Experiences and Outcomes:
I can sing and play music from a range of styles and cultures, showing skill and using performance directions and/or musical notation. EXA 2-16a
I can use my voice, musical instruments and music technology to experiment with sounds, pitch, melody, rhythm, timbre and dynamics. EXA 2-17a
Inspired by a range of stimuli and working on my own and/or with others, I can express and communicate my ideas, thoughts and feelings through musical activities. EXA 2-18a
I have listened to a range of music and can respond by discussing my thoughts and feelings. I can give and accept constructive comment on my own and others’ work. EXA 2-19a
Lesson Outcomes
After this lesson, pupils will be able to:
- Listen and reflect on a piece of orchestral music
- Invent their own musical motifs and structure them into a piece
- Perform as an ensemble
- Learn musical language appropriate to the task
Curriculum Checklist
Learners will:
- Play and perform in ensemble contexts, using voices and playing musical instruments
- Improvise and compose music for a range of purposes using the interrelated dimensions of music
- Listen with attention to detail and recall sounds with increasing aural memory
Activities
Warm-up. Begin with your class sitting in a large circle. Pass a clap around the circle and then ask the children what next? Encourage them to suggest other body percussion or vocal sounds to pass around or perform altogether. Take any and all suggestions made, if they don’t work you’ll find out by trying them!
Remind the class of the patterns from Anna Meredith’s piece that you explored last week. If you have time, perform it again.
Now, lead a simple name game; ask everyone to say their name with a gesture in turn around the circle. Encourage your children to say their names loudly and proudly!
Next, ask everyone to say just a part of their name with a gesture and go around the circle hearing these. Demonstrate first how to choose one part of the name (one syllable) and how that sound can be stretched out. For example, MELISSA might become ‘sssssss-A’
This is an excellent opportunity to teach or remind your children about syllables!
Lastly, ask your pupils to add a body percussion sound to their syllable and gesture. So they might end up with something like –
‘ssssssssssssssssssssss – A’
move hand like a snake – clap
Go around the circle a few times hearing these until everyone has something and can perform it confidently.
Split the class into small groups. Ask each group to join their ideas together to make a new pattern. The pattern must include –
- At least 1 syllable
- At least 1 gesture
- At least 1 body percussion sound
…but the more of each of these elements, the better
Bring the class back together and hear each group one by one. Give feedback and tweak the pieces making sure that everyone knows exactly what they are doing. Explain that they have made new musical ‘motifs’ (a motif is just a small musical idea).
Finally, give out big paper and pens and ask each group to write down their motif. This could be as a list of events, a diagram or they could invent a symbol to describe it. However they do it, they must be able to remember it for next lesson.
Additional resources and a more detailed lesson plan can be found here on the BBC Ten Pieces website;
https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach/ten-pieces/KS2-anna-meredith-connect-it/zhyyb82
