New
New
Lesson 2 of 4
  • Year 2

Ocean soundscapes

I can create an ocean soundscape and capture this using a graphic score.

Lesson 2 of 4
New
New
  • Year 2

Ocean soundscapes

I can create an ocean soundscape and capture this using a graphic score.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Music can be used in films to help tell the story.
  2. Instrumentation and the musical elements, such as dynamic changes, all help to tell the story.
  3. We think about instrumentation and the musical elements when creating soundscapes.
  4. A soundscape can be captured using a graphic score.

Keywords

  • Dynamics - how loud or quiet the music is played or sung

  • Instrumentation - the combination of musical instruments used in a piece of music

  • Soundscape - using sounds to create a feeling, place or story, making you feel like you are really there, for example in the ocean

  • Ensemble - a group of people who perform together

  • Graphic score - a way of notating music using symbols, shapes or images

Common misconception

The timbre of an instrument creates the mood of the piece.

The instrumentation helps, but it is the combination of all the musical elements that creates the mood of a piece. For example, dynamic changes can build drama.


To help you plan your year 2 music lesson on: Ocean soundscapes, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Model various ways to represent sound as symbol, creating a variety of graphic score symbols as a class.
Teacher tip

Equipment

A variety of classroom percussion with a mix of materials, including metal, plastic, skin and wooden. One instrument for every pupil ideally.

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2026), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Prior knowledge starter quiz

4 Questions

Q1.
Which of these are musical elements?

graphic score
Correct answer: structure
ensemble
Correct answer: texture
Correct answer: dynamics

Q2.
What family of instruments does the trumpet belong to?

An image in a quiz
string
percussion
Correct answer: brass
woodwind

Q3.
What family of instruments does the violin belong to?

An image in a quiz
Correct answer: string
brass
percussion
woodwind

Q4.
What family of instruments does the triangle belong to?

An image in a quiz
string
brass
Correct answer: percussion
woodwind

Assessment exit quiz

4 Questions

Q1.
__________ is the combination of musical instruments used in a piece of music.

structure
dynamics
Correct answer: instrumentation

Q2.
A is a way of notating music using symbols, shapes or images.

Correct Answer: graphic score

Q3.
Which musical element means 'how loud or quiet the music is played'?

texture
Correct answer: dynamics
structure

Q4.
Thomas Newman is an example of a film music ...

Correct answer: composer
conductor
performer