Y3. Lesson 15. Low la (la,)
Prior learning: Pentatonic scale
Duration: 30 minutes
Materials: Recorders
Keywords: Beat, rhythm, singing, chanting, partners, rhymes, circle games.
Difficulty: 
Prepare
Present
Low la (la,)
Practise
Melodic development
Students add a new song to their repertoire.
- Teach the class how to sing the song line-by-line in a measured cadence.
- When secure, sing the first two measures in solfa, i.e. mi, re, do, do, re, do, "low". Explain that "low" is a new note lower than do.
- Ask students to sing this with you.
- Teach that the note sung as "low" has a name called low la, a skip below do.
- Ask the class to sing the first two measures using low la to replace the word low, i.e. mi, re, do, do, re, do, low la.
Rhythmic development
Students read notation and play untuned percussion.
- Distribute at least three types of untuned percussion.
- Divide the class into three groups, each student having their own instrument.
- Project or print the rhythm worksheet.
- Tell the class they will keep the beat and play the rhythm.
- In this example, the tambourine keeps the beat in 4-metre, and the other instruments will play a simple rhythm pattern.
- Begin with the tambourine players, who will keep a steady beat as you conduct.
- When secure, the next group will play their pattern on your command.
- Finally, the third group will join in.
- If time permits, swap out the groups so every student plays at least two instruments in the session.
- Use suitable unturned percussion instruments and change the patterns as you see fit.
Creative movement
Students have fun with this double-circle game.
- Students form two concentric circles, with a smaller one inside a larger one.
- Select two students to act as 'Chicken Farmers,' positioning them outside both circles.
- A 'Chicken,' symbolised by an object, is placed at the centre of the inner circle.
- The 'Chicken Farmers' close their eyes while the teacher designates a pair of students from each circle to act as 'gates.'
- Once chosen, the 'Chicken Farmers' may reopen their eyes.
- As students sing the song, one circle moves clockwise and the other anti-clockwise.
- Upon the song's conclusion, the designated 'gate' pairs lift their arms to create an archway.
- The 'Chicken Farmers' race to navigate through these gates to claim the 'Chicken.'
- The first to succeed is declared the winner.
Listening
Students listen to another piece from The Carnival of the Animals by Saint-Saens.
- Tell students they will listen to Kangaroos, another short piece of music from The Carnival of the Animals.
- Play the track and ask the class to shut their eyes and imagine kangaroos jumping.
- When finished, ask students which instrument they were hearing.
- Ask why does the music make us think of kangaroos.
Visual learning
Students discover where low la is to be found on the solfa staircase.
- Project the solfa staircase graphic.
- Ask students to locate do.
- There is a new note below do, called low la.
- Ask if this new note is a step or a skip below do [skip].
- Ask students to draw the staircase with the solfa names included.
- Ensure that students use the comma after the word la to indicate that it is low la.
- Teach that if do is in a space, then low la, is always in the space below.
- If do is on a line, then low la, is always on the line below.
- Draw or project the two graphics indicating in red where low la, is to be found on the staff.
- If time permits, ask students to copy the graphics in their notebooks.
Instruments
Students incorporate the new note D with other notes from previous learning.
- Demonstrate the recently learned note D using only your left hand's second finger. The left-hand thumb is not used.
- Ask the class to play the new note and then name it.
- Students should hold their instruments correctly and use gentle blowing to avoid squawking.
- Students should then play the song D - Light, which includes D, C, B and A.
- Remind students that the dots on the double barlines in the last measure mean repeat from the beginning.
- Remind students to count 1,2,3,4 in their heads as they play.
Part work
Students sing in canon.
- Divide the class into two groups.
- Explain that the class will sing Ding Dong in canon,
- The first group will begin singing.
- Lead the second group to sing in canon after two beats or after one measure, as both sound good.
- When secure, swap groups.
Assess
Suggested lessons
Y1. Beat II
Y1. Beat III
Y1. Beat IV