Lesson video

Hello again everyone.

My name is Mrs. Steele and I'm back with another music lesson to guide you through today.

In today's lesson we'll be learning all about developing part singing and singing is my absolute favorite thing, so I'm excited to get started.

By the end of today's lesson, you'll be able to practice a song to prepare for a performance.

Here are the keywords that we'll need in our learning together today.

There are quite a few and the first one is practice.

To work on improving musical skills.

Balance, making sure that all the musical parts work together and no part is too loud or too quiet.

Dynamics, how loud or quiet the music is played or sung.

Melody, a combination of notes to make a memorable tune and accompaniment, a musical part that supports the main melody or chant, for example, an ostinato.

But, before we begin, we know very well that it's really important to warm up our voices and our bodies before every music lesson, to make sure that all of our muscles, even the teeny tiny ones in our throat are ready to move and ready to sing.

And to make sure we can keep our voices strong and healthy.

Join in with these warmups, so that you're ready to sing safely.

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

</v> Big face.

(upbeat music) Little face.

(upbeat music) Big face.

(upbeat music) Little face.

(upbeat music) Big face.

(upbeat music) Little face.

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

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

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

A bit like this, in, two, three, four, and.

(wind blowing) Let's give it a try.

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

(wind blowing) Great, now let's pretend that you're a year older.

You're five now, we're gonna breathe in for five and then blow out five candles.

Here we go.

Ready, and, in, two, three, four, five, and.

(wind 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.

(wind blowing) Well done.

Now, let's start warming up our voices.

We're gonna pretend that we're at a fireworks display.

We're gonna imagine seeing an amazing firework and then we're gonna say, oo.

Ready, here it comes.

(firework exploding) Oo.

Now, this next one's really impressive.

We're gonna go, ah.

Ready, here it comes.

(firework exploding) Ah.

Great, finally, this one's amazing.

I want you to do a, wow.

Ready, here we go, here comes the firework.

(firework exploding) Wow.

<v ->These songs and chants will help us</v> to warm up further as they help us to use our bodies and our voices in lots of different and interesting ways.

Let's start off by joining in with, Slowly Slowly.

Here comes the video.

♪ Ready, steady, off we go ♪ ♪ Slowly, slowly, very slowly ♪ ♪ Creeps the garden snail ♪ ♪ Slowly, slowly, very slowly ♪ ♪ Up the garden rail ♪ ♪ Quickly, quickly, very quickly ♪ ♪ Runs the little mouse ♪ ♪ Quickly, quickly, very quickly ♪ ♪ All about the house ♪ <v ->Now, let's sing, knock on the door.

</v> Here's the music.

(upbeat music) ♪ Hello? ♪ ♪ Knock, knock, knock, on the door ♪ ♪ Who could it be? ♪ ♪ There's a little baby with a song for me ♪ <v Teacher>Hi, little baby, let's hear your song.

</v> ♪ Wah, wah, wah, wah, wah, wah ♪ ♪ Wah, wah, wah, wah ♪ ♪ Wah, wah, wah, wah, wah, wah ♪ ♪ Wah, wah, wah, wah ♪ <v Teacher>That was lovely, bye.

</v> (door closing) (upbeat music) ♪ Knock, knock, knock, on the door ♪ ♪ Who could it be? ♪ ♪ There's a cheeky monkey with a song for me ♪ Hi, monkey, let's hear your song.

♪ Oo, oo, oo, ah, ah, ah ♪ ♪ Oo, oo, oo, ah ♪ ♪ Oo, oo, oo, ah, ah, ah ♪ ♪ Oo, oo, oo, ah ♪ Aw, thank you very much, bye.

(door closing) (upbeat music) ♪ Knock, knock, knock, on the door ♪ ♪ Who could it be? ♪ ♪ There's a spooky ghost with a song for me ♪ Oh, hello, let's hear your song.

♪ Oo, oo, oo, oo, oo, oo, oo, oo ♪ Aw, that was scary.

Thanks, bye.

(door closing) (upbeat music) ♪ Knock, knock, knock, on the door ♪ ♪ Who could it be? ♪ ♪ There's a tiny mouse with a song for me ♪ Hi, little mouse.

