Category: Music – Early Level Lesson Plans

Music – Early Level: Primary 1 – Listening Lesson (In the Hall of the Mountain King)

In this lesson, learners will listen to a piece of music and respond to changes in tempo and dynamics using movement. The teacher will model movements for the children to copy before creating their own in response to the music.

Learners will have opportunities to talk about how the music makes them feel and what it makes them think about/picture as they listen. Learners will be supported to identify fast and slow, loud and quiet, passages in the music and to talk about how the music changes.

Experiences and Outcomes:

I can respond to music by describing my thoughts and feelings about my own and others’ work EXA 0-19a

Learning Intentions

  • To respond to music through movement
  • To link music with our emotions
  • To recognise fast and slow, loud and quiet sounds

Success Criteria

  • I am able to talk about how the music makes me feel
  • I am able to listen to talk about how the music changes
  • I am able to change my movement to match the slow and fast, quiet and loud, parts of the music

Resources

Useful Links

Music – Early Level: Primary 1 – Music of Scotland

Experiences and Outcomes:
I enjoy singing and playing along to music of different styles and cultures. EXA 0-16a​

I have the freedom to use voice, musical instruments and music technology to discover and enjoy playing with sound and rhythm. EXA 0-17a​

Inspired by the range of stimuli and working on my own and/or with others, I can express and communicate my ideas, thoughts and feeling through musical activities. EXA 0-18a​

I can respond to music by describing my thoughts and feelings about my own and others’ work. EXA 0-19a

I have experienced the energy and excitement of presenting/performing for audiences and being part of an audience for other people’s presentations/performances. EXA 0-01a​

 Skills:                                                                                                  

  • Keep the beat with actions​
  • Walk to the beat​
  • Use some percussion instruments to keep a steady beat​
  • Experiment with the voice to create different sounds e.g speaking, whispering, humming​
  • Use tuned and untuned percussion instruments to begin to explore tempo and dynamics​
  • Use digital technology to capture short recordings of sound or performances​
  • Use digital technology to listen back to recordings of sounds or performances​
  • Work individually or with a group to create own soundscapes and sound effects in response to a variety of stimuli e.g sounds, pictures, stories, videos.​
  • Listen to different styles of music from Scotland and other cultures and begin to identify simple musical concepts e.g familiar instruments and voices, fast/slow, loud/quiet, high/low.​
  • Demonstrate a steady beat with an instrument, body percussion or movement when listening to a piece of music.​
    Participate in a musical performance to the class, parents or in the community.​

DOWNLOAD LESSON PLANS (Sequence of 3 Lessons)

Music – Early Level: Primary 1 – Listening Lesson

Learners will engage in active listening and discuss their thoughts and feelings in response to contrasting pieces of music. Learners will be encouraged to make links between music and their emotions and to talk about the music concepts and instruments they hear.

Experiences and Outcomes:

I can respond to music by describing my thoughts and feelings about my own and others’ work EXA 0-19a

Learning Intentions

  • We are learning to link music with our emotions
  • We are learning to recognise fast and slow, loud and quiet sounds
  • We are learning to recognise instruments and voices

Success Criteria

  • I am able to talk about how the music makes me feel
  • I am able to listen to talk about whether the music is fast or slow, loud or quiet
  • I am able to talk about some instruments and/or voices that I hear

Resources

Useful Links

Music – Early Level: Primary 1 – Composing Lesson

Using ‘The Gruffalo’ by Julia Donaldson as a stimulus, learners will explore and create sounds using voice, body and instruments to represent characters in a story. Learners will work in groups to develop their ideas and follow a leader (conductor) to perform their final composition as a sound story.

Experiences and Outcomes:

  • I have the freedom to use my voice, musical instruments and music technology to discover and enjoy playing with sound and rhythm. EXA 0-17a
  • 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 0-18a

Learning Intentions

  • We are how to represent characters through sound
  • We are learning how to create sound using voice, body and instruments

 

Success Criteria

  • I am able to create sounds matched to characters in a story
  • I am able to talk about the sounds I have created
  • I am able to follow a leader to perform a sound story

Resources

Useful Links

The Gruffalo (song) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSc4TQshebk

Music – Early Level: Primary 1 – Lesson 9

Experiences and Outcomes:
I enjoy singing and playing along to music of different styles and cultures. EXA 0-16a
I have the freedom to use my voice, musical instruments and music technology to discover and enjoy playing with sound and rhythm. EXA 0-17a

Skills:                                                                                                  

