Singing together: how stories are shared through song
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Threads
Why this why now
By now, pupils have sung songs that help them to express themselves, that have been used as working songs and that bring communities together. We continue to develop our questioning of why we sing by introducing singing to tell a story. This unit allows pupils to make connections between the musical elements of dynamics, pitch and tempo and the emotion or story the song is conveying. This prepares pupils for later units in which we understand the power of song for unity and for protest. Singing in unison here is a stepping stone to combining storytelling and part singing together.
Prior knowledge requirements
- Pupils know that we warm up before we sing to keep our voices healthy.
- Pupils have sung a range of songs that capture a mood or an emotion.
- Pupils know that by feeling the pulse they are more successful at singing in unison.
- Pupils can sing age-appropriate songs with secure intonation.
- Pupils understand that people sing together for a variety of reasons.
- Pupils understand how to rehearse effectively to improve a performance.
Threads
Why this why now
By now, pupils have sung songs that help them to express themselves, that have been used as working songs and that bring communities together. We continue to develop our questioning of why we sing by introducing singing to tell a story. This unit allows pupils to make connections between the musical elements of dynamics, pitch and tempo and the emotion or story the song is conveying. This prepares pupils for later units in which we understand the power of song for unity and for protest. Singing in unison here is a stepping stone to combining storytelling and part singing together.
Prior knowledge requirements
- Pupils know that we warm up before we sing to keep our voices healthy.
- Pupils have sung a range of songs that capture a mood or an emotion.
- Pupils know that by feeling the pulse they are more successful at singing in unison.
- Pupils can sing age-appropriate songs with secure intonation.
- Pupils understand that people sing together for a variety of reasons.
- Pupils understand how to rehearse effectively to improve a performance.
Singing together: how stories are shared through song
This unit develops the skill of storytelling through song. Pupils listen to a range of song styles that have a clear narrative or reveal how a character is feeling. Pupils explore how dynamics, tempo and pitch contribute to how meaning is conveyed using songs from theatre and opera.
6 lessons in unit
slide decks, worksheet PDFs, quizzes and lesson overviews. You can select individual lessons from the Singing together: how stories are shared through song unit and download the resources you need, or download the entire unit now. See every unit listed in our primary music curriculum and discover more of our teaching resources for primary music programmes.