Lesson video

Hi there, everybody.

Welcome to this lesson, Seaside soundscapes.

It's from our Compose and create unit, soundscapes of the sea.

My name's Mr. Croughan and I'll be guiding you through this lesson as we explore all the watery and wonderful sounds of the seaside.

Here we go.

By the end of this lesson, you'll be able to say, "I can create a seaside soundscape, thinking about timbre and dynamics.

" Let's look at today's keywords.

We'll begin with percussion instrument.

That's a device used to make a musical sound, which is played by striking, scraping, or shaking.

A soundscape is using sounds to create a feeling, a place, or a story, making you feel like you're really there.

For example, at the seaside.

A graphic score.

Now, this is a way of notating music, writing it down, using symbols, shapes, or images.

Timbre, that is a description of the sound or a tone that an instrument will make.

An ensemble, a group of people who perform together, which in a moment is going to be all of you.

There are three learning cycles in today's lesson.

We begin by warming up, so that we're ready for music.

Then, we will listen to the music of Ludovico Einaudi which is called, "Le Onde.

" And then, we'll create our seaside soundscapes.

So let's begin with a warmup.

We need to warm up our listening ears and our playing hands.

When we play "Yoo Hoo," you're going to need to listen carefully to the echo to identify who the voice belongs to, and that'll become clear in a moment.

And when we're listening, we're thinking about the timbre and the direction of where that voice is coming from.

I'd like you to watch and listen to this version of "Yoo Hoo," and learn how to play the game.

It might have slightly different lyrics than you normally would use.

Here it comes.

♪ There's someone swimming ♪ ♪ There's someone swimming ♪ ♪ In the deep blue sea ♪ ♪ In the deep blue sea ♪ ♪ I wonder who it could be ♪ ♪ I wonder who it could be ♪ ♪ There's someone swimming ♪ ♪ There's someone swimming ♪ ♪ In the deep blue sea ♪ ♪ In the deep blue sea ♪ ♪ Who always answers me ♪ ♪ Who always answers me ♪ ♪ You hoo ♪ ♪ You hoo ♪ ♪ They always answer me ♪ ♪ They always answer me ♪ ♪ You hoo ♪ ♪ You hoo ♪ ♪ They always answer me ♪ ♪ They always answer me ♪ <v ->Very good.

</v> So when we're playing "Yoo Hoo.

" who we listen carefully to the timbre of our friends' voices to identify who it is that's singing.

But what is timbre?

Is it a, the speed of the music, or b, the unique sound or tone of an instrument or voice, and c, the volume of the instrument.

What do we think it is?

Is it a, b, or c?

Point to the one you think is correct.

Give you a moment.

Yes, absolutely, well done, it is b, the unique sound or tone an instrument or voice can make.

And now, you've seen how to play, "Yoo Hoo," it's time for you to pause the video here and put that into action where you are.

Make sure you've got the person who is echoing your.

♪ Yoo hoo ♪ Catch you in a moment.

Very well done.

Now, we're feeling a bit warmer.

We're going to think about warming up our listening ears and our playing hands when we're thinking about a percussion instrument's timbre.

Now, as Laura explains, "The material an instrument is made from affects the sound it produces and that helps us identify it.

" So, you are going to explore your classroom percussion in a moment and I'd like you to find, and play, and recognize some.

You might have some metal percussion instruments.

Some wooden ones perhaps, And maybe even some percussion instruments that have a skin.

Go and have a little see of what you can find.

Brilliant, now we've got some of our instruments at the ready, we're going to learn how to play the Timbre game.

Alex is already singing away.

I'm gonna put the video on, so you can learn how to play it too.

Here it comes.

♪ Are you listening ♪ ♪ Are you listening ♪ ♪ Are you listening ♪ ♪ What's that sound ♪ ♪ What's that sound ♪ ♪ What's that sound ♪ ♪ Listen very closely ♪ ♪ Listen very closely ♪ ♪ Listen very closely ♪ (maracas rattling) <v ->Open your eyes.

</v> Which instrument do you think I was playing?

(maracas rattling) Yes.

Well done.

Close your eyes.

♪ Are you listening ♪ ♪ Are you listening ♪ ♪ Are you listening ♪ ♪ What's that sound ♪ ♪ What's that sound ♪ ♪ What's that sound ♪ ♪ Listen very closely ♪ ♪ Listen very closely ♪ ♪ Listen very closely ♪ (bell ringing) <v ->Open your eyes.

</v> Which instrument do you think I was playing?

(bell ringing) Fantastic, yes.

Okay, let's close our eyes.

♪ Are you listening ♪ ♪ Are you listening ♪ ♪ Are you listening ♪ ♪ What's that sound ♪ ♪ What's that sound ♪ ♪ What's that sound ♪ ♪ Listen very closely ♪ ♪ Listen very closely ♪ ♪ Listen very closely ♪ (drum thudding) <v ->Open your eyes.

</v> Which instrument do you think I was playing?

(drum thudding) Fantastic, yes.

