Choose exam board for KS4 Computer Science (GCSE)
Choose exam board for KS4 English
Choose exam board for KS4 French
Choose exam board for KS4 Geography
Choose exam board for KS4 German
Choose exam board for KS4 History
Choose tier for KS4 Maths
Choose exam board for KS4 Music
Choose exam board for KS4 Physical education (GCSE)
Choose exam board for KS4 Religious education (GCSE)
Choose exam board for KS4 Spanish

      Notating four notes on a simplified musical stave

      Lesson details

      Learning outcome

      I can identify the notes of a four note song and place these notes on a musical stave.

      Key learning points

      1. Using pitch actions as we sing can help us hear the patterns of high and low notes.
      2. We can show how high or low a note is on a musical stave.
      3. We can place do, mi, so, and la on the stave to notate a song.

      Keywords

      • Pitch - how high or low a note is

      • Melody - a combination of notes to make a memorable tune

      • Note - a single sound in music

      • Stave - lines on which musical notes can be placed

      • Notation - a way of writing music down

      Common misconception

      The word low is sometimes associated with quiet.

      The word low refers to pitch.

      Teacher tip

      Singing games in this unit are repeated intentionally. Through repetition, pupils become more familiar with songs and are able to use these songs to explore their learning about pitch.

      Equipment

      An object to pass around the circle, an untuned percussion instrument, pencils.

      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

      Loading...

      Prior knowledge starter quiz

      4 Questions

      Q1.
      Which of the following notes is placed lowest on the stave?

      An image in a quiz
      la
      mi
      so
      Correct answer: do

      Q2.
      Match each note to the correct pitch action.

      Correct Answer:do,touch toes

      touch toes

      Correct Answer:mi,touch knees

      touch knees

      Correct Answer:so,touch shoulders

      touch shoulders

      Correct Answer:la,touch head

      touch head

      Q3.
      We music so we can remember it for another day.

      Correct Answer: notate, Notate

      Q4.
      A musical stave uses __________ to show the pitch of the notes.

      beats
      pictures
      Correct answer: lines
      rhythms

      4 Questions

      Q1.
      Which pitch action shows the highest pitch?

      touch your shoulders
      touch your toes
      touch your knees
      Correct answer: touch your head

      Q2.
      Order the notes from lowest to highest.

      1 - do
      2 - mi
      3 - so
      4 - la

      Q3.
      The note do is placed on the stave than the note mi.

      Correct Answer: lower

      Q4.
      Which of these notes is placed highest on the stave?

      mi
      Correct answer: la
      so
      do

      To help you plan your 2 music lesson on: Notating four notes on a simplified musical stave, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...