Folk dance and the minor scale
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can describe some common features of European and Russian folk dance and can perform the melody of Korobeiniki.
Key learning points
- Many folk music traditions use music for dance, including for celebrations like marriages and harvest.
- Like most dance music, folk dance needs a clear pulse, suitable tempo and repeated rhythms.
- Korobeiniki is a Russian folk song often used for dancing, that was famously used for the video game Tetris.
- It includes four-bar phrases, dotted crotchets and it is based on a minor scale.
- The music repeats and uses repeat marks in the notation to show this.
Keywords
Minor scale - a set of seven notes in a minor key
Dotted crotchet - a note that lasts for one and half beats
Phrase - a short section of a melody, normally lasting 1, 2 or 4 bars
Repeat mark - a symbol at the end (and also often start) of a section that tells the performer to repeat it
Common misconception
Hand positions should only change at the start of new phrases.
This depends entirely on what notes are used. Sometimes, like in Korobeiniki, it is more useful to change hand position during a phrase. When doing this, we should always practise making it seamless, so there is no obvious change in sound.
Teacher tip
Korobeiniki, like many Russian and Eastern European folk dances is often performed with an accelerating tempo. Extend the practical task by challenging pupils to start very slowly, then gradually speed up, with the focus on keeping consistently accurate and fluent as the tempo increases.
Equipment
Keyboard instrument
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What is the benefit of a strong pulse in a sea shanty?
Q2.When singers sing different pitches with the same words and rhythm we call this singing in .
Q3.What would you expect to hear in unison singing?
Q4.What is the name for a short section of a melody, usually 1, 2 or 4 bars long?
Q5.A strophic structure has a __________ that repeats, with only the lyrics changing.
Q6.Clapping and stamping are examples of body __________.
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Folk __________ are used in many cultures, often to celebrate events such as marriages and harvest.
Q2.Which of these is an important feature of folk dance?
Q3.Which of these would you not expect to hear in folk dance?
Q4.How many beats does a dotted crotchet last for?
Q5.What does this symbol mean? :||
Q6.A minor __________ is a set of seven notes in a minor key.
To help you plan your 7 music lesson on: Folk dance and the minor scale, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 7 music lesson on: Folk dance and the minor scale, 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 3 music lessons from the Folk songs from around the world unit, dive into the full secondary music curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.