Let's hear your song.

♪ Ee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee ♪ ♪ Ee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee ♪ Lovely, thanks, bye.

(door closing) (upbeat music) ♪ Knock, knock, knock, on the door ♪ ♪ Who could it be? ♪ ♪ There's an opera singer with a song for me ♪ Hi, let's hear that song.

♪ La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la ♪ ♪ La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la ♪ Ah, that's enough visitors for one day.

(door closing) <v ->And finally, join in with, My Journey Song.

</v> Here's the music for you.

(upbeat music) ♪ I'm driving in my car ♪ ♪ Engine purring, it isn't far, oh yeah ♪ ♪ Driving in my car ♪ ♪ Oh yeah, driving in my car ♪ ♪ Driving, flying, sailing by ♪ ♪ On the sea or in the sky ♪ ♪ Oh yeah, journey won't be long ♪ ♪ Driving, flying, sailing by ♪ ♪ On the sea or in the sky ♪ ♪ Oh yeah, it's my journey song ♪ ♪ I'm riding down the rails ♪ ♪ Steam train chuffing, it never fails ♪ ♪ Oh yeah, riding on a train ♪ ♪ Oh yeah, riding on a train ♪ ♪ Driving, flying, sailing by ♪ ♪ On the sea or in the sky ♪ ♪ Oh yeah, journey won't be long ♪ ♪ Driving, flying, sailing by ♪ ♪ On the sea or in the sky ♪ ♪ Oh yeah, it's my journey song ♪ ♪ I'm sailing on a boat ♪ ♪ Bobbing, bouncing as I float ♪ ♪ Oh yeah, sailing on a boat ♪ ♪ Oh yeah, sailing on a boat ♪ ♪ Driving, flying, sailing by ♪ ♪ On the sea or in the sky ♪ ♪ Oh yeah, journey won't be long ♪ ♪ Driving, flying, sailing by ♪ ♪ On the sea or in the sky ♪ ♪ Oh yeah, it's my journey song ♪ ♪ I'm flying in a plane ♪ ♪ Soaring over the clouds again ♪ ♪ Oh yeah, flying in a plane ♪ ♪ Oh yeah, flying in a plane ♪ ♪ Driving, flying, sailing by ♪ ♪ On the sea or in the sky ♪ ♪ Oh yeah, journey won't be long ♪ ♪ Driving, flying, sailing by ♪ ♪ On the sea or in the sky ♪ ♪ Oh yeah, it's my journey song ♪ <v ->After all of that I expect you are ready to sing.

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

Great stuff, let's keep going.

We're going to begin by practicing songs in unison.

We can practice our songs to get better at singing them, and then we'll be ready to perform.

When we practice together, there are lots of different things we can think about.

For example, we can think about, are we all singing in time together? Is this a good tempo for our song? Do we sound like a choir, all trying to sing together? Are we singing with character? And is each part of the song balanced, not too loud and not too quiet? There are lots of things to consider when we practice.

Let's start by singing, She'll be Coming Round the Mountain in unison.

Here comes the music.

(upbeat music) ♪ She'll be coming round the mountain when she comes ♪ ♪ She'll be coming round the mountain when she comes ♪ ♪ She'll be coming round the mountain ♪ ♪ She'll be coming round the mountain ♪ ♪ She'll be coming round the mountain when she comes ♪ ♪ Singing ay ay yippee yippee ay ♪ ♪ Singing ay ay yippee yippe ay ♪ ♪ Singing ay ay yippee, ay ay yippee ♪ ♪ Ay ay yippee yippee ay ♪ (upbeat music) <v ->This song has an excited, jolly feel, doesn't it?</v> We're going to try singing it again, but this time, can you give it a bouncy feel and a strong happy sound as you sing? Try to sing all of the lyrics really clearly.

As we sing it again, think about adding lots of energy and charactable singing to your practice.

Imagine yourselves fizzing with energy and if you can smile as you sing, that's extra amazing, because then the smile can be heard in your singing.

Here comes the music again.