<v ->Marvelous.

</v> Now, we know how to play it.

It's your turn to play that Timbre Time game, where you are identifying those percussion instruments.

Can you identify the percussion instruments just by listening?

Off you go.

Well done.

Did you get them all right?

It's time now to play the hoop game.

And this is where we place three or four hoops on the floor and we label each hoop.

So, we might label them metal percussion, wooden percussion, plastic percussion, skinned percussion.

And we give out the percussion instruments we have.

And when you receive yours, think what materials is my instrument made of?

And can I describe how it sounds?

Then, you're going to choose a conductor.

One person will be that conductor and if they place their foot in a hoop that has your category of instrument.

So if they put it in the plastic one and you have a plastic instrument, then you play your instrument.

And if they take their foot out of that hoop, that's when you stop playing.

The conductor can choose which hoop they'll put their foot in next.

Make sure you are watching your conductor so you know when to play and when to stop.

Enjoy playing the hoop game.

Good stuff, everybody.

I'm sure we're now warmed up for music with our listening ears and our playing hands ready.

Let's have a check.

Did you correctly identify the materials that your percussion instrument was made of?

And can you describe what your instrument sounds like?

Sometimes, that can be tricky.

And did you follow the conductor carefully, starting and stopping at the correct time.

If you did, very well done and you're certainly ready for the next bit.

We're going to now listen to the music of Ludovico Einaudi.

This is "Le Onde.

" I'd like you when you listen, you're going to pause in a minute to close your eyes.

And while your eyes are resting and you hear the music, I'd like you to think about how the music makes you feel.

And then, does that music remind you of something?

Does it make you think of anything?

Put any pictures or images in your head.

So, pause here and listen to that piece of music where you are.

Well, I wonder how you did and I wonder if this picture is making quite a few of you go, "Yes, that's what I thought.

That's what I saw.

" "Le Onde," is Italian for the waves.

And it's played on the piano.

A piano is actually a percussion instrument.

And that's because when we press the keys, it causes little hammers that are hidden inside to strike or hit the strings to make the sound happen.

Quick check for you then.

Which of these are percussion instruments?

A, maracas, b, trumpet, or c, piano.

Which of these are percussion instruments?

You've got three to choose.

Tell me which ones you think are percussion instruments and any that aren't.

Let's see if you all agree.

Let's look at a first.

Maracas, do we think they are percussion instruments?

Yes, they are.

They are percussion instruments that we shake.

How about the trumpet?

No, that is a bass instrument that's played using the mouth.

And piano, yes it is because the hammers inside strike the strings.

They're hitting it to make the sound.

You're gonna listen to "Le Onde," again in a moment and there's two pictures there of very different seas.

One looks quite calm and the other quite stormy.

So, I'd like as you listen again to see what kind of waves are you imagining.

Off you go.

We can use our classroom percussion instruments to represent the waves.

Jun says, "We can select instruments, thinking about their material and their timbre.

" And Sofia says, "We can also explore different ways of playing them, like for example, tapping our fingertips gently.

" (drum thudding) "On a drum skin.

" Think about the images that came into your head when you were listening to "Le Onde.

" Which percussion instruments have you got in your classroom that might be able to create similar wave sounds and what material are they made from?

Can you have a go at describing their timbre?

That might help you explain why they'd be useful to make sounds of the waves.

And what dynamics might you use?

Is it always loud or always quiet?

Perhaps it changes.

And can you think of many different ways that you can play the same instrument?

You are now going to sit around your class parachute, if you have one, or a sheet and gently round the edges.

Move that parachute so gently up and down to create waves that match the sounds you are hearing as you listen to "Le Onde.

" You are going to select a few percussion instruments that can represent the waves and just choose a few children to sit in the middle each time of the parachute, gently playing their instruments along to the music.

Explore that and see what wave sounds you can create and the wave shapes you can make that reflect the music.

Off you go.

So, how did you get along?

Think about your listening, and your playing, and your moving.

Did the movements match the sounds of the waves that you could hear in "Le Onde.

" And do you think with those children playing in the middle, those selected instruments had an effective timbre, which perhaps matched some of those images of the waves?

And did your style of playing match the feeling of the music?

Was it calm or was it stormy?

And how did that music make you feel?

If you'd like to, you can pause here to have a little chat about that in your class.

We're going to move on now to the final learning cycle of today's lesson, which is creating our seaside soundscapes.

When Einaudi composed "Le Onde," he was actually imagining a man walking along an empty, never-ending beach.

The man notices the sky, the sand, the sea, the clouds, and the waves growing closer and shrinking.

Coming closer and they're moving further away.

You are going to compose your own seaside soundscape.

You're going to do this by getting into small groups to create your ensemble of players.

Think about in your groups the kind of seaside sounds you'd like to recreate in your seaside soundscapes.

So you're going to plan it first, and that's listening to everyone's ideas.

Maybe you draw that seaside scene of the things you want to be represented by musical instruments or maybe create a mind map on your whiteboard so you've got everyone's ideas jotted down.

