Lesson video

- Hi everyone.

I'm Ms. Boyd and I'll be you music teacher today.

In this lesson, we are going to learn about imitation.

By the end of this lesson you would have learned how to recognise musical imitation, you'll have a go at performing, using imitation and you get the chance to compose, using imitation.

But before we get started should we begin with the "Hello Song"? ♪ Off we go ♪ ♪ Hello, hello ♪ ♪ It's good to see you ♪ ♪ Hello, hello ♪ ♪ It's good to see you ♪ ♪ I must say ♪ ♪ You've made my day ♪ ♪ Hello, hello, hello ♪ So what is musical imitation? Now, when you watch a film or a cartoon there's always some type of music in there and those musical patterns really help the story to be told.

There are different types of musical devices you can use to create a musical story and one of them is imitation.

Imitation means copying.

Imitation means copying.

Do you see what I did there? I imitated myself, I copied.

Now this musical device is used all the time to create suspense in a film or a story.

It often tells the audience that something's about to happen or something's following something or something's going somewhere.

But if you listen really carefully when there is imitation in a musical pattern there's usually just one musical pattern, one tune.

But then shortly after something copies that tune, just like this image on our screen.

The man is standing at the door and his shadow is copying him.

It's not exactly the same but it's copying him.

Can you see? The shadow is imitating the man standing.

Have a listen to this example of two violins.

One is playing the main tune and the other one is copying it, imitating.

Listening ears on! Did you hear that? There was one melody one main tune that the violin was playing.

The first one that started and then shortly after there was a second violin that copied what the first violin was doing.

Let's have a listen again.

See if you can pick out that imitation.

Kind of sounds like a little sibling, doesn't it? Someone just copying you, all the time! But if used correctly in a musical story, that can have a really good effect on what the audience hear.

For our second activity today, let's have a go at performing, using musical imitation.

Now for this next activity, we are going to have a go at performing, using musical imitation.

It's really easy.

It's just copying.

So.

It's really easy.

It's just copying.

So, I'm going to sing a well-known nursery rhyme "Baa Baa Black Sheep" and I would like you to imitate me, instead of singing along with me, slightly later and if you like, you can change the notes slightly as well.

For example, if I go like this, it's my turn.

And I'll sing.

♪ Baa baa black sheep ♪ And when it's your turn you will also copy me but feel free to change the notes just slightly and come in after me.

So I would go like this ♪ Baa baa ♪ When it's your turn, I'd like you to copy me ♪ Baa baa ♪ ♪ Black sheep ♪ ♪ Have you ♪ ♪ Any wool ♪ It's going to sound funny at first 'cause we're changing a nursery rhyme but instead of singing the nursery rhyme with me I want you to copy the parts that I sing and sing them slightly differently.

If you'd like to change some of the notes around, go ahead.

Should we have a go at this musical imitation? Okay.

Off we go.

I'll go first.

♪ Off I go ♪ ♪ Baa baa ♪ ♪ Black sheep ♪ ♪ Have you any ♪ ♪ Wool ♪ ♪ Yes, sir ♪ ♪ Yes, sir ♪ ♪ Three bags ♪ ♪ Full ♪ ♪ One for the master ♪ ♪ And one for the dame ♪ ♪ One for the little boy ♪ ♪ Who lives down the lane ♪ ♪ Thank you said the master ♪ ♪ Thank you said the dame ♪ ♪ Thank you said the little girl ♪ ♪ Who lived down the lane ♪ Well done! Did you see there that we played around with the musical pattern of that nursery rhyme.

You copied me, you imitated me and together we sounded great.

Let's try that with another nursery rhyme.

This time let's do the same but with "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star", okay? I'd like you to copy me but this time imitate, play around slightly with the notes.

Remember you're my shadow.

You're like me but you're kind of different as well, okay? ♪ Off we go ♪ ♪ Twinkle ♪ ♪ Twinkle ♪ ♪ Little ♪ ♪ Star ♪ ♪ How I ♪ ♪ Wonder ♪ ♪ What you ♪ ♪ Are ♪ ♪ Up a ♪ ♪ 'Bove the ♪ ♪ World so ♪ ♪ High ♪ ♪ Like a ♪ ♪ Diamond ♪ ♪ In the ♪ ♪ Sky ♪ ♪ Twinkle ♪ ♪ Twinkle ♪ ♪ Little ♪ ♪ Star ♪ ♪ How I ♪ ♪ Wonder ♪ ♪ What you ♪ ♪ Are ♪ Great job imitating.

Well done! Now for our final activity today, I would like you to pause the video.

Have a go at singing your own favourite nursery rhyme, a different one to the ones we just sang.

Can you change the song around so that you're using two different types of voices and that they're imitating each other.

So just like you and I just did in our performance challenge or find another person in your home to try this activity with.

Welcome back.

How did your composition go? Excellent.

Make sure you do find an audience in your home to perform that too.

We're at the end of our lesson now but I think we've covered a lot regarding musical imitation.

You've had a go at recognising what musical imitation is, we've performed, using musical imitation and you've just composed, using musical imitation Great job.

But before we go, we have to say goodbye properly with our "Goodbye Song".

Are you ready? ♪ Off we go ♪ ♪ Goodbye, goodbye ♪ ♪ It's time to go now ♪ ♪ Goodbye, goodbye ♪ ♪ It's time to go now ♪ ♪ I must say ♪ ♪ You've made my day ♪ ♪ Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye ♪ If you'd like to share some of the music we've made together today feel free to ask your parent or carer to share your work on social media.