  • Keep the beat with actions
  • Sing with some understanding of pitch (higher and lower)
  • Sing/chant individually and/or as part of a group
  • Differentiate between a speaking and singing voice
  • Sing/chant with a louder and quieter voice
  • Sing/chant at a faster or slower tempo
  • Experiment with the voice and create different sounds
  • Play the beat
  • Play with louder/quieter dynamics
  • Experiment with sounds of different percussion instruments (shake/tap/ting/boom)
  • Tap back a simple rhythm
  • Play the rhythm of a known song/rhyme (ta, te-te, ta rest)

Interdisciplinary Links:

  • I enjoy exploring and playing with the patterns and sounds of language and can use what I learn LIT 0-01a / LIT 0-11a / LIT 0-20a
  • As I listen and talk in different situations, I am learning to take turns and am developing my awareness of when to talk and when to listen LIT 0-02a / ENG 0-03a
  • I am learning to move my body well, exploring how to manage and control it and finding out how to use and share space HWB 0-21a
  • I am developing my movement skills through practice and energetic play HWB 0-22a
  • I am aware of my own and others’ needs and feeling, especially when taking turns and sharing resources. I recognise the need to follow rules HWB 0-23a
  •  

Activities Skills Resources

Welcome song: Hello everyone
Hello everyone, hello everyone, glad that you are here (x2)
Aye, aye, aye aye aye, glad that you are here (x2)

Sing the song, keeping a steady beat with the actions:
Line 1 – tap knees to the beat, there are 8 beats in total. (x2)
Line 2 – Clap hands to the beat. 4 claps in an upward motion followed by 4 claps in a downward motion to reflect the rise and fall of the melody. (x2)

Keep the beat with actions

Voices
Teacher: Have you got your… speaking/singing/thinking/loud/quiet/high/low/whispering voice?
Children: Yes I’ve got my… speaking/singing/thinking/loud/quiet/high/low whispering voice

This vocal warm-up should be delivered as call and response – children listen and then respond by copying the way the teacher has used their voice.
Repeat for high voice, low voice, whispering voice and finish on with singing voice each time.
Children can suggest other fun ways to use their voice e.g. a robot voice.

Differentiate between a speaking and singing voice

Experiment with the voice and create different sounds

Voice flashcards

Walking Through the Jungle
Teacher: Walking in the jungle
Pupils: Walking in the jungle
Teacher: What do you see?
Pupil: What do you see?
Teacher: I see a tiger
Pupil: I see a tiger
Teacher: Chasing after me
Pupil: Chasing after me

The rhyming book ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ by Giles Andreae could be read to the children to provide a context for this activity.

Standing in a circle with jungle animal cards face down in the middle of the circle.
First choose one child to turn over a card, e.g. tiger, say the word and the sound that it starts with.
Then the child (and the wider group) can try to think of a noun or adjective beginning with the same sound to create alliteration e.g. Tony tiger, terrible tiger.
Then the card can be placed in a hoop.

A jungle animal soft toy should then be passed around the circle to the beat as the rhyme is chanted (children repeating each line after the teacher), with the animal from the card (e.g. tiger) inserted into the rhyme. Whoever has the soft toy at the end of the rhyme gets to turn over the next animal card and the game is repeated.

This rhyme can be adapted to suit other contexts with different animals e.g. Swimming in the Ocean, Marching in the Forest

Keep the beat with actions

Sing/chant individually and/or as part of a group

Jungle animal picture cards

Hoop

Rumble in the Jungle book (optional)

A Little Frog In A Pond Am I
A little frog in a pond am I
Hippety, hippety hop
And I can jump in the air so high
Hippety, hippety hop

Children make a circle holding a large piece of lycra material. Place a frog puppet/soft toy on the lycra and in the first part of the song move the lycra from side to side with the steady beat. When you get to hippety hippety hop move the lycra up and down to make the frog jump.

Experiment with tempo by singing the song to a faster or slower beat.

Additional game
Play a musical statues game by singing ‘hippety hoppety’ over and over as above but extending as you wish.
The children can hop, march, stomp etc. to the beat until they hear the word HOP at which point the children should freeze.

Keep the beat with actions

Sing/chant individually and/or as part of a group

Sing with some understanding of pitch (higher and lower)

Sing/chant at a faster or slower tempo

See-Saw, See-Saw
See-saw, up and down
Which is the way to (Glasgow) town
One foot up and one down
That is the way to (Glasgow) town

Stand in a circle holding hands. One child stands in the middle and moves their arms up and down like a see-saw (one up, one down) to the beat as everyone sings the first two lines.
During the last two lines, the child in the middle chooses someone to join them as another see-saw. Repeat until the whole class become see-saws.

Alternative:
When a child in the middle chooses a partner, they can become a joint see-saw by holding hands and taking turns to squat in a see saw motion.

Keep the beat with actions

Play the beat

Sing with some understanding of pitch (higher and lower)

Go Bananas
Bananas assemble!
Pick banana, pick pick banana (x2)
Repeat with: peel, slice, mash, eat, go!

