Feeling the pulse in music with a fast or slow tempo
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Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can describe the tempo of the music as fast, slow or steady.
Key learning points
- We can sing slowly and quickly and know that we are thinking about the tempo of the music.
- We can describe the tempo of the music, for example, the song has a fast tempo.
- The same piece of music can be performed at different speeds. It can be played or sung at a slow tempo or a fast tempo.
Keywords
Pulse - the regular steady heartbeat of the music
Beat - the playing or showing of the steady pulse, like the ticking of a clock
Tempo - how fast or slow the music is played
Common misconception
Pulse and beat are the same thing.
Pulse is the underlying feeling of uniformed beats - it is the heartbeat of the music. When organised into metres, we then feel it as beats e.g. counting 1,2,3 1,2,3.
Teacher tip
When exploring moving to different tempi, be mindful of how difficult different movements may be at different speeds. For example, walking very slowly can be hard for pupils to do accurately. For slower tempi, big sweeping movements may help.
Equipment
ball, space to move
Licence
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