Musical Theater Unit Plan

Abstract

This unit plan on Musical Theater is intended for an intermediate high school level
general music class in a district that utilizes block scheduling. The following aspects
of musical theater will be covered: traditional theater, opera buffa, musical theater,
dialogue, monologue, soliloquy, composer, lyricist, choreographer, pit, overture,
entracte, vamp, tacet, and exit music. As an all-encompassing final project, the
students will choose a genre of theater, choose a celebrity cast and production crew,
write a scene, and perform it with an 8 bar musical vamp playing underneath their
dialogue. Other journaling, researched based, and writing assignments will be
completed throughout the unit plan.

Standards

9.1.12.A: Know and use the elements and principles of each art form to create
works in the arts and humanities.
9.1.12.B: Recognize, know, use and demonstrate a variety of appropriate arts
elements and principles to produce, review and revise original works in
the arts.
9.1.12.C: Integrate and apply advanced vocabulary to the arts forms.
9.1.12.D: Demonstrate specific styles in combination through the production or
performance of a unique work of art
9.1.12.E: Delineate a unifying theme through the production of a work of art that
reflects skills in media processes and techniques.
9.1.12.J: Analyze and evaluate the use of traditional and contemporary technologies
for producing, performing and exhibiting works in the arts or the works of
others.

4. Composing and arranging music within specified guidelines.
6. Listening to, analyzing, and describing music.
9. Understanding music in relation to history and culture.

Method of Evaluation

Students will be evaluated on their knowledge of musical throughout the unit
through various formative assessments, such as journal entries, a student-made
glossary, and homework that is expected to be completed for class.

The students will have two summative assessments. The first assessment is a
written quiz on the first two lessons of the unit plan. The largest summative
assessment of the unit is a project where the students will create their own scene of
a musical. The students will provide a synopsis, cast list, choreographer, lyricist, and
composer. They will perform their scene as a vamp plays underneath the dialogue.
The vamp will be a MIDI file of the students choice, but it must be appropriate for
the scene.




Standards

Lesson 1
9.1.12.C
9.1.12.F
9.1.12.I

Lesson 2
9.1.12.A
9.1.12.B
9.1.12.C
9.1.12.D

Lesson 3
9.1.12.A
9.1.12.B
9.1.12.C

Lesson 4
9.1.12.A
9.1.12.B
9.1.12.C
9.1.12.E

Lesson 5
9.1.12.A
9.1.12.B
9.1.12.C
9.1.12.D
9.1.12.E
9.1.12.F
9.1.12.I










References

Wolf, S. (2007). In Defense of Pleasure: Musical Theatre History in the Liberal Arts
[A Manifesto]. Theatre Topics, 17(1), 51-60.

Bernstein, J. (2012). Julie Taymor Roars. Newsweek, 159(22), 52-55.

Platt, L., & Becker, T. (2013). Popular Musical Theatre, Cultural Transfer,
Modernities: London/Berlin, 1890-1930. Theatre Journal, 65(1), 1-18.

Dunbar, Z. (2013). Music Theatre and Musical Theatre. In D. Wiles, C. Dymkowski
(Eds.) , The Cambridge Companion to Theatre History (pp. 197-209). Cambridge,
England: Cambridge UP.

Darlow, M. (2012). Eighteenth-Century French Musical Theatre. French Studies,
66(1), 68-77.

Jubin, O. (2010). Experts without Expertise? Findings of a Comparative Study of
American, British and German-language Reviews of Musicals by Stephen Sondheim
and Andrew Lloyd Webber. Studies In Musical Theatre, 4(2), 185-197.
doi:10.1386/smt.4.2.1851

Stemple, Larry. Showtime: A History of the Broadway Musical Theater. New York.
W.W. Norton & Company Inc. 2010.

Bruder, Melissa. A Practical Handbook For The Actor. Los Angeles. Brandenhouse
Publishing Co. 1986.

Worthen, W. B. The Wadsworth Anthology Of Drama, 6Th Edition. New York. W.W.
Norton & Company Inc. 2011.

Mordden, Ethan. Anything Goes: A History of American Musical Theater. Oxford
University Press. Oxford. 2013.

