Y3. Lesson 29. Revise pitch
Prior learning: None
Duration: 30 minutes
Materials: None
Keywords: Beat, rhythm, singing, chanting, partners, rhymes, circle games.
Difficulty: 
Prepare
Present
Revision of pitch and melody.
Practise
This lesson serves as a revision for prior knowledge gained earlier in the year. It concentrates on the pentatonic scale, treble clef, letter names, high and low do and high so.
Revise the pentatonic scale
Students revise the pentatonic scale.
- Lead the class in singing the song.
- Repeat using solfa and hand signs. Pointing to the solfa on the board as you sing may be helpful.
- Ask which is the lowest note [do] and sing it.
- Ask which is the highest note [la] and sing it.
- Ask how many different notes in total [5].
- Ask the class to follow you, singing the five notes [do, re, mi so, la].
- Ask students whether the intervals between the notes are skips or steps.
- Remind the class that these five notes are called the pentatonic scale.
Questions
Divide the class into two groups. Each group receives a point for every correct answer.
- Sing the solfa for Bow Wow Wow.
- If do is in a space, where is mi? [space above]
- If so is in a space, where is mi? [space below]
- Is la a skip or a step from so? [step]
- If so is in a space, which note is on the line above? [la]
- If re is on a line, which note is a step above? [mi]
- Show the hand sign for re.
Revise note names & treble clef
Students revise the treble clef and traditional note names.
Note names
- Project the note names score.
- Teach that notes can also be fixed and given names from the first seven letters of the alphabet: A, B, C, D, E, F and G. These letters sit on lines or spaces.
- The seven letters repeat when more notes are needed, either higher or lower than the first set.
Treble clef
- When letter names are used, a special sign shows where they sit.
- Project the treble clef image and trace around it to show how to draw it.
- Ask students to practice drawing it in their notebooks.
Teach students that after the first seven letters have been used, the pattern starts and repeats, either going up or down.
A B C D E F G | A B C D E F G | A B C D E F G
Lines and spaces
Students revise notes in a space.
- Project or draw the four notes on the board that sit in a space.
- Point to and name each note in turn.
- Repeat with the class saying the notes.
- Ask the class if they can find an easy way to remember the four notes.
- Show how the four notes spell FACE - which rhymes with space!
- Ask students if they can think of other words using the letters FACE.
- Project or draw the five notes on the board that sit on a line.
- Point to and name each note in turn.
- Repeat with the class saying the notes.
- Ask the class if they can find an easy way to remember the five notes.
- Show how the four notes spell EGBDF. An easy way to remember these letters is Every Good Boy Deserves Fruit.
- Ask students if they can think of other words using the letters EGBDF.
Revise high do
Students revise high do.
- Project the staff on the board.
- Explain that there is a new note called high do', which has an apostrophe after the word.
- On the staff, the new note is shown in red.
- Teach that If so is in a space, la is on the line above, and high do' is on the line above la.
- If so is on a line, la is in the space above, and high do' is in the space above la.
- Demonstrate high do' by singing it above the major pentatonic scale, ascending and pointing to each note of the scale on the staff.
- Ask students to repeat after you.
- When secure, demonstrate the descending scