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      Recognising pitch changes in our singing games

      Lesson details

      Learning outcome

      I can identify high and low pitch in the songs I sing.

      Key learning points

      1. When we sing a song, our voices go higher and lower.
      2. Pitch is the musical word to describe how high or low a sound is.
      3. In a song, the pitch follows a pattern called the melody.
      4. Performing movements or actions as we sing is one way to feel the pitch going higher or lower.

      Keywords

      • Beat - the playing or showing of the steady pulse, like the ticking of a clock

      • Pitch - how high or low a note is

      • Melody - a combination of notes to make a memorable tune

      Common misconception

      High and low refer to volume (loud/quiet).

      High and low in music refers to pitch. Not to be confused with high and low volume (like on a T.V.).

      Teacher tip

      Tracing and showing pitch is a great way to help pupils to pitch match (sing in tune). Tracing the pitch or pitch actions can be used to assist in teaching songs in other units as well.

      Equipment

      Props can be used to help trace the pitch (a bee puppet for Burnie Bee, a magic wand for Star Light, Star Bright)

      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 use our voice to create musical sounds that can be a mixture of high sounds and low sounds, we are using our voice.

      Correct Answer: singing

      Q2.
      Actions like marching on the beat help us to feel the ...

      pitch
      timbre
      Correct answer: pulse

      Q3.
      Match the musical element to its definition.

      Correct Answer:pulse,the regular, steady heartbeat of the music
      Correct Answer:beat,the playing or showing of the steady pulse like the ticking of a clock
      Correct Answer:rhythm,the pattern of sounds that we play and sing
      Correct Answer:tempo,how fast or slow the music is played

      Q4.
      Can you chant and clap this rhythm?

      An image in a quiz
      Correct Answer: Ta-di Ta Ta-di Ta
      Q4 MuseScore Studio is developed by Muse Group https://musescore.org/en

      4 Questions

      Q1.
      When we sing our voices change pitch, singing some notes higher and some notes .

      Correct Answer: lower, low

      Q2.
      __________ is the musical element that describes whether a note is high or low.

      pulse
      Correct answer: pitch
      beat
      rhythm
      tempo

      Q3.
      A melody is ...

      Correct answer: a combination of notes to make a memorable tune
      a way of writing music down
      a person who plays instruments or sings in front of an audience

      Q4.
      We can use our finger to trace the melody of a song. When the pitch rises, we ...

      keep our finger still
      lower our finger
      Correct answer: raise our finger up

      To help you plan your 2 music lesson on: Recognising pitch changes in our singing games, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...