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Lesson 2 of 6
  • Year 4

How songs tell stories in theatre

I can understand how different songs are used to tell us about stories and characters.

Lesson 2 of 6
New
New
  • Year 4

How songs tell stories in theatre

I can understand how different songs are used to tell us about stories and characters.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Actors can tell a story or share a character's emotional journey through song
  2. Solo songs often give us information about how a character is feeling
  3. Ensemble songs often tell the story or give us clues about the mood of the story
  4. We can share stories with an audience by understanding the lyrics we're singing

Keywords

  • Musical theatre - a type of theatre with songs, acting and dance

  • Solo song - a piece performed by one person - an Italian word meaning 'alone'

  • Ensemble (musical theatre) - a chorus of people on stage sharing the plot or mood

  • Soliloquy (musical theatre) - a character sharing their thoughts and feelings with the audience

Common misconception

Musical theatre is solely for light entertainment.

Songs in musical theatre can explore a range of emotions and experiences that an audience might relate to.


To help you plan your year 4 music lesson on: How songs tell stories in theatre, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Spend time watching the suggested clips to allow pupils to see how the whole body and the performance space are used to convey emotions and the story in a song. Encourage pupils to be big and bold when singing When I Was a Lad to help develop confidence for later lessons in the unit.
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.
What is the audience?

a group of people that are connected because they have something in common
a musical part that supports the main melody or chant
Correct answer: a group of people gathered to listen and watch a live performance

Q2.
What are the lyrics of a song?

a single sound in music
a silence in the music where no sound is played
Correct answer: the words of a song

Q3.
Tempo means ...

An image in a quiz
a short repeated musical idea
the way the music is organised
Correct answer: how fast or slow the music is played

Q4.
An is an exact copy of a musical phrase.

Correct Answer: echo

Assessment exit quiz

Download quiz pdf

4 Questions

Q1.
__________ musicals are musicals with an original story and songs.

jukebox
Correct answer: book
operetta

Q2.
One major influence on musical theatre was a 19th century style of performance called __________, a short, often comical, light opera.

plays
Correct answer: operetta
ballet

Q3.
__________ songs often give us information about how a character is feeling in musical theatre.

Correct answer: solo
ensemble
chorus

Q4.
__________ songs often tell the story or give us clues about the mood of the story in musical theatre.

solo
Correct answer: ensemble
folk