Lesson video

Hello, everyone.

It's me again, Mrs. Steele, and I'm so excited that we're going to be learning together today.

In today's music lesson, we're going to be learning about building a thicker texture with a chanted ostinato.

Here we go.

By the end of today's lesson, you'll be able to keep a rhythmic chanted ostinato going under a song.

Here are our key words for today's learning.

Chant, speaking in time to a pulse.

Sing, the voice we use to create musical sounds that can be a mixture of high sounds and low sounds.

Rhythm, the pattern of sounds that we play and sing.

Ostinato, a repeating musical pattern.

And texture, the layering of different musical sounds.

But first, we know how important it is to warm up our bodies and our voices before each and every music lesson.

Just like we stretch our muscles before we exercise, we need to stretch our vocal cords before we sing too.

This helps make sure that we prevent injury and so that we can sing safely.

Join in with these warmups so that you're ready for singing.

Here's the video.

(upbeat music) (upbeat music continues) (upbeat music continues) (upbeat music continues) <v ->Let's warm up our faces.

Copy me.

</v> Big face.

(gentle music) Little face.

(gentle music) Big face.

(gentle music) Little face.

(gentle music) Big face.

(gentle music) Little face.

(gentle music) <v ->Now let's do some breathing exercises.

</v> We're going to pretend that we've got a birthday cake in front of us, and we're going to breathe in deeply and then blow out the candles.

For this first one, we're going to pretend we're four years old, and when we breathe in, we're going to breathe in for four counts, and then we're going to blow out four times for each of the four candles.

Bit like this.

In two, three, four, and.

(blowing) Let's give it a try.

Ready and breathe in, two, three, four, and blow.

(blowing) Great.

Now, let's pretend that you're a year older.

You're five now.

We're going to breathe in for five and then blow out five candles.

Here we go.

Ready, and.

In, two, three, four, five, and.

(blowing) Very good.

One more.

This time, it's a year later and you're six.

Here we go.

Ready and.

In two, three, four, five, six, and.

(blowing) Well done.

Now let's start warming up our voices.

We're going to pretend that we're at a fireworks display.

We're going to imagine seeing an amazing firework, and then we're going to say, "Ooh." Ready? Here it comes.

(fireworks exploding) Ooh.

Now this next one's really impressive.

We're going to go, "Ah." Ready? Here it comes.

(fireworks exploding) Ah.

Great.

Finally, this one's amazing.

I want you to do a, "Wow." Ready? Here we go.

Here comes the firework.

(fireworks exploding) Wow.

<v ->These songs and chants will help us to warm up further</v> as they help us to move our bodies and begin to sing higher and lower notes together.

Join in with "The More We Get Together." (gentle music) ♪ The more we get together ♪ ♪ Together, together ♪ ♪ The more we get together, the happier we'll be ♪ ♪ 'Cause your friends are my friends ♪ ♪ And my friends are your friends ♪ ♪ The more we get together, the happier we'll be ♪ <v ->Now let's try a really fun song, "Dr.

Knickerbocker."</v> Watch this video to learn how it goes, and you could join in with the video or you could try it on your own where you are using the audio button to help you.

Watch the video, then press pause to decide how you are going to enjoy "Dr.

Knickerbocker." (upbeat music) ♪ Dr.

Knickerbocker, Knickerbocker, number nine ♪ ♪ He likes to dance and to keep in time ♪ ♪ Now I've got the rhythm in my hands ♪ (claps) ♪ Now I've got rhythm in my hands ♪ (everyone clapping) ♪ Now I've got the rhythm of the number nine ♪ ♪ 1, 2, 3, 4 ♪ ♪ 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 ♪ ♪ Dr.

Knickerbocker, Knickerbocker, number nine ♪ ♪ He likes to dance and to keep in time ♪ ♪ Now I've got the rhythm in my feet ♪ ♪ Now I've got the rhythm in my feet ♪ ♪ Now I've got the rhythm of the number nine ♪ ♪ 1, 2, 3, 4 ♪ ♪ 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 ♪ ♪ Dr.

