Major melodies and the major pentachord
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can read, sing and play the major pentachord and know it uses the first five notes of the major scale.
Key learning points
- A major scale is a group of notes centered around the note do, which often sound bright when used to create melodies.
- The major pentachord is the first five notes of the major scale: do, re, mi, fa and so.
- Solfège is a system of naming pitches so we can recognise musical patterns by ear.
- We can play songs using the major pentachord with a pitched percussion instrument, like the xylophone or glockenspiel.
- When we are learning to play a melody, we should play slowly and at a steady tempo.
Keywords
Solfège - a system of naming pitches so we can recognise patterns by ear, e.g. so mi do
Scale - a group of notes used to create melodies
Major pentachord - the first 5 notes of a major scale - do re mi fa so
Pitched percussion - an instrument that can play musical notes of one or more pitch when we strike it, for example, a glockenspiel
Common misconception
It is common to try and play songs too quickly when learning them on an instrument.
It's always better to start slowly and at a steady tempo, then gradually build up speed when feeling confident.
Teacher tip
When students are learning to play songs on pitched percussion, use a combination of playing the songs together as a group and giving a short amount of individual practice time for students to learn the piece at their own pace.
Equipment
A class set of pitched percussion instruments, such as xylophones or glockenspiels.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
4 Questions
Q1.Why should you warm up before a music lesson?
Q2.What is a major tonality?
Q3.Which of these terms means a melody has notes going up?
Q4.Which Solfège note does the following hand symbol refer to?
Assessment exit quiz
4 Questions
Q1.Which five notes are in the major pentachord?
Q2.Which Solfège note does the following hand symbol refer to?
Q3.Which of the following is NOT a pitched percussion instrument?
Q4.What is the best method for learning to play a melody on an instrument?
To help you plan your 4 music lesson on: Major melodies and the major pentachord, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 4 music lesson on: Major melodies and the major pentachord, 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 2 music lessons from the Compose and Create: composing a major melody on a stave unit, dive into the full primary music curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.