- Woodblock Difficulty:
Prior learning: Beat
Prepare: ta & ti-ti Present: Practice: Beat
Music Skills and Concepts for Level 1
Level 1 lessons will explore the following topics:
Rhythmic Elements: Students will explore "ta," "titi," and "zaa" in a 2-metre context, focusing on foundational rhythmic patterns.
Melodic Elements: Using "so-mi," students will practice stick notation and progress to staff placement on one, two, and five lines.
Part Work: Engage in two-beat rhythmic ostinatos, developing independence and coordination within a group setting.
Improvisation: Students will sing names and greetings within known tone sets, create words for songs, and compose four-beat rhythmic patterns.
Sightreading: Introduce stick notation and "so-mi" patterns, progressing to full sightreading in Semester 2.
Dictation: Practice dictation with eight beats from known songs or four beats of unknown material, adding solfa to rhythms as appropriate.
Form and Comparatives: Explore musical forms (e.g., A:B:) and compare pitch intervals (P8, P5, m3), dynamics (forte/piano), and tempo (allegro/adagio).
In a fun, interactive activity, students will learn to echo simple melodic phrases and practice pitch matching using so and mi.
Lyrics
[Call] Good morning, everyone!
[Response] Good morning [teacher name]
Success Criteria
- I can listen to a sung greeting and echo it back.
- I can use my singing voice confidently to match the melody.
- I can participate in the activity, singing with the class and individually.
- Sing "Good morning, everyone!" using a simple melody based on so and mi (e.g., so-mi-so-mi).
- Emphasise clear, tuneful singing and a steady tempo.
- Ask the whole class to respond together, singing "Good morning, [teacher's name]" in a melody that matches yours.
- Select a student and sing, "Good morning, [student's name]", using a new combination of so and mi (e.g., mi-mi-so-so).
- Encourage the student to respond by singing, "Good morning, [teacher's name]", matching your melody.
- Praise every effort, focusing on participation and confidence.
- If a student struggles to match the pitch, gently model the melody and say, "Let’s try that again with our singing voice!"
- Celebrate progress, no matter how small, to build their confidence.
- Continue selecting students for individual responses, varying the melody each time. If time allows, ensure all students have a chance to participate.
- End the lesson by singing, "Good morning, everyone!" as a group, reinforcing the melodies and encouraging the class to respond one final time.
- Thank the students for participating and highlighting their effort and improvement.
Questions
- How many sounds did I sing?
- Was the first sound higher or lower than the second one?
- How many sounds are in your name?
Students will learn to maintain a steady beat and practice inner hearing by imagining the words of a rhyme while marching.
Lyrics
Feet, feet, feet, feet.
Going up and down the street.
Big feet, little, feet,
Can't catch me!
Success Criteria
- I can march in time to the beat while reciting the rhyme.
- I can maintain a steady beat using inner hearing when the words stop.
- I can focus on my movements to stay in time with the beat.
- Have students spread out across the room with enough space to move freely.
- Recite the rhyme "Feet Feet" while stamping the beat and ask students to march in time with their feet.
- Model the steady beat by marching with them.
- Once the class is marching confidently, explain that they will keep the beat while keeping the words on their lips (inner hearing).
- Recite the rhyme together again, then stop speaking but continue marching. Encourage students to "hear" the rhyme in their heads as they march.
- Walk around the room, observing students as they march silently, keeping the beat on their lips.
- Provide gentle feedback to ensure everyone is maintaining a steady beat. For example, say, "Try to keep your steps even, just like we did with the words."
- Alternate between marching aloud with the rhyme and marching silently using inner hearing.
- Challenge the students to focus on matching their movements to the beat without relying on the spoken words.
- Gather the class and ask them how marching without words felt.
- Discuss how inner hearing (or "head voice") helps musicians stay in time and connect to the beat.
Questions
- Where are the feet going?
- Can you be caught by the feet?
- Where else could you keep the beat?
Students will understand and demonstrate the concept of a steady beat through movement and activities inspired by the song.
Lyrics
I see the moon and the moon sees me.
God bless the moon and the moon bless me.
- Sing the song unaccompanied, tapping your knees to show the steady beat. Ask students to copy. Sing again, and encourage them to clap along with the beat.
- Invite them to explore the beat through movement.
- They march and clap while they sing, pretending to walk in space or step gently like moonlight.
- Play "Pass the Beat" with students now sitting in a circle. Use a small object like a moon-shaped toy to pass around on the beat as the song is sung. Encourage them to keep the beat steady as they pass.
- To reflect, ask the children how they felt the beat in their bodies.
Success Criteria
- I can clap or move to the steady beat of the song.
- I can keep the beat consistent with the music.
