Copyright 2009 Charanga Ltd.

Complete lesson plan Term 1

Week 4

Suggested Objectives The following objectives are suggestions that should be achievable to enable steady progression across the term, however they should be reviewed before each lesson and modified according to the ability of the class.

To begin using musical words to describe music (pulse, beat, rhythm, pitch) To understand the difference between pulse (or beat) and rhythm To show good posture, rested and seated position on the instrument To begin improvising rhythms on the instrument

Overview: Part 1: arriving

Activity 1: coming in to the lesson Part 2: playing games

Activity 2: pulse/rhythm/pitch games Part 3: singing and playing

Activity 3: playing instruments Activity 4: song Hey you! Activity 5: song Rhythm in the way we walk

Part 4: at the end Activity 6: summarise what the children have learnt Activity 7: put the instruments away

General Constantly building on what the children have already learnt, repeat some activities from previous

weeks, ask some of the same questions (sometimes worded differently), remind children of vocabulary etc. Aim to include everyone in the lesson: invite different children to give answers etc.

In Hey, you! children are invited to improvise: first clapping a rhythm and later on their instrument. Introduce this with plenty of encouragement. Point out that when someone improvises, the music comes from inside them and belongs to them, so its impossible to make a mistake! The children wont know that many adults find this a challenging thing to do and they wont be self-conscious about it in the way that adults are. Discuss the idea of telling a story in the music; of using musical phrases instead of sentences; of coming home at the end. Give plenty of praise just for having a go: at this stage thats as important as doing a good improvisation.

Also in Hey, you! comes the opportunity to perform a solo or in a small group. From the beginning, instil in the children the importance of showing respect to a peer who is brave enough to perform a solo! If you were singing/playing on your own, you would hope your friends would be keeping their fingers crossed for you, hoping you would do well, etc.

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Part 1: arriving

Activity 1: coming in to the lesson

ON Switch on track You cant stop the beat from the musical Hairspray

1.1 Welcome the children to the class the introductory music is already playing. Remind the children of the routine established last week where they enter carrying their instruments and put them in an allocated safe place (or whatever is appropriate to your circumstances). While they do this, find the pulse with your feet and ask the children to join in with you as they join the circle. Revise the meaning of pulse.

1.2 Play with the pulse Find the pulse with your feet. Clap on the off-beat. Play Statues! to end the activity. Use the same hand signal as before. Invite an individual child to lead by calling Statues! and by giving the hand signal.

Begin to invite individual children to lead activities whenever appropriate, throughout this lesson and in subsequent lessons. Always enable children to begin by giving them a strong count-in (1, 2, 3, 4) so they know when to start.

1.3 Ask the children to sit down where they are, in the circle.

1.4 Listen carefully for a moment to the music. Does anyone recognise it? Heres some

information about the song: Its from the finale of the musical Hairspray The film was made in 1988 It includes 1960s style dance music The story is a social commentary on the injustices of parts of American society in the

1960s.

1.5 Lets talk about the music. Put your hand up if you have an answer for me. Is it the same piece of music that we listened to last week? (No.) Do you like it?

o Why? o Why not?

Revisit the questions from weeks 2 and 3 and ask others too. o Is there a singer? More than one singer? o Can you name any of the instruments you can hear?

Here are three questions specific to this piece of music: o This is a song from a musical. What is a musical? (A story set to music,

performed on a stage with lots of singing and dancing.) o How does this song make you feel? (Happy, cheerful etc.) o Why? (The music is fast, up-beat, it uses dance rhythms etc.)

OFF Switch off You cant stop the beat

1.7 Revise the childrens musical vocabulary.

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This should be getting larger and (depending on the instrument the class is playing) might include mouthpiece/neck/fret/bow/reed/string/valve etc as well as pulse/rhythm/pitch/ensemble etc. Include here the verb to improvise: to make up music and play it as it comes out of your head i.e. it isnt written down. The children will begin to do some improvising soon; using the notes they know on their instrument.

1.8 Praise the children for something e.g. how well they assembled their instruments.

1.9 The children stand up.

Part 2: playing games

Activity 2: pulse/rhythm/pitch games

Use track Hey, you! games track throughout the whole of the activity As in week 2, track Hey, you! games track is played throughout the whole of Activity 2. Remind the children that teamwork in music is important; they must always be aware of the ensemble.

ON 2.1

Hey you! games track Pulse games Revise the meaning of pulse. Find the pulse with your feet. Copy me! Clap hands on the off-beat: continue until everyone can do it. Copy me! Tap head x 2, tap shoulders x 2, clap hands x 2, tap knees x 2. Repeat

until everyone can do it Copy me! Hand/knee crossovers (diagonal hand to knee). Lets be elephants keeping the pulse. Lets be mice/giraffes/snakes/lions/parrots/bees etc keeping the pulse. Invite the children to suggest other animals keeping the pulse. End each idea with Statues!

2.2 Rhythm games

Lets find the pulse again with our feet. Revise the meaning of rhythm. Always mark the pulse with the feet. Copy this rhythm after Ive clapped it (keep to simple 1-bar rhythms). Revise the meaning of improvise. Invite individual children to lead with an improvised clapped rhythm; the rest copy

(without talking about bars, encourage them to fit their rhythm into 4 counts). To end, play Now be a statue.

