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Mu ress
AGE
6-7
Exp
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Musical f
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Subject
Unit: Seasons
The children develop understanding of
pitch through movement, songs and
listening games. They become familiar
with pitch shapes and perform them in a
variety of musical arrangements.
Click here to view the plans:
Medium term plan
1st lesson plan
2nd lesson plan
3rd lesson plan
Glossary
1
www.musicexpress.co.uk
Musics
Expres
Unit: Seasons
AGE
6-7
Musical focus: Pitch
Subject link: Science
medium term Plan
L ess on
1
lesson Learning
• Singing with expression,
paying attention to the
pitch shape of the melody
• Using sign language in a
song
• Accompanying a
song with vocal and
instrumental ostinati
Teaching Activities
Round the seasons
Learning SUPPORT
Round the seasons ostinati
To familiarise children with the
whole vocal ostinato, sing it
together with signs in unison
before dividing into four groups.
On other occasions, take turns to
change the order of the groups,
so that each child has a chance
to sing another season’s ostinato
and become confident with all of
the ostinato patterns.
Teaching Activities
Learning SUPPORT
Learn to sing Round the seasons with maketon signs for the seasons
Round the seasons vocal ostinato
Sing an ostinato to accompany Round the seasons
Transfer the vocal ostinato onto body percussion and percussion
L ess on
2
lesson Learning
• Identifying rising and
falling pitch
• Performing a rising pitch
sequence in a song
Months of the year calypso
Seasons rising
Make sure the children understand
the relationship between pitch
and the size of the tuned
percussion bars. Display the four
bars and listen to the rising pitch
sequence from Seasons rising.
Can the children describe the
relationship? (The lower the pitch
the longer the bar, the higher the
pitch the shorter the bar.)
Teaching Activities
Learning SUPPORT
Sing a song to learn the number of days in each month of the year
Our Seasons
Sing a song and identify rising and falling pitch
Perform a rising pitch sequence within a song
L ess on
3
lesson Learning
• Listening and responding
to pitch changes with
movements
• Singing with expression
and paying attention to
the pitch shape of the
melody
Sakura (cherry blossom)
Sing a Japanese song, following the pitch shape of the melody
The koto
Sing a song and play a pitch-recognition game
Almond blossom
Ask the children to respond to
Koto listening game with their
eyes closed, so that they respond
individually by drawing pitch
shapes in the air. Notice any
children who have difficulty
recognising falling or rising pitch,
and give them opportunities to
invent and draw pitch shapes
using tuned percussion.
Sing a song and perform actions to reflect rising and falling pitch
Glossary
2
www.musicexpress.co.uk
Musics
L ess on
1
Expres
Unit: Seasons
AGE
6-7
Musical focus: Pitch
Subject link: Science
Lesson Plan
Lesson learning
• Singing with expression, paying attention to the pitch shape
of the melody
• Using sign language in a song
What you will
need
• A selection of percussion, eg
chime bars – note D,
maracas, bongos, claves
• Accompanying a song with vocal and instrumental ostinati
Teaching Activities
Round the seasons
Vocabulary
Learn to sing Round the seasons with maketon signs for the seasons
Children:
–– identify pitch shapes and signed actions in an action song movie;
–– learn to sing the song and perform the pitch shape actions and signs;
• Pitch
• Ostinato
• Accompaniment
• Arrangement
–– practise and improve their singing, focusing on a smooth sound.
Round the seasons vocal ostinato
Sing an ostinato to accompany Round the seasons
Children:
–– chant and sign an ostinato in a sequence of four groups;
–– accompany a song with their ostinato sequence.
Round the seasons ostinati
Transfer the vocal ostinato onto body percussion and percussion
Children:
–– explore an arrangement of a song with different ostinato accompaniments;
EXTENDED
LEARNING
–– accompany a song with an ostinato on body percussion, and with an ostinato
on instruments.
Take one line from a well-known
song and repeat it as a vocal or
instrumental ostinato to
accompany the song, eg
accompany the song Baa baa
black sheep by singing or
performing the rhythm of the line
‘Three bags full’ as an ostinato
throughout.
Support: To familiarise children with the whole vocal ostinato, sing it together with signs in
unison before dividing into four groups. On other occasions, take turns to change the order
of the groups, so that each child has a chance to sing another season’s ostinato and become
confident with all of the ostinato patterns.
Glossary
3
www.musicexpress.co.uk
Musics
L ess on
2
Expres
Unit: Seasons
AGE
6-7
Musical focus: Pitch
Subject link: Science
Lesson Plan
What you will
need
Lesson learning
• Identifying rising and falling pitch
• Performing a rising pitch sequence in a song
• Tuned percussion – notes C
Eb F G
Teaching Activities
Months of the year calypso
Vocabulary
Sing a song to learn the number of days in each month of the year
• Pitch
• Ostinato
Children:
–– share their knowledge of the months of the year;
–– learn a song about seasons;
–– play a singing game to check their knowledge of the calendar.
Our seasons
Sing a song and identify rising and falling pitch
Children:
–– learn a song and discuss the seasons;
–– identify and describe pitch shapes in the song;
–– perform a song with rising and falling pitch shapes.
Seasons rising
Perform a rising pitch sequence within a song
Children:
–– listen to a two-part song and learn the second vocal part;
–– identify and learn the rising pitch sequence of a vocal part;
–– play a rising pitch sequence on tuned percussion;
EXTENDED
LEARNING
Remind the children of the
maketon signs for the season
words and add them to your
performance of Our seasons.
–– perform the song in two parts: with voices and with tuned percussion.
Support: Make sure the children understand the relationship between pitch and the size of the
tuned percussion bars. Display the four bars and listen to the rising pitch sequence from
Seasons rising. Can the children describe the relationship? (The lower the pitch the longer
the bar, the higher the pitch the shorter the bar.)
Glossary
4
www.musicexpress.co.uk
Musics
L ess on
3
Expres
Unit: Seasons
AGE
6-7
Musical focus: Pitch
Subject link: Science
Lesson Plan
Lesson learning
• Listening and responding to pitch changes with movements
What you will
need
• Singing with expression and paying attention to the pitch shape
of the melody
Teaching Activities
Sakura (cherry blossom)
Vocabulary
Sing a Japanese song, following the pitch shape of the melody
Children:
–– look at a picture, and discuss the meaning and mood of the song heard;
• Pitch
• Timbre
• Melody
–– learn the song by echo-singing;
–– draw the pitch shape of the melody in the air as they sing;
–– perform the complete song.
The koto
Sing a song and play a pitch-recognition game
Children:
–– play a listening game to identify pitch shapes and respond in movement;
–– listen to the sounds of a Japanese koto.
Almond blossom
Sing a song and perform actions to reflect rising and falling pitch
Children:
–– listen to a song and discuss its style;
EXTENDED
LEARNING
Use the Sakura melody as the
basis for an expressive
Japanese-style dance.
–– echo-sing to learn the Japanese-style song;
–– identify pitch shapes, and perform matching actions as they sing the song.
Support: Ask the children to respond to Koto listening game with their eyes closed, so
that they respond individually by drawing pitch shapes in the air. Notice any children who have
difficulty recognising falling or rising pitch, and give them opportunities to invent and draw pitch
shapes using tuned percussion.
Glossary
5
www.musicexpress.co.uk