Knickerbocker, Knickerbocker, number nine ♪ ♪ He likes to dance and to keep in time ♪ ♪ Now I've got the rhythm in my hips ♪ ♪ Now I've got the rhythm in my hips ♪ ♪ Now I've got the rhythm of the number nine ♪ ♪ 1, 2, 3, 4 ♪ ♪ 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 ♪ <v ->And now here's "To Stop the Train."</v> Watch the video and join in with the singing and the actions.

Then if you'd like, you could try it by yourselves using the audio button.

♪ Ready, steady, off we go to stop the train ♪ ♪ In cases of emergency, pull down the chain ♪ ♪ Pull down the chain ♪ ♪ Penalty for improper use, five pounds ♪ ♪ To stop the train in cases of emergency ♪ ♪ Pull down the chain, pull down the chain ♪ ♪ Penalty for improper use, five pounds ♪ <v ->Let's check that you're ready to sing.

</v> Check that your muscles feel warm and that your throat feels relaxed, and check that you feel alert and ready to focus.

I do, so let's focus together and keep going.

Let's begin by adding a chanted ostinato to a chant.

Let's try chanting this rhythm.

We're going to repeat it eight times.

Can you notice that ta is always on the beat? Listen, then join in.

♪ Takadimi ta, takadimi at ♪ (metronome clicking) ♪ Takadimi ta, takadimi ta ♪ ♪ Takadimi ta, takadimi ta ♪ ♪ Takadimi ta, takadimi ta ♪ <v ->We can play this rhythm using body percussion.

</v> Let's pat our knees four times for takadimi, and clap our hands together once for ta.

You can't see my knees, so I'll tap in the air, but this bit will be on your knees.

♪ Takadimi ta, takadimi ta, takadimi ta ♪ Press pause to try that where you are.

Tap your knees for takadimi and then clap once for ta.

We can chant a rhythm at the same time as playing body percussion too.

Let's imagine we're a train chugging along a track.

It's going to look and sound like this.

♪ Chck a chck a choo, chck a chck a choo ♪ ♪ Chck a chck a choo, chck a chck a choo ♪ Press pause to try that where you are, tapping your knees and clapping your hands.

When we repeat a musical idea over and over again, we create an ostinato.

An ostinato is a repeating musical pattern, so when we repeat takadimi ta over and over again, we create an ostinato.

It's time for a check-in with our learning so far.

What is an ostinato? Is it A, a loud sound at the end of a song, B, a musical pattern that repeats over and over, or C, a song that gets faster and faster? Press pause to choose your answer.

What's an ostinato? Did you remember? Here comes the answer.

It's B, an ostinato is a musical pattern that repeats over and over.

Great understanding, everyone.

Let's chant "Engine, Engine." And as we chant, we'll move our arms forwards and backwards like the pistons on a train.

We know this one well now.

But I've got an extra challenge for you.

Can you spot how many beats are there in this chant? Here comes the audio.

Join in.

♪ Ready, steady, off we go ♪ ♪ Engine engine number nine ♪ ♪ Going down the Bristol line ♪ ♪ See it sparkle, see it shine ♪ ♪ Engine engine number nine ♪ (imitating train whistle) ♪ Engine engine number nine ♪ ♪ Going down the Bristol line ♪ ♪ See it sparkle, see it shine ♪ ♪ Engine engine number nine ♪ (imitating train whistle) ♪ Engine engine number nine ♪ ♪ Going down the Bristol line ♪ ♪ See it sparkle, see it shine ♪ ♪ Engine engine number nine ♪ (imitating train whistle) ♪ Engine engine number nine ♪ ♪ Going down the Bristol line ♪ ♪ See it sparkle, see it shine ♪ ♪ Engine engine number nine ♪ (imitating train whistle) <v ->Did you spot that there are 16 beats?</v> Well done if you did.

