Unit Plan 32 (Grade 7 Orchestra): Expressive Performance
Grade 7 orchestra unit builds expressive performance skills—accurate pitch/rhythm, characteristic tone, unified bowing, phrasing, dynamics, and style—ending in a polished in-class performance.
Focus: Perform music with accurate technique and clear expressive intent, demonstrating characteristic tone, unified bowing, and developing stylistic understanding.
Grade Level: 7
Subject Area: Orchestra (Performance • Expression • Style)
Total Unit Duration: 5 sessions (one week), 50–60 minutes per session
I. Introduction
In this unit, Grade 7 orchestra students bring together their technical skills and musical understanding to perform with clear expressive intent. Through focused work on pitch, rhythm, tone, phrasing, dynamics, and bow unity, they explore how interpretation decisions shape character and mood in their repertoire. Students practice listening critically to themselves and the ensemble, making intentional choices about dynamics, articulation, and style, and then applying those choices consistently in performance. By the end of the week, they present an in-class performance that shows both accuracy and expressive communication.
Essential Questions
- What does it mean to perform with expressive intent, not just “play the notes correctly”?
- How do dynamics, phrasing, tone color, and articulation change the character of a piece?
- How can we balance technical accuracy (pitch, rhythm, bow unity) with expression and style in performance?
- How does performing with ensemble awareness (listening, adjusting, blending) improve the audience’s experience?
II. Objectives and Standards
Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:
- Perform selected repertoire with accurate pitch and rhythm, maintaining a steady tempo and characteristic tone.
- Demonstrate unified bowing, clear articulations, and coordinated section/ensemble entrances and releases.
- Shape phrases using dynamics, tone color, and phrasing to communicate a specific expressive idea (e.g., calm, excited, mysterious).
- Listen and adjust to the ensemble for balance/blend, matching style and articulation across sections.
- Reflect on their own performance, identifying strengths and next-step goals related to expression and accuracy.
Standards Alignment — Grade 7 Orchestra (custom, NAfME-style)
- OR:Pr6.7a — Students will perform orchestra music with accurate pitch, rhythm, characteristic tone, unified bowing, and expressive intent, showing developing stylistic understanding.
- Example: Students perform a two- or three-part arrangement with steady tempo and dynamic contrast.
Success Criteria — Student Language
- I can play with mostly accurate pitch and rhythm and keep a steady tempo.
- I can use dynamics, phrasing, and tone color to make the music sound expressive, not flat.
- I can match bowings and articulations with my section so that we sound unified.
- I can listen and adjust to balance my sound with the rest of the ensemble.
- I can explain at least one interpretive choice I made (e.g., where I made a crescendo and why).