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Lesson 3 of 6
  • Year 3

Building texture with a rhythmic ostinato

I can play a rhythmic ostinato and chant at the same time.

Lesson 3 of 6
New
New
  • Year 3

Building texture with a rhythmic ostinato

I can play a rhythmic ostinato and chant at the same time.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. An ostinato is a short, repeating pattern in music. It can be rhythmic or melodic.
  2. An ostinato is memorable and can add interest to a piece of music.
  3. When we perform an ostinato with a chant, we create musical texture.
  4. Musical texture describes the different layers that are happening at the same time in a piece of music.
  5. Takadi is a rhythm where there are three sounds within one beat and the first two sounds are shorter than the third.

Keywords

  • Rhythm - the pattern of sounds that we play and sing

  • Ostinato - a repeating musical pattern which can be rhythmic or melodic

  • Texture - the combination of different layers of sounds

  • Beat - the playing or showing of the steady pulse, like the ticking of a clock

  • Stick notation - a way of writing music down

Common misconception

An ostinato is a simple way to add texture. It is not complex or exciting.

While ostinatos are repetitive, they can be quite complex and add lots of excitement to music.


To help you plan your year 3 music lesson on: Building texture with a rhythmic ostinato, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Before playing and chanting simultaneously, it is important that pupils have had plenty of experience playing the ostinato pattern, and can play it confidently. Start by working in two groups, one chanting and the other playing.
Teacher tip

Equipment

Whiteboards and whiteboard pens, class set of claves.

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.
Before singing, it is important to our voice.

Correct Answer: warm up, Warm up, warm-up, Warm-up

Q2.
When we chant we ...

sing a melody to a steady beat.
Correct answer: speak in time to a steady pulse.
play instruments on the steady beat.

Q3.
How do we chant this rhythm?

An image in a quiz
Takadimi Takadimi Takadimi Ta
Ta Ta Ta Ta-di
Correct answer: Ta-di Ta-di Ta-di Ta

Q4.
True or false? Pulse is the pattern of sounds that we play and sing.

Correct Answer: false, False, untrue, Untrue

Assessment exit quiz

Download quiz pdf

4 Questions

Q1.
A repeated musical pattern is called ...

the texture
a chord
Correct answer: an ostinato

Q2.
Match the musical element to its definition.

Correct Answer:texture,the combination of different layers of sounds

the combination of different layers of sounds

Correct Answer:structure,the way the music is organised

the way the music is organised

Correct Answer:rhythm,the pattern of sounds and silences that we play and sing

the pattern of sounds and silences that we play and sing

Correct Answer:beat,the playing or showing of the steady pulse like the ticking of a clock

the playing or showing of the steady pulse like the ticking of a clock

Q3.
When we add an extra layer of sound with an ostinato, we are making the texture ...

An image in a quiz
thinner
Correct answer: thicker
higher
lower

Q4.
What do we call this rhythm?

An image in a quiz
Ta
Ta-di
Correct answer: Takadi
Takadimi