Y1. Lesson 3. Faster & slower
Prior learning: Beat
Duration: 30 minutes
Materials: Woodblocks or claves
Keywords: Beat, rhythm, singing, chanting, partners, rhymes, circle games.
Difficulty: 
Prepare
ta & ti-ti
Present
Faster & slower
Practise
Beat
Melodic development
Students sing and clap the words to this classic classroom song.
Questions
- Did the song sound better when sung slowly or faster?
- Did the beat get faster if the song was faster?
- What did you wonder when I clapped the words?
- Students are seated and attentive. Sing the melody using a neutral syllable and ask the class to repeat after you.
- When secure, teach the lyrics line-by-line in a measured cadence and ask the class to repeat after you.
- Sing and clap the beat and ask the class to repeat after you.
- Tell students that they will sing and that you will clap the way the words go.
- Ask a volunteer whether the song should be faster or slower, with students singing to the new tempo.
Rhythmic development
Students move faster or slower with the beat in this line game.
Dr James Cuskelly and students of St Joseph's School, Stanthorpe
Engine, engine number nine,
Going down the railway line.
If the train goes off the track,
Will I get my money back?
- Teach students that music can be faster or slower. As the music gets faster, the beat also gets faster. If the music is slower, then the beat is slower.
- Arrange students in a line, with hands on the shoulders of the next student.
- Set a steady beat by stamping. The leader then sounds a 'toot' to begin.
- Students should chant the lyrics and stamp their feet to the beat as they move around the classroom in a line.
- When finished, choose a new leader to decide whether students will march slower or faster.
- Continue with varying tempos, each time drawing attention to the concept of faster and slower.
Questions
- Did you like the train going faster or slower?
- What happened to the beat when you moved in the train from faster to slower?
Creative movement
Students keep the beat and perform creative movements in this circle game.
- Students form a circle and hold hands. One student is chosen to be the tree and is inside the circle.
- Lead the class in singing the song. At the end of the song, on the final beat, the student who is the 'tree' raises and lowers their arms over the student who is nearest to them.
- The student who has been caught joins with the first student on the inside of the circle, and they jointly raise and lower their arms at the end of the song, capturing yet another student.
- The game continues until only one student is left.
Listening
Students listen to two pieces of art music and determine which is faster.
Questions
- Which piece of music do you prefer, and why?
- What did you wonder when you heard each piece of music?
- Students are seated and attentive.
- Explain that a German composer called Beethoven composed a beautiful piece of music long ago called the Moonlight Sonata.
- Play the music on the audio player.
- Ask students how this music made them feel. Was the music fast or slow?
- Explain that students will now listen to music from a Russian composer called Rimsky Korsakov, who wrote Flight of the Bumblebee.
- Play the music on the audio player.
- Ask students how this music made them feel. Was the music fast or slow?
Visual learning
Students sing and point to snail icons while keeping the beat.
- Project or draw eight see-saw icons.
- Sing the song with the class, pointing to each icon in turn,
- When secure, ask a volunteer to point as the class sings.
- Repeat as time permits.
- This exercise reinforces students' development of beat by using visual cues.
Instruments
Students use untuned percussion to keep the beat of a song.
- Have a selection of untuned percussion instruments on your desk. These might include woodblocks, claves, cabasas, tambourines, hand drums, etc.
- Invite pairs of students to come forward and give them an instrument.
- Show them how to hold the instrument safely and make a clear sound.
- Instigate a beat by singing Goodnight and ask the students to sing with you and keep in time.
- When secure, explain that now you will play the way the words go.
- Play the rhythm of the words on your instrument. Do not use the word rhythm.
- Ask a volunteer to play the way the words go on an instrument.
- Assess performances and provide gentle feedback.
- Rotate so every student can play an instrument.
Part work
Students sing and use movement to keep the beat.
- Teach the song, line by line and ask students to repeat after you.
- When secure, students form a circle and face each other as partners. Join in if there are an odd number of students.
- 'Bow to your partner' - students bow to their partner twice.
- Stamp, stamp' - they stamp their left foot, then their right foot.
- 'Turn yourself around' - Students hold both hands with their partner and swap places.
- The song repeats in the same fashion, but on 'Turn yourself around', students turn around, standing back-to-back with their partner. They end up facing a new partner, and the game begins again.
- The game continues until the children go around the circle and meet their original partners again.
Assess
Suggested lessons
Y1. Beat II
Y1. Beat III
Y1. Beat IV