playing short phrases in multiple ways (e.g., legato vs. detaché vs. spiccato) and reflect on which style best matches the musical context. The unit ends with a short Articulation Mini-Performance & Explanation, where students perform an excerpt using chosen articulations and justify their interpretive decisions.

Essential Questions

• What are legato, detaché, and spiccato, and how do they feel and sound different on a string instrument?
• How do articulation, dynamics, tempo, and tone color work together to shape the style and expression of a piece?
• When might a composer or conductor want smooth connected sounds vs. clear separated or light bouncing sounds?
• How can I explain and demonstrate why a particular articulation fits the character of a phrase or section?

II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:

1. Define and demonstrate legato, detaché, and beginning spiccato on open strings and simple patterns.
2. Apply appropriate bow speed, weight, and bow distribution to create smooth legato lines and clear detaché strokes.
3. Safely experiment with beginning spiccato in a controlled tempo and bow region, producing a light off-the-string sound.
4. Perform a short musical phrase in at least two different articulation styles and explain which better matches the intended style or character.
5. Complete an Articulation Mini-Performance & Explanation that showcases articulation control and basic interpretive reasoning.

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

• OR:Pr4.7c — Explain and demonstrate how dynamics, tempo, bowing articulation, phrasing, and tone color influence interpretation in string music.
  • Example: Students perform a phrase spiccato vs. legato and explain which better matches the style.

Success Criteria — Student Language

• I can show and name legato, detaché, and beginning spiccato with my bow.
• I can keep legato notes smoothly connected and detaché notes clearly separated without sounding rough.
• I can produce a light, controlled spiccato at a comfortable tempo using the appropriate part of the bow.
• I can change articulations on the same phrase and describe how it changes the character of the music.
• I can explain how my choices about articulation, dynamics, and tone color affect the way a phrase is interpreted.