Literature Project - Ragged Rozey and the March Style

Joseph McNure

SECTION I - FRONT MATTER

Overview/Analysis:

Karl King, a self-taught musician, military band performer, circus-band and local band

leader, and march composer, has written collections of marches as well as other music for

band. One of his marches, Ragged Rozey, was dedicated to one a performer of his band, Chas

Rozell. The term “Ragged” appears in the title due to the use of the word to describe

syncopated, dance-like music prior to the term “ragtime.” Chas Rozell was a drummer for Karl

King, and so the construction of the piece is a reference to the nature of his name in

combination with “ragged,” thus it became a march made of syncopated parts. Aside from the

syncopated melodic character, Ragged Rozey follows a traditional march form.

Notes borrowed from Frank Byrne, transcribed inside the CD notes of “In Concert with the University of Illinois

Symphonic Band, The Begian Years, Vol. V, Great Marches of the World.”

Longitudinal Objectives:

● The students will study binary form in a march context

● The students will learn about contrasting styles and characteristics of music

● The students will perform different articulations and discuss how to create them on their

instrument

● The students will identify, model, and arrange phrases of syncopation

● The students will compose their own march-style phrase with harmonic guidelines.
Framework/Standards from the VA SOL:

● HII.6 The student will identify, compare, contrast, and perform music written in sonata,

theme-and variations, and compound binary forms.

● HII.11 The student will demonstrate and describe ensemble skills at an intermediate

level, including matching dynamic levels and playing style.

● HIB.11 The student will demonstrate proper instrumental techniques, including wind

student—proper breathing techniques and embouchure; contrasting articulations

(tonguing, slurring, staccato, accent);

● HIB.14 The student will use articulations, dynamic contrasts, and phrasing as means of

expression

● HII.7 The student will use music composition as a means of expression by notating the

composition in standard notation, using contemporary technology

SECTION II - LESSON PLANS AND MATERIALS

Lesson Plan: Read-through and Form Discussion

Objectives

● Play through every section of Ragged Rozey

● Students will identify the contrasting sections of the march

● Students will make corrections in their playing according to pitches, rhythms, and

articulations

Standards

● HII.11 The student will demonstrate and describe ensemble skills at an intermediate

level, including matching dynamic levels and playing style.

Materials

● Sheet music for Ragged Rozey

● Instruments

Procedure

● Begin by sight-reading the piece with the class

● Make corrections in rhythms and pitches. Model by singing or playing an instrument to

engage the class aurally.

● Ask questions to the class about form. Identify which sections sound the same/different

and what about those sections are same/different.

 ● Identify the order of all the sections. Assign letters to sections according to how the

students arranged them as same or different.

● Compare the students’ answers to the prescribed musical form of the march.

● Make sure a variety of students answer and participate. Walk around the room and

engage with multiple students.

Assessment

● Informal assessment. This class serves as an introduction to marches through modeling

and playing.
 Lesson Plan: Articulation Dictation

Objectives

● The students will identify how different articulations (focusing on marcato, staccato, and

accent) sound.

● The students will identify what physical manipulations they need to make in order to

create these articulations.

● The students will dictate several consecutive articulations, modeled by other students

and the teacher.

Standards

● HIB.11 The student will demonstrate proper instrumental techniques, including wind

student—proper breathing techniques and embouchure; contrasting articulations

(tonguing, slurring, staccato, accent);

Materials

● Instruments

● Paper and writing utensil

● Ragged Rozey sheet music

Procedure

● Begin by reading through the march again

● Identify the different articulations that appear in the piece by asking students

● Write all of them on a board in the front of the room

 ● Have the students listen to you play a few notes consecutively, with random articulations

from the list identified by the students. Ask them to write them down in order. Stick with

4-5 notes of the same pitch

● Check with the students, have them ask themselves if they were right or wrong

● Have some volunteers from the class improvise a series of articulated notes where the

class participates in the same exercise as before

● Collect everyone’s sheets at the end of class

Assessment

● Participation, did everyone turn in a sheet in?

● Did the results become more accurate as the exercise continued, or were there just as

many incorrect dictations as there were at the beginning?

 Lesson Plan: Arranging Contrasting Sections

Objectives

● The students will identify different musical parameters that composers use to establish

contrast and interest in music

● The students will identify where these parameters appear in Ragged Rozey

● The students will arrange their own, 16 measures in 2/4 time, AB form duet.

Standards

● HII.7 The student will use music composition as a means of expression by notating the

composition in standard notation, using contemporary technology

Materials

● Instrument if necessary for the student

● Staff paper and writing utensil

● Computer to use musecore, noteflight, or flat (free notation softwares. If the student

owns another software, that is also acceptable).

