Lesson video

Hi, everyone, it's me again, Mrs. Steele, and in today's music lesson, we're going to be putting together everything that we've been learning throughout this unit together.

We're going to be rehearsing and evaluating an ensemble piece with a thick texture.

There's lots to do, so let's get started.

By the end of today's lesson, you'll be able to play your part in an ensemble piece with accuracy and an understanding of balance.

Here are today's keywords.

Practicing, deliberately making an effort to improve musical skills.

Rehearsing, to practice in order to improve and prepare for a performance.

Performance, a work that is presented to an audience.

And ensemble, a group of people who perform together.

We know how important it is to warm up before every music lesson.

This helps to make sure that our voices, our bodies, and our minds are ready to play and sing.

Join in with these warmups.

<v ->Let's begin by warming up our bodies,</v> because we know how important it is to warm up before we start making music and singing.

We'll begin with a stretch, arms high into the air, onto our tiptoes, hold onto a monkey bar, and we are going to not let go of that monkey bar, but we are going to lower our heels to the ground, so we're going to get taller.

Lowering to the count of four.

Here we go.

One, two, three, four.

Gosh, you're all super tall.

Drop your fingers, and your wrists, and your elbows, and your shoulders, relax your knees, and go.

(instructor babbling) (students babbling) Very good.

Let's do that one more time.

Stretch up, onto your tiptoes.

Hold onto the monkey bar.

Lowering our heels to a count of four, going one, two, three, four.

Gosh, you're so tall now.

Drop your fingers, and your wrists, and your elbows, and your shoulders, relax your knees and.

(instructor babbling) (students babbling) Very good.

Now, let's take up as much space as we can.

Make a really, really big space.

Huge shapes.

And we are going to shrink down into a teeny, tiny shape.

Tiny, tiny, tiny, tiny, tiny, like a little seed.

And we are now going to grow back to a big shape.

Are you're ready? One, two, three, go.

Grow, grow, grow, grow, grow, grow, grow, and relax.

Feet slightly apart, arms by our side.

Let's focus on our bodies now.

Wiggle your nose, and your knees, fingers, toes, bottoms, ears.

Back to nose, and fingers and toes together, and relax.

Really well done.

Now, we are going to warm up our faces by chewing a toffee.

Find yours.

Mine's in my pocket right here.

And it's this big.

And when we put it in our mouth, we're going to begin to chew.

Let's all do it together.

It's quite tough.

It's getting a bit softer.

Do some really good chewing.

Oh no, it's stuck to my teeth at the back.

I have to use my tongue.

A little bit.

Really big chewing now.

And now, we're going to do something horrible and chew with our mouth open.

Don't tell the folks at home.

Delicious.

<v ->Join in with me on this breathing exercise.

</v> We are going to breathe in for four, hold for four, breathe out for four, and hold for four, like a square.

Ready? (instructor inhales sharply) (clock ticking) (instructor exhales sharply) (clock ticking) (instructor inhales sharply) (clock ticking) (instructor exhales sharply) (clock ticking) (gentle piano music) ♪ One, one, two, one ♪ ♪ One, two, three, two, one ♪ ♪ One, two, three, four, three, two, one ♪ ♪ One, two, three, four, five, four, three, two, one ♪ ♪ One, two, three, four, five, six ♪ ♪ Five, four, three, two, one ♪ ♪ One, two, three, four, five, six, seven ♪ ♪ Six, five, four, three, two, one ♪ ♪ One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight ♪ ♪ Seven, six, five, four, three, two, one ♪ ♪ Eight, eight, seven, eight ♪ ♪ Eight, seven, six, seven, eight ♪ ♪ Eight, seven, six, five, six, seven, eight ♪ ♪ Eight, seven, six, five, four, five, six, seven, eight ♪ ♪ Eight, seven, six, five, four, three ♪ ♪ Four, five, six, seven, eight ♪ ♪ Eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two ♪ ♪ Three, four, five, six, seven, eight ♪ ♪ Eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one ♪ ♪ Two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight ♪ <v ->These songs and games will help us to warm up further,</v> as they help us to use our bodies and our voices in lots of different ways.

You've got lots of choices about how you warm up together today.

The first one is "Chocolate and Cappuccino." You could perform either of them in unison, play them with a partner, or layer up both songs together.

Press pause to choose which video is right for you.

Watch to see how it goes, then press pause to try it where you are.

You've got another decision to make now.

You can perform "Banaha" in unison or split into groups and sing it as a round.

Press pause to choose the audio button that you would like to do.

And finally, let's try "Obwisana." There are two challenges you could choose from here.

The first, quite tricky challenge with claves, and then the second, even trickier challenge with claves.

Press pause to choose which video's right for you.

