Building a thicker texture with a chanted ostinato
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can keep a rhythmic, chanted ostinato going under a song.
Key learning points
- Short rhythmic patterns can be repeated to create an ostinato accompaniment for a chant or song.
- The more layers of sound in a piece of music, the thicker the texture.
- Beats are organised into patterns of strong beats and weak beats.
- When the tempo gets faster, we need to chant and sing faster.
- When the tempo gets slower we need to chant and sing slower.
Keywords
Chant - speaking in time to a pulse
Sing - the voice we use to create musical sounds that can be a mixture of high sounds and low sounds
Rhythm - the pattern of sounds that we play and sing
Ostinato - a repeating musical pattern
Texture - the layering of different musical sounds
Common misconception
The pulse and steady beat always stays the same.
If the tempo changes, the pulse will change too!
Teacher tip
Encourage pupils to be comfortable with singing in parts and not to block the sound of the other group. You can mix them up, or have them move around the room as they sing, to hear the textures working together.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
4 Questions
Q1.When we use our body to make musical sounds, we call this .
Q2.What does it mean to sing in unison?
Q3.What is tempo?
Q4.What is the difference between the pulse and the beat?
Assessment exit quiz
4 Questions
Q1.What is an ostinato?
Q2.What does it mean if music has a thick texture?
Q3.What helps you stay in time with the song?
Q4.When the tempo gets faster, the rhythmic ostinato will get .
To help you plan your 2 music lesson on: Building a thicker texture with a chanted ostinato, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 2 music lesson on: Building a thicker texture with a chanted ostinato, 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 Singing for performance: adding a simple vocal accompaniment unit, dive into the full primary music curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.