Lesson video

Hi, everyone.

It's me, Mrs. Steele.

And in today's music lesson, we are going to be learning about celebrating through song.

But before we begin, there are a few listening examples today that don't feature in this video.

So if you haven't already done so, please press Pause to find those listening examples now.

There's a teacher guidance slide at the beginning of the slide deck to help you with this.

Are you ready? Let's get started together.

By the end of today's lesson, you'll be able to recognize how dynamics of music or singing can change to suit different celebrations.

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

Dynamics, how loud or quiet the music is.

Piano, a musical direction to perform softly at a quieter volume.

Forte, a musical direction to perform strongly, at a louder volume.

And crescendo, a gradual increase in loudness or intensity.

We're going to begin by learning about the impact of dynamics in songs for celebrations.

Songs are used in many different celebrations, and this lesson looks at celebration songs and the impact of dynamics.

Some pieces of music allowed throughout and some quiet, whilst others change dynamics throughout, depending on the message that the music is trying to convey.

Dynamics play a big important role in the way that music affects us.

And music in a film or a video game is a really good example of this.

Music that's played quietly might be to make the audience feel relaxed, but it also might be to make us feel suspenseful.

Listen to the clip from "Chasing the Past" from the film score to Encanto composed by Germaine Franco.

Press Pause to find that listening example now.

What did you think of that listening example? Did you recognize it? Germaine uses dynamic changes to build up the drama.

The music accompanies the scenes where Mirabel is trying to find Bruno.

You'll remember that if you've seen the film.

The crescendo draws our attention to the adrenaline and fear that Mirabel experiences when uncovering her family secrets.

Dynamics are chosen to bring a different mood or emotion to the listener.

And we can do this when we sing, too.

Let's dive into another listening example.

Listen to or watch a clip of the Kingdom Choir singing their arrangement of "Stand By Me." The song was sung at a royal wedding.

Listen out for the soft singing piano, the strongest singing, forte, and when the singers are getting louder too, a crescendo.

Press Pause to find and listen to or watch this example.

How do you think the dynamic suited the mood of the celebration there? What dynamic changes did you notice? Which of our keywords can you use to describe how the music carried emotion in it? Press Pause to share your ideas about these questions now.

Hillsong Worship are an Australian Christian music band who sing in celebration of their religious beliefs.

Our next listening example is to listen to or watch a clip of "Hosanna." The dynamic changes here include crescendos as the song builds up to the chorus, and decrescendos after the big choral buildups.

Press Pause to find and listen to this listening example now.

"Erev Shel Shoshanim" or "Evening of Roses" is a Hebrew love song and it's a popular choice in Jewish weddings.

Our next listening example is a particular arrangement of this for cello performed by Sheku.

Which part of a wedding celebration do you think this piece of music could suit? Press Pause to find this arrangement of this listening example now.

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

True or false: music and songs used in celebration are always upbeat and sung or played loudly.

Press Pause to decide if you think that's true or false and why.

Here comes the answer - that's false.

Well done if you knew that.

The dynamics of a piece of musical song can be there to match the mood of the occasion or to bring an emotional response to the listener.

Your next challenge is to compile a playlist to celebrate your class.

You might like to think about your hobbies and interests, songs that make you feel good, songs in languages spoken by your class, songs about trying hard, giving it your all, and determination to motivate you in your classroom, songs with themes of encouragement and hope, songs that you want to dance to and make you feel happy, and songs with different dynamics that might convey an emotion.

Press Pause to create a playlist to celebrate your class.

Take some time now to reflect on your playlist.

Look through it and see if you think it's representative of your class.

Press Pause to do that now.

Now let's move on to learning about how changing dynamics can affect our mood.

We know that changing dynamics can create different moods to suit different occasions.

"Happy Birthday" might be sung loudly and joyfully, whereas a lullaby to an infant to help them fall asleep or more likely be sung softly.

The dynamic marking, forte, means the music should be played or sung loudly or strongly, whereas if we sing piano, we're singing quietly or softly.

And we can travel between these two different dynamics by adding a crescendo or a decrescendo.

It's time for a check-in.

If crescendo means getting louder, what do you think decrescendo means? I bet you can guess.

Press Pause to share your ideas.

What do you think, did you work it out? Here's the answer.

Yes, that's right.

Decrescendo means gradually getting quieter or softer.

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

Which dynamic do you think would suit each of these? Singing "Happy Birthday," singing a lullaby to an infant, singing an anthem at a sports arena, or singing a solemn song at a religious occasion? Press Pause to choose which dynamic you think would suit each of these.

What did you think? Here are my ideas.

I think "Happy Birthday" is probably best sung forte, nicely and joyfully.

Singing a lullaby to an infant, definitely piano.

Singing an anthem at a sports arena, definitely forte.

That's going to be a big, strong sound.

And a solemn song at a religious occasion would most likely be sung piano.

When we sing, we often have a conductor leading us.

A conductor can show a crescendo by gradually raising their hand, palm up.

And a conductor can show a decrescendo by gradually lowering their hand, palm down.

Choose a conductor to control the dynamics of your singing.

Choose a song that you all know well from your class playlist that you've created.

Explore singing in response to the conductor's hand gestures.

Press Pause to try that musical challenge now.

Hi, again.

Did your conductor make effective choices for when to change dynamics? How easy or difficult was it to control a crescendo? And how quiet can you sing? What effect do you think that has? Continue working on your song, taking turns to be the conductor.

Together with your conductor, decide what occasion might suit this song.

Perhaps a wedding, a religious event, a choir concert, or at a sports arena.

Decide which part of the song suits being sung piano, and what are the moments to sing the song forte? Consider the emotional impact of a crescendo.

Add one into your song.

And how effective would a decrescendo be after a forte section? Add one of these to your song too.

Press pause to continue working on your song, taking turns to be the conductor.

Hello again.

How did you get on with that challenge? Has your song changed since you added in a range of dynamics? Aisha says, "We started off singing piano and built a crescendo in the chorus.

This made the chorus more impactful." I wonder where you decided to include your crescendo and why? Jacob says, "Bringing our singing right back down to piano after singing forte added emotion because it drew the listener in." I wonder if you added a decrescendo too, and what effect you think that might have had.

We've come to the end of our lesson together today, all about celebrating through song.

But before we go, let's take a moment to think about everything we've been learning.

We know that songs and music are used in celebrations, such as weddings, and that songs can be carefully chosen to suit the emotion of an event.

And we know that changing dynamics can be a powerful way to create emotion in a song.

Wonderful musical learning, everyone.

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

Bye.