Lesson video

Hello and welcome to your music lesson today.

My name is miss Al-Hanoush.

And in today's lesson we're going to be exploring how dynamics can help to shape a melody.

So let's begin by doing a warmup, that uses some dynamics.

For today's warmup we're going to sing through a song and we're going to use some dynamics.

Before we do that, let's just make sure our bodies are nice and warmed up and give me a big stretch up to the ceiling and down to the floor.

Touch your toes.

And can you go to your left? And can you stretch out to your right and just give your arms a big stretch in the air and roll your shoulders backwards and then forwards and make sure your body is nice and loose and floppy.

And then just put your feet shoulder width apart and stand up nice and straight.

Can you look up and look down? And look to the left and look to the right.

Okay.

Copy me.

La la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la Your turn.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

La la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la Brilliant.

The same thing with zzz.

Ready? One, two, three, four.

Zzz zzz zzz zzz zzz zzz zzz zzz zzz Okay.

Same thing again, but this time you're going to hum it.

Ready? One, two, three, four.

[Humming] Awesome.

Okay.

Repeat these lyrics after me Papa's got a head like a ping pong ball.

Papa's got a head like a ping pong ball.

Okay.

Part one goes to the same tune that you just hummed and it sounds like this Papa's got a head like a ping pong ball.

Papa's got a head like a ping pong ball.

Papa's got a head like a ping pong ball.

Like a ping, like ping pong ball.

Are you ready with me? One, two, three, four.

Papa's got a head like a ping pong ball.

Papa's got a head like a ping pong ball.

Papa's got a head like a ping pong ball.

Like a ping, like a ping pong ball.

Okay, part two goes like this.

ping pong, ping pong ping pong, ping pong, ping pong, ping pong, ping pong ball.

Ping pong, ping pong, ping pong, ping pong, ping pong, ping pong ball.

Are you ready? Let's try part two after four it's a little bit like a tongue twister.

Here we go.

One, two, three, four.

Ping pong, ping pong, ping pong, ping pong, ping pong, ping pong, ping pong ball.

Ping pong, ping pong, ping pong, ping pong, ping pong, ping pong ball.

There we go.

Okay, so we're going to put part one and then part two together.

So you guys part one, part two, and then back to part one to finish it off.

Let's try all of that.

Here we go.

One, two, three, four.

Papa's got a head like a ping pong ball.

Papa's got a head like a ping pong ball.

Papa's got a head like a ping pong ball.

Like a ping, like a ping pong ball.

Ping pong, ping pong, ping pong, ping pong, ping pong, ping pong, ping pong ball.

Ping pong, ping pong, ping pong, ping pong, ping pong, ping pong ball.

Papa's got a head like a ping pong ball.

Papa's got a head like a ping pong ball.

Papa's got a head like a ping pong ball.

Like a ping, like a ping pong ball.

Hey, well done.

Okay, so this time we're going to add some dynamics.

Now we know the song.

Part one we're going to sing quiet, softly.

Part two we're going to sing forte, loud, and then we're going to return to part one.

And we're going to sing part one softly again.

Yeah, let's try it.

Part one piano, Part two forte.

Part one.

Yeah.

Are you ready? Here we go.

A deep breath.

One, two, three, four.

Papa's got a head like a ping pong ball.

Papa's got a head like a ping pong ball.

Papa's got a head like a ping pong ball.

Like a ping, like a ping pong ball.

Ping pong, ping pong, ping pong, ping pong, ping pong, ping pong, ping pong ball.

Ping pong, ping pong, ping pong, ping pong, ping pong, ping pong ball.

[Softly] Papa's got a head like a ping pong ball.

Papa's got a head like a ping pong ball.

Papa's got a head like a ping pong ball.

Like a ping, like a ping pong ball.

Hey, well done.

This time we're going to do once more, but on the last, like a ping pone ball.

Like a ping, like a ping pong ball.

We're going to sing that bit crescendoing, so getting louder, gradually, right? So that last part should sound something like this.

Papa's got a head like a ping pong ball.

Papa's got a head like a ping pong ball.

Papa's got a head like a ping pong ball.

Like a ping, like a ping pong ball.

I'm going to end on that.

[Inaudible] Okay.

Let's try it part one, quiet, part two, loud, part one, quiet, with a crescendo at the end.

Here we go.

One, two, three, four.

Papa's got a head like a ping pong ball.

Papa's got a head like a ping pong ball.

Papa's got a head like a ping pong ball.

Like a ping, like a ping pong ball.

Ping pong, ping pong, ping pong, ping pong, ping pong, ping pong, ping pong ball.

Ping pong, ping pong, ping pong, ping pong, ping pong, ping pong ball.

Papa's got a head like a ping pong ball.

Papa's got a head like a ping pong ball.

Papa's got a head like ping pong ball.

[Louder] Like a ping, like a ping pong ball.

Hey, well done.

Let's see if we can use some dynamics in our own compositions.

Let's see what we're going to do in the lesson.

In this lesson, you will need a piece of paper, a pencil and eraser and a keyboard.

