Myths about teaching can hold you back
- Year 5
What is syncopation?
I can count the number of beats in a bar and clap on the 'off beats'.
Copyrighted materials: to view and download resources from this lesson, you’ll need to be in the UK and
- Year 5
What is syncopation?
I can count the number of beats in a bar and clap on the 'off beats'.
Copyrighted materials: to view and download resources from this lesson, you’ll need to be in the UK and
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Switch to our new teaching resources now - designed by teachers and leading subject experts, and tested in classrooms.
These resources were created for remote use during the pandemic and are not designed for classroom teaching.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- Each bar of music has ‘strong’ and ‘weak’ beats. Syncopated rhythms emphasise beats that are usually weaker.
- There are many ways to create syncopation.
- We can demonstrate ‘backbeat’ syncopation by clapping on beats 2 and 4 of a four-beat bar.
- We can clap and play syncopated rhythms which place emphasis on offbeats as well as the weak beats.
Keywords
Syncopation - rhythms that emphasise the beats that are usually weaker
Backbeat - a type of syncopation where we emphasise the 2nd and 4th beat in a 4-beat bar.
Pulse - the regular, steady heartbeat of the music
Offbeat - weak beats or notes between the beats
Common misconception
Syncopation means only playing on (or emphasising) the ‘weak beats’ as in emphasising the 2nd and 4th beat of a 4-beat bar, instead of the 1st and 3rd.
Whilst emphasising the ‘2’ and the ‘4’ is common in pop music (often called backbeat) we can also create syncopation by holding notes, missing beats, and playing what is called ‘offbeat syncopation’.
To help you plan your year 5 music lesson on: What is syncopation?, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 5 music lesson on: What is syncopation?, 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.
Explore more key stage 2 music lessons from the Singing for performance: syncopation in songs unit, dive into the full primary music curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
Equipment
Licence
Sign in to continue
Our content remains 100% free, but to access certain copyrighted materials, you'll need to sign in. This ensures we’re both staying within the rules.
P.S. Signing in also gives you more ways to make the most of Oak like unit downloads!
