Unit Plan 31 (Grade 7 Orchestra): Independent Sectional Skills

Focus: Practice difficult passages independently and in sections using looping, bowing isolation, and metronome routines to improve accuracy and ensemble unity.

Grade Level: 7

Subject Area: Orchestra (Rehearsal Strategies • Section Skills • Independent Practice)

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

I. Introduction

In this unit, Grade 7 orchestra students learn how to practice difficult passages on their own and in sectionals using specific, repeatable rehearsal strategies. Instead of running pieces from top to bottom, they break down tricky rhythms, bowings, shifts, and entrances with tools like slow practice, looping, bowing isolation, and metronome work. Students also practice communicating within sections, deciding how to solve problems together and then applying those choices in full ensemble. By the end of the week, they create and use short sectional practice plans that lead to noticeably tighter accuracy, rhythm, and unity on targeted excerpts.

Essential Questions

• What makes practice effective instead of just repeating mistakes?
• How can looping, bowing isolation, and metronome routines help us fix tricky spots faster?
• What does it mean to be an independent sectional leader, and how can section members work together to solve musical problems?
• How do better sectional practice skills improve our full ensemble sound?

II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:

1. Identify challenging measures in a passage (rhythm, bowing, finger patterns, entrances) and plan how to practice them.
2. Use looping routines to repeat short patterns accurately at slow and gradually faster tempos.
3. Apply bowing isolation (separating bowings from left-hand work) to clean up tricky articulation or string crossings.
4. Use a metronome effectively, starting at slower tempos and increasing gradually while maintaining accuracy and ensemble alignment.
5. Work in sections or small groups to carry out a short sectional practice plan, then demonstrate improved accuracy and unity on target excerpts.

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

• OR:Pr5.7a — Apply rehearsal strategies (slow practice, looping, bowing isolation, section rehearsal, metronome work) to improve accuracy and ensemble unity.
  • Example: Students isolate a tricky bowing and practice it with a metronome before full ensemble rehearsal.

Success Criteria — Student Language

• I can find the most difficult measures in a passage instead of just starting at the beginning every time.
• I can use looping to repeat a short group of notes accurately at a slow tempo and then speed it up.
• I can practice bowings separately (open strings or simple patterns) to clean up articulation and string crossings.
• I can use a metronome to keep a steady tempo and gradually increase speed without losing control.
• I can help my section follow a short practice plan so we sound more accurate and together in a tricky passage.