Grade 1 Orff Bell Horses Lesson 2
Ontario Music Educators’ Association www.omea.on.ca
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Title: “Bell Horses”
Lesson #2
Critical Learning
An accompaniment for a song can be played on the beat
on a pitched percussion instrument.
The rhythm of the words in a song can be played on a
non-pitched percussion instrument.
Beat is the steady pulse.
Grade 1 Music
Approximately 30 minutes
Guiding Questions
How can the beat be played with
our bodies and on a tuned
percussion instrument?
How can the rhythm of words in a
song be played on non-pitched
percussion instruments?
Rhythm is patterns of long notes, short notes and
What is the difference between
silences.
beat and rhythm?
Curriculum Expectations
C1. Creating and Performing: apply the creative
Learning Goals
process to create and perform music for a variety of At the end of this lesson
purposes, using the elements and techniques of
music
I can
C1.1 sing unison songs in tune and/or play
 play the beat of a song as an
simple melodies and accompaniments for
accompaniment on a tuned
music form a wide variety of cultures, styles,
percussion instrument
and historical periods.
 play the rhythm of a song on a
C1.2 apply the elements of music when
non-pitched percussion
singing, playing an instrument, and moving
instrument
C1.4 use the tools and techniques of
 hold and play instruments
musicianship in musical performances.
properly
 describe the difference between
beat and rhythm
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Grade 1 Orff Bell Horses Lesson 2
Ontario Music Educators’ Association www.omea.on.ca
Instructional Components and Context
Readiness
-use of simple body percussion
-experience with pitched and non-pitched
percussion instruments
Terminology
-call and response
-rhythm
- beat
-pitched percussion instruments (xylophones,
metallophones, glockenspiels)
-non-pitched percussion instruments (e.g. claves,
woodblock, triangle)
Materials
-song Bell Horses Teacher Resource 1
Bell Horses
-pitched percussion and non-pitched
percussion
(http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/elementa
ry/arts18b09curr.pdf)
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Grade 1 Orff Bell Horses Lesson 2
Ontario Music Educators’ Association www.omea.on.ca
Unit Title
Bell Horses Lesson 2
Minds On
Approximately 5 minutes
Sing the song Bell Horses (Teacher Resource 1 Bell Horses,
Lesson 1) and patsch the beat. Review singing the song with one
group or one student singing the call and the class clapping the
rhythm and singing the response.
Grade 1 Music
Pause and Ponder
Teacher models playing low C and low G on the beat on the bass
xylophone. Sing the song with this accompaniment.
Teacher Tip: a repeated pattern using only the ‘do’ (C) and ‘so’
(G) of the scale as an accompaniment is called a ‘bordun’. (Grade
2 Fundamental Concept).
Action!
Approximately 20 minutes
Students walk to the beat around the room while they sing the
song, then suggest other ways to show the beat of the song while
singing, e.g., waving arms, jumping etc. Practice singing and
moving to one of the student ideas.
Reflect: Which way of keeping the beat stayed with the steady
beat the best? Which movement was challenging to keep to the
beat? Why is the beat important to the song?
Students sit in a circle; Teacher distributes pitched and nonpitched percussion instruments evenly around the circle in front of
the students.
Teacher Tip: on all pitched percussion instruments
(glockenspiels, metallophones, xylophones), remove the bar ‘A’ so
that the notes Low C and Low G are clearly seen by students.
Review the proper techniques of holding and playing the
instruments; write on chart paper and post.
Sing “Bell Horses” and patsch the beat: left hand on left leg, right
hand on right leg; then students with the tuned percussion
instruments transfer the patsch pattern and play Low C and Low G
on the beat as an accompaniment to the song. Remind students
that this is the beat.
Assessment for
Learning (AfL):
Observe student’s ability
to keep the beat with
body percussion and
when playing an
instrument.
Observe student’s ability
to play the rhythm of the
responses on
instruments accurately.
Self, Peer and Teacher
Asssessment-Assess
student’s ability to play
instruments with correct
techniques.
Give positive feedback
to themselves and other
students.
Sing the song again, and students with non -pitched instruments,
e.g., rhythm sticks, play the rhythm of the responses in the song
(“one o’clock, two o’clock…)
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Grade 1 Orff Bell Horses Lesson 2
Ontario Music Educators’ Association www.omea.on.ca
Explain rhythm as the ‘long notes, short notes and silences’, e.g.,
“one o’clock=short, short long.
After each response, students move one place around the circle to
a new instrument. Sing and play the instruments until all students
have had turns with both pitched and non-pitched instruments and
their parts.
Reflect on how students were holding and playing instruments,
using the proper techniques. Ask students to identify another
student who is holding the mallets correctly as identified earlier in
the lesson. Give that student a ‘round of applause’! Similarly
identify and congratulate other students for proper instrument
techniques.
Ask students to think about how they will hold the instruments the
next time they have an opportunity to play.
Consolidation
Approximately 5 minutes
Reflect on the instruments parts played.
What is the difference between the patterns played on the tuned
percussion instruments (glockenspiels, metallophones, xylophones)
and the patterns played on the non-pitched percussion instruments
(e.g., woodblocks, rhythm sticks, maracas).
Assessment of
Learning (AoL)
Observe student’s
accurate description of
the concepts beat and
rhythm.
Determine that the pitched percussion instruments were playing on
the beat, and the non-pitched percussion instruments were playing
the rhythm of the words in the song (e.g., “one o’clock” = ti-ti ta).
What does ‘beat’ mean? (steady pulse)
What does ‘rhythm’ mean? (e.g., patterns of short notes, long notes
and silences)
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Grade 1 Orff Bell Horses Lesson 2
Ontario Music Educators’ Association www.omea.on.ca