Music Unit 7 Exploringtimbre, tempo and dynamics

Lesson1 developunderstanding of the visual representation of pulse; how sounds canbe used descriptively, how to sing songsexpressively.

Explain to the chnthat in this unit of work, they will be learning abouttimbre (different types of sound), dynamics (loud,quiet), tempo (fast, slow), structure ( the waysounds are organised) and revising pitch (high, low)

(Use laminted stripsfrom LCP music) Show rhythm strip 4. Explain how we can represent asound by filling one of the boxes with a black blob. Show strip 1.How many blobs are there? How many sounds? Clap the four sounds.Explain that each box represents one beat of the pulse. If there isnothing in the box, that means silence or a rest. Try performingstrip 2 over and over again. Encourage chn to show the silent boxby a deliberate open hand. Try some of the other rhythmstrips.

Learn the song Rain,rain, go away (LCP music, KS1 CD2 track 23). Once the chn knowthe song, try singing it in different ways, e.g. angrily, sadly,happily. Discuss the effect. Try singing the song without the CD atdifferent speeds, such as much faster or much slower. What does itsound like?

Lesson2 develop singingexpressively, add simple instrument ostinatoaccompaniments

(Song on copied sheet)Learn the song I hear water (KS1 CD2 track 24). Draw attention tothe line drip, drop, drip. Ask half the class to sing thispattern while the rest sing the song. Explain that this is arepeating accompaniment pattern called an ostinato. Show howto play the ostinato D,A,D using chime bars or glockenspiel orxylophone. Let a group of chn practise this pattern, and then playwhile the others sing the song.

Try doing it withoutthe CD, and sing it faster, slower, happily, angrily, sadly etc.Add untuned instruments as well, e.g. claves, woodblocks, woodenagogo. If time and confident, sing as a round!!

Lesson3 perform simplepulse based accompaniments

Sing the song One littleraindrop (KS1 CD1 track 11). The chn may have sung this before!Clap a steady beat/pulse along with the song. Sing again but onlyclap when you say a number.

Remind them how rhythmstrips work and use rhythm strip pattern to help. Use open handsignal when there is a rest.

Try sitting in a circle,clapping the pulse around the circle as everyone sings. Then tryclapping when the word is a number, make a space for where there isa rest to help!!

Use some untunedpercussion instruments to accompany the singing. Try to sing justthe numbers. Carry on playing the instruments without any singingat all.

If time, make up your ownwords, such as One noisy, two noisy, three noisy robotsten verynoisy robots.

Lesson4 understand howwords can describe sounds and how sounds can be made by differentsound sources

Listen to SinfoniaAntartica by Vaughan Williams (KS1 CD2 track 25). What ishappening? What type of weather is being represented? How are theinstruments being used to create the effects?

Then listen toRaindrop prelude by Chopin (KS1 CD2 track 26). Compare it to thefirst piece of music. (The composer keeps repeating one note on thepiano to represent rain drops).

Listen to one morepiece Whatever the weather by Neil Turner (KS1 CD2 track 27).Identify the types of weather that the composer is intending torepresent.

Talk about differenttypes of weather that make sounds. List them on paper. Then ask forwords to describe these weather types, e.g. Howling wind, heavyrainfall, rumbling thunder. Say the words in the appropriatevoices. Ask how they might feel in each type of weather, e.g. cold,shivering, scared. Ask how they might perform each word.

Lesson5: understand how soundscan be changed and how sounds can be combined.

Show weather picturesand discuss how we could represent each sound using voices, bodypercussion and other instruments.

WIND: best usinghowling voices, up and down xylophone or glock, swanniewhistle

RAIN: rainmaker(!),chime bars, think of rain words pitter, patter, splish splash for voices, fingertips.

LIGHTNING and THUNDER:cymbals, drums, clapping

RAINBOW: Why is thisdifferent? No sound!! Need to think more creatively!! Twirlybells, happy sounds as it has sun associated with it.

Experiment with eachgroup of sounds. Experiment with ways of making the soundsdifferent, e.g. thunder getting louder as it gets closer to us,rain getting louder and quicker as it gets heavier.

If time: Ask the childrento work in pairs: one child is responsible for the vocal sound, theother for an instrumental sound. The chn combine voices andinstruments to describe a chosen type of weather. Let them practisefor 5 10 minutes. Perform and discuss the effect of the combinedsound. Can the rest of the class guess the kind of weather that isbeing described?

Lesson6/7: understand how soundscan be organised; how to create a class composition, combininglayers of sound within simple structures

Explain to the childrenthat we are going to create a class composition about the weather.Decide together on the number of sounds that we are going tocreate, e.g. 8. Ask the chn whether therefore we need to think of 8kinds of weather or whether some can be repeated.

Create symbols for eachtype of weather (suggest the 4 types of weather practised in lesson4 and 5). Think about the sounds that will be used for eachsection. Try to include vocal, intrumental and body sounds. Recordthem in some way. (You might decide to have 1 sound during thefirst section of rain but to have 3 sounds for the second sectionof rain).

Maybe allow each group ofchildren to go off and practise their bit. Come back together andpractise the performance. You will need to practise the linkingtogether bit so that there arent definite silences between eachweather type, unless they are intended silences!!

Teacher or one of the chnneeds to act as the conductor .

Record the performance.How effective was it in representing the different types of sound?Was there sufficient contrast between the differentsections?