Year: 8
Set: Mixed
Overview of Unit
This unit looks at Rock ‘n’ Roll as a musical genre developed in the 1950’s from the combining of country and western and rhythm and blues. Pupils learn about the origins and key f eatures of Rock ‘n’ Roll music by listening to a variety of Rock ‘n’ Roll songs and performing bass lines which are developed into a chord progression and finally into the twelve bar blues, upon which Rock ‘n’ Roll music is based.
Pupils learn about triads as a type of musical chord and know, construct and perform different triads along with a bass line. Higher ability pupils can experiment with minor triads and attempt to create seventh chords and perform these along with a walking bass line. Pupils take part in a class performance of “Rock Around the Clock” with awareness of the harmonic structure founded on the bass line and chord progression, and the overall structure of the song including the different sections e.g. the “Shuwaddy” section making use of scat singing .
Pupils explore the lyrical content of Rock ‘n’ Roll songs from the 1950’s before composing, rehearsing, refining, performing and evaluating their own Rock ‘n’ Roll songs based on the twelve bar blues bass line and chord progression. Pupils experience chords and triads by singing and performing in harmony and the effect which this has on the music.
Resources: WALT – Objectives
 Learn about the key musical features of Rock ‘n’ Roll music

Learn about chords and triads, how these are constructed and formed from a bass line

Learn about how chords and triads create harmony
 Learn how a Rock ‘n’ Roll song is put together in terms of structure, different harmonic parts and lyrics.
WILF – Outcomes most students will be able to:
 Understand the emergence and origins of Rock ‘n’ Roll and how it was influenced from other types and styles of music

Identify some musical features relating to instrumentation and singing voices when listenin g to a variety of Rock ‘n’ Roll music
 Perform a more complex walking Rock ‘n’ Roll repeating bass line some students will not have made so much progress and will be able to:
 Aurally discriminate between Rock ‘n’ Roll music and music in other types and genres
 Understand that Rock ‘n’ Roll emerged in the 1950’s with musicians such as Elvis Presley
 Perform a simple Rock ‘n’ Roll repeating bass line
 Sing Rock ‘n’ Roll songs with support as part of a group with some awareness of harmony some students will have progressed further and will be able to:
Perform a song, as part of a group, in its original style with three different arrangements showing awareness of manipulation of musical features

Correctly identify musical features relating to instrumentation and si nging styles when listening to a variety of Rock ‘n’ Roll music
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Perform two Rock ‘n’ Roll bass lines and a walking bass line with good stylistic awareness
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Take on solo vocal lines when singing maintaining own independent melodic line with accuracy of diction and phrasing
Electronic keyboards, percussion instruments
BASS LINE – the lowest part of the musical texture upon which the chords and harmony are based
CHORD – a group of two or more notes played together at the same time
CHORD PROGRESSION – a set series of chords e.g. twelve bar blues
FIFTH – the note which is the interval of a fifth
(five notes) above the root of a chord or triad
HARMONY – the sound produced by different notes or parts performing together
LYRICS – another term for the words of a song, the title of a song is often taken from the chorus lyrics
PASSING NOTES – notes which “fill in” between more important notes e.g. in a walking bass line
ROOT – the lowest note of a chord or triad upon which it is built
SCAT SINGING – the term given to the sounds of the voice imitating instruments. Scat singing is usually improvised and uses nonsense syllables and vowel sounds to imitate the patterns and sound performed by the instrumentalists
THIRD – the note which is the interval of a third
(three notes) above the root of a chord or triad
TRIAD – a type of chord constructed of the root, third and fifth
TWELVE-BAR BLUES – a type of chord progression upon which much Rock ‘n’ Roll music is based
WALKING BASS – a type of bass line that uses passing notes and “walks” up and down in pitch

Lesson Overview
Lesson 1:
Starter – Discussions about the characteristics of Rock and roll music.
Main – Musical feature relating to Rock and roll. Learning how to perform Bass Lines
Plenary – Perform Bass Lines and peer assess
Keywords - Rock „n ‟ Roll, Bass Line, Passing Notes, Walking
Bass, Pitch, Rhythm, Texture, Scat Singing, Country and Western, Rhythm and Blues, Backing Singers
Lesson 2:
Starter – Compare Rock and Roll Music and Pop Music.
Main- Recap Bass Lines learnt last lesson
Add chords to rock and roll Bass Lines
Plenary – performances of bass lines and chords so far
Keywords – Structure, Pitch, Timbre
Lesson 3:
Starter – Recap keywords used in last weeks lesson
Main- Add melodic improvisations to bass lines and chords learnt in previous lessons
Plenary – Record performances and peer assess.
Keywords – Structure, Pitch, Timbre, tempo, dynamics, texture, ensemble, round, unison
Lesson 4:
Starter – Put harmony parts of rock around the clock together. Discuss the rock and roll features in this piece.
Main- Aurally work out the chords and bass line to a piece. Performing a 12 bar blues with triads.
Plenary – Performances of 12 bar blues
Keywords – Structure, Pitch, Timbre, tempo, dynamics, texture, ensemble, round, unison
Homework:

Learn the names and meanings of Rock „n ‟ Roll, Bass Line,
Passing Notes, Walking

Bass, Pitch, Rhythm, Texture,
Scat Singing, Country
 and Western, Rhythm and
Blues, Backing Singers

Lesson 5:
Starter: Listen to ‘Rock around the clock’
Main: Pupils to begin to arrange a version of rock around the clock.
Plenary: Hear individual parts so far
Keywords – Symbols, duration, pitch, dynamic Hooks, Riffs
Lesson 6:
Starter: Listen to ‘Rock around the Clock’
Main: Pupils to complete arranging their version of ‘Rock around the clock’
Plenary: hear pupils performances and record them.
Lesson 7:
Starter: Features of a rock and roll song
Main : Compose own Rock and roll song using given lyrics
Plenary: improve
Hear students performances so far and give advice on how to
Lesson 8:
Starter: Listen to a pre recorded piece and students are to comment on what was good and how the piece cab be improved
Main: Complete compositions
Plenary: Record and Evaluate group performances.
Homework:
Evaluate today’s lesson and give yourself a target of how to improve for next weeks lesson.
Homework:
Evaluate own performance and bring your writing to next weeks lesson, with how to improve.