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Hello, musicians.

It's me again, Mrs. Steele, and I'm really looking forward to guiding you through another music lesson today.

In today's lesson, we'll be learning all about the power of singing together.

By the end of today's lesson, you'll be able to share why you think singing together is powerful.

Here are the key words we'll need in our learning together today.

Icebreaker, a game or activity that can help people feel more relaxed together.

Apartheid, a system in South Africa where the government made unfair rules to separate people based on their skin color.

Unison, the same tune sung or played at the same time.

And harmony, two or more notes or pitches, sung or played together to create a pleasing sound.

Let's begin by learning about the benefits of singing in unison.

Singing is often used as a group icebreaker.

This is because singing in unison brings us together and helps us to grow as a group.

This is for a number of reasons.

When we sing together, our mood is lifted, and this makes it easier for us to develop positive relationships with people that we might not know well, or a meeting for the first time.

And singing is universal.

It's a skill available to absolutely everyone.

Let's try that together with these icebreaker singing games.

Start off with joining in with a live alert, awake, enthusiastic.

Here's the video.

<v ->Join in with me on this warmup.

</v> The tempo gets faster, so follow carefully.

♪ I'm alive, alert, awake, enthusiastic ♪ ♪ I'm alive, alert, awake, enthusiastic ♪ ♪ I'm alive, alert, awake, I'm awake, alert, alive ♪ ♪ I'm alive, alert, awake, enthusiastic ♪ ♪ I'm alive, alert, awake, enthusiastic ♪ ♪ I'm alive, alert, awake, enthusiastic ♪ ♪ I'm alive, alert, awake, I'm awake, alert, alive ♪ ♪ I'm alive, alert, awake, enthusiastic ♪ ♪ I'm alive, alert, awake, enthusiastic ♪ ♪ I'm alive, alert, awake, enthusiastic ♪ ♪ I'm alive, alert, awake, I'm awake, alert, alive ♪ ♪ I'm alive, alert, awake, enthusiastic ♪ ♪ I'm alive, alert, awake, enthusiastic ♪ ♪ I'm alive, alert, awake, enthusiastic ♪ ♪ I'm alive, alert, awake, I'm awake, alert, alive ♪ ♪ I'm alive, alert, awake, enthusiastic ♪ <v ->Now join in with "Up the Ladder, Down the Ladder."</v> Here it comes.

♪ Ready, steady, off we go ♪ ♪ Up the ladder, down the ladder, one by one, the ladder ♪ ♪ Up the ladder, down the ladder, one by one, the ladder.

♪ ♪ My name is Jacob ♪ ♪ Your name is Jacob ♪ ♪ My name is Jordan ♪ ♪ Your name is Jordan ♪ ♪ My name is Izzy ♪ ♪ Your name is Izzy ♪ ♪ My name is Lucas ♪ ♪ Your name is Lucas ♪ ♪ Up the ladder, down the ladder, one by one, the ladder ♪ ♪ Up the ladder, down the ladder, one by one, the ladder ♪ ♪ My name is Laura ♪ ♪ Your name is Laura ♪ ♪ My name is Aisha.

♪ ♪ Your name is Aisha ♪ ♪ My name is Sophia ♪ ♪ Your name Sophia ♪ ♪ My name is Sam ♪ ♪ Your name is Sam ♪ ♪ Up the ladder, down the ladder, one by one, the ladder, ♪ ♪ Up the ladder, down the ladder, one by one.

♪ Did you enjoy those? These games help bring us together by helping us feel invigorated and helping us to introduce ourselves to others.

Singing in unison is also powerful as a stress reducer.

When we sing collectively, we very often breathe together, too.

We also use more air, so we increase our lung capacity, and this means that we breathe more deeply, and this can help us to feel calm.

Controlled breathing has lots of benefits to our bodies, including helping us to manage stress, helping us to feel more positive, and sending more oxygen around our body.

All of that from singing.

Let's try that out.

See how you feel after these breathing exercises.

We'll start off with a favorite of mine, "Rubber Chicken." Here's the video for you to join in.