Ask children to come up with actions for ‘pick, peel, slice, mash, eat and go bannanas’ which they can perform to a steady beat.
Teach the song line by line with the actions – try starting the song quietly, gradually getting louder towards the end.
Perform the song all the way through along to the recorded track if you can.

Keep the beat with actions

Sing with some understanding of pitch (higher and lower)

Sing/chant individually and/or as part of a group

Backing track

Closing song: Goodbye Everyone
Goodbye everyone, goodbye everyone, glad that you were here (x2)
Aye, aye, aye aye aye, glad that you were here (x2)Repeat with same actions used for ‘Hello Everyone’.
Keep the beat with actions.

Music – Early Level: Primary 1 – Lesson 8

Experiences and Outcomes:
I enjoy singing and playing along to music of different styles and cultures. EXA 0-16a
I have the freedom to use my voice, musical instruments and music technology to discover and enjoy playing with sound and rhythm. EXA 0-17a

Skills:                                                                                                  

  • Keep the beat with actions
  • Sing with some understanding of pitch (higher and lower)
  • Sing/chant individually and/or as part of a group
  • Differentiate between a speaking and singing voice
  • Sing/chant with a louder and quieter voice
  • Sing/chant at a faster or slower tempo
  • Experiment with the voice and create different sounds
  • Play the beat
  • Play with louder/quieter dynamics
  • Experiment with sounds of different percussion instruments (shake/tap/ting/boom)

Interdisciplinary Links:

  • I enjoy exploring and playing with the patterns and sounds of language and can use what I learn LIT 0-01a / LIT 0-11a / LIT 0-20a
  • As I listen and talk in different situations, I am learning to take turns and am developing my awareness of when to talk and when to listen LIT 0-02a / ENG 0-03a
  • I am learning to move my body well, exploring how to manage and control it and finding out how to use and share space HWB 0-21a
  • I am developing my movement skills through practice and energetic play HWB 0-22a
  • I am aware of my own and others’ needs and feeling, especially when taking turns and sharing resources. I recognise the need to follow rules HWB 0-23a

Activities Skills Resources

Welcome song: Hello everyone
Hello everyone, hello everyone, glad that you are here (x2)
Aye, aye, aye aye aye, glad that you are here (x2)

Sing the song, keeping a steady beat with the actions:
Line 1 – tap knees to the beat, there are 8 beats in total. (x2)
Line 2 – Clap hands to the beat. 4 claps in an upward motion followed by 4 claps in a downward motion to reflect the rise and fall of the melody. (x2)

Keep the beat with actions

Voices
Teacher: Have you got your… speaking/singing/thinking/loud/quiet/high/low/whispering voice?
Children: Yes I’ve got my… speaking/singing/thinking/loud/quiet/high/low whispering voice

This vocal warm-up should be delivered as call and response – children listen and then respond by copying the way the teacher has used their voice.
Repeat for high voice, low voice, whispering voice and finish on with singing voice each time.
Children can suggest other fun ways to use their voice e.g. a robot voice.

Differentiate between a speaking and singing voice

Experiment with the voice and create different sounds

Voice flashcards

Hubble Bubble Pot
Hubble bubble, hubble bubble
What’s in the pot?
Hubble bubble, hubble bubble
What have we got?

Put a selection of picture cards or objects into a large pot (or cauldron).

Sitting in a circle, everyone should keep the beat on their knees as they chant the rhyme – one child can use a spoon to mix the pot to the beat.
The child then chooses a card/object from the pot and says what sound it starts with.
Pass the pot to another child who picks a second card/object and says what sound it starts with to see if the initial sounds of the two cards/objestcs match.
If so, put them together in a hoop in the middle of the circle.
Can the children list any other words (not included in the game) that start with the same sound?

If the initial sounds don’t match, leave the cards/objects on the floor outside the hoop until a match is found.

Keep the beat with actions

Sing/chant individually and/or as part of a group

Play the beat

Pot and spoon

Objects or picture cards – some with same initial sound.

Hoop

There Once Was A Frog
There once was a frog who jumped in a bog
He played on a fiddle in the middle of a puddle
What a muddle
Better go round
Better go roundCat – mat
Fly – tie
Bees – keys
Etc

Circle game
Everyone stands in a circle and one child is chosen to be the frog in the middle. Sing the song and the children will walk around whilst the frog jumps in the middle for the first line and pretends to play the fiddle for the second line. During the third line, “better go round”, whilst the children are still moving, the frog turns around on the spot and then chooses another child to go in the centre.

The next child thinks of a new animal and a new place to jump e.g.
There once was a dog who slept on a log,
There once was a snake who swam in a lake,
There once was a hen who ran in a pen etc.

