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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
      Correct Answer:happy,strong
      Correct Answer:energetic,strong
      Correct Answer:calm,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...