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Lesson 5 of 6
  • Year 5

Creating and rehearsing a syncopated performance - building a tight ensemble

I can rehearse effectively to make sure the performance is tight, accurate, and well-prepared.

Lesson 5 of 6
New
New
  • Year 5

Creating and rehearsing a syncopated performance - building a tight ensemble

I can rehearse effectively to make sure the performance is tight, accurate, and well-prepared.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Feeling the pulse helps us to play the syncopated rhythms accurately and precisely.
  2. We can prepare for a performance by thinking about how we will present our music to an audience and being organised.
  3. We can improve our ensemble skills by rehearsing together focusing accuracy, synchronisation and balance.

Keywords

  • Rehearsal - a practice session in which a performance is prepared

  • Pulse - the steady, regular heartbeat of the music

  • Kuku - a rhythm from Guinea, West Africa, that can be played on two or more drums

  • Scat singing - a vocal jazz technique where singers improvise melodies and rhythms using wordless syllables instead of lyrics

Common misconception

When preparing for a performance, we should just focus on playing our own part accurately.

When playing and singing in an ensemble, the overall sound is important, we need to make the ensemble as cohesive and synchronised as possible.


To help you plan your year 5 music lesson on: Creating and rehearsing a syncopated performance - building a tight ensemble, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Focus the rehearsal on developing the pupils' ensemble skills; encouraging them to listen carefully to each other to keep in time and balance their parts.
Teacher tip

Equipment

Hand drums available to you, djembes, and/or classroom percussion available.

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.
Feeling the helps us to play the syncopated rhythms accurately and precisely.

Correct Answer: pulse

Q2.
singing is a vocal jazz technique where singers improvise melodies and rhythms using wordless syllables instead of lyrics.

Correct Answer: Scat, scat

Q3.
Structure is ...

the combination of different layers of sounds
a repeating musical idea created from a rhythmic pattern
Correct answer: the way the music is organised
a work that is presented to an audience

Q4.
A group of people who perform together is called an .

Correct Answer: ensemble

Assessment exit quiz

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4 Questions

Q1.
Which of these are examples of a 'tight' ensemble?

Correct answer: a balanced, well-blended sound
one player is louder than the others
Correct answer: the players begin and end at the same moment
Correct answer: the performers listen carefully to each other to stay together as a group
sometimes the rhythms and notes are not in time

Q2.
We can improve our ensemble skills by together, focusing on accuracy, synchronisation and balance.

Correct Answer: rehearsing

Q3.
What do we mean by 'balancing the sound'?

we play as loud as we can so everyone knows we have practised really well
monitoring dynamics to make sure our part is always the loudest part
Correct answer: monitoring dynamics so each layer can be heard as we want it to be heard

Q4.
What is an offbeat?

a repeating musical pattern which can be rhythmic or melodic
Correct answer: the weak beats or notes between the beats
the regular steady heartbeat of the music
the pattern of sounds and silences we play and sing