Myths about teaching can hold you back
- Year 3
Melodic ostinato accompaniments to songs
I can add to the texture of a song by playing a simple melodic ostinato.
- Year 3
Melodic ostinato accompaniments to songs
I can add to the texture of a song by playing a simple melodic ostinato.
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Lesson details
Key learning points
- An ostinato can make a tune more memorable.
- A small number of notes can make an effective ostinato.
- Adding an ostinato layer to a piece makes the texture thicker.
- Feeling the steady pulse helps us play our ostinato at the right tempo, and sing and play together as an ensemble.
Keywords
Ostinato - a repeating musical pattern that can be rhythmic or melodic
Texture - the combination of different layers of sounds
Ensemble - a group of people who perform together
Pulse - the regular steady heartbeat of the music
Tempo - how fast or slow the music is played
Common misconception
An ostinato is a rhythm pattern only.
An ostinato can be melodic as well as rhythmic. In pop music they’re often called a ‘riff’ and in electronic music, a ‘loop’. A repeated pattern can add to the texture of a piece of music and help drive it forward.
To help you plan your year 3 music lesson on: Melodic ostinato accompaniments to songs, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 3 music lesson on: Melodic ostinato accompaniments to songs, 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.
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The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
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Explore more key stage 2 music lessons from the Playing together: building texture with melody, drone and ostinato unit, dive into the full primary music curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
Equipment
Tuned percussion instruments - one between two.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
4 Questions
Q1.An ostinato is ...
Q2.When we show or play the pulse, we are showing or playing the ...
Q3.Adding an ostinato to our songs thickens the ...
Q4.Match these music words to their definitions.
a repeating musical pattern which can be rhythmic or melodic
a short repeated musical idea in pop music
the speed of the music - how fast or slow the music is played
how high or low a note is