Everyone sings this new verse whilst the children in the middle perform the actions in the centre.

Keep the beat with actions

Sing/chant individually and/or as part of a group

Sing with some understanding of pitch (higher and lower)

Shake, shake, shake
Shake up, shake, shake, shake, shakity shake
Shake down, shake, shake, shake, shakity shake (x2)
To the front and the back, and the side, side, side (x2)
And around(x2)

Using call and response (chant a line and they chant it back) teach the rhyme to the children.
Add in movements; hands shaking up high, hands shaking down low, clap to the front, clap to the back, hands to the side and finally, hands making a horizontal circle motion.
Children can keep the beat and do the actions using an instrument which makes a ‘shake’ sound e.g. maracas, egg shakers.

Vary the tempo or dynamics each time the rhyme is repeated.

Keep the beat with actions

Sing/chant individually and/or as part of a group

Sing/chant at a faster or slower tempo

Play the beat

Play with louder/quieter dynamics

Experiment with sounds of different percussion instruments (shake/tap/ting/boom)

Shakers, Maracas (optional)

Go Bananas
Bananas assemble!
Pick banana, pick pick banana (x2)
Repeat with: peel, slice, mash, eat, go!

Ask children to come up with actions for ‘pick, peel, slice, mash, eat and go bannanas’ which they can perform to a steady beat.
Teach the song line by line with the actions – try starting the song quietly, gradually getting louder towards the end.
Perform the song all the way through along to the recorded track if you can.

Keep the beat with actions

Sing with some understanding of pitch (higher and lower)

Sing/chant individually and/or as part of a group

Backing track

Closing song: Goodbye Everyone
Goodbye everyone, goodbye everyone, glad that you were here (x2)
Aye, aye, aye aye aye, glad that you were here (x2)

Repeat with same actions used for ‘Hello Everyone’.

Keep the beat with actions.

Music – Early Level: Primary 1 – Lesson 7

Experiences and Outcomes:
I enjoy singing and playing along to music of different styles and cultures. EXA 0-16a
I have the freedom to use my voice, musical instruments and music technology to discover and enjoy playing with sound and rhythm. EXA 0-17a

Skills:                                                                                                  

  • Keep the beat with actions
  • Sing with some understanding of pitch (higher and lower)
  • Sing/chant individually and/or as part of a group
  • Differentiate between a speaking and singing voice
  • Sing/chant with a louder and quieter voice
  • Sing/chant at a faster or slower tempo
  • Experiment with the voice and create different sounds
  • Play the beat
  • Play with louder/quieter dynamics
  • Experiment with sounds of different percussion instruments (shake/tap/ting/boom)
  • Tap back a simple rhythm
  • Play the rhythm of a known song/rhyme (ta, te-te, ta rest)

Interdisciplinary Links:

  • I enjoy exploring and playing with the patterns and sounds of language and can use what I learn LIT 0-01a / LIT 0-11a / LIT 0-20a
  • As I listen and talk in different situations, I am learning to take turns and am developing my awareness of when to talk and when to listen LIT 0-02a / ENG 0-03a
  • I am learning to move my body well, exploring how to manage and control it and finding out how to use and share space HWB 0-21a
  • I am developing my movement skills through practice and energetic play HWB 0-22a
  • I am aware of my own and others’ needs and feeling, especially when taking turns and sharing resources. I recognise the need to follow rules HWB 0-23a
  •  

Activities Skills Resources

Welcome song: Hello everyone
Hello everyone, hello everyone, glad that you are here (x2)
Aye, aye, aye aye aye, glad that you are here (x2)

Sing the song, keeping a steady beat with the actions:

Line 1 – tap knees to the beat, there are 8 beats in total. (x2)
Line 2 – Clap hands to the beat. 4 claps in an upward motion followed by 4 claps in a downward motion to reflect the rise and fall of the melody. (x2)

Keep the beat with actions

Voices
Teacher: Have you got your… speaking/singing/thinking/loud/quiet/high/low/whispering voice?

Children: Yes I’ve got my… speaking/singing/thinking/loud/quiet/high/low whispering voice

This vocal warm-up should be delivered as call and response – children listen and then respond by copying the way the teacher has used their voice.
Repeat for high voice, low voice, whispering voice and finish on with singing voice each time.
Children can suggest other fun ways to use their voice e.g. a robot voice.

Differentiate between a speaking and singing voice

Experiment with the voice and create different sounds

Voice flashcards

Sammy the snake
Sammy the snake,
The slithery snake was searching for his tea.
Sammy the snake,
The slithery snake “You won’t catch me”!

Teach the rhyme using call and response – children echo the teacher one line at a time.
Sitting in a circle the children chant the rhyme while one child, chosen to be the ‘snake’, walks round the circle.
If you have a soft toy snake, this can be held by the child.