Laura says, "My group have come to recreate the sounds of pebbles moving under our feet and even adding in seagulls flying over.

" So, pause here to get into your mini ensembles and plan your seaside soundscape.

Off you go.

Great planning, everyone.

Now, it's time for us to think about our percussion instruments that we're going to use that might sound like each part of our seaside soundscape.

You might like to think about the instrument's material, what it's made of, and it's timbre, it's sound.

Try out your percussion instrument.

Perhaps maybe more than one could play at the same time in your ensemble or maybe there's one very clear instrument for a particular sound you're trying to recreate.

Lucas says, "I have chosen a cabasa to create the sounds of my feet walking across the pebbles.

" (cabasa rattling) "And it sounds crunchy.

" Pause here and decide which instruments are going to work best for your ideas.

Now we've got our instruments together, we want to think about changing the dynamics.

How loud or softly do I need to play my instruments to make it sound just like the waves or part of the seaside I'm trying to create?

How fast or slow should I play it?

If I'm walking along, how fast or slow am I walking across those pebbles?

You might even play your instruments in a completely different way 'cause you want the sound just right for your seaside soundscape.

You might even think of a rhythm to play by chanting a seaside sentence in your thinking voice.

So in your groups, you're going to decide how to play your percussion instruments.

Andeep says, "I used a wooden agogo to represent a beach ball being thrown back and forth.

" (agogo clinking) And he kept a rhythm in his head which went, "throw the ball, catch the ball, throw the ball.

" (agogo clinking) And that helped him play evenly in time.

So pause here, check on your dynamics, and the tempo, and the sounds of your instruments to just perfect your seaside soundscape.

Off you go.

Brilliant, so we've got some wonderful sounds.

We know how we're playing our instruments and we know all those images we want them to represent.

So, the last thing to do is order our sounds.

Now, this is the structure of our soundscape.

So ask yourself, will each instrument play in turn?

It's you, then you, then that instrument, then that one.

Or might some of them overlap?

Do any of them play at the same time?

So if more than one instrument's playing at the same time, we get a thicker texture, more than one sound happening at the same time.

And then practice your soundscape to check you're all happy with it.

Alex says, "We decided that I'd play my instrument all the way through, because my instrument is the constant sound of the waves.

" I wonder if his crept closer and further away like that tide moving in.

"All the other instruments," Alex says, "played on top, but not all at the same time.

" So, decide on your order and structure your piece.

Off you go.

Fantastic work, everyone.

Now, a really useful thing for us to do is to jot down our piece of music, and we're going to do that by using a graphic score.

Sofia explains to us a graphic score is a way of writing music down using symbols and shapes or images.

Here is an example.

As you listen to the piece of music, I'd like you to see if you can work out what those symbols on that graphic score are representing in the sound you can hear.

Here it comes.

(metal clanking and rattling) (triangle ringing) (metal clanking and rattling) (triangle ringing) Very good.

So now, we want to write down our graphic score so it captures our seaside soundscape.

So, you've seen an example.

You can create those symbols to represent the sound that you want your instrument to make.

Maybe describing how loud or quiet it gets.

It's really useful to put name labels so you know who each symbol is for who's playing what.

You could even use color.

Maybe that represents the sounds better, and that helps you to read your graphic score.

So, have a pause and jot that down.

Remember, there's no really wrong answer as long as you all can agree and understand what those symbols mean.

Off you go.

Wonderful.

So now, they're written down, you've got that to remember.

You can play it in a week's time and you'll still be able to remember what it was you did.

In your ensemble, you are going to perform your seaside soundscape for an audience.

That could be everyone in your class.

Maybe you nip to another class.

However you do it, I want you to importantly after you've played, ask the audience, "What was it you were imagining?

What in your head when we played our music?

Was it a busy beach or a quiet beach?

Was there gentle or strong waves?

" And see if they can tell you why.

So, good luck with your performances and do try and get those answers to find out what people thought and maybe saw in their minds when you were playing.

Off you go.

Wonderful, really well done.

If you have time, you can share your graphic score with another group and ask them if they know or think what each symbol might mean.

Now, of course, their answers might be different to yours, but it doesn't necessarily mean they're wrong.

You could reflect on that ensemble performance in your own groups.

Did it go as you wanted?

Did it sound as you expected it to?

What bits are you really proud of?

And is there anything you might change?

And then the audience, those people listening, did they imagine the same type of seaside scene that you were trying to create?

You can pause here if you've got time to share your graphic scores with another group and chat through what they think those symbols represent.

Well, that's about it for today.

Let's have a recap of our learning.

We know the material an instrument is made from will affect the instrument's timbre.

Music can create images in our mind, like "Le Onde," creates images of seaside and waves.

And we can use percussion instruments to create soundscapes.

When we're ready, we can use graphic scores to capture our musical ideas.

And when we make music together, we are an ensemble.

Fantastic work today, ensemble.

I will look forward to seeing you next time.

Bye for now.