Unit Plan 29 (Grade 7 Vocal Music): Sight-Singing Growth

Focus: Strengthen sight-singing accuracy and independence using staff notation, solfege, and rhythm syllables, while applying rehearsal strategies to support ensemble intonation and rhythmic precision.

Grade Level: 7

Subject Area: Vocal Music (Choir • Literacy • Ensemble Skills)

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

I. Introduction

In this unit, students focus on becoming more independent sight-singers who can confidently read and perform short melodies from the page. They review and refine staff notation, solfege, and rhythm syllables, practicing stepwise patterns, basic intervals, and common rhythms in a steady tempo. Students also apply rehearsal strategies such as chunking, slowing down, section practice, and self-monitoring to improve accuracy, intonation, and ensemble togetherness, setting themselves up for more advanced choral work.

Essential Questions

• What does it mean to be an independent sight-singer, and why is that skill important in choir and beyond?
• How do staff notation, solfege, and rhythm syllables work together to help us read and perform music we’ve never sung before?
• Which rehearsal strategies are most helpful when sight-singing alone and with an ensemble?
• How can we measure our own growth in sight-singing and set realistic goals for improvement?

II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:

1. Read and perform short sight-singing exercises using staff notation, solfege, and rhythm syllables while maintaining a steady tempo.
2. Use solfege with hand signs (where appropriate) to track pitch relationships and stay in tune.
3. Apply rehearsal strategies—such as chanting rhythms, silent fingering, chunking, and slowing the tempo—to improve sight-singing accuracy.
4. Work in sections and small groups to tune intervals and coordinate entrances, then recombine to maintain ensemble intonation and precision.
5. Complete a short sight-singing check demonstrating increased independence and accuracy compared to earlier attempts.
6. Reflect on their individual and ensemble growth in sight-singing and identify next-step goals.

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

• VM:Pr4.7b — Read and perform vocal music using staff notation, solfege, and rhythm syllables, maintaining pitch accuracy and steady tempo.
  • Example: Students sight-sing a short melody using solfege and count rhythm accurately.
• VM:Pr5.7a — Apply rehearsal strategies to improve ensemble blend, balance, intonation, and rhythmic precision.
  • Example: Students rehearse in sections, tune intervals, then re-combine to improve intonation.

Success Criteria — Student Language

• I can read and perform short melodies using solfege and rhythm counting with mostly accurate pitch and rhythm.
• I can keep a steady tempo while sight-singing, with or without a metronome.
• I can use rehearsal strategies (like chunking, clapping, slowing down, or repeating tricky spots) to fix mistakes.
• I can sight-sing more independently than before, needing less help from the piano or teacher.
• I can work with my section to tune and stay together, and I can describe one area where my sight-singing has grown.