Myths about teaching can hold you back
- Year 8
Learning the accompaniment for Fur Elise
I can play the broken chord accompaniment part to Fur Elise.
- Year 8
Learning the accompaniment for Fur Elise
I can play the broken chord accompaniment part to Fur Elise.
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Lesson details
Key learning points
- Performing broken chords on the keyboard.
- Performing two independent parts at the same time on the keyboard.
- We can use expressive elements such as dynamics and rubato to add expression to a performance.
- Emphasising the downbeat helps to show a sense of rhythm.
Keywords
Broken chord - when the notes of a chord are sounded one at a time
Root note - the main note of a chord, and what the chord is named after
Octave - an interval of eight notes; octaves in music have the same name i.e. C to C on the keyboard
Downbeat - the first and strongest beat of the bar
Common misconception
Sense of pulse and sense of rhythm are the same thing
A sense of pulse is understanding the underlying beat in the music. A sense of rhythm is understanding where the stress should be in a bar or rhythm. This is much more nuanced. At this point, encourage pupils to stress the downbeat.
To help you plan your year 8 music lesson on: Learning the accompaniment for Fur Elise, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 8 music lesson on: Learning the accompaniment for Fur Elise, 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.
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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 Minor, major and developing keyboard skills unit, dive into the full secondary music curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
Equipment
Keyboard instrument
Licence
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