Or if you don't have a keyboard, a technology app.

So I'm about to use a technology app.

It's called virtual piano.

It looks like this.

And if you would like to use a virtual instrument with me, please ask your parent or your carer to help you find one.

Using this.

We can play all of the notes of the pentatonic, [Notes Playing] which you will need this lesson.

So I really suggest that you go and download one so that you can use it in the lesson.

If you don't have a keyboard, you will also need a quieter space to work in and need to make sure that any apps or notifications are turned off on any electronic devices so that you're not disturbed during the lesson.

So if you need to go and get any of the equipment, that's on the screen now, or you need to find yourself quiet space, please pause the video, go and do that.

And then resume when you're ready.

Here is our agenda for today's lesson.

You're going to begin by revisiting dynamic markings in music.

You're then going to explore how dynamics can shape melodies and compose using different dynamic markings.

You will then perform your chosen piece using dynamics.

So let's begin by revisiting dynamic markings in music.

Dynamics are music's volume.

Composers use dynamic markings to tell performers how they would like their music to be played.

For example, very softly pianissimo, or very loudly fortissimo.

When we explored amazing grace, we performed the dynamic markings, piano, forte, crescendo, and diminuendo can you remember what the English words and symbols were for all of these and what they tell the performers to do? Take a look at the screen.

Can you match the Italian dynamic marking at the bottom with the correct symbol and English definition for both? Take two minutes to pause the screen and then resume when you think you've completed the task.

For your first pause task, take two minutes to pause the screen on the dynamics, task slide, and then resume when you think you've completed the task.

If you find this easy, can you write a list of all the other dynamic markings you know, and their symbols? Resume the video once you're finished.

How did you get on with your pause task? Let's find out.

At the bottom we're going to go from left to right.

So piano, what did you think it was? The English the piano is soft and we use the symbol p to specify we want something played softly, piano.

What about forte? Forte, the English is loud and we symbolise it with an F.

What about crescendo? What happens when we crescendo something? It means gradually getting louder and we use an open crocodile mouth to show that we're getting louder, and our last one then.

Diminuendo what do we think that means? Diminuendo means gradually getting softer and we use a closed crocodile mouth to symbolise that we're getting quieter as the music goes through.

How did you do with those? Well done if you've got them all right.

So we only looked at four different dynamics there because those are the ones that we looked at when we did amazing grace.

However, in case you want to refer to other dynamics, you can use the ones that are on screen now.

So here are our dynamics from very quiet to very loud.

Take a moment to re-familiarize yourself with the dynamics that we haven't recapped yet.

This slide is also in the downloadable resources if you want to refer to it later on in the lesson.

Now that we have revisited dynamic markings and music, we're going to explore how dynamics can help to shape melodies.

I'm going to play you a melody twice using the F major pentatonic scale.

I would like you to tell me what the difference is between each performance.

Here's the second performance.

What was different between the two performances? The second time I added some dynamics have another listen.

I went from piano to start with, to forte in the middle, and then back down to piano to end.

How did adding dynamics change the feeling of my piece of music? By adding dynamics, we can make the listener feel different emotions.

Performers can change whether they play puck quietly or loudly, depending on how they want the listener to feel.

If I play you this melody again, and this time I put different dynamic markings in, does it make you feel differently? Here we go.

How did that make you feel? It was quite different to the first one wasn't it, it felt a little bit stronger, a bit more powerful using loud dynamics to start with.

What about if I do it this way, That time I started piano and then went to forte, I went to piano again, and then towards the end, I did a crescendo.

How did that make you feel? I'd like you to think about the question, answer phrases that you compose in lesson seven, using the F major pentatonic scale.

What dynamic markings could you add to your own melodies? Think about what you want the listener to feel.

If you want them to feel calm and relaxed, would you play loudly or softly? If you want them to feel energised and excited, would you play loudly or softly? For your second pause task, I would like you to take five to 10 minutes and using your composed question and answer phrases from lesson seven, I would like you to experiment with adding different dynamic markings.

For example, you could make your question piano your answer forte, or you could add a crescendo on your answers.

If you don't have your question and answer phrases to hand, don't worry.

You could always improvise some new question, answer phrases and add dynamics to those.

If you already play an instrument, can you play a piece of music that you're currently learning and experiment with different dynamic changes.

You could always look out for the dynamic markings that the composer has intended and written on the score.

I'm think about why they have shaped their melody using those dynamics.

If you have other household members present, could you ask them to guess which dynamic you are trying to convey and how it makes them feel? Pause the video it's complete your task, and then resume once you're finished.

Having explored how dynamics can shape melodies.

You're now going to compose using dynamic markings.

Do you recognise this? This was my handwritten composition from less than seven.

It sounded like this.

How can I make that more interesting? At the moment, there are no dynamic markings in my composition.

Let's see if we can add some.

For this part of the lesson, you will need your composition from less than seven, a pencil and an eraser.

Firstly, I'm going to think about how I would like my listener to feel.

And I think I want them to feel relaxed.

