Call and response singing in songs of the sea
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can sing my part in a call and response song and know that this structure is used in sea shanties and other songs of the sea.
Key learning points
- It is important to warm up before every music lesson to make sure that our minds, bodies and voices are ready.
- Many sea shanties have a call and response structure that features a call and then a response sung in unison.
- Working songs of the sea are sung on different types of boats.
- An echo song is a special type of call and response song where the call and the response are exactly the same.
Keywords
Sea shanty - a traditional folk song sung by sailors to help them work together in time
Call and response - a question and answer musical structure
Structure - the way music is organised
Echo - an exact copy of a musical phrase
Common misconception
Sea shanties were only sung on-board ships.
This unit features working songs of the sea that were sung on different types of boats, not just ships. For example, Tongo is a canoe song. It was sung to keep fisherfolk in time as they rowed in their canoes along rivers.
Teacher tip
The partner challenge for Tongo canoe pairs may take lots of practice. You may wish to select a confident pupil to lead each canoe first so that the call can be modelled as accurately as possible for the back of the canoe to echo.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
4 Questions
Q1.Why do we warm up our voice before singing?
Q2.The is the playing or showing of the steady pulse, like the ticking of a clock.
Q3.__________ is the way the music organised.
Q4.Match the singing structures.
Assessment exit quiz
4 Questions
Q1.Sea shanties often have a call and response .
Q2.True or false? Sea shanties were only sung on ships.
Q3.An echo song is a special type of call and response song where ...
Q4.Match the musical elements to their definition.
To help you plan your 2 music lesson on: Call and response singing in songs of the sea, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 2 music lesson on: Call and response singing in songs of the sea, 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 together: how singing helps us work together unit, dive into the full primary music curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.