Y3. Lesson 28. Practise texture
Prior learning: Texture
Duration: 30 minutes
Materials: Recorders
Keywords: Beat, rhythm, singing, chanting, partners, rhymes, circle games.
Difficulty: 
Prepare
Present
Practise
Texture
Melodic development
Students practice singing through an octave.
- This song may have been taught earlier, but now the emphasis is on practising do to high do.
- Stand and sing the song to the students and then sing it phrase by phrase, asking them to echo after you.
- Start by pointing to your foot and sing the song's first half. Move your hand upwards, past your tummy and nose, and rest on your head.
- Repeat this and ask the class to stand and sing with you, ensuring students keep in tune and use the correct hand actions.
- Now reverse the actions as per the lyrics.
- Your actions showing the 'flea' rising up and down your body will make children laugh and serve as a great visual representation of do to high do.
Rhythmic development
Students listen to teacher-led rhythms and write them in their notebooks.
- Students have their pencils and notebooks to hand and should write the stick notation to rhythm patterns you create.
- For convenience, a few examples are shown.
- Clap and say a simple beginning pattern, such as ti-ti ta, ti-ti ta.
- Ask students to write the pattern.
- Repeat with another pattern, and students will write this.
- Introduce as many patterns as possible that suit the class level.
- When finished, review the student's work.
Creative movement
Students sing and use body movements in this Ghanaian song.
- Students form a circle. Demonstrate the following movements and have students copy you.
- Phrase 1: Students tap the top of their head four times.
- Phrase 2: They tap each shoulder alternately four times while rotating their torso from side to side.
- Phrase 3: They place their hands on their hips and continue to rotate their torso.
- Phrase 4: They tap their knees.
- Phrases 5 & 6: For "koom," they tap their ankles; for "addenday," tap your waist; for "hey," they raise their hands above their head.
Listening
Students experiment with three types of music texture.
- Distribute tuned percussion instruments such as xylophones or glockenspiels to every other student.
- Teach a bordun ostinato pattern, such as keeping the beat by playing D and A. Students can play both notes or divide them, so separate students play the A and D.
- The two groups each form a circle.
- The first group will sing but not play.
- Ask the class if the texture was monophonic, homophonic or polyphonic and why [monophonic].
- This group sings again, and the second group will sing in canon.
- Ask the same question. As the song is a canon, the texture is homophonic.
- Finally, the two groups sing in canon once more, with the instrumentalists keeping the beat with their bordun.
- Ask what type of texture is heard and why [polyphonic].
- The audio player features a track with the canon and bordun.
Visual learning
Students experiment with materials to demonstrate texture.
- Play a selected piece of music from the player and ask students to listen closely the first time. Encourage them to close their eyes and think about what they hear. Are there many layers? Is it simple or complex?
- Give students pens and fabrics and ask them to create something representing the music’s texture. If the music was dense and complex, they might choose to overlap many pieces of cloth or draw intricate patterns. They might choose a single layer of fabric or a simple drawing for simpler textures.
- Encourage them to think about the feel of the fabrics or the visual effect of the papers and how these textures can represent different musical elements.
- For example, a soft, fuzzy fabric might represent a gentle, flowing melody, while a rough, bumpy fabric could represent a more rhythmic, percussive piece.
- Once everyone has completed their collages, have a show-and-tell session where each student explains their artwork and why they chose certain materials or designs to represent the piece of music.
Instruments
Students discover the last recorder lesson for this year's level and play Goodbye!
- Briefly discuss what the students have learned over the year, emphasising their progress.
- Highlight essential techniques they've mastered that will be used in the song, such as proper tonguing and reading repeat signs.
- Remind students of the 'too' tonguing technique, which involves articulating the note with a 'too' sound to start each note cleanly. Demonstrate this technique and have students practice a few notes or a scale using this articulation to warm up.
- Distribute the sheet music and go over it briefly.
- Explain the musical elements they should be mindful of, such as the melody, rhythm, and especially the articulation they've been practising.
- Explain the function of the repeat barline at the end of the song. Discuss how it directs them to go back to the beginning.
- Highlight the importance of being attentive to this symbol to maintain synchronization among all players during the repeat.
- Play through the song together slowly, allowing students to become comfortable with the melody and the rhythm. Gradually increase the tempo as they gain confidence.
- Once the students feel ready, have them perform the song as a group. Encourage a sense of celebration and accomplishment, emphasizing that this performance marks their progress and hard work!
Part work
Students sing in canon.
- Divide the class into two groups.
- Tell the class that they will sing Ring a' Rosy in canon.
- Both groups should sing the song from the beginning.
- The first group sings again, with the second group following one bar later.
- Monitor the two groups for accuracy, then switch them around.
Assess
Suggested lessons
Y1. Beat II
Y1. Beat III
Y1. Beat IV