Shapiro, Eddie. Nothing Like a Dame: Conversations with the Great Women of Musical
Theater. Oxford University Press. Oxford. 2014.









SETON HILL UNIVERSITY
Music Education
Lesson Plan Template

Pre-Planning
TOPIC DETAILS CK
Name Dylan Gourley
Subject General Music
Grade Level 10
th
Grade
Date/Duration 1 class period
Standards/ anchors/
competencies
PA/Common
Core/Standards
National Music
Standards

9.1.12.C
9.1.12.F
9.1.12.I


Formative AND/OR
Summative
Assessment Evidence
Formal Evaluation

Informal Evaluation
Class discussion

Objective
A-B-C-D

Bloom's Taxonomy

Webb's Depth of
Knowledge (DOK)
Students will be able to list differences between traditional
theater, opera buffa, and musical theater.

Remembering
DOK Level 1


Step-by-Step Procedures
RATIONALE for the
Learning Plan

DETAILS
CK
Introduction Activating Prior Knowledge
Class will discuss plays and musicals they have seen or read either
in English class or in the past.
Hook/Lead-In/Anticipatory Set
Teacher will show clips from Othello (Act III Scene iv), Orpheus in
the Underworld (Can-Can), and South Pacific (Honey Bun Reprise).

Explicit Instructions
Big Ideas

Essential Questions
Big Idea Statement
Traditional theater uses no music, opera uses music throughout
the entirety of the production, and musicals use periodic music.
Essential Questions
What are the characteristics of traditional theater, opera, and
musicals?


Key Vocabulary
Theater, opera, play, musical.
Lesson Procedure
Must include
adaptations &
accommodations for
students with special
needs

Accommodations,
Modifications
Pre-Assessment of Students
The class will silently create their own Venn Diagram of Othello,
Orpheus in the Underworld, and South Pacific clips.
Modeling of the Concept
Teacher will use the individual students answers to create a class
Venn diagram.

Adaptations/Accommodations for Students with Special Needs
Subtitles for students who are hard of hearing, front seating for
students with poor vision.


Materials
(reading, technology,
equipment, supplies,
etc.)
Projector, video clips, white board or chalk board.
Closure
Homework/Assignments
Students will find their own examples of traditional theater, opera,
and a musical.

Other- Specific
instructions for this
lesson plan

Supervising teacher
comments and
signature


Teacher
Self-reflection
What worked?
What would
you change?



















SETON HILL UNIVERSITY
Music Education
Lesson Plan Template

Pre-Planning
TOPIC DETAILS CK
Name Dylan Gourley
Subject General Music
Grade Level 10
th
Grade
Date/Duration 1 Class Period
Standards/ anchors/
competencies
PA/Common
Core/Standards
National Music
Standards

9.1.12.A
9.1.12.B
9.1.12.C
9.1.12.D


Formative AND/OR
Summative
Assessment Evidence
Formal Evaluation

Informal Evaluation
Students will label examples of dialogue, monologue, and
soliloquy and turn it in to the teacher.

Objective
A-B-C-D

Bloom's Taxonomy

Webb's Depth of
Knowledge (DOK)
Students will be able to define and recognize examples of
dialogue, monologue, and soliloquy.

Remembering
DOK Level 1


Step-by-Step Procedures
RATIONALE for the
Learning Plan

DETAILS
CK
Introduction Activating Prior Knowledge
Students will use their prior knowledge to define the terms
Dialogue, Monologue, and Soliloquy.
Hook/Lead-In/Anticipatory Set
Teacher will play examples of the three terms from Anything Goes.

Explicit Instructions
Big Ideas

Essential Questions
Big Idea Statement
Dialogue, monologue, and soliloquy are all similar in their
definition, but differ in use.
Essential Questions
What is dialogue?
What is a monologue?
What is a soliloquy?

How are these related?
What makes them different?

