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Lesson 5 of 6
  • Year 3

Playing a melodic ostinato and singing simultaneously

I can play a melodic ostinato whilst singing at the same time.

Lesson 5 of 6
New
New
  • Year 3

Playing a melodic ostinato and singing simultaneously

I can play a melodic ostinato whilst singing at the same time.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. An effective ostinato can be played on two or three notes.
  2. Feeling the steady pulse helps us to play and sing in time together.
  3. knowing each part really well helps us to play and sing them simultaneously.
  4. With practice, we can sing a different tune to what we’re playing.

Keywords

  • Simultaneously - at the same time

  • Pulse - the regular steady heartbeat of the music

  • Ostinato - a repeating musical pattern that can be rhythmic or melodic

  • Tempo - the speed of the music - how fast or slow the music is played

  • Conductor - a person who directs the performance of an ensemble

Common misconception

We play the same tune as what we're singing.

A melodic ostinato can add more interest to the overall sound and, with practice, we can play a different tune to the one we're singing.


To help you plan your year 3 music lesson on: Playing a melodic ostinato and singing simultaneously, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

This lesson builds gently, allowing pupils to sing whilst playing just one note, then two notes, and lastly three notes. Allow time for pupils to master each stage before moving on. Working in pairs is good as it allows the non-player to tap the steady pulse. Then pupils can swap over.
Teacher tip

Equipment

A set of barred instruments eg xylophones/ glockenspiels (1 between 2 is fine) -boomwhackers/ sound tubes could also be used. Low sounds such as low chime bars or bass xylophones work well for drones.

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

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4 Questions

Q1.
A constant pitched sound that continues throughout a piece of music is called a .

Correct Answer: drone

Q2.
Which of these notes is the highest note?

do
mi
so
Correct answer: la

Q3.
Which is the lowest note?

Correct answer: do
mi
so
la

Q4.
Which of these helps us to play in time?

Correct answer: feeling the steady pulse
playing as fast as possible
Correct answer: watching the conductor showing the beat
playing as loud as possible

Assessment exit quiz

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4 Questions

Q1.
An accompaniment is ...

how the music is organised
a new piece of music that has been created
Correct answer: a musical part that supports the main melody or chant
creative in the moment composition

Q2.
True or false? When we play an ostinato we play the same tune as we are singing.

Correct Answer: false, False, untrue

Q3.
Match these music words to their definitions.

Correct Answer:pitch,how high or low a note is

how high or low a note is

Correct Answer:melodic ostinato,a repeating musical pattern that uses notes of differing pitch

a repeating musical pattern that uses notes of differing pitch

Correct Answer:rhythmic ostinato,a repeating musical idea created from a rhythmic pattern

a repeating musical idea created from a rhythmic pattern

Correct Answer:melody,a combination of notes to make a memorable tune

a combination of notes to make a memorable tune

Q4.
Which of these helps to get the best sound from a tuned percussion instrument?

hitting the bars as loudly as possible
holding the stick on the bars after striking
Correct answer: striking the middle of each bar on the instrument
Correct answer: raising the beater of the bar after striking