Learning about beat
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can identify the beat in songs I sing.
Key learning points
- Having a steady sense of pulse is important when we sing and move together.
- When we show the pulse through actions, body percussion, or by playing instruments, we call it the beat.
- Playing the beat on a percussion instrument can help us keep in time as we sing together.
- Using hearts is one way to visualise the beat in a song.
Keywords
Singing voice - the voice we use to create musical sounds that can be a mixture of high sounds and low sounds
Pulse - the regular, steady heartbeat of the music
Beat - the playing or showing of the steady pulse, like the ticking of a clock
Percussion instrument - a device used to make a musical sound which is played by striking, scraping or shaking
Common misconception
The beat and the pulse are the same thing.
The pulse is something we can feel in the music, while the beat is the showing or sounding of the pulse.
Teacher tip
Performing actions on the beat helps pupils feel and internalise the pulse in a fun way. This can be applied to other songs/chants as you are teaching them.
Equipment
A drum, plus another type of percussion instrument such as shakers or guiro with enough for half the class.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
4 Questions
Q1.When we use our voices to create a mixture of high and low musical sounds, we use our ...
Q2.When we perform actions on the beat, we are showing the steady .
Q3.Match each musical term to its definition.
Q4.Which of these is not a percussion instrument?
Assessment exit quiz
4 Questions
Q1.True or false? Beat and pulse are the same thing.
Q2.How do percussion instruments make their sound?
Q3.The is the regular, steady heartbeat of the music.
Q4.Using hearts above the words of our songs is a good way of visualising the .
To help you plan your 2 music lesson on: Learning about beat, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 2 music lesson on: Learning about beat, 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 Start with singing: learning through singing games unit, dive into the full primary music curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.