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
Lesson Outcomes
After this lesson, pupils will be able to:
- Listen and reflect on a piece of orchestral music
- Create their own Latin inspired rhythmic ostinatos
- Learn rhythms from Bernstein’s ‘Mambo’ 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 in a circle again but this time place children from the same groups next to each other so that you can recap all the rhythms you have learnt so far. Add in the pulse too as you layer up all the rhythms again with everyone clapping.
Remind your children that the orchestra shout out ‘mambo!’ twice during the Bernstein’s piece. Explain that there is a musical signal for this and teach them the rhythm (and words).
You can have fun playing with this. Still in your circle and just using body percussion set up the pulse, bring the rhythms in and out and whenever you say the rhythm above, everyone must stop what they are doing, shout mambo and then freeze before you start the pulse again.
Demonstrate this rhythm on a xylophone. Explain that you only need four pitches to make it work, but they might like to work out a different way to play it.
Split back into your three working groups and give out the same instruments as last lesson but also, if possible, give each team at least one xylophone with the above pitches on it.
If you have children learning orchestral instruments, now is the time to get them out, also using these four pitches.
Challenge each group to make a short piece using –
- The ‘weak-strong’ pulse
- Their mambo rhythm from last lesson
- The mambo ‘tune’
Bring the class back together and hear each group. As last time finish the lesson with a quick ‘jam’ session. Can you find a way to get every group playing the ‘tune’ at the same time?
FINALLY, don’t forget to keep a record of what you have done.
Additional resources and a more detailed lesson plan can be found here on the BBC Ten Pieces website;
