Adding simple instrumental parts to songs and chants
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can use percussion instruments to add musical punctuation to songs and chants.
Key learning points
- The rhythm is the pattern of the lyrics we sing or chant.
- We can work out the rhythm of a word using syllables.
- Stick notation can be used to notate rhythms.
- Takadimi is a rhythm where there are four equal sounds within one beat.
- Unpitched percussion instruments can be used to highlight rhythms in a song or chant.
Keywords
Beat - the playing or showing of the steady pulse, like the ticking of a clock
Rhythm - the pattern of sounds and silences that we play and sing
Syllable - a part of a word
Stick notation - a way of writing music down
Unpitched percussion - an instrument that makes a sound when you strike, shake, or scrape it, but doesn’t have a specific note or pitch
Common misconception
Each sound in a rhythm is a beat.
Rhythm is the pattern of sounds and silences of differing durations. Rhythmic notes can have a duration of one beat, more than one beat, or less than one beat.
Teacher tip
The connection between beat and rhythm can be further explored by revisiting familiar chants, songs, and nursery rhymes.
Equipment
Class set of unpitched percussion instruments that are easy for pupils to play rhythms clearly on e.g. claves and drums.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
4 Questions
Q1.When we play the beat, we are showing the steady ...
Q2.How many syllables are in each of these words?
Q3.Which of the following is true about the beat?
Q4.Having a steady sense of is important because it helps us keep in time as we sing or play together.
Assessment exit quiz
4 Questions
Q1.Which of the following are unpitched percussion instruments?
Q2.This rhythm is called ...
Q3.Which of the following matches the rhythm?
Q4.True or false? An ostinato is not a very interesting accompaniment to a song.
To help you plan your 3 music lesson on: Adding simple instrumental parts to songs and chants, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 3 music lesson on: Adding simple instrumental parts to songs and chants, 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. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 2 music lessons from the Start with playing: adding percussive layers to build texture in our songs unit, dive into the full primary music curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.