Key Vocabulary
Dialogue, monologue, soliloquy
Lesson Procedure
Must include
adaptations &
accommodations for
students with special
needs

Accommodations,
Modifications
Pre-Assessment of Students
After playing clips of dialogue, monologues, and soliloquys from
Anything Goes, the students will use a sheet of notebook paper to
identify them.
Modeling of the Concept
Teacher will review the correct answers with the students and
have a different student explain why the correct answer is correct.
Transition
Teacher will play the theme from Tchaikovskys Romeo and Juliet
Overture.
With a partner, students will create their own dialogue for the
music, with a minimum of 3 lines spoken by 2 characters.
Guiding the Practice
Teacher will pace around the room and offer help to students who
are experiencing writers block.
Providing the Independent Practice
Students will work until the end of the class period.
Adaptations/Accommodations for Students with Special Needs
Noise-cancelling headphones and subtitles will be provided for
students who are hard of hearing.
Students with low vision will be provided seating close to the
screen.


Materials
(reading, technology,
equipment, supplies,
etc.)
Projector
Paper
Sound system
Headphones


Closure
Homework/Assignments
In groups, students will pick a comedy or drama to create as a
project, and create a synopsis of their play.
They will write a short scene

Other- Specific
instructions for this
lesson plan

Supervising teacher
comments and
signature



SETON HILL UNIVERSITY
Music Education
Lesson Plan Template

Pre-Planning
TOPIC DETAILS CK
Name Dylan Gourley
Subject General Music
Grade Level 10
th
Grade
Date/Duration 1 Class Period
Standards/ anchors/
competencies
PA/Common
Core/Standards
National Music
Standards

9.1.12.A
9.1.12.B
9.1.12.C



Formative AND/OR
Summative
Assessment Evidence
Formal Evaluation
Students will take a short pop quiz on dialogue, monologue,
soliloquy, opera buffa, traditional theater, and musical theater.
Informal Evaluation


Objective
A-B-C-D

Bloom's Taxonomy

Webb's Depth of
Knowledge (DOK)
Students will be able to choose a cast, composer, and lyricist with
a logical explanation.

Remembering
DOK Level 1


Step-by-Step Procedures
RATIONALE for the
Learning Plan

DETAILS
CK
Introduction
Hook/Lead-In/Anticipatory Set
Teacher will present a PowerPoint on the people involved in
writing musicals.

Explicit Instructions
Big Ideas

Essential Questions
Big Idea Statement
The composer, lyricist, and choreographer are all essential to
creating a musical.
Essential Questions
What does a composer do when writing a musical?
What does a lyricist do when writing a musical?
What does a choreographer do when writing a musical?
Key Vocabulary

Composer, lyricist, choreographer
Lesson Procedure
Must include
adaptations &
accommodations for
students with special
needs

Accommodations,
Modifications


Transition
Teacher will split the students into their groups from the previous
homework assignment.
Guiding the Practice
Teacher will provide a handout with questions about the scenes.
Providing the Independent Practice
In their groups, students will research a musical that is assigned to
them.
Students will find the original composer, lyricist, and
choreographer
Students will find two video examples of contrasting casting in a
scene. (Ex: the comedic relief conversing with the serious
character)
Adaptations/Accommodations for Students with Special Needs
Seating close to the projector will be provided for students with
low vision.



Materials
(reading, technology,
equipment, supplies,
etc.)
Projector
Laptops/computers
Headphones

Closure Summary & Review of the Learning
Teacher will have the students define opera buffa, musical, play,
dialogue, monologue, soliloquy, composer, lyricist, and
choreographer in a notebook.
Homework/Assignments
In their groups, students will choose a cast of celebrities, a
composer, and a lyricist based off of their choices for the previous
assignment.
Students will write a paragraph explaining their choices of
celebrities, composer, and lyricist.

Other- Specific
instructions for this
lesson plan

Supervising teacher
comments and
signature






Pop Quiz

Name__________________________________________ Date________________

Period_______ Score_____/10



Directions Part 1 (1 Point Each): Label each of the works as one of the following-


Opera Buffa Play Musical


1. Orpheus in the Underworld- Offenbach _________________________

2. Othello- Shakespeare _________________________

3. Anything Goes- Porter _________________________

4. Don Giovanni- Mozart _________________________

5. South Pacific- Rodgers and Hammerstein _________________________

6. Death of a Salesman- Miller _________________________


Directions Part 2 (1 Point Each): Label each example as one of the following-


Dialogue Monologue Soliloquy


1. Hamlet. Act 3, Scene 1. _________________________

To be, or not to be: that is the question:
Whether tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them? To die: to sleep;
No more; and by a sleep to say we end
The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to, tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wishd.
2. The Lion King, Seq 4.1 _________________________

Zazu: One day you two are going to be married!
Simba: Im gonna marry her?
Zazu: Nome. Yes her, you chuckleheaded little oik.
Simba: Yuck!
Nala: Ewwwww!
Simba: I cant marry her. Shes my friend.
Nala: Yeah. Itd be too weird.