They're grouped into twos.

Strong, weak, so there are eight strong beats, each followed by a weak beat.

The rhythm takadimi ta is two beats long.

This means that we can repeat this rhythm eight times to fit into the 16 beats.

Let's listen to how that sounds, then press pause to try it where you are.

(claves clacking) It's your turn now.

Chant the ostinato as you follow the beats, and if you're ready and up for a challenge, you could add the body percussion too.

Press pause to give that challenge a try.

Let's put all of that together in this big musical challenge now.

This is going to sound amazing.

We're going to work in groups of four.

Two of you will be chanting "Engine, engine" with your piston actions, and two will be chanting and playing the ostinato, chk a chk a choo.

Stand in a four square as you chant and play together, and there's a picture on this slide to help you if you need it.

Remember to choose a leader to chant, "Ready, steady, off we go," to set your tempo.

And on the toots, all toot together.

(imitating train whistle) Press pause to try that musical challenge where you are and you can use the audio buttons to help you if you need any reminders.

Good luck.

How did you get on with that challenge? You will have been successful if you all started at the same time after your leader chanted, "Ready, steady, off we go." Could you feel the steady pulse helping to keep you all in time? And you were successful if you had a balanced sound so that you could hear both the chant and the ostinato together.

And were you able to finish all together neatly at the same time? Well done if you did.

A challenge like that takes a lot of practice.

Now let's add a chanted ostinato to a song.

We can add a chanted ostinato to a song too.

Let's start by singing "Train, Train" together in unison to remember how it goes.

Here's the music.

♪ Ready, steady, off we go ♪ ♪ Train, train, steady and strong ♪ ♪ Rolling down the track so long ♪ ♪ Toot your whistle, ring your bell ♪ ♪ Train, train, steady and strong ♪ (drum beating) ♪ Train, train, goes so fast ♪ ♪ Watch it as it zooms right past ♪ ♪ Toot your whistle, ring your bell ♪ ♪ Train, train, goes so fast ♪ (drum beating) ♪ Train, train, chugging slow ♪ ♪ Rolling through the rain and snow ♪ ♪ Toot your whistle, ring your bell ♪ ♪ Train, train, chugging slow ♪ (drum beating) ♪ Train, train, stop right there ♪ ♪ Standing still with time to spare ♪ ♪ Toot your whistle, ring your bell ♪ ♪ Train, train, stop right there ♪ <v ->Texture in music is the layering of sounds.

</v> Texture can be built by layering voices, instruments, body, percussion, chants, or any mix of these.

So the more layers of sound, the thicker the texture.

Try chanting this rhythm.

This one's ta-di ta.

We're going to repeat it eight times.

Listen to the audio, then press pause to try it where you are.

Notice that ta is always on the beat.

♪ Ta-di ta, ta-di ta, ta-di ta, ta-di ta ♪ ♪ Ta-di ta, ta-di ta, ta-di ta, ta-di ta ♪ <v ->We can play this rhythm using body percussion.

</v> Let's stomp our feet twice for ta-di, and clap our hands together once for ta.

Press pause to try that where you are.

We can chant a new rhythm at the same time as playing that body percussion.

Let's imagine we're a train again, this time, click clacking along the track.

It's going to sound like this.

You can't see my feet, but I am stomping.

Click, click, clack, click, click, clack, click, click, clack.

Press pause to try that where you are, body percussion and chanting the rhythm.

It's time to squeeze in another quick check-in.

Can you remember what is texture in music? Is it A how fast or slow the music is played, B, the layering of different musical sounds, or C, how loud or quiet the music is played? Press pause to choose your answer.

Here comes the answer.

Could you remember? It's B, texture is the layering of different musical sounds.

Great understanding about texture, everyone, and good remembering.

Let's sing verse one of "Train, Train." Can you work out how many beats there are in this verse? Here comes the music.

