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Lesson 4 of 6
  • Year 4

Rhythmic ostinato and practising rounds

I can perform a rhythm ostinato and practise round singing, holding my part confidently.

Lesson 4 of 6
New
New
  • Year 4

Rhythmic ostinato and practising rounds

I can perform a rhythm ostinato and practise round singing, holding my part confidently.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. A rhythmic ostinato is a repeating musical idea created from a rhythmic pattern.
  2. We can create and perform a rhythm ostinato using ta and ta-di while singing a song.
  3. A round is a song structure where multiple groups sing the same melody but start at different times.
  4. Rounds can be sung in two or more parts.

Keywords

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

  • Round - a song structure where multiple groups sing the same melody but start at different times

  • Rhythmic ostinato - a repeating musical idea created from a rhythmic pattern

  • Solfège - a system of naming pitches so we can recognise patterns by ear, e.g. sol mi do

Common misconception

The rhythmic ostinato matches the syllables of the song words.

We have composed ostinatos using the syllables of the words, but rhythmic ostinatos can be made with any rhythm pattern.


To help you plan your year 4 music lesson on: Rhythmic ostinato and practising rounds, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Singing a song while clapping a rhythmic ostinato is challenging! Pupils often tap the rhythm of the song words, instead of the rhythmic ostinato. Support by providing pupils with lots of opportunities to practise the ostinato separately before asking them to sing and play the ostinato together.
Teacher tip

Equipment

Pencils or lollysticks (8-10 per pair)

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.
Match the rhythm names to the correct number of sounds.

Correct Answer:Ta,1

1

Correct Answer:Ta-di,2

2

Correct Answer:Takadi,3

3

Correct Answer:Takadimi,4

4

Q2.
Which image shows two people singing a round?

An image in a quiz
An image in a quiz
Correct Answer: An image in a quiz
An image in a quiz

Q3.
Which solfège pattern shows pitches moving from lowest to highest?

so - mi - do
so - do - mi
mi - do - do
do - so - mi
Correct answer: do - mi - so

Q4.
Which hand sign shows the pitch 'mi'?

An image in a quiz
Correct Answer: An image in a quiz
An image in a quiz
An image in a quiz

Assessment exit quiz

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4 Questions

Q1.
What do bar lines show in music?

Correct Answer: Strong beats

Q2.
Which of these rhythm patterns is 4 beats long?

An image in a quiz
An image in a quiz
Correct Answer: An image in a quiz
An image in a quiz
An image in a quiz

Q3.
Which of these is bad advice when singing in a round?

Sing gently so you hear all the parts.
Practise the song in unison, before trying it as a round.
Correct answer: Sing loudly so you can hear your part.
The first group should start by singing "ready, steady, off we go".

Q4.
True or false? Rhythmic ostinatos match the rhythm of the words.

Correct Answer: False, false

Additional material

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