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Controlling dynamic changes within a song

Lesson details

Learning outcome

I can change dynamics when singing and know that dynamics means how strong or soft I am singing.

Key learning points

  1. Changing dynamics can help tell the story in a song.
  2. We can sing loudly and quietly in the same song.
  3. Changing dynamics can help share the feeling of the song.
  4. A conductor can lead us by showing gestures to change the dynamics.

Keywords

  • Dynamics - how loudly or quietly the music is played or sung

  • Conductor - a person who directs musicians or singers

  • Gestures - hand actions used by the conductor to lead the singing or playing

Common misconception

We sing a song at the same dynamics all the way through.

We can help to convey the meaning of a song by varying the dynamics within a song. Singing with a range of dynamics also provides the listener with a broader range of sound to feel engaged with.

Teacher tip

Deciding which parts of a song should be sung with which dynamics can be done as a class so that pupils are making active choices as to why they might choose to sing certain lyrics at a different volume.

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

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Prior knowledge starter quiz

4 Questions

Q1.
When we __________ we use our voice to create musical sounds that can be a mixture of high sounds and low sounds.

Correct answer: sing
chant
whisper
shout

Q2.
When we sing together, we feel the __________ to help us stay in time.

An image in a quiz
dynamics
Correct answer: pulse
notes

Q3.
Match the mood of the song to how we might want to sing it.

Correct Answer:spooky,soft

soft

Correct Answer:happy,strong

strong

Correct Answer:energetic,strong

strong

Correct Answer:calm,soft

soft

Q4.
We can sing songs with louder or quieter .

An image in a quiz
Correct Answer: dynamics

4 Questions

Q1.
True or false? We can change our dynamics in a song, getting louder or getting quieter.

Correct Answer: True, true

Q2.
A __________ uses gestures to tell a choir what to do.

singer
Correct answer: conductor
composer

Q3.
This conductor is asking the choir to sing .

An image in a quiz
Correct Answer: louder, loudly, stronger, strongly

Q4.
This conductor is asking the choir to sing .

An image in a quiz
Correct Answer: quieter, quietly, softer, softly

To help you plan your 1 music lesson on: Controlling dynamic changes within a song, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...