♪ Ready, steady, off we go ♪ ♪ Train, train, steady and strong ♪ ♪ Rolling down the track so long ♪ ♪ Toot your whistle, ring your bell ♪ ♪ Train, train, steady and strong ♪ <v ->Well done if you spotted that there are 16 beats here,</v> and they're grouped into twos, strong, weak.

There are eight strong beats each followed by a weak beat.

Ta-di ta is two beats long, so we can repeat this rhythm eight times into the 16 beats.

Have a listen.

(metronome beeping) It's your turn now.

Chant the ostinato as you follow the beats, and if you're ready, you could add our body percussion too.

Press pause to try that challenge where you are.

When the tempo gets faster, the pulse gets faster too, so this means we need to play our ostinato faster.

When the tempo gets slower, the pulse gets slower too, so this means we need to play our ostinato slower.

Listen to verse two of "Train, Train." Remember, this has a faster tempo than verse one.

Try chanting your ostinato and playing your body percussion under this faster verse.

Here comes the music.

♪ Ready, steady, off we go ♪ ♪ Train, train, goes so fast ♪ ♪ Watch it as it zooms right past ♪ ♪ Toot your whistle, ring your bell ♪ ♪ Train, train, goes so fast ♪ <v ->Now let's try verse three.

This one has a slower tempo.

</v> Try chanting the ostinato and playing your body percussion under this slower verse.

Here's verse three.

♪ Ready, steady, off we go ♪ ♪ Train, train, chugging slow ♪ ♪ Rolling through the rain and snow ♪ ♪ Toot your whistle, ring your bell ♪ ♪ Train, train, chugging slow ♪ <v ->We're going to put all of that together now.

</v> As a class, divide into two groups.

One group, you'll sing "Train, Train," and the other group will chant and play the ostinato, and then you could swap roles.

As you sing, chant and play, balance your sound so that we can hear both parts, and watch out for those tricky tempo changes in each verse.

Press pause to organize yourselves into your two groups, then meet me back here and I'll play the music.

Are you ready, group one? Are you ready, group two? Okay, here's the music.

♪ Ready, steady, off we go ♪ ♪ Train, train, steady and strong ♪ ♪ Rolling down the track so long ♪ ♪ Toot your whistle, ring your bell ♪ ♪ Train, train, steady and strong ♪ (drum beating) ♪ Train, train, goes so fast ♪ ♪ Watch it as it zooms right past ♪ ♪ Toot your whistle, ring your bell ♪ ♪ Train, train, goes so fast ♪ (drum beating) ♪ Train, train, chugging slow ♪ ♪ Rolling through the rain and snow ♪ ♪ Toot your whistle, ring your bell ♪ ♪ Train, train, chugging slow ♪ (drum beating) ♪ Train, train, stop right there ♪ ♪ Standing still with time to spare ♪ ♪ Toot your whistle, ring your bell ♪ ♪ Train, train, stop right there ♪ <v ->How did you get on with that challenge, everyone?</v> You'll have been successful if you all started at the same time after the leader sang, "Ready steady, off we go." Could you feel the pulse and notice the changing tempo, keeping you all in time? Well done if you did.

And you'll have been successful if you had a balanced sound so that you could hear both the chant and the ostinato.

And did you all finish together neatly at the same time? Great work, everyone.

We've come to the end of our lesson together today, all about building a thicker texture with a chanted ostinato.

Let's take a minute to think about everything we've been learning.

We know that short rhythmic patterns can be repeated to create an ostinato accompaniment for a chant or a song.

We know that the more layers of sound in a piece of music, the thicker the texture.

We know that beats are organized into patterns of strong beats and weak beats, and we know that when the tempo gets faster, we need to chant and sing faster.

And when the tempo gets slower, we need to chant and sing slower, just like we did in "Train, Train." Great work, musicians.

I can't wait to see you again soon for another music lesson.

Bye.