Watch to see how it goes, then press pause to play "Obwisana." After all of that, I expect you're more than ready for music.

But just take a moment to check that you've got a comfortable singing posture and your voice feels warm and ready.

Let's begin by practicing each layer of a piece.

In this lesson, we're going to prepare and deliver a performance of partner songs that have five layers of sounds.

Layer one will be a rhythmic ostinato from "Bubblegum, Bubblegum." Layer two, the do, mi, so melody from "Chocolate" on pitched percussion instruments.

Layer three will be song one, "Chocolate." Layer four will be song two, "Bubblegum, Bubblegum." And layer five will be song three, "Salibonani." That will definitely create a thick texture.

Listen to what all of that will sound like together.

(gentle music) (gentle music) (singer vocalizing) (gentle music continues) (singers vocalizing) (gentle music continues) (singers continues vocalizing) (gentle music continues) (singers continues vocalizing) (gentle music continues) (singers continues vocalizing) (gentle music continues) (singers continues vocalizing) (singer vocalizing) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) <v ->Layer four in our piece is singing "Bubblegum, Bubblegum."</v> Let's practice singing this song with clear articulation.

Careful, it's very fast.

Here comes the music.

♪ Ready, steady, off we go ♪ ♪ Bubblegum, bubblegum, chew and blow ♪ ♪ Bubblegum, bubblegum, scrape your toe ♪ ♪ Bubblegum, bubblegum, tastes so sweet ♪ ♪ Get that bubblegum off my feet ♪ ♪ Bubblegum, bubblegum, chew and blow ♪ ♪ Bubblegum, bubblegum, scrape your toe ♪ ♪ Bubblegum, bubblegum, tastes so sweet ♪ ♪ Get that bubblegum off my feet ♪ ♪ Bubblegum, bubblegum, chew and blow ♪ ♪ Bubblegum, bubblegum, scrape your toe ♪ ♪ Bubblegum, bubblegum, tastes so sweet ♪ ♪ Get that bubblegum off my feet ♪ ♪ Bubblegum, bubblegum, chew and blow ♪ ♪ Bubblegum, bubblegum, scrape your toe ♪ ♪ Bubblegum, bubblegum, tastes so sweet ♪ ♪ Get that bubblegum off my feet ♪ <v ->Let's practice layer one now.

</v> Layer one is our "Bubblegum"-inspired rhythmic ostinato, but today, we're going to add some body percussion to this.

Choose a different action for each rhythm.

You could use the example that you can see here on the screen or create something new.

Remember, the rhythmic ostinato sounds like this.

♪ Bubblegum, bubblegum, chew and blow ♪ ♪ Bubblegum, bubblegum, chew and blow ♪ ♪ Bubblegum, bubblegum, chew and blow ♪ <v ->Press pause now to decide</v> what your body percussion actions are going to be and have a practice, and there are audio buttons to help you do this if you'd like them, one at a slow tempo, the other one quite a bit faster.

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

Listen carefully to the final performance with all five layers.

How many times is the "Bubblegum-"inspired rhythmic ostinato played before the next layer of sound enters? Listen carefully.

Count how many times you hear it.

(gentle music) (gentle music) (singer vocalizing) (gentle music continues) (singers vocalizing) (gentle music continues) (singers continue vocalizing) (gentle music continues) (singers continue vocalizing) (gentle music continues) (singers continue vocalizing) (singer vocalizing) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) Here comes the answer.

We hear it four times, and then the "Chocolate" melody enters.

Well done if you spotted that.

Great listening.

Now, let's practice layer three, singing "Chocolate" with a partner.

When you're doing the actions here, remember how these represent the shape of the melody as it rises and falls.

You might like to practice your three part round here too.

Remember that "Chocolate" sounds like this.

♪ Choco, choco, la, la ♪ ♪ Choco, choco, te, te ♪ ♪ Choco, la, choco, te ♪ ♪ Choco, choco, la, te ♪ <v ->Press pause to practice that with a partner</v> and your actions, and you can use the audio button to support if you need it.

Let's move on to practicing layer two, playing the "Chocolate" melody on pitched percussion.

Singing as you play can help you to remember the melody.

Press pause to play "Chocolate" on your pitched percussion instrument, and you can use the audio button to support if you need it.

Well done, everyone.

We're practicing a lot of different things today.

There's just time to squeeze in a quick check-in.

How many times is "Chocolate" sung in total during the final performance? Listen carefully.

How many times can you hear "Chocolate" sung? (gentle music) (gentle music continues) (singer vocalizing) (singers vocalizing) (gentle music continues) (singers continues vocalizing) (gentle music continues) (singers continues vocalizing) (gentle music continues) (singers continues vocalizing) (singer vocalizing) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) Here comes the answer.

It's sung eight times.

It's the first of the songs to enter, and the last to be heard.