3. The Wizard of Oz _________________________

Cowardly Lion, to the audience:

Courage! What makes a king out of a slave? Courage! What makes the flag on the
mast to wave? Courage! What makes the elephant charge his tusk in the misty mist,
or the dusky dusk? What makes the muskrat guard his musk? Courage! What makes
the sphinx the seventh wonder? Courage! What makes the dawn come up like
thunder? Courage! What makes the Hottentot so hot? What puts the "ape" in
apricot? What have they got that I ain't got?


4, Crazy For You, Act 1 Scene 3 _________________________

Irene: We have been engaged for five years. Now when are we getting married?!
Bobby: We're not.
Irene: Of course we are.
Bobby: Oh no we're not.
Irene: Don't be ridiculous. I have the wedding all planned. The guest list is up to nine
hundred.
Bobby: Great. Big crowd. You won't even miss me.














GRADE 10 GENERAL MUSIC RESPONDING

ASSESSMENT GENERAL MUSIC QUIZ

Task Abstract:

Students will be assessed on a written test composed of ten completion questions
with the assistance of a word bank. The quiz assesses the students retention of the
concepts of monologue, dialogue, soliloquy, opera buffa, plays, and musicals.

Pennsylvania Responding Standards:

9.1.8.C: Identify and use comprehensive vocabulary within each of the arts forms.

9.2.8.A: Explain the historical, cultural and social context of an individual work in

the arts.

9.2.8.F: Know and apply appropriate vocabulary used between social studies and

the arts and humanities.

9.3.8.A: Know and use the critical process of the examination of works in the arts

and humanities.


Task Objectives:

Students will:

1) Distinguish between opera buffa, plays, and musicals.

2) Distinguish between dialogue, monologue, and soliloquy.

Enduring Understandings/Big Ideas and/Essential/Focus Questions

Enduring Understandings

1) Understanding the time periods of opera buffa, plays, and musicals.

2) Recognizing titles of examples of opera buffa, plays, and musicals.

3) Understanding the difference between dialogue, monologue, and soliloquy.

4) Recognizing examples of dialogue, monologue, and soliloquy.

Essential Questions

1) What is opera buffa?

2) What is a play?

3) What is a musical?

4) What is the difference between these styles?

5) What are examples of these styles?

6) What is dialogue?

7) What is a monologue?

8) What is a soliloquy?

9) What is the difference between these three speech styles?

Task Description

After completing two lessons on musical theater, students will be assessed on a
written test composed of 10 completion.


Resources Required

1) Written test

2) Answer key



Prior Learning Required

Students should be familiar with the vocabulary involved in musical theater prior to
take the written assessment. They will have been taught the terms opera buffa, play,
musical, dialogue, monologue, and soliloquy in class, and the various homework
assignments will have provided independent practice.




Name_____________________ Date____________ Period________

Hairspray
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AvUr47XzWs
1. Original Composer ____________________________________________
2. Original Lyricist ____________________________________________
3. Original Choreographer ____________________________________________

Find two scenes in the link provided with contrasting casting. (Ex: the comedic relief
conversing with the serious character)
First Scene:
1. Describe the setting of the first scene with contrasting casting.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
2. What characters are involved in the scene?
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
3. What actions or dialogue create the contrasting nature of the scene?
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________


Second Scene:
4. Describe the setting of the first scene with contrasting casting.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
5. What characters are involved in the scene?
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
6. What actions or dialogue create the contrasting nature of the scene?
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________




















Name_____________________ Date____________ Period________

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkQkavmWslo
4. Original Composer ____________________________________________
5. Original Lyricist ____________________________________________
6. Original Choreographer ____________________________________________