At the end of the rhyme the child taps someone who then chases them round the circle to their safe place in the centre of the circle (they could hide under a blanket or piece of lycra material when they reach the middle of the circle) – the child who was the chaser becomes the new snake.

Keep the beat with actions

Sing/chant individually and/or as part of a group

Experiment with the voice and create different sounds

Lycra/blanket (optional)

Snake soft toy (optional)

Walking Through the Jungle
Teacher: Walking in the jungle
Pupils: Walking in the jungle
Teacher: What do you see?
Pupil: What do you see?
Teacher: I see an “el-e-phant” (clap syllables)
Pupil: I see an “el-e-phant” (clap syllables)
Teacher: Chasing after me
Pupil: Chasing after me

The rhyming book ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ by Giles Andreae could be read to the children to provide a context for this activity.

Standing in a circle with jungle animal flashcards or props in the middle of the circle.
One child should choose an animal, e.g. elephant, everyone should say the word, clap and count the syllables.

Then the children should march to the beat and, using a speaking voice, repeat each line of the rhyme after the teacher (call and response).
When the teacher chants “I see an…” they should clap the syllables of the animal word and then the children copy. For example:

Teacher: I see an el-e-phant (3 claps)
Class: I see an el-e-phant (3 claps)

Children should take turns to choose a different jungle animal from the middle of the circle each time and the animal word substituted in the rhyme.

This rhyme can be adapted to suit other contexts with different animals e.g. Swimming in the Ocean, Marching in the Forest

Keep the beat with actions

Sing/chant individually and/or as part of a group

Tap back a simple rhythm

Jungle animal picture cards/props

Rumble in the Jungle book (optional)

On a log
On a log Mr Frog
Sang his song the whole day long
GLUMPF – GLUMPF – GLUMPF – GLUMPF

In the lake, mister snake
Sang his song until daybreak.
Ssss sssss sssss sssss

In a tree, mister bee
Buzzed his song for you and me.
Buzz buzz buzz buzz

On a boat, mister goat
Sang his song to keep afloat
Aaa aaa aaa aaa

Sitting in a circle, the children sing the song, keeping a beat on their knees.
At the end of each verse a small group of children play the sounds (e.g. glumf glumf glumf glumf) to the beat on an instrument.
Each verse can be a different group of children.

Two or more children could also be chosen to do four frog jumps to the beat into the middle of the circle and then four jumps back again at the end of each verse.

Keep the beat with actions

Sing with some understanding of pitch (higher and lower)

Sing/chant individually and/or as part of a group

Differentiate between a speaking and singing voice

Experiment with the voice and create different sounds

Play the beat

Experiment with sounds of different percussion instruments (shake/tap/ting/boom)

Instruments to represent frog, snake, goat, bee, etc. E.g. shaker, drum, guiros.

Go Bananas
Bananas assemble!
Pick banana, pick pick banana (x2)
Repeat with: peel, slice, mash, eat, go!

Ask children to come up with actions for ‘pick, peel, slice, mash, eat and go bannanas’ which they can perform to a steady beat.
Teach the song line by line with the actions – try starting the song quietly, gradually getting louder towards the end.
Perform the song all the way through along to the recorded track if you can.

Keep the beat with actions

Sing with some understanding of pitch (higher and lower)

Sing/chant individually and/or as part of a group

Backing track

Closing song: Goodbye Everyone
Goodbye everyone, goodbye everyone, glad that you were here (x2)
Aye, aye, aye aye aye, glad that you were here (x2)Repeat with same actions used for ‘Hello Everyone’.
Keep the beat with actions.

Music – Early Level: Primary 1 – Lesson 6

Experiences and Outcomes:
I enjoy singing and playing along to music of different styles and cultures. EXA 0-16a
I have the freedom to use my voice, musical instruments and music technology to discover and enjoy playing with sound and rhythm. EXA 0-17a

Skills:                                                                                                  

  • Keep the beat with actions
  • Sing with some understanding of pitch (higher and lower)
  • Sing/chant individually and/or as part of a group
  • Differentiate between a speaking and singing voice
  • Sing/chant with a louder and quieter voice
  • Sing/chant at a faster or slower tempo
  • Experiment with the voice and create different sounds
  • Play the beat
  • Play with louder/quieter dynamics
  • Experiment with sounds of different percussion instruments (shake/tap/ting/boom)
  • Tap back a simple rhythm
  • Play the rhythm of a known song/rhyme (ta, te-te, ta rest)

Interdisciplinary Links:

  • I enjoy exploring and playing with the patterns and sounds of language and can use what I learn LIT 0-01a / LIT 0-11a / LIT 0-20a
  • As I listen and talk in different situations, I am learning to take turns and am developing my awareness of when to talk and when to listen LIT 0-02a / ENG 0-03a
  • I am learning to move my body well, exploring how to manage and control it and finding out how to use and share space HWB 0-21a
  • I am developing my movement skills through practice and energetic play HWB 0-22a
  • I am aware of my own and others’ needs and feeling, especially when taking turns and sharing resources. I recognise the need to follow rules HWB 0-23a
  • I have explored numbers, understanding that they represent quantities, and I can use them to count, create sequences and describe order MNU 0-02a
  •  

Activities Skills Resources
Welcome song: Hello everyone
Hello everyone, hello everyone, glad that you are here (x2)
Aye, aye, aye aye aye, glad that you are here (x2)

Sing the song, keeping a steady beat with the actions:

Line 1 – tap knees to the beat, there are 8 beats in total. (x2)
Line 2 – Clap hands to the beat. 4 claps in an upward motion followed by 4 claps in a downward motion to reflect the rise and fall of the melody. (x2)

Keep the beat with actions
Voices
Teacher: Have you got your… speaking/singing/thinking/loud/quiet/high/low/whispering voice?

Children: Yes I’ve got my… speaking/singing/thinking/loud/quiet/high/low whispering voice

This vocal warm-up should be delivered as call and response – children listen and then respond by copying the way the teacher has used their voice.
Repeat for high voice, low voice, whispering voice and finish on with singing voice each time.
Children can suggest other fun ways to use their voice e.g. a robot voice.

Differentiate between a speaking and singing voice

Experiment with the voice and create different sounds

Voice flashcards

Let’s take a walk (eye-spy)
Let’s take a walk, take a walk, take a walk
And see what starts with “d”

Children walk round in a circle keeping a beat with their feet and repeating each line of the rhyme after the teacher.
The teacher could keep a beat with claves for support.

In the middle of the circle there are animal/object flashcards with pictures starting with different sounds.
At the end of the song, ask a child to find a card picturing an animal/object that starts with the given sound. E.g. ‘d’ – dog.
Each correct answer could be placed in a hat or hoop.

Alternative: Pairs of alliteration cards could be placed in the middle and then children have to identify 2 words starting with the same initial sound e.g. dog and dolphin.

Keep the beat with actions

Sing/chant individually and/or as part of a group

Sing with some understanding of pitch (higher and lower)

Picture cards

Hat or hoop

Mix A Pancake (Sing)
Mix a pancake, stir a pancake, pop it in the pan.
Fry a pancake, toss a pancake, catch it if you can.

Children stand in a circle holding the piece of lycra material. This acts as the frying pan.

Using a bean bag as a pancake, place it onto the “pan” on the rest (silent beat) at the end of the first line.
At the end of the second line toss the pancake into the air on the rest.

Five Crispy Pancakes (Chant)
One crispy pancake, in a frying pan.
Flip it, toss it, catch it if you can.

Two crispy pancakes in a frying pan
Flip them, toss them, catch them if you can

Three crispy pancakes…
Four crispy pancakes…
Five crispy pancakes…

Tell the children that the pancake isn’t crispy enough and say the rhyme whilst moving the lycra up and
down to a slow steady beat.
On the words “flip” and “toss”, flip the pancake into the air and catch it again on the lycra.
Add a pancake (beanbag) each time up to five pancakes.

Keep the beat with actions

Sing with some understanding of pitch (higher and lower)

Sing/chant individually and/or as part of a group

Differentiate between a speaking and singing voice

Lycra/parachute
Beanbags

Listen, Listen
Listen, listen here I come.
How many beats upon my drum.

Everyone sings the song whilst keeping a steady beat on their knees.
At the end of the song, the teacher taps the drum (up to 8 times) and the children have to count how many drumbeats were played.
The children should then count out loud together as they tap the same number of drumbeats on their knees.

When the children have practised this a few times, they can take turns to play the beats on the drum at the end of the song.
Always encourage the child to keep the steady beat when they are tapping the drum.

Keep the beat with actions

Sing with some understanding of pitch (higher and lower)

Sing/chant individually and/or as part of a group

Play the beat

Drum/beater

Go Bananas
Bananas assemble!
Pick banana, pick pick banana (x2)
Repeat with: peel, slice, mash, eat, go!

Ask children to come up with actions for ‘pick, peel, slice, mash, eat and go bannanas’ which they can perform to a steady beat.
Teach the song line by line with the actions – try starting the song quietly, gradually getting louder towards the end.
Perform the song all the way through along to the recorded track if you can.

Keep the beat with actions

Sing with some understanding of pitch (higher and lower)

Sing/chant individually and/or as part of a group

Backing track

Closing song: Goodbye Everyone
Goodbye everyone, goodbye everyone, glad that you were here (x2)
Aye, aye, aye aye aye, glad that you were here (x2)

Repeat with same actions used for ‘Hello Everyone’.