Can you sound bouncy and happy? (upbeat music) ♪ She'll be coming round the mountain when she comes ♪ ♪ She'll be coming round the mountain when she comes ♪ ♪ She'll be coming round the mountain ♪ ♪ She'll be coming round the mountain ♪ ♪ She'll be coming round the mountain when she comes ♪ ♪ Singing ay ay yippee yippee ay ♪ ♪ Singing ay ay yippee yippee ay ♪ ♪ Singing ay ay yippie, ay ay yippie ♪ ♪ Ay ay yippie yippie ay ♪ (upbeat music) <v ->Next, let's sing, To Stop the Train, in unison.

</v> You might like to add a four beat body percussion pattern.

Or you could just focus on doing the actions.

Press pause to decide, and then meet me back here when you're ready for me to play the music.

Ready? Here's the music for, To Stop the Train.

(upbeat music) ♪ 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 ->In this song, some of the rhythms can be a bit tricky</v> to keep in time.

Tap your foot gently to the beat, to help you to sing exactly together.

As we sing again, listen carefully to the beat and make sure you're all singing exactly together as a team.

Sam found it really helpful to tap her foot as she practiced.

Try that together now.

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

True or false, practicing can be helpful, even if we think we know a song well.

There's always something else that we can try.

Do you think that's true, show me a thumb up, or false, show me thumb's down.

Well done if you're showing me a thumb up, because that's true.

Even if we think we know a song well, there's always something else that we can try or another way that we can improve it.

It can be helpful to ask someone else to listen to you sing, to offer feedback on how you can keep practicing and keep improving.

Let's practice, When the Train Comes Along.

This song needs a different character.

Sing this with a gentle, thoughtful voice.

This will be a quieter singing voice than our other songs.

Here comes the music, can you sound gentle and thoughtful? (slow music) ♪ When the train comes along ♪ ♪ When the train comes along ♪ ♪ I'm gonna meet you at the station ♪ ♪ When the train comes along ♪ ♪ If my mother asks for me ♪ ♪ If my mother asks for me ♪ ♪ Tell her I'll meet her at the station ♪ ♪ If my mother asks for me ♪ (slow music) <v ->A really useful way to improve our practice</v> is to record ourselves singing, so you might like to record yourself singing, When the Train Comes Along, then you can listen back to the recording, or ask a teacher for feedback.

Can you spot, did you sing all together in unison, sounding like a choir? Did you create a different character from the other songs, in The Train Comes Along? And, were you able to sing quietly and gently? Listen carefully to your feedback and perhaps practice one more time.

Now, let's move on to practicing songs in parts.

When we chant or sing two or more different parts, we need to think about how loud we're performing, because we might want some layers to sound quieter or louder than others.

Remember, dynamics means how loud or quiet the music is.

So, we need to think carefully about our dynamics.

Divide into two parts and chant engine, engine, number nine, with the chanted ostinato underneath.

♪ Chugga chugga choo ♪ ♪ Chugga chugga choo ♪ And remember, we added some body percussion actions to that chanted ostinato too.

Press pause to try that challenge where you are.

Let's take a moment to think about that performance.

Was the chant too loud, or the ostinato too quiet? Could you hear all the lyrics of the chant clearly? And how could you make it sound more balanced? When both parts are too loud, the chant will sound unbalanced and a bit messy, I wonder if that's what happened to you just then.

Let's try chanting again.

This time really concentrating on creating a balanced sound.

Chanting louder is not always better.

Remember, your part will sound much better if the parts are balanced.

Press pause to try that challenge again.

This time, concentrate on creating a balanced sound.

Izzy and Alex tried that challenge.

Here are some of their thoughts.

Izzy noticed that sometimes when I sing faster, I also begin to sing louder.

Great spot Izzy, that happens to me sometimes too.

And Alex says, sometimes when I sing slower, I also begin to sing quieter.

Is that something that you've noticed too? For Train, Train, we need to decide if we want to change dynamics or try and keep them the same even when the tempo changes.

So, it's up to you, but we need to decide together what we're going to do and all do the same thing.

Here's your next challenge.

Divide into two groups and sing, Train, Train, with your chanted ostinato underneath.

Decide if you want to change dynamics for each verse or keep them the same.