Find two scenes in the link provided with contrasting casting. (Ex: the comedic relief
conversing with the serious character)
First Scene:
7. Describe the setting of the first scene with contrasting casting.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
8. What characters are involved in the scene?
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
9. What actions or dialogue create the contrasting nature of the scene?
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________


Second Scene:
10. Describe the setting of the first scene with contrasting casting.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
11. What characters are involved in the scene?
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
12. What actions or dialogue create the contrasting nature of the scene?
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________



















Name_____________________ Date____________ Period________

Sweeney Todd
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofuTdwE-1iI
7. Original Composer ____________________________________________
8. Original Lyricist ____________________________________________
9. Original Choreographer ____________________________________________

Find two scenes in the link provided with contrasting casting. (Ex: the comedic relief
conversing with the serious character)
First Scene:
13. Describe the setting of the first scene with contrasting casting.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
14. What characters are involved in the scene?
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
15. What actions or dialogue create the contrasting nature of the scene?
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________


Second Scene:
16. Describe the setting of the first scene with contrasting casting.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
17. What characters are involved in the scene?
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
18. What actions or dialogue create the contrasting nature of the scene?
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________




















Name_____________________ Date____________ Period________

The Wizard of Oz
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJNzkzCq67M


10. Original Composer ____________________________________________
11. Original Lyricist ____________________________________________
12. Original Choreographer ____________________________________________

Find two scenes in the link provided with contrasting casting. (Ex: the comedic relief
conversing with the serious character)
First Scene:
19. Describe the setting of the first scene with contrasting casting.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
20. What characters are involved in the scene?
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
21. What actions or dialogue create the contrasting nature of the scene?
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Second Scene:
22. Describe the setting of the first scene with contrasting casting.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
23. What characters are involved in the scene?
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
24. What actions or dialogue create the contrasting nature of the scene?
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________




















Name_____________________ Date____________ Period________

West Side Story
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYKcOV5pcWc

13. Original Composer ____________________________________________
14. Original Lyricist ____________________________________________
15. Original Choreographer ____________________________________________

Find two scenes in the link provided with contrasting casting. (Ex: the comedic relief
conversing with the serious character)
First Scene:
25. Describe the setting of the first scene with contrasting casting.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
26. What characters are involved in the scene?
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
27. What actions or dialogue create the contrasting nature of the scene?
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Second Scene:
28. Describe the setting of the first scene with contrasting casting.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
29. What characters are involved in the scene?
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
30. What actions or dialogue create the contrasting nature of the scene?
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________




















SETON HILL UNIVERSITY
Music Education
Lesson Plan Template

Pre-Planning
TOPIC DETAILS CK
Name Dylan Gourley
Subject General Music
Grade Level 10
th
Grade
Date/Duration 1 Class Period
Standards/ anchors/
competencies
PA/Common
Core/Standards
National Music
Standards

9.1.12.A
9.1.12.B
9.1.12.C
9.1.12.E



Formative AND/OR
Summative
Assessment Evidence
Formal Evaluation

Informal Evaluation
Students will complete a journal entry discussing the importance
of an overture to a musical.

Objective
A-B-C-D

Bloom's Taxonomy

Webb's Depth of
Knowledge (DOK)
Students will be able to choose appropriate music for the scene
they have created.
Students will be able to properly edit and vamp the music
selection to fit with the dialogue.
Remembering
DOK Level 1


Step-by-Step Procedures
RATIONALE for the
Learning Plan

DETAILS
CK
Introduction Activating Prior Knowledge
Teacher will quickly review what makes music difficult to play.
(Ex- key signature, range)
Hook/Lead-In/Anticipatory Set
Teacher will pass out the music books from the current musical
being performed at the high school.

Explicit Instructions
Big Ideas

Essential Questions
Big Idea Statement
The written music is an intricate and important aspect of a musical.
Essential Questions
What is difficult about playing musical music?
What is an overture?
What is a vamp?

What is a tacet?