2.3 Pitch games

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Lets find the pulse again with our feet. Revise the meaning of pitch. Always keep the pulse going with the feet. Warm up voices (imaginary elastic bands). Warm up mouth muscles: Listen to me first, then copy me after Ive finished. You

sing laa/lee/lii/low/luu at one pitch; the children copy you. Repeat using maa/mee/mii/mow/muu; paa/pee/pii/poh/puu (have fun!) etc. Warm up lips and tongues with humming, buzzing, hissing etc. Listen to me first, then copy me after Ive finished. Sing any two notes to la; the

children copy you. Then ask, Which is higher/lower? Repeat several times with different notes.

Listen to me first, then copy me after Ive finished. Sing phrases from Hey, you! Sing: Now be a statue!

OFF Hey you! games track

2.4 Ask the children to sit down.

2.6 Ask the children to appraise an aspect of their work e.g. are they beginning to recognise

different pitches?

2.7 Praise them for something they have done well e.g. listening carefully.

Part 3: singing and playing

Activity 3: playing instruments This will be third time the children play their instruments.

3.1 Repeat and reinforce the material from the two previous weeks and begin to build on it, teaching children the names of the note/s they are playing.

3.2 Revise the importance of: Good ensemble work: watching the conductor, starting and stopping together,

playing/working as a team Good posture Not playing when they shouldnt Rest Position Seated Rest Position.

3.3 Stand/sit in the circle with instruments, ready to play in the next activity.

Activity 4: song Hey you!

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4.1 Track Hey, you! For nodding

Revise nodding heads on Hey and Im. Revise this activity from previous weeks, using track Hey, you! for nodding. Nod heads on the words Hey and Im. Are we nodding with the pulse or the rhythm? (The pulse) Always use the two bar intro between repeats as a rest.

4.2 Track Hey, you! For instruments

Play instruments on Hey and Im. Instead of nodding on the pulse, play instruments. Use track Hey, you! for instruments.

4.3 Track Hey what Im rhythms (a faster pulse). Nod heads on Hey what Im rhythms (a faster pulse). Explain to the children that you would like them to nod at a faster pulse: on the words Hey what Im rhythms (they will now be nodding twice as fast as before). Use track Hey, you! for faster nodding. Nod heads to the new pulse until you can see that everyone can do it.

4.4 Track Hey what for instruments (playing faster). Play instruments on Hey what Im rhythms. Use track Hey, you! for instruments (playing faster) to play on the words Hey what Im rhythms (children will now be playing twice as fast as before).

4.5 Track Hey, you! improvise on instruments Invite individuals to improvise a rhythm on their instrument. Revise the meaning of to improvise. Use track Hey, you! improvise on instruments. Encourage individual children to improvise a simple rhythm lasting for two bars (the equivalent of one Q and A in the song). Play a couple of examples first (keep them simple!) to give some ideas, and to show that its easy! Make up a rhythm on your instrument, for the length of two lines or one question and answer. You can play anything you like. Point out to the children that the great thing about someones improvisation is that its their music, from inside them, so no-one else can tell them theyre wrong. Whatever they play will be right! Encourage several individuals/pairs/small groups to have a go. Give plenty of praise and positive feedback before and after make a big thing of children having a go/attempting something new/succeeding. If children dont want to try, point out that not having a go is not an option in literacy/numeracy. Explain that you expect everyone to have a go, although they may wait until another week.

4.6 Track Hey, you! your arrangement

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As a class, make an arrangement of the song. Discuss and decide on an arrangement e.g.

Rap Sing All play on the fast pulse (beats 1 and 3) Solo or small group improvising (to instrumental section) All play on the fast pulse Solo or small group improvising All play on the fast pulse Solo or small group improvising All play on the fast pulse Rap Be statues at the end

This is just an example: encourage the children to make their own arrangement/choose their own order of performance. Use track Hey, you! your arrangement to put together your own version of the song.

4.7 Perform your arrangement. Give a performance to someone e.g. a teaching assistant or another class. Remind the children to be statues before and after the performance. Smile but stand completely still during the applause. Thank the audience and send them away!

4.8 The children put their instruments down on cases and come back to stand in the circle. Activity 5: song Rhythm in the way we walk

5.1 Track: Rhythm in the way we walk verse 1 sung by Kim

Revise singing verse 1.

5.2 Track: Rhythm in the way we walk verse 1 sung by Ben Learn to sing verse 2. Revise the meaning of improvisation. Listen to track Rhythm in the way we walk verse 2 sung by Ben. Add actions to the verse appropriate to the lyrics.

Verse 2 Pitch is high and pitch is low in the Melodies and songs that we all know. Pitch is around us everywhere It's something we all share. Improvisation, we all agree Will open up our hearts and set us free, Improvisation's near and far It's part of who we are.

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5.3 Track: Rhythm in the way we walk verse 1 and 2 sung by Kim and Ben Perform verses 1 and 2. Use track Rhythm in the way we walk verses 1 and 2 sung by Kim and Ben. Remind the children to be statues at the beginning and the end. Smile but stand completely still during the imaginary applause.

5.4 The children sit down in the circle.

Part 4: at the end Activity 6: summarise what the children have learnt

6.1 Id like two people/anyone to put up their hands and tell me what they have learnt here

today.

Activity 7: put the instruments away

ON: See you next time

7.1 The children put their instruments away while the track is playing. Sing along with the track, and encourage them to join in. Supervise the children putting their instruments away. After you have seen each instrument has been put away properly, ask the children to line up at the door. Every lesson will end like this.

7.2 Give the children a final word of praise at the end of the lesson.