Lesson video

Hello, musicians! Welcome back.

It's me again, Mrs. Steele, and I'm really excited to be guiding you through this music lesson today.

In this lesson, we're going to be putting together everything we've been learning throughout this unit and performing songs with simple accompaniments.

Let's get performing together.

By the end of today's lesson, you'll be able to perform songs with two or more layers, singing your part accurately and keeping a steady pulse.

Here are the key words that we'll need in our lesson today.

Warm up, a sequence of exercises used to prepare the mind, body and voice for singing or playing instruments.

Rehearse, to practise in order to improve and prepare for performance.

Perform, presenting our work in front of others.

Conductor, a person who directs musicians or singers.

And audience, a group of people gathered to listen and watch a live performance.

But first we know how important it is to warm up our voices and body before each and every music lesson because we need to make sure that all of our muscles, even the teeny, tiny little ones in our throat, are ready to move and ready to sing.

And we need to keep our voices strong and healthy, don't we? So let's join in with these warm-ups so that we're ready to sing safely.

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

</v> Copy me.

Big face.

(playful piano music) Little face.

(playful piano music continues) Big face.

(playful piano music continues) Little face.

(playful piano music continues) Big face.

(playful piano music continues) Little face.

(playful piano music continues) <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 one, 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 (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 gonna 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 gonna pretend that we're at a fireworks display.

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

(firework whizzes and bangs) Ooh! Now this next one's really impressive.

We're gonna go, "Aah!" Ready? Here it comes.

(firework whizzes and bangs) Aah! Great.

Finally, this one's amazing.

I want you to do a "Wow!" Ready? Here we go, here comes the firework.

(firework whizzes and bangs) Wow! <v ->These songs and chants will help us to warm up further,</v> as they help us to move our body and use our voices in lots of different ways.

Let's join in with "Slowly, Slowly." Here's the video.

<v ->Ready, steady.

Off we go.

</v> 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 sing "The More We Get Together." Here's the music.

</v> ♪ The more we get together, together, together ♪ ♪ The more we get together, the happier we'll be ♪ ♪ Because your friends are my friends ♪ ♪ And my friends are your friends ♪ ♪ The more we get together the happier we'll be ♪ <v ->And, finally, have fun with "Dr.

Knickerbocker."</v> Here's the video.

Join in if you'd like to, or you might like to watch the video to remind yourselves how it goes, then press the audio button to sing it by yourselves.

♪ Doctor Knickerbocker, Knickerbocker, number nine ♪ ♪ He likes to dance and to keep in time ♪ ♪ Now I've got the rhythm in my hands ♪ (hands clapping) ♪ Now I've got the rhythm in my hands ♪ (hands clapping) ♪ Now Ive got the rhythm of the number nine ♪ ♪ One, two, three, four ♪ ♪ Five, six, seven, eight, nine ♪ ♪ Dr.

Knickerbocker, Knickerbocker, number nine ♪ ♪ He likes to dance and to keep in time ♪ ♪ Now I've got the rhythm in my feet ♪ (feet tapping) ♪ Now I've got the rhythm in my feet ♪ (feet tapping) ♪ Now I've got the rhythm of the number nine ♪ ♪ One, two, three, four ♪ ♪ Five, six, seven, eight, nine ♪ ♪ 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 ♪ ♪ One, two, three, four ♪ ♪ Five, six, seven, eight, nine ♪ <v ->Let's take a moment to check that you're ready to sing.

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

You are ready to sing.

Let's start.

We're going to begin by rehearsing our songs.

I'm really excited about this lesson today because today we're going to perform all of the songs we've learned in this unit for an audience.

Performing gives us an opportunity to celebrate all of our hard work in music and creates a shared musical experience with an audience.

What do you enjoy about listening to and watching a musical performance? You might like to press pause now to share your ideas about that question.

Or you could think about it in your own thinking voice.

Before we perform, we hold a rehearsal.

Before our rehearsal, we warm up to make sure that we're ready to sing and that we'll be able to do our best singing.

Do you think you warmed up effectively today? Check that you warmed up your body, your face, your breathing, very important, your voice and your mouth.

Did you warm up all of those things? A rehearsal is really important because it gets us ready to perform our best, and that's why musicians do lots and lots of rehearsing.

When we rehearse, we can make sure that we know where we're standing, that we know who our conductor is and where they're going to stand.

We can make sure that we know what song we're going to sing first, and what we're going to sing next, so we know what's happening.

And we need to make sure that we know which part we're singing in each song so that we know what to do.

We also need to think about if we know what to do if we think something's going to go wrong, and how we're going to thank our audience at the end.

A conductor is a leader who tells us when to start and stop singing.

They might invite us to start singing by opening their hands and to stop singing by closing their hands like this.

Start.

