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Major and minor tonality folk songs

Folk songs and the major pentachord

Folk songs and the minor pentachord

Building texture with a melodic ostinato

Building texture with a minor accompaniment

Layering accompaniments under major and minor folk songs

This unit explores the different sounds and feelings associated with major and minor tonality explicitly. The pupils sing a variety of songs, some in a major key and some in a minor key. They use pitched percussion instruments to add different accompaniments to these.

Start with playing: adding layers to major and minor songs

Storytelling through song

How songs tell stories in theatre

Using opera to tell a story

Building and staging a song to tell a story

Ensemble storytelling through song

Sharing stories through performance

This unit develops the skill of storytelling through song. Pupils listen to a range of song styles that have a clear narrative or reveal how a character is feeling. Pupils explore how dynamics, tempo and pitch contribute to how meaning is conveyed using songs from theatre and opera.

Singing together: how stories are shared through song

Playing taals and speaking bols

Singing and playing raags

Singing and playing a melody in a five note raag

Improvising using a five note raag

Combining taals and raags

Bringing together taal, raag, and drone

This unit explores the three main components of Hindustani classical music. Pupils hear rhythmic patterns played on the tabla drums and learn how to recite a taal using the spoken mnemonic syllables (bols). They create texture by adding an improvised raag using five notes, and finally add a drone.

Compose and Create: improvising within Hindustani classical music

Practising effectively

Practising a rhythmic accompaniment

Practising a melodic accompaniment

Playing together as an ensemble

Rehearsing as an ensemble

Performing and reflecting on the rehearsal journey

In this unit, we explore effective ensemble rehearsal. Professional ensembles share their secrets for success when practising alone, in small groups and as a wider ensemble. Effective rehearsal strategies are then explicitly taught to the pupils and developed in our ensemble piece.

Playing together: effective rehearsing as part of an ensemble

Major tonalities

Major melodies and the major pentachord

Reading the five note major pentachord scale

Reading and playing major melodies

Composing and notating a major melody

Reading and performing major melodies

In this unit, pupils explore the tonality of a major melody through listening to a range of music. Pupils learn the major pentachord, the first five notes of the scale, on tuned percussion. They use this new scale to compose and notate short melodies.

Compose and Create: composing a major melody on a stave

Preparing for part work: staying in time and following melodic shape

Preparing for part work: practising songs in rhythm names and solfège

Partner songs and rounds

Rhythmic ostinato and practising rounds

Perform a melodic ostinato

Harmony writing and singing in 2 or 3 parts

This unit celebrates the many ways of singing in harmony, utilising rounds, partner songs, melodic and rhythmic ostinato and counter melody to create layers of sound. Through short examples, pupils discover how pitches can be combined to make pleasing harmonies.

Singing for performance: discovering different ways to sing in harmony

Introducing programme music

Composing programme music with a 'golden brick'

The golden ratio and music

Inspired by Earth Choir

In this unit, pupils are introduced to the term, programme music. They study the programme music symphonic work, Deep Field, by Eric Whitacre and use this as their inspiration for composing, considering structuring around the golden ratio and the use of small music ideas called golden bricks.

Compose and create: cosmic programme music

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Music

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