Therefore, I'm going to begin my piece with a piano dynamic, which means I need to write the letter P at the beginning.

This tells the performer, but I want them to start piano.

However, I think if we just played at piano the whole way through my listener might get a little bit bored.

So I'm going to add in a crescendo just to make it a little bit more interesting.

And I'm going to think about where I might put that.

So I'm going to sing it out loud and feel where the natural place for crescendo might go.

Dumb, da-dumb, dumb-dumb.

My answer.

Dumb, da-dumb, dumb-dumb.

How about as the pitches go higher? So one here on my answer, I'm going to put in a nice open crocodile mouth to show that my dynamics are there and to crescendo.

Okay.

But then I want to still have this feeling of it being quite nice and relaxed.

So I'm going to add in it's an innuendo and make sure by the end we go back to piano and I'm going to wipe that in again.

Let's see what that might sound like on the keyboard.

Well, that sounded okay.

But actually this time, I think I want my listener to feel strength within the music and maybe feel a little bit empowered.

So I'm going to keep my piano at the beginning.

Well, I'm going to build it to forte.

By adding a crescendo.

So, where can I put that? I'm going to crescendo all the way across to here.

So by the time I get to my di, we should be on forte and I want to keep forte going the whole way through, actually.

So when you're composing, don't be afraid to rip out previous ideas.

Composing is a process and you might not get what you want the first time.

So I'm going to rub out this diminuendo here because I don't want that.

I actually want my piece to stay at forte and to keep crescendoing.

So I'm actually going to crescendo it from fall, from piano to forte, crescendo it again.

And this time when we get to the bottom D we're going to be on fortissimo.

So this is going to go from piano forte, to fortissimo with some crescendos in there as well.

Let's have a listen at what this sounds like.

Remember I want my listeners to feel empowered and strengths.

Hey, I think that that did show strength and empowerment.

I felt that I got louder and I crescendos wherever I was meant to.

And I did end up on fortissimo at the end.

So that was what I wanted my piece to sound like.

There's no right or wrong way to add dynamics.

It's a personal choice for you as a composer, thinking about how you want the listener to feel For your third pause task, Can you explore adding a variety of dynamic markings to your question onto composition? Remember to think about how you would like your listening to feel and what type of emotional feeling your piece is trying to convey.

If you need some ideas, don't forget to use the dynamic help sheet.

Remember there is no right or wrong way.

This is your piece of music.

Don't be afraid to experiment with a variety of dynamics and keep experimenting until you're happy with your choice Pause the video to complete your task and then resume once you're finished.

Now that you've composed using dynamic markings, you're now going to perform your chosen piece with your added dynamics.

So now that you've composed your dynamics, let's hear you using them in a performance.

Here is my performance with my refined composition in creating some dynamics.

Which dynamics do you think that I just used in my performance? I started off quite quietly, softly piano.

I then played my answer piano too.

I then made my question play again.

But this time I played at forte and then ended going back to piano.

I was happy with my intended dynamics in my piece.

And I used the composition process to refine them as I went along.

So I would like you now to perform using your chosen dynamics.

Here's your pause task.

For your fourth pause task, can you perform your composition with your added dynamics? See if you can perform it to a household member, ask them how it made them feel.

Was that your intention? And if so well done, if not, maybe revisit your composition and experiment with different dynamic markings until you find was it do make them feel the way that you intended.

If you are already playing an instrument, can you now perform your composition on your instrument with the added dynamics, take five minutes to do this task and then resume once you're finished.

Let's recap what you've done today.

You began by revisiting dynamic markings and music, and then explored how dynamics can shape melodies.

You then went on to compose using some dynamics, and then performed using the dynamics that you had composed.

Well done.

We're now nearly at the end of the lesson, but I have one more pause task for you.

So on your piece of paper, Can you answer the following questions? What are dynamics? Can you state four examples of dynamics you know? I want the Italian name, the English name and their symbol.

Number three says, why do composers use dynamics? And number four was the question that was on the green screen at the beginning is how can dynamics be used to shape a melody? Take two minutes to pause the video and complete that, and then resume once you're finished.

What did you come up with for the answers for your last pause task? So what are dynamics? Dynamics are the music's volume.

State four examples of dynamics you know.

So today we have particularly looked at fortissimo, forte, piano, pianissimo, crescendo, and diminuendo you might've said some others and you can check your symbols and the English names for them on the downloadable resource and check that you're right.

So why are the composers use dynamics? Well, they use them to make sure that their music is conveying different feelings or emotions and how can dynamics be used to shape a melody? Well, dynamics can be used to shape a melody by allowing different feelings or emotions to shine through the music that's being composed.

I hope that you have enjoyed putting some dynamics into your compositions and pieces today and kind of trying to convey lots of different emotions and feelings throughout your music.

Awesome job.

Don't forget to complete the quiz to show how much you've learned.

And if you would like to share your work with Oak national, please ask your parent or carer to share your work on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter, tagging at Oak national and hashtag learn with Oak that's all for me today.

And I hope to see you in the next lesson.

See you soon and have a good rest now.

Goodbye.