Keep the beat with actions.

Music – Early Level: Primary 1 – Lesson 5

Experiences and Outcomes:
I enjoy singing and playing along to music of different styles and cultures. EXA 0-16a
I have the freedom to use my voice, musical instruments and music technology to discover and enjoy playing with sound and rhythm. EXA 0-17a

Skills:                                                                                                  

  • Keep the beat with actions
  • Sing with some understanding of pitch (higher and lower)
  • Sing/chant individually and/or as part of a group
  • Differentiate between a speaking and singing voice
  • Sing/chant with a louder and quieter voice
  • Sing/chant at a faster or slower tempo
  • Experiment with the voice and create different sounds
  • Play the beat
  • Play with louder/quieter dynamics
  • Experiment with sounds of different percussion instruments (shake/tap/ting/boom)
  • Tap back a simple rhythm
  • Play the rhythm of a known song/rhyme (ta, te-te, ta rest)

Interdisciplinary Links:

  • I enjoy exploring and playing with the patterns and sounds of language and can use what I learn LIT 0-01a / LIT 0-11a / LIT 0-20a
  • As I listen and talk in different situations, I am learning to take turns and am developing my awareness of when to talk and when to listen LIT 0-02a / ENG 0-03a
  • I am learning to move my body well, exploring how to manage and control it and finding out how to use and share space HWB 0-21a
  • I am developing my movement skills through practice and energetic play HWB 0-22a
  • I am aware of my own and others’ needs and feeling, especially when taking turns and sharing resources. I recognise the need to follow rules HWB 0-23a
  •  

Activities Skills Resources

Welcome song: Hello everyone
Hello everyone, hello everyone, glad that you are here (x2)
Aye, aye, aye aye aye, glad that you are here (x2)

Sing the song, keeping a steady beat with the actions:

Line 1 – tap knees to the beat, there are 8 beats in total. (x2)
Line 2 – Clap hands to the beat. 4 claps in an upward motion followed by 4 claps in a downward motion to reflect the rise and fall of the melody. (x2)

Keep the beat with actions

Shake, shake, shake
Shake up, shake, shake, shake, shakity shake
Shake down, shake, shake, shake, shakity shake (x2)
To the front and the back, and the side, side, side (x2)
And around(x2)

Using call and response (chant a line and they chant it back) teach the song to the children.
Add in movements; hands shaking up high, hands shaking down low, clap to the front, clap to the back, hands to the side and finally, hands making a horizontal circle motion.

Sing/chant individually and/or as part of a group

Shakers (optional)

Engine Engine
Engine, engine, number nine. Going down the Glasgow line.
If the train goes off the track. Will I get my money back?
Yes, no, maybe so!

1. Stand in a circle and chant the rhyme together.
Ask the children to step to the beat and the teacher can play the beat on the claves to help.
Once the children know the words they can form a train in the circle by putting their hands on the person’s shoulders in front, then chant the rhyme as they walk in a circle to the beat (try this at a fast and slow tempo).
2. Explain that now we are going to clap the words.
This is the rhythm – it is important that they understand this is different to the beat.
Ask the children to copy you in groups or as individuals as you clap short phrases from the rhyme. E.g. En/gine, en/gine, num/ber nine.
3. The children could then use a set of claves each to tap the rhythm as they say the rhyme.

Keep the beat with actions

Sing/chant individually and/or as part of a group

Tap back a simple rhythm

Play the rhythm of a known song/rhyme (ta, te-te, ta rest)

Claves

Doggie Doggie:
All sing: Doggie doggie where’s your bone
Someone stole it from my home
Who stole your bone?
Cat sings: I stole your bone.

The children sit in a circle with one child in the middle (the doggie) holding a dog toy and their eyes closed.
As everyone sings the first 3 lines of the song together, the teacher chooses someone to be the ‘cat’ by giving them a cat toy.
The child who is the ‘cat’ sings the final line solo.
When all the children have their hands behind their back the doggie ‘wakes up’ and has to guess whose voice they heard.

Sing with some understanding of pitch (higher and lower)

Sing/chant individually and/or as part of a group

Clave (pretend bone)

Go Bananas
Bananas assemble!
Pick banana, pick pick banana (x2)
Repeat with: peel, slice, mash, eat, go!

Ask children to come up with actions for ‘pick, peel, slice, mash, eat and go bannanas’ which they can perform to a steady beat.
Teach the song line by line with the actions – try starting the song quietly, gradually getting louder towards the end.
Perform the song all the way through along to the recorded track if you can.

