Using tempo to tell a musical story
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can use tempo changes to tell a musical story.
Key learning points
- It is helpful to sing and play at different tempi to practise feeling the pulse and following the beat.
- We know a piece of music can speed up (accelerando) or slow down (rallentando).
- Different tempi and tempo changes can help to tell a musical story.
Keywords
Tempo - how fast or slow the music is played
Pulse - the regular, steady heartbeat of the music
Beat - the playing or showing of the steady pulse, like the ticking of a clock
Accelerando - gradually getting faster
Rallentando - gradually getting slower
Common misconception
Feeling the beat doesn't need practising.
Singing games are really useful to help us practise the beat, especially when it is very slow or very fast. We need to practise the beat at lots of different tempi.
Teacher tip
Make time for singing games as through shared movement, pupils can continue to develop their sense of pulse and understanding of beat.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
4 Questions
Q1.The regular, steady heartbeat of the music is called the...
Q2.Tempo describes the __________ of the music.
Q3.When music accelerates it is getting .
Q4.When music decelerates it is getting .
Assessment exit quiz
4 Questions
Q1.True or false, tempo always stays the same in a piece of music.
Q2.Match the musical term to the definition.
gradually getting faster
gradually getting slower
how fast or slow the music is played
Q3.Music with a beat has a fast tempo.
Q4.Why is it helpful to play and sing at different tempi?
To help you plan your 1 music lesson on: Using tempo to tell a musical story, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 1 music lesson on: Using tempo to tell a musical story, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 1 music lessons from the Music and movement: feeling the pulse and changing the tempo unit, dive into the full primary music curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.