Key Vocabulary
Pit, book, overture, tacet, vamp, entracte, exit music
Lesson Procedure
Must include
adaptations &
accommodations for
students with special
needs

Accommodations,
Modifications
Pre-Assessment of Students
Teacher will ask the students to look through the music book and
ask their opinions on the difficulty, including key signatures, 16
th

note passages, and range.
Modeling of the Concept
If any student in the room plays an instrument, teacher will ask
them to play a passage. If not, the teacher will play a passage to
demonstrate the difficulty.
Transition
Teacher will bring attention to the overture, entracte, vamps, and
tacets.
Guiding the Practice
Students will attempt to define the terms, and if no conclusion is
reached, teacher will define them for the students.
Students will add these definitions to their previous terms.
Providing the Independent Practice
In their assigned groups, students will use Sibelius to import a Midi
file of a piece without lyrics that matches the emotions of the scene
they previously created.
Students will edit the music to integrate an 8 measure long vamp
that lies under the dialogue.
Adaptations/Accommodations for Students with Special Needs
Noise cancelling headphones will be provided for students who are
hard of hearing.



Materials
(reading, technology,
equipment, supplies,
etc.)

Laptops/computers
Headphones

Closure Summary & Review of the Learning
Students will compose a journal entry discussing the importance of
the overture to a musical.
Homework/Assignments
Students will finish their Midi piece selection.


Other- Specific
instructions for this
lesson plan



SETON HILL UNIVERSITY
Music Education
Lesson Plan Template

Pre-Planning
TOPIC DETAILS CK
Name Dylan Gourley
Subject General Music
Grade Level 10
th
Grade
Date/Duration 1 Class Period
Standards/ anchors/
competencies
PA/Common
Core/Standards
National Music
Standards

9.1.12.A
9.1.12.B
9.1.12.C
9.1.12.D
9.1.12.E
9.1.12.F
9.1.12.I



Formative AND/OR
Summative
Assessment Evidence
Formal Evaluation
Students will perform their groups scene.
Teacher will grade based on provided rubric.
Informal Evaluation


Objective
A-B-C-D

Bloom's Taxonomy

Webb's Depth of
Knowledge (DOK)
Students will be able to use their knowledge of musical theater to
perform the scene that their group created.
Remembering
DOK Level 1


Step-by-Step Procedures
RATIONALE for the
Learning Plan

DETAILS
CK
Introduction
Hook/Lead-In/Anticipatory Set
Teacher will pass out a computer typed glossary of the terms
covered in the unit.

Explicit Instructions
Big Ideas

Essential Questions
Big Idea Statement
Musical theater is composed of many elements, all of which come
together to create a production.
Essential Questions
What is the difference between opera buffa, musicals, and plays?
What is the difference between dialogue, monologue, and
soliloquy?

What does a composer do when writing a musical?
What does a lyricist do when writing a musical?
What does a choreographer do when writing a musical?
What is difficult about playing musical music?
What is an overture?
What is a vamp?
What is a tacet?

Key Vocabulary
Opera buffa, play, musical, dialoge, monologue, soliloquy,
composer, lyricist, choreographer, overture, vamp, tacet.
Lesson Procedure
Must include
adaptations &
accommodations for
students with special
needs

Accommodations,
Modifications
Students will perform their scene for the class.
An unrelated teacher will also watch the scenes.
At the end of the performance, the other teacher will state if they
believed that the scene was from a drama or a comedy.

Adaptations/Accommodations for Students with Special Needs
Noise cancelling headphones will be provided for students who are
hard of hearing.



Materials
(reading, technology,
equipment, supplies,
etc.)

Laptops/computers
Headphones

Closure Summary & Review of the Learning
The teacher will provide a glossary of musical theater terms for the
students to keep.
Homework/Assignments
No assignment.


