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Lesson 3 of 6
  • Year 5

Reading the five note minor pentachord scale

I can read and notate the ascending and descending minor pentachord on a simplified stave.

Lesson 3 of 6
New
New
  • Year 5

Reading the five note minor pentachord scale

I can read and notate the ascending and descending minor pentachord on a simplified stave.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Stave notation can tell us the rhythm and pitch of a melody, which we can use to help us perform it accurately.
  2. The rhythm of notes is the pattern of long and short sounds, and can be represented using ‘Takadimi’.
  3. We can add pitches to a rhythmic composition using improvisation

Keywords

  • Stave - lines on which musical notes can be placed

  • Minor pentachord - the first 5 notes of a minor scale - la ti do re me

  • Rhythm - the pattern of sounds and silences that we play and sing

  • Improvisation - creative, in-the-moment musical composition

Common misconception

When writing out music notation, the exact position of the notes doesn't really matter.

The part that matters the most is the note head - the circle at the bottom of the stick. Where that sits (on a line or space) tells us what pitch to play, so accuracy in where it is placed is important.


To help you plan your year 5 music lesson on: Reading the five note minor pentachord scale, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Pupils should use a ruler when drawing out a musical stave, or you may have one pre printed for them to save time.
Teacher tip

Equipment

Pencils, rulers, pitched percussion instruments.

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), 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

Download quiz pdf

4 Questions

Q1.
Which of the following are the notes of the minor pentachord?

do, re, mi, fa, so
Correct answer: la, ti, do, re, mi
la, do, mi, so
so, fa, mi, re, do

Q2.
The lines that musical notes are placed on are called a ...

An image in a quiz
Solfège
pitch
Correct answer: stave
scale

Q3.
Which note does this hand symbol show?

An image in a quiz
la
Correct answer: ti
do
re
mi

Q4.
How would you describe the following rhythm?

An image in a quiz
tadi tadi takadimi ta
Correct answer: takadimi tadi tadi ta
ta ta takadimi ta
tadi takadimi takadimi tadi

Assessment exit quiz

Download quiz pdf

4 Questions

Q1.
True or false? When we are notating the music, we need to be very accurate about where we draw the notes.

Correct Answer: True, true

Q2.
Which of the following is the descending minor pentachord?

la, ti, do, re, mi
Correct answer: mi, re, do, ti, la
do, re, mi, la, ti
ti, do, re, mi, la

Q3.
How would you describe the following rhythm?

An image in a quiz
Correct answer: takadi, takadi, tadi, ta
tami, tami, takadi, tadi
ta, ta, tadi, ta
takadimi, takadimi, tadi, ta

Q4.
Which of the following are usually good features of a composition?

use of repetition
simple, not too complicated
using more steps than leaps
Correct answer: all of the above