Prior Learning:
The children may have been exposed to different voices/instrument groups through previous listening activities, listening to the radio/tv etc.
Experiences and Outcomes
I have listened to a range of music and can respond by discussing my thoughts and feelings. EXA 2-19a
Skills from CREATE Music Tracker
- Listen and respond to musical pieces of increasing length and listen appropriately to the views of others.
- Listen to a range of live and/or recorded music and respond by expressing personal views.
- Listen to and watch musicians perform a range of musical genres.
- Recognise different ensembles and name the instruments within them.
- Listen to and identify the different sections of the orchestra (strings, woodwind, brass, percussion) and gain a deeper understanding of how the timbre of different instruments can convey different moods/atmospheres.
Activities
Discuss how you know if a voice is male or female.
How do you know it’s male? (the pitch/tone of the voice is lower/deeper)
How do you know it’s female? (the pitch/tone of the voice is higher/sweeter)
Discuss again how music can make you feel a certain way – happy, sad, like dancing, like an animal etc
Play each excerpt in turn, pausing for discussion after each piece, asking the questions:
Are there voices? If so, can you recognise if it’s a male/female voice(s)? How does the song make you feel? Are there any instruments you recognise in the background? Is it loud/quiet? Fast/slow? Are there lots of instruments or a few?
NB Do play each one more than once – you could play a couple of times, then discuss, then play again to listen out for the things you’ve drawn their attention to.
- Waltz from ‘Coppelia’ Ballet (Delibes) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dixdXcZouZ8
Instruments: Orchestra, but mainly strings playing the melody (violins)
The excerpt starts quite loudly, then has a moment of quiet, slowing down before taking off again. The music is for dancing to so hopefully the children will pick that up.
- Sunshine on Leith (Proclaimers) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmELS03_4So
Instruments: Piano only
Starts with piano introduction, then male voice singing (solo), a bit later, another male voice joins in with a harmony.
Sad? Slow?
- The Aviary from ‘Carnival of the Animals’ (Saint-Saens)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSzQrGp-jDM
Instruments: Piano, woodwind, some strings.
Starts with flute, some strings underneath holding long notes, piano joins in with trills and flourishes, flute and piano conversation, flute playing up and down scales and ‘tweets’.
It’s supposed to represent birds.
Conclude
Encourage the children to always be actively listening when they hear a piece of music – is it fast/slow, loud/quiet, which instruments can they hear? etc