Other- Specific
instructions for this
lesson plan

Supervising teacher
comments and
signature


Teacher
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Musical Theater Glossary

A Cappella - singing without instrumental accompaniment
Alto - low female voice
Aria - a singing style that is a melodic style of singing; usually it conveys the singer's
emotions
Baritone - a voice type midway between tenor and bass
Bass - low male voice
Book - the plot and the general spoken dialogue; often devised by someone other than the
composer or lyricist
Broadway - the theater district in New York
Choreographer - the person who designs the dance movements
Chorus - a group of singers - male, female, or mixed - in which several singers sing each
of the melodic lines
Chorus line / Chorus girls - a group of singers (usually female) who sing simple
numbers in musical comedies
Company - the full cast of a show
Composer- the person who writes the music for a musical
Dialogue- Back and forth conversation between two or more characters
Dramma Giocoso - a hybrid genre, mixing elements of opera buffa with opera seria
Dress rehearsal - a rehearsal in full costume
Encore - literally, "again" in French; now used to describe the unplanned repetition of a
number because of an audience's enthusiastic response
Entr'acte - An instrumental number performed by the orchestra at the beginning of a
second (or third) act, indicating to the audience that the show is about to resume after an
intermission or interval
Flop - a show that sells poorly and closes early

Hit - a show that sells very well
Interlude - a substantial portion of instrumental music played between sung portions
Intermission - a period of rest between acts of an opera or show in which the house
lights are raised and the audience is free to move about
Key change - a portion of a song written in a different key
Libretto - the words or script
Librettist / Lyricist - the person who writes the script
Mezzo-Soprano - a voice type midway between soprano and alto
Monologue- A long speech by one character, given to an audience
Opera Buffa Italian, comic opera
Opera Seria Italian, serious opera.
Overture - a separate instrumental number played at the beginning of an opera or show.
In musical theater, it is common for the overture to contain melodies from various songs
in the show.
Pan- a highly unfavorable review
Piracy - performing a show for profit without permission and without paying royalties to
the copyright holder
Producer - a person who is responsible for finding the financial backers, making the
programming decisions, assembling the performance forces, etc.
Production Number - a song and/or dance section that features the whole cast
Rave - a highly favorable review
Rehearsal Pianist - a pianist who, during early rehearsals of a show, duplicates the
melodies and accompaniments to be played by the orchestra
Reprise - the return to a earlier musical number later in a show, often with modified text
Review - a critic's written, published assessment of a show's strengths and weaknesses
Rock Opera - a genre of the late 20th-century which tends to be sung throughout (like
opera), but makes use of rock style in some or all of its score
Score - the written melodies and notes of music created by a composer
Soliloquy- a number performed by a soloist as if he or she is musing aloud, revealing the
characters thoughts
Solo - a number featuring one singer
Soprano - high female voice
Tenor - high male voice
Touring Company - a group of singers (and often an orchestra) who travel and perform
in various cities
Virtuoso/Virtuosa - a very talented performer
West End - the theatre district in London





References:

Wolf, S. (2007). In Defense of Pleasure: Musical Theatre History in the Liberal Arts
[A Manifesto]. Theatre Topics, 17(1), 51-60.

Bernstein, J. (2012). Julie Taymor Roars. Newsweek, 159(22), 52-55.

Platt, L., & Becker, T. (2013). Popular Musical Theatre, Cultural Transfer,
Modernities: London/Berlin, 1890-1930. Theatre Journal, 65(1), 1-18.

Dunbar, Z. (2013). Music Theatre and Musical Theatre. In D. Wiles, C. Dymkowski
(Eds.) , The Cambridge Companion to Theatre History (pp. 197-209). Cambridge,
England: Cambridge UP.

Darlow, M. (2012). Eighteenth-Century French Musical Theatre. French Studies,
66(1), 68-77.

Jubin, O. (2010). Experts without Expertise? Findings of a Comparative Study of
American, British and German-language Reviews of Musicals by Stephen Sondheim
and Andrew Lloyd Webber. Studies In Musical Theatre, 4(2), 185-197.
doi:10.1386/smt.4.2.1851

Stemple, Larry. Showtime: A History of the Broadway Musical Theater. New York.
W.W. Norton & Company Inc. 2010.

Bruder, Melissa. A Practical Handbook For The Actor. Los Angeles. Brandenhouse
Publishing Co. 1986.

Worthen, W. B. The Wadsworth Anthology Of Drama, 6Th Edition. New York. W.W.
Norton & Company Inc. 2011.

Mordden, Ethan. Anything Goes: A History of American Musical Theater. Oxford
University Press. Oxford. 2013.

Shapiro, Eddie. Nothing Like a Dame: Conversations with the Great Women of Musical
Theater. Oxford University Press. Oxford. 2014.