Notating a dotted rhythm major pentatonic melody
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can sing, play, read and notate a major pentatonic melody that uses dotted rhythms (Ta-mi).
Key learning points
- Hand signs can help us hear, feel and understand the melodic shape of a song.
- Music can be notated to be shared and remembered for another day
- Stick notation is one way that music can be notated. There are many more ways still.
- We can decode the major pentatonic folk songs we learn and write these using stick notation.
- Stick notation can help us to read rhythms and melodies quickly and easily.
Keywords
Pitch - how high or low a note is
Major pentatonic scale - the five tones, do, re, mi, so and la arranged in an ascending or descending order
Phrase - a musical thought, like a sentence in a story
Rhythm - the pattern of sounds and silences that we play and sing
Stick notation - a way of writing music down
Common misconception
Ta-di and Ta-mi are the same because they both have two notes in one beat.
With the Ta-di rhythm both notes divide the beat equally in half. With Ta-mi, the notes are not distributed equally - the first is longer (¾ of a beat) and the second is shorter (¼ of a beat).
Teacher tip
Do not underestimate the difficulty in drawing stick notation accurately and neatly. For an accurate performance, neat notation is extremely helpful as we tend to read the space between notes in music. Allow plenty of time for pupils to practise drawing notation.
Equipment
pitched percussion instruments, ideally one each or one-between two e.g. xylophones, glockenspiels or chime bars with the notes C, D, E, G, A.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
4 Questions
Q1.How many notes are in the major pentatonic scale?
Q2.A is a song that originates from a particular country, culture or people that is usually passed down orally.
Q3.A percussion instrument is:
Q4.True or false? Music is always notated.
Assessment exit quiz
4 Questions
Q1.True or false? Ta-di and Ta-mi are not the same rhythm.
Q2.A musical phrase is:
Q3.Match the musical element to its definition.
Q4.Why is it helpful to use hand signs when singing?
To help you plan your 3 music lesson on: Notating a dotted rhythm major pentatonic melody, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 3 music lesson on: Notating a dotted rhythm major pentatonic melody, 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: major pentatonic melodies unit, dive into the full primary music curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.