Now, let's practice singing the first half of "Salibonani." ♪ Salibonani, Salibonani ♪ ♪ Salibonani, Salibonani ♪ <v ->You might like to perform it with the body percussion too,</v> and then that adds a sixth layer.

Press pause to practice singing "Salibonani" with body percussion actions if you're up for a challenge.

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

True or false? "Salibonani" is the last layer to enter in the final performance? It is also the last layer to exit.

Listen again to the final performance, then press pause to decide, is that statement true or false? Here's the music.

(gentle music) (gentle music continues) (singer vocalizing) (singers vocalizing) (gentle music continues) (singers continues vocalizing) (gentle music continues) (singers continues vocalizing) (gentle music continues) (singers continues vocalizing) (singer vocalizing) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) What did you decide? It's false.

Well done if you spotted that.

The structure of this piece is like a triangle.

Each layer enters one by one and exits in the opposite order, so "Salibonani" enters last and exits first.

As we build towards our final performance, it's really useful to spend some time reflecting on our current strengths and weaknesses, so let's do that together now.

Are there any layers that need practicing as a whole class? Is there something that you'd like to practice again in particular, on your own or in a small group? Then we can decide who will perform each layer of the piece based on their strengths and preferences.

Press pause now to talk about all of these things and decide who's going to perform which layer in your final piece.

Hi again.

I can't hear what you were all saying.

I wish I could, but here are some ideas about what you might have talked about.

You might have considered how well you feel the pulse, how accurately you can play instrumental parts, or how confident you feel singing the songs.

There might be individual parts or even two of the layers that you know you find tricky piecing together.

Well done if you spotted that.

Think about all the different ways that you can practice to improve.

Did any of you talk about using hand signs or body actions? And remember that each layer has equal responsibility, but you may find some parts easier or harder than others, or you might enjoy a particular role.

You can choose what suits you and the rest of your group.

Now, let's move on to rehearsing a five-layered ensemble piece.

By now, everyone should know their role in the final performance, so it's time to rehearse effectively as an ensemble, ensuring that you're best prepared to perform.

As you rehearse, remember to make sure that the sound is balanced equally.

We want to hear the texture thicken, and then become thinner again.

Here are some top tips for rehearsing as an ensemble.

Tip one: make sure everyone in the ensemble knows how each part sounds and fits together.

Listen to the final performance.

Note down when your part enters and how many times you play or sing before you exit again.

Check that you understand how all the parts fit together.

Here's the music for the final performance.

Note down when your part enters, how many times you play or sing before you exit.

(gentle music) (gentle music continues) (singer vocalizing) (singers vocalizing) (gentle music continues) (singers vocalizing) (gentle music continues) (singers continues vocalizing) (gentle music continues) (singers continues vocalizing) (singer vocalizing) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) Here's top tip number two: decide on a leader to be your conductor.

Check that you know who your conductor is.

Can you see them? How will they start the piece and set the tempo? And how will they help to hold a steady pulse? Press pause to decide and organize that now.

Here's top tip number three for rehearsing as an ensemble: listen to each other and offer feedback.

Listen to each layer of the ensemble perform their part and check that you've given or received helpful feedback from your team.

Now, it's time to use those rehearsal strategies and practice your five-layer piece.

You might like to prepare for a performance, but this isn't essential.

You could perform in a smaller ensemble group or as a whole class.

Here's the slide that you might need while you're using our rehearsal strategies.

Okay, it's time to press pause and practice your five-layer piece.

Good luck.

Hello again.

How did it go? Let's listen to the recording of the final performance one last time.

As you listen, reflect on the following questions.

How does your ensemble playing compare? If you had more time to practice on your own, what would you practice and why? And if you had more time to rehearse as an ensemble, what would you work on and what rehearsal strategies would you use and why? Here comes the final performance once again, then press pause, and you might like to share your ideas about some of those questions or think about it in your thinking voice.

(gentle music) (gentle music continues) (singer vocalizing) (gentle music continues) (singers vocalizing) (gentle music continues) (singers continues vocalizing) (gentle music continues) (singers continues vocalizing) (gentle music continues) (singers continues vocalizing) (singer vocalizing) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) We've come to the end of our music lesson today, so let's take a moment to think about everything we've been learning.

We know that practicing is essential to develop musical skills.

We've certainly done a lot of practicing today.

We know that adding an instrumental melody and rhythmic ostinato to partner songs creates a thick texture, just like we did with our five-layer piece today.

We know that every part in an ensemble has an important role, and that practicing skills and rehearsal techniques can be developed.

And finally, we know that rehearsing together is essential to ensure that we're playing in time together and with balanced dynamics.

Fantastic work again, everyone, I can't wait to see you again soon for another music lesson.

Bye.