Unit Plan 10 (Grade 8 Vocal Music): Sight-Singing Independence

Focus: Read and perform melodies using standard notation, solfege, and rhythmic counting, building confidence and part independence from unison to two- and three-part sight-singing.

Grade Level: 8

Subject Area: Vocal Music (Choir • Literacy • Musicianship)

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

I. Introduction

This unit focuses on turning singers into independent music readers. Students practice connecting what they see on the page to what they hear and sing, using solfege, hand signs, and rhythmic counting to decode new melodies in real time. They begin with unison examples and gradually move into two- and three-part sight-singing, learning strategies to hold their own line while hearing different parts around them. By the end of the week, students can describe and use a step-by-step process for sight-singing new music with growing accuracy and confidence.

Essential Questions

• How does knowing solfege, scale degrees, and rhythmic counting help me read and sing music I’ve never heard before?
• What strategies can I use to stay on my own part when other voice parts are singing different notes or rhythms?
• How can I break down a new piece of music into manageable chunks (key, rhythm, intervals) before I sing?
• What does it mean to be an independent sight-singer, and how will that help me in choir and beyond?

II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:

1. Identify key elements on the page (clef, key, do, time signature, starting pitch, rhythm patterns) before singing.
2. Use solfege (with or without hand signs) and rhythmic counting to read and perform short unison melodies in common keys and meters.
3. Apply a sight-singing sequence (think the key, clap/count the rhythm, speak/chant solfege, then sing) to new examples.
4. Maintain their own melodic line in two- and three-part sight-singing exercises while hearing different parts.
5. Self-evaluate their sight-singing using simple checklists (accuracy of pitch, rhythm, starting/ending on do, staying in key).
6. Demonstrate sight-singing independence in a short individual or small-group performance, naming at least one strategy they used.

Standards Alignment — Grade 8 Vocal Music (custom, NAfME-style)

• VM:Pr4.8b — Read and perform vocal music using standard notation, solfege, and rhythmic counting, maintaining part independence (unison to two-part/three-part where appropriate).
  • Example: Students sight-sing in two parts, maintaining their line while hearing the other part.

Success Criteria — Student Language

• I can find do, read the key and time signature, and prepare before I sing.
• I can count rhythms out loud or in my head to keep my place.
• I can sing solfege accurately for short melodies I’ve never heard before.
• I can hold my own part in a simple 2–3 part sight-singing exercise.
• I can explain which strategies helped me sight-sing independently.