● Pre-arranged melody and chord progression from the teacher (attached)

Procedure

● Begin with playing a recording of Ragged Rozey

● During the recording, make sure everyone has staff paper

● Discuss the previous conversations from past lessons about form

● Write down, on the board, the different musical parameters that can create contrast in

music
 ● Project the melody and harmonic progression that the students will use for their

arrangement. The melody should not contain articulations, phrase markings, or

dynamics

● Ask the students to use their parameters and turn the melody into two, contrasting

sections. There is 16 measures of 2/4, and the sections should be 8 measures each.

● The students may arrange accompanying parts if they wish.

● Play some of the students’ arrangements on piano and call on students to discuss what

they heard. What did or did not sound appealing? Were the sections contrasting

enough? How were they different?

● Instruct the students to notate their arrangements on a notation software, at home, of

their choice and turn them in online with a PDF or screenshot.

Assessment

● Informal assessment during class

● Assess the notated versions. Were the sections different in articulation, dynamics, etc.?

● Did the students follow the harmonic guidelines if they chose to write accompaniment?

● Do the rhythmic values of their arrangements make sense with the meter?
 Lesson Plan: Syncopation

Objectives

● The students will define syncopation

● The students will identify syncopation in Ragged Rozey

● The students will arrange a duet that uses syncopation

Standards

● HII.7 The student will use music composition as a means of expression by notating the

composition in standard notation, using contemporary technology

Materials

● Staff Paper and writing utensil

● Computer to use musecore, noteflight, or flat (free notation softwares. If the student

owns another software, that is also acceptable).

● Pre-arranged harmonic guidelines and bass line for 8 measures in 2/4 (attached)

Procedure

● Perform a section of the march for the class that includes a syncopated melody (playing

the melody against a boom-chick pattern should work)

● Play a different, made up melody, that does not include syncopated patterns

● Engage in discussion with the class about the differences. Lead them to a definition of

syncopation

● Instruct everyone in the class to use either the harmonic guidelines from the A or B

section from their contrasting form assignment and compose a syncopated melody

against the bass line that is already arranged by the teacher

● The melody should be 8 measures long

● Walk around and assist students

 ● The students will notate their melody at home (with the title A section or B section) in a

notation software and submit online

Assessment

● Did the students’ melody include syncopation?

● Did the melody generally adhere to the harmonic guidelines?

● Were there notational errors?

 Lesson Plan: Arrange a Short March Style Piece

Objectives

● The students will utilize skills from past lesson plans

● The students will arrange a short piece that utilizes march characteristics

Standards

● HII.7 The student will use music composition as a means of expression by notating the

composition in standard notation, using contemporary technology

● HIB.14 The student will use articulations, dynamic contrasts, and phrasing as means of

expression

● HII.6 The student will identify, compare, contrast, and perform music written in sonata,

theme-and variations, and compound binary forms.

Materials

● Prescribed harmonic guidelines for a 16 measure, 2/4 time, binary form (attached)

● Staff paper and writing utensil

Procedure

● Briefly review all of the musical parameters worked with in this series of lessons via

questioning students (syncopation, binary form and contrast, articulation, dynamics etc.)

● Give the students harmonic guidelines for 2, 8 measure phrases in 2/4

● Review some potential examples of voice leading between the harmonic changes

(includes I, ii, IV, V, vi, and vii0/V)

● Ask them to arrange a short march-style piece that includes a melody with syncopation,

boom chick pattern, and appropriate contrast.

● The arrangement must include at least 4 voices (3 in the boom-chick, and 1 melody).

● The students will notate, at home, their arrangement and submit online.
Assessment

● Did the students arrange according to the harmonic guidelines and form structure?

● Did the students utilize contrast?

● Did the students include multiple musical parameters discussed in class?

● Are there errors in notation?

MATERIALS

The pre-test is the same as the last assignment for the fifth lesson plan. It follows the same

guidelines and is meant to assess any progress the students have made. The materials for the

assignments prescribed in the lessons are attached as PDFs.

Rubric for Post-test (and Pre-test)

Topic Score

Syncopation ____/25

Followed Harmonic Guidelines (can include ____/25

some passing and NC tones)

Musical parameters used (A&B contrast, ____/25

dynamics, and articulation)

Use of proper notation ____/25

 Harmonic Guidelines - A&B Sections
A SECTION B SECTION
I V I vi IV V I IV vi IV

 42             

 42        
       
 
        

14
vii0/V
V I

   

      
 Harmonic Guidelines - A&B Sections
A SECTION
I V I  vi     IV    V   
       
 42             

 42      
        

B SECTION
8 I IV vi IV vii0/V V

                               
   
             
  

16 I

  

  
 Harmonic Guidelines - A&B Sections
A SECTION B SECTION
I V I vi IV V I IV vi IV vii0/V V I

 42                

 42                