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Lesson 2 of 6
  • Year 5

Two-part singing: rounds and partner songs

I can sing two-part rounds and partner songs with improving accuracy and a clear sense of pulse.

Lesson 2 of 6
New
New
  • Year 5

Two-part singing: rounds and partner songs

I can sing two-part rounds and partner songs with improving accuracy and a clear sense of pulse.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. When we sing in parts, we need to balance our dymamics so both parts can be heard.
  2. It is important not to ‘block out’ the sound of harmony parts as you need to hear how the music fits together.
  3. A sound sense of pulse is essential when singing part-songs.

Keywords

  • Harmony - the combination of two or more notes played or sung together, creating a pleasing sound

  • Dynamics - how loud or quiet the music is

  • Unison - the same tune sung or played at the same time

  • Pulse - the regular, steady heartbeat of the music

Common misconception

When singing in parts we need to stand away from other parts, so that we can concentrate on our part.

Understanding how parts fit together, hearing texture, structure and harmony, and feeling the steady pulse together are all important elements of learning to sing in parts.


To help you plan your year 5 music lesson on: Two-part singing: rounds and partner songs, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Ensure songs are well learnt and understood in unison before breaking away into part singing. When singing in parts, be brave - mix pupils around the room, change the groups pupils sing in - all to develop their part-singing skills.
Teacher tip

Equipment

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.
is how high or low the note is.

Correct Answer: Pitch, pitch

Q2.
Match the singing structure to its definition.

Correct Answer:unison,the same tune sung or played at the same time

the same tune sung or played at the same time

Correct Answer:round,multiple groups sing the same melody but start at different times

multiple groups sing the same melody but start at different times

Correct Answer:partner song,two or more songs that fit together sung at the same time

two or more songs that fit together sung at the same time

Q3.
Do, mi, so are examples of ...

rhythm
Correct answer: pitch
instruments

Q4.
When we layer different melodies, we are building ...

pulse
duration
Correct answer: texture

Assessment exit quiz

Download quiz pdf

4 Questions

Q1.
When we layer Bubblegum, Bubblegum with Salibonani, we are singing ...

a round
Correct answer: a partner song
in unison

Q2.
Dynamics is ...

how high or low a note is
how fast or slow the music is played
Correct answer: how loud or quiet the music is played

Q3.
Which of these methods helps develop our part-singing skills?

Sing loudly and block out the sound of the parts around you.
Stand really far away from people singing a different part to you.
Correct answer: Balance your sound, so you can hear all the parts working together.

Q4.
When we sing Banaha (Si Si Si) with three parts all starting at different times, we are singing ...

Correct answer: a round
in unison
a partner song