(energetic piano music) <v ->Ready, chickens?</v> ♪ One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight ♪ ♪ One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight ♪ ♪ One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight ♪ ♪ One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight ♪ ♪ One, two, three, four, one, two, three, four ♪ ♪ One, two, three, four, one, two, three, four ♪ ♪ One, two, one, two, one, two, one, two ♪ ♪ One, one, one, one ♪ <v All>Rubber chicken!</v> (energetic piano music) <v ->Ready, chickens?</v> ♪ One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight ♪ ♪ One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight ♪ ♪ One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight ♪ ♪ One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight ♪ ♪ One, two, three, four, one, two, three, four ♪ ♪ One, two, three, four, one, two, three, four ♪ ♪ One, two, one, two, one, two, one, two ♪ ♪ One, one, one, one ♪ <v All>Rubber chicken!</v> (kids mimic clucking) <v ->And now join in with these controlled breathing exercises.

</v> Here they come.

<v ->We'll begin by breathing.

</v> We'll breathe in for four, hold for one, and out for five.

Watch first.

(lecturer deeply inhales) (lecturer deeply exhales) You'll notice we breathe in through our nose and out through our mouth.

Let's now join in altogether.

(lecturer deeply inhales) (lecturer deeply exhales) Well done, we're going to do that two more times.

Here we go.

Make sure we're feeling nice and relaxed, and.

(lecturer deeply inhales) (lecturer deeply exhales) (lecturer deeply inhales) (lecturer deeply exhales) That's great.

We should be feeling quite relaxed, and the air should be flowing quite calmly.

This time, we're going to breathe in for four, hold for one, and we're going to breathe out for six, imagining we're blowing out through a straw.

Watch first.

(lecturer deeply inhales) (lecturer deeply exhales) Okay, let's all do that together.

Feeling relaxed, shoulders relaxed, off we go.

(lecturer deeply inhales) (lecturer deeply exhales) Let's do that two more times.

(lecturer deeply inhales) (lecturer deeply exhales) And one more.

(lecturer deeply inhales) (lecturer deeply exhales) Well done.

<v ->Hello again.

</v> How did you feel after each one of those? "Rubber Chicken" is great fun.

It gets us breathing more because we're moving our bodies and chanting at the same time, and the controlled breathing exercises help us to feel calm and have control over our breath.

Scientists have cited that another reason a choir might feel more connected and uplifted is because of their unison breathing.

Breathing comes with good posture, too.

Stand if you're able to, check your hands are loosely by your sides, your feet are slightly apart, and your shoulders are relaxed.

Now you'll be standing like a singer.

Aisha says, "With my hands on my rib cage, I can feel my rib cage swing out to make more room for the air in my lungs as I take a deep breath." Press pause to try that now for yourselves.

Let's check to see how we feel after some synchronized, deeper breathing.

Complete each of these activities as a whole class in unison.

Try breathing in for four, holding for two, and then out for six.

Breathe in deeply, shoulders relaxed, and breathe out to a mm sound.

And notice how long it takes to use your breath.

Then breathe in deeply with your shoulders relaxed, and breathe out as if you're blowing through a straw.

Notice how long it takes to use all of your breath.

Press pause to try some synchronized, deeper breathing with these exercises.

We better do some singing.

Let's sing one of my favorites, "Fruit Cannon." Listen the first time, and join in the second time.

Remember to fill your lungs with air before you begin singing.

Only breathe when you see a star.

Remember to keep your shoulders down as you breathe in.

Here comes "Fruit Cannon" for the first time.

Just listen this time.

(lively piano music) ♪ Mango, mango, mango, mango, mango, mango, mango ♪ ♪ Mango, mango, mango, mango, mango, mango, mango ♪ ♪ Kiwi, kiwi, kiwi, kiwi, kiwi, kiwi ♪ ♪ Kiwi, kiwi, kiwi, kiwi, kiwi, kiwi ♪ ♪ Kiwi, kiwi, kiwi, kiwi, kiwi, kiwi ♪ ♪ Kiwi, kiwi, kiwi, kiwi, kiwi, kiwi ♪ ♪ Banana, banana, banana peel ♪ ♪ Banana, banana, banana peel ♪ ♪ Mango, mango, mango, mango, mango, mango, mango ♪ ♪ Mango, mango, mango, mango, mango, mango, mango ♪ ♪ Kiwi, kiwi, kiwi, kiwi, kiwi, kiwi ♪ ♪ Kiwi, kiwi, kiwi, kiwi, kiwi, kiwi ♪ ♪ Kiwi, kiwi, kiwi, kiwi, kiwi, kiwi ♪ ♪ Kiwi, kiwi, kiwi, kiwi, kiwi, kiwi ♪ ♪ Banana, banana, banana peel ♪ ♪ Banana, banana, banana peel ♪ (lively piano music) And here it comes again.