Press pause to make your decisions and organize yourselves into groups and meet me back here when you're ready for me to play the music.

Are you ready everyone? Here comes the music for Train, Train.

Good luck, and have fun.

♪ 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 ♪ ♪ Train, train, goes so fast ♪ ♪ Watch it as it zooms right past ♪ ♪ Toot your whistle, ring your bell ♪ ♪ Train, train, goes so fast ♪ (upbeat music) ♪ Train, train, clacking slow ♪ ♪ Rolling through the rain and snow ♪ ♪ Toot your whistle, ring your bell ♪ ♪ Train, train, clacking slow ♪ ♪ Train, train, stop right there ♪ ♪ Standing still with time to spare ♪ ♪ Toot your whistle, ring your bell ♪ ♪ Train, train, stop right there ♪ <v ->Let's take a moment to think about your singing</v> in, Train, Train, just then.

Did you control your dynamics? When the tempo changed, did you still keep the balance between the melody and the ostinato? That's very tricky to do.

Did you make sure your ostinato was quieter than the melody, so that we could hear all the lyrics? Let's try practicing singing and chanting again.

This time, focus on making the melody a little bit louder than the ostinato.

Jacob managed this challenge.

He says, as I performed my ostinato, I listened carefully to the singing to make sure that I wasn't chanting too loud.

See if you can be like Jacob, when you practice one more time.

Press pause to try it again.

This time, make the melody a little bit louder than the ostinato.

It's time for another check in with our learning.

Why do we need the melody or song to be louder than the accompaniment, ostinato? Is it A, because when we sing it's harder to control our dynamics than when we chant? B, because it's harder to sing, so singing louder helps us get it right? Or C, it's the accompaniment's job to support the melody, not overtake it? Do you think the answer's A, B, or C? Press pause to decide.

Here's the answer, it's C.

Well done if you remembered that.

We need the melody or the song to be louder than the accompaniment, in this case the ostinato, because it's the accompaniment's job to support the melody, not to overtake it.

Great understanding if you got that right.

It's time for our grand finale.

This is the trickiest number.

It's going to be amazing.

Practice singing, Freedom Train, ready for a performance.

Remember to build your song gradually as you practice.

Start by practicing the song.

Can you sing with lots of character and that important sense of pride? Once you've mastered that, practice your.

♪ This old freedom train ♪ Sung ostinato.

Sing this as a whole class against the song so that you can get used to how they sound together.

Once you've mastered that, practice your.

♪ Chck-A-Chck, chck-a-chck, chck-a-chck, chck-a-chck ♪ Ostinato.

Chant this as a whole class against the song so that you can get used to how they sound together.

Then, if you want an extra challenge because you're absolute experts.

Practice your four beat body percussion pattern with a strong beat first.

When you've decided how many layers of sound you would like to include, divide into groups and practice the whole thing, putting those layers of sound together.

Remember to keep thinking about balancing your sound as you do that, and adding lots of proud character.

You're going to want to do this at your own pace where you are and gradually build up your song.

So, I'll put the lyrics on the screen before you press pause.

Here are the lyrics, it's time to press pause and try practicing, This Old Freedom Train, gradually building up all of those different layers at your own pace.

Remember, you can use the audio button to help you and go back to refer to the previous slides to see which different bits you need to practice, if you need a reminder.

Good luck, and I'll see you on the other side.

Once you've done all of that amazing practice, you might like to record yourselves singing, Freedom Train, then listen back to the recording or ask a teacher for feedback.

You can spot, did you feel a steady pulse throughout, keeping you all in time? And was your sound balanced with the song being heard clearly over the accompaniments? You might like to listen to your feedback carefully and maybe practice one more time.

We've reached the end of our lesson together today.

So, let's take a moment to think about everything we've been learning together.

We know that practicing helps to improve musical skills and prepare for performance.

And we know, that we can sing with different characters or feeling.

We know that controlling dynamics helps different parts in music be heard clearly.

And an accompaniment should support the melody, not overpower it.

And finally, we know that singing musically means thinking about the whole sound, not just our own voice.

What wonderful singing and practicing everyone.

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

Bye.