Stop.

A conductor might also tell us to sing louder or quieter.

The conductor can also help us if we're struggling to feel the pulse.

For example, they might give us a special signal to slow down, or they might give us a beat to follow, like this, or they might give us a special signal to speed up.

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

Why do we rehearse before a performance? Is it A, to learn new songs? B, to help us feel ready to perform? Or C, to practise songs we don't know well yet? Press pause to choose your answer.

Here's the answer.

It's B.

Well done.

We rehearse before a performance to help us feel ready to perform so that we can perform our best.

Well done if you got that right.

Here's your first job.

As a class, create your set list.

Your set list is the order of the songs you'd like to perform.

So rearrange these songs below in the order that you're going to perform them today.

Will you perform them all, or will it just be a selection? Press pause to write down your set list now, as a class.

<v ->Now it's time to hold your rehearsal</v> to prepare for your performance.

Rehearse in the space that you're going to perform in, and make sure that you do these things to help you prepare in the space.

Make sure you know where to stand, that you know how quiet or loud the songs sound in your performance space, and that you know what it feels like to stand on the stage in your performance space.

Press pause to hold your rehearsal.

Good luck! Let's spend a moment reflecting on your rehearsal time.

Do you know where you're standing? Could you see the conductor? Do you know the order of your songs, or your set list? And do you know how you're going to start and finish your performance? You could press pause if you're not sure about the answer to any of these questions now and go back and check.

Okay, we're ready to perform our songs.

Performing music is a chance to share everything we've learned with an audience, so it's a really exciting time.

It's not just about singing the right notes, it's about showing confidence, teamwork, and joy in music.

That's the most important thing.

An audience is a group of people gathered to listen to and watch a live performance.

Your audience will be looking forward to hearing you perform and they want you to do well.

Remember that when we perform, we're telling a musical story, not just singing words.

So show characterful expression in your voice.

Use dynamics, both loud and soft, to make the song interesting, and do your actions together and clearly, with lots of energy.

Our audience wants to join us on our musical journey.

So tell them your musical story with your performance.

It's time to squeeze in a quick check-in before it's your turn to perform.

What helps your audience enjoy your performance? Is it A, turning away from them? B, mumbling the words? C, singing clearly and with expression? Or D, singing very fast and loud? I expect you can work out the answer.

Press pause to check that you're all thinking the same thing.

Here comes the answer.

It's C.

Of course you knew.

We're not gonna turn away from our audience.

We're definitely not going to mumble the words.

And we're not going to just sing very fast and loud.

We're going to sing clearly and with expression.

And our audience will be on that musical journey with us.

And they'll have an amazing time.

So will we.

Sometimes the thought of performing can make us feel a bit nervous, and that's totally fine.

All musicians sometimes get a little bit nervous before they perform.

If you're nervous, act like you're ready.

So make sure you're sitting or standing tall.

Face your audience and smile, or show the mood of the music.

And remember that your conductor is there to help you.

And that nervous feeling will melt away once you start to sing.

This is the last check-in before we're going to go for it.

True or false? Performing means celebrating your hard work in music and sharing it with an audience.

Show me a thumbs up if that's true, and a thumbs down if it's false.

It's true.

Well done! Performing is a chance to share your learning and joy of music with others.

It's a chance for us to have fun and feel proud of everything we've been learning.

The moment's here.

It's time to perform your songs for an audience.

Your audience could be another class, your friends, teachers, or family.

Remember to show how well you can sing your part clearly and confidently.

Remember to keep a steady pulse, and listen to others to create a balanced musical texture.

Remember to show those great performance skills.

Think about your posture, your focus, your expression, and your character.

Good luck, and most importantly, have a great time.

After you've performed, it's always a good idea to reflect on your performance together.

How did it go? I really wish I could have heard it.

I bet it was amazing.

Sam, Sofia and Jacob have been reflecting on their performance.

Sam says, "I loved singing with my group because it sounded amazing when all the parts came together." Sofia says, "It was my favorite lesson because we got to perform like real musicians." Well, they are real musicians, and so are you.

And Jacob says, "The best bit was when the audience clapped.

I felt really proud." I hope you're feeling really proud of your performance too.

Well done, everybody.

We've reached the end of our lesson today, and the end of this unit.

Thank you so much for coming on this musical journey with me.

Before we say goodbye, let's take a moment to think about everything that we've been learning.

We know that warming up prepares us for rehearsing and performing safely, and it helps us to do our best.

We know that a rehearsal helps us prepare for a performance and can help us to feel less nervous.

We know that a conductor gives us musical signals to help us to perform well.

And we know that an audience wants to enjoy a successful musical performance with us.

Great performing, everyone.

What amazing singing! I can't wait to see you again sometime soon for another music lesson.

Bye, musicians!.