Now it's your turn to join in.

Remember to only breathe when you see a purple star.

How did it go? Were you able to control your breathing to sing to the end of the line? That's quite tricky.

It can take a bit of practice.

Did you manage to keep your shoulders relaxed while you breathed and sang? And how do you feel as a whole class after singing that fun song in unison? You might feel a mix of calm, uplifted, centered, and like a stronger, connected group.

And the more you do exercises like this, the more united you can all feel.

Now, let's learn about singing to unite us in protest.

Songs often bring us together with a common message.

Apartheid was a system in South Africa that kept people of different races apart and treated black people unfairly.

And it lasted from 1948, all the way to 1994.

Under Apartheid, laws said where people could live, go to school, and work based on their skin color, and Black people didn't have the same rights as white people.

Music played a powerful role in uniting people with a common message during this time.

During Apartheid, songs brought people together and raised awareness and support.

"Ke Arona" was an anti-Apartheid song that translates closely to "Power to the People." Let's learn the first part of the song.

March in time, as you sing together in unison.

Remember that the meaning of the lyrics are all about power to the people.

Can you create a powerful, confident sound in your voices? Here comes the music.

(energetic piano music) (singers sing in foreign language) (singers sing in foreign language) Breathing together can help bond us together, too.

Let's sing "Ke Arona" again.

This time, remember to breathe only when you see the star.

Remember to fill your lungs with air before you start singing, and keep those shoulders relaxed.

Here comes the music again.

Let's sing and breathe together.

(energetic piano music) (singers sing in foreign language) (singers sing in foreign language) Now let's learn the second part.

The lyrics are the same, but the pitch is lower this time.

When you rehearse this part, try to breathe only when you see that star.

Here comes the music for the second part.

(energetic piano music) (singers sing in foreign language) (singers sing in foreign language) Now it's time to divide into two groups.

Group one, you'll sing part one, and group two, you'll sing part two.

Listen carefully to each other's parts.

Feel confident in your own part by rehearsing until your line feels secure in your own group.

And remember that this song is about feeling strong together.

You are going to want to rehearse and do this at your own pace, where you are.

So it's time to press pause, split into two groups, and sing part one and part two of "Ke Arona," using the audio buttons when you are ready.

Now, in your two groups, let's put both parts together.

So now you'll be singing in harmony.

This isn't the same as singing in unison, but you will still be united in the message that you are trying to convey.

Again, do this at your own pace.

You might like to listen to how the two parts sound together first, using the audio button.

Then, sing along to it when you are ready.

Good luck.

Do you think it feels different singing in harmony than in unison? Press pause to share your ideas about that.

Remember to say why.

Here are some of our Oak friends' ideas.

Some of them said, "It felt like we were two groups rather than one, so it felt less united for me." But someone else said, "I found that singing in harmony was harder, but it did sound strong and powerful." Some of our oak friends thought that the song was still powerful because we were still singing about the power to the people, and that more parts sounded like more people uniting around that common goal." I think singing in harmony is really tingly.

I wonder if you felt that too.

We've come to the end of our lesson together today, but before we go, let's take a moment to think about everything we've been learning about the power of singing in unison.

We know that singing can be an effective icebreaker because it can bond people together more quickly, and we know that deep breathing can help regulate stress levels.

We know that breathing together can also connect us through a shared sense of belonging and relaxation, and we know that singing in groups is powerful because it helps us grow and connect as a strong collective voice.

And finally, we know that we can sing in unison or in harmony and still be united through our beliefs or what we're standing up for.

Great singing, everyone.

I'm looking forward to seeing you again soon to guide you through another music lesson.

Bye.

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