Keep the beat with actions

Sing with some understanding of pitch (higher and lower)

Sing/chant individually and/or as part of a group

Backing track

Closing song: Goodbye Everyone
Goodbye everyone, goodbye everyone, glad that you were here (x2)
Aye, aye, aye aye aye, glad that you were here (x2)

Repeat with same actions used for ‘Hello Everyone’.

Keep the beat with actions.

Music – Early Level: Primary 1 – Lesson 4

Experiences and Outcomes:
I enjoy singing and playing along to music of different styles and cultures. EXA 0-16a
I have the freedom to use my voice, musical instruments and music technology to discover and enjoy playing with sound and rhythm. EXA 0-17a

Skills:                                                                                                  

  • Keep the beat with actions
  • Sing with some understanding of pitch (higher and lower)
  • Sing/chant individually and/or as part of a group
  • Differentiate between a speaking and singing voice
  • Sing/chant with a louder and quieter voice
  • Sing/chant at a faster or slower tempo
  • Experiment with the voice and create different sounds
  • Play the beat
  • Play with louder/quieter dynamics

Interdisciplinary Links:

  • I enjoy exploring and playing with the patterns and sounds of language and can use what I learn LIT 0-01a / LIT 0-11a / LIT 0-20a
  • As I listen and talk in different situations, I am learning to take turns and am developing my awareness of when to talk and when to listen LIT 0-02a / ENG 0-03a
  • I am learning to move my body well, exploring how to manage and control it and finding out how to use and share space HWB 0-21a
  • I am developing my movement skills through practice and energetic play HWB 0-22a
  • I am aware of my own and others’ needs and feeling, especially when taking turns and sharing resources. I recognise the need to follow rules HWB 0-23a
Activities Skills Resources
Welcome song: Hello everyone
Hello everyone, hello everyone, glad that you are here (x2)
Aye, aye, aye aye aye, glad that you are here (x2)

Sing the song, keeping a steady beat with the actions:

Line 1 – tap knees to the beat, there are 8 beats in total. (x2)
Line 2 – Clap hands to the beat. 4 claps in an upward motion followed by 4 claps in a downward motion to reflect the rise and fall of the melody. (x2)

Keep the beat with actions
I have got the ball…
I have got the ball,
Can you catch it (child’s name)?

Everyone stands in a circle with one person holding a ball (a fairly bouncy one that’s not too small).
As everyone chant the rhyme, the child with the ball bounces it on the beat.

I have GOT the ball, CAN you catch it ‘NAME’?’

As they say their chosen person’s name, they bounce the ball to them.
Once a child has had their turn, they sit down.

Keep the beat with actions

Sing/chant individually and/or as part of a group

Ball

Here Sits a Mousie
Here sits a mousie,
In his little housie.
No one comes to see him,
Poor little mousie.

Sit in a circle with one child in the middle being the ‘mousie’.
They sit with their eyes closed and have a set of bells beside them.
As everyone starts to sing the song through, choose a child to take the bells from the middle and tip toe back to their space.

When they get back to their space they should play 4 beats with the bells so that the child in the middle can listen to where the sound is coming from.
All children put their hands behind their back, the mousie ‘wakes up’, and tries to guess who has the bells.
Vary the dynamics by giving the instruction to sing louder or quieter each time.

Sing with some understanding of pitch (higher and lower)

Sing/chant individually and/or as part of a group

Sing/chant with a louder and quieter voice

Bells

I went up an Apple Tree (Spoken)
I went up an apple tree
All the apples fell on me
Apple pudding, apple pie
Did you ever tell a lie?

Act out the rhyme keeping the steady beat with appropriate actions (4 beats per line)

When the children know the rhyme well, give instructions which change the tempo or dynamics.
Children could also take turns using an instrument to keep a beat whilst everyone chants the rhyme (e.g. claves, drum, wood block)

Keep the beat with actions

Sing/chant individually and/or as part of a group

Sing/chant with a louder and quieter voice

Sing/chant at a faster or slower tempo

Play the beat

Selection of instruments

Go Bananas
Bananas assemble!
Pick banana, pick pick banana (x2)
Repeat with: peel, slice, mash, eat, go!

Ask children to come up with actions for ‘pick, peel, slice, mash, eat and go bannanas’ which they can perform to a steady beat.
Teach the song line by line with the actions – try starting the song quietly, gradually getting louder towards the end.
Perform the song all the way through along to the recorded track if you can.

Keep the beat with actions

Sing with some understanding of pitch (higher and lower)

Sing/chant individually and/or as part of a group

Backing track

Closing song: Goodbye Everyone
Goodbye everyone, goodbye everyone, glad that you were here (x2)
Aye, aye, aye aye aye, glad that you were here (x2)

Repeat with same actions used for ‘Hello Everyone’.

Keep the beat with actions.