Unit Plan 20 (Grade 7 Orchestra): Tone Color & Instrument Roles
Grade 7 orchestra unit exploring tone color, bowing, string roles, and texture to shape character, meaning, and expressive performance choices.
Focus: Analyze how bowing style, tone color, string choice/position, and instrument roles (melody, harmony, accompaniment, bassline) shape character and meaning in string music, then apply these ideas to class repertoire and performance choices.
Grade Level: 7
Subject Area: Orchestra (Tone Color • Texture & Roles • Interpretation)
Total Unit Duration: 5 sessions (one week), 50–60 minutes per session
I. Introduction
In this unit, Grade 7 orchestra students explore how tone color and instrument roles change the way music feels and what it seems to “say.” Through guided listening, simple experiments with bow placement and string choice, and focused study of their orchestra parts, students learn to describe how bowing style, string position, and who has the melody or accompaniment affect character and meaning. They then use this understanding to make and explain interpretive decisions in class repertoire, shaping a more expressive and intentional ensemble sound.
Essential Questions
- How do bowing style, tone color, and string choice/position change the character of string music?
- What is the difference between melody, harmony, accompaniment, and bassline, and why do these roles matter?
- How do instrument roles and tone color choices work together to create a musical mood or story?
- How can understanding tone color and roles help us make stronger performance decisions as an orchestra?
II. Objectives and Standards
Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:
- Describe and demonstrate how bow placement (near the fingerboard vs. nearer the bridge), bow weight, and bow speed change tone color.
- Explain how choosing different strings/positions on their instrument affects warmth, brightness, and intensity of sound.
- Identify instrument roles (melody, harmony, accompaniment, bassline) in listening examples and in their own parts.
- Analyze a class piece to explain how tone color choices and instrument roles contribute to its character and meaning.
- Create and justify simple interpretive plans (tone color, bow style, string choice) for specific passages in class repertoire.
Standards Alignment — Grade 7 Orchestra (custom, NAfME-style)
- OR:Re7.7b — Explain how bowing style, tone color, string choice/position, and instrument roles contribute to character and meaning in string music.
- Example: Students explain how playing closer to the bridge changes tone color for intensity.
Success Criteria — Student Language
- I can show and describe how changing bow placement and bow weight changes my tone color.
- I can explain how playing a passage on a different string/position changes the sound and character.
- I can point to spots in our music and say who has the melody, accompaniment, or bassline, and why that matters.
- I can explain how tone color and instrument roles help the music sound peaceful, intense, playful, or dark, etc.
- I can make and explain performance choices (where to play, how to bow) that support the piece’s character.