Y3. Lesson 26. Music from India
Prior learning: None
Duration: 30 minutes
Materials: Recorders
Keywords: Beat, rhythm, singing, chanting, partners, rhymes, circle games.
Difficulty: 
Prepare
Present
Music from India
Practise
Indian music offers a delightful experience for young children, fostering early musical appreciation and cultural awareness. Traditional Indian music often incorporates lively beats and melodious instruments like the sitar, tabla, and flute, which captivate children's attention. Bollywood songs, known for their catchy tunes and vibrant performances, are particularly engaging for young audiences. Additionally, Indian classical music's intricate rhythms and scales can enhance children's cognitive development and listening skills. Folk songs from various regions add a touch of storytelling, teaching kids about diverse traditions and values. Indian music is a rich, educational, and enjoyable resource for young children.
Melodic development
Students use body movements to describe phrases in a song.
- The video shows Dr James Cuskelly introducing a new song to his students.
- He sings the song, asks how many phrases it contains, and reminds students that a phrase is the number of notes in one breath.
- Note that he uses his hands to describe the melodic contour in each phrase.
- As the students learn the song, they also copy his hand movements.
Rhythmic development
Students clap a series of rhythm patterns.
- Project the worksheet on the board.
- Choose a student to come forward and clap the first pattern.
- The student should then clap and use the time names.
- Ask the class to show thumbs up or down to assess whether the pattern is correct.
- Offer gentle guidance if the answer is incorrect.
- Repeat the process with another student on each succeeding line.
- Extension: Clap one of the patterns and ask the class to indicate which one is shown on the board.
- Repeat for the other patterns.
Creative movement
Students have fun in this classic circle game.
- Students form a circle. Lead the class in singing as you patrol the perimeter of the circle.
- Students clap on the words 'clap your hands together'.
- They shake themselves on the words 'give yourself a shake'.
- They join hands on the words 'make a happy circle'.
- On the words 'then you cut the cake', gently chop and separate two students.
- The two students walk as fast as they can in opposite directions outside the circle's perimeter, and everyone else pats themselves to give them "energy."
- When the students have finished walking, one will chop the circle and release two more students, and the game will be repeated.
Listening
Students listen to expert Indian musicians playing a classroom song.
- Explain that students will watch and listen to two videos, each showing how Indian musicians can play Twinkle, Twinkle, and Little Star.
- Play the first video, which features Mithun Chakraborty and family.
- Ask for class discussion on what they have watched and heard.
- Ask the name of the instrument [harmonium]
- Ask if this instrument sounds like any other one students have heard before.
- Ask how the sound makes them feel.
- What do students wonder when they hear a familiar melody played on an unusual instrument such as a harmonium?
- Play the second video.
- Ask the name of the instrument played [sitar]
- Ask if this instrument sounds like any other one students have heard before.
- Ask how the sound makes them feel.
- What do students wonder when they hear a familiar melody played on an unusual instrument such as a sitar?
- Discuss the sound of Indian music with students.
Visual learning
Students discover more about Indian instruments.
Instruments
Students discover how and where to play staccato in this simple song.
- Teach that a dot over a note means to play it staccato, separately, and shorter than normal.
- Demonstrate how to play staccato by making a "t" sound with your tongue instead of the "too" sound on a note.
- Play the song using staccato where indicated.
- The class should repeat the song.
- Remind students that there are two notes without staccato!
Part work
Students sing and clap in an ostinato pattern.
- Lead the class in singing Blubells.
- Teach a two-bar clapped ostinato pattern such as ti-ti ta, ti-ti ta or ta ti-ti, ta ti-ti.
- When the class is secure with the pattern, they should sing the song and clap the ostinato pattern.
Assess
Suggested lessons
Y1. Beat II
Y1. Beat III
Y1. Beat IV