- I can identify the beat as separate from the melody or words.
Questions
- Is the beat steady in this song?
- Can you find the beat in your body? Try tapping your nose and shoulders or even wiggling your fingers—where does the beat feel the funniest?
- If we took the beat to space, how do you think astronauts would keep it? Would they float and tap their helmets or clap in slow motion?
Students will learn to keep a steady beat and explore the rhythm of a song using woodblocks or claves.
Helpful Hint: To play the wood block, hold it in your non-dominant hand. To make a good, clean sound, strike the top of the wood block with the tip of the stick.
Lyrics
Snail, snail, snail, snail.
Goes around and round and round.
- Sing "Snail Snail" with the class while keeping a steady beat on the woodblock.
- Show how the beat remains consistent, regardless of the rhythm of the words.
- Ask for a volunteer and guide them on correctly holding the beater and woodblock.
- Sing the song again, with the volunteer keeping the beat. Provide gentle feedback to ensure their timing is accurate.
- Repeat the song with the class singing and the volunteer playing the beat. Rotate through multiple volunteers, giving as many students a chance to play.
- Play the rhythm of the words on the woodblock while the class sings. Explain that rhythm matches "the way the words go, " which differs from the steady beat.
- Ask a volunteer to try playing the rhythm while the class sings. Rotate through several students, ensuring they have time to experiment and improve.
- Have one student keep the beat while another plays the rhythm on a second instrument. Highlight how these two elements work together in music.
- Discuss the difference between beat and rhythm. Ask students how it felt to play each.
- Finish by singing the song one last time, encouraging everyone to clap or tap the beat as they sing.
Success Criteria
- I can sing the song tunefully while maintaining a steady beat.
- I can play the rhythm of the song accurately using an instrument.
- I can explain the difference between beat and rhythm.
Questions
- When you sang, and I played the woodblock the first time, there was one sound on the beat. What about when I played the second time?
- Did some beats have more than one sound?
Students will learn to sing a song in tune, move in time with the beat, and participate in a collaborative circle game.
Lyrics
Apple tree, apple tree,
Will your apples fall on me?
I won't cry, and I won't shout,
If your apples knock me out!
Questions
- How could an apple fall on you?
- Could an apple really knock you out?
- What is your favourite fruit?
- Sing the song for the class, demonstrating the melody and rhythm.
- Have the class echo you line by line until they are familiar with the song.
- Practice singing together as a group, maintaining a steady beat.
- Choose one student to start as the "tree" and stand inside the circle.
- Instruct the rest of the students to form a circle, holding hands and walking to the beat as they sing.
- As the class sings, the "tree" stands still inside the circle.
- At the end of the song, on the final beat, the "tree" raises and lowers their arms over the nearest student, "capturing" them.
- The captured student joins the "tree" inside the circle. On the final beat of the next round, both students will raise and lower their arms together.
- Repeat the process with the class singing and moving while the "trees" inside the circle capture more students at the end of the song.
- The game continues until only one student remains in the circle. Congratulate this student for being the last to be captured.
Success Criteria
- I can sing the song clearly and in tune.
- I can move in time with the beat while walking in the circle.
- I can participate actively in the game, following the rules and engaging with my classmates.
Students will learn to keep a steady beat using different parts of their bodies, developing coordination and active listening.
Questions
- Ask students for ideas on how else they could keep the beat.
- What other things do you know that keep a steady beat? {Clock ticking, tap dripping, etc.]
Success Criteria
- I can keep a steady beat while copying body movements.
- I can follow the teacher's actions and match the beat.
- I can suggest my own body movements to keep the beat.
- Arrange students in a circle, facing inward, to ensure everyone can see and follow you.
- Explain that the activity focuses on keeping a steady beat using different parts of the body.
- Begin by stamping your feet to a steady beat. Emphasise maintaining a consistent tempo.
- Ask the students to copy your actions, ensuring they match your beat.
- Transition from stamping to clapping. Keep the same steady beat, and encourage students to follow along.
- Introduce new ways to keep the beat, such as slapping thighs, tapping shoulders, touching the head, and clicking fingers.
- Perform each action for a few beats, then move to the next, ensuring students can follow your lead.
- After students are comfortable with each movement, try combining movements, such as clapping for four beats and then stamping for four beats.
- Encourage students to suggest their own beat-keeping actions for the class to try.
- Discuss how different parts of the body can keep the beat.
- End by choosing one action (e.g., clapping) and performing it together as a class for a final round.
ASSESSMENT QUESTIONS
- The student can maintain a steady beat through movement.
- The student can sing tunefully.
- The student can echo simple two-note melodic phrases.
Suggested lessons
Y1. Beat II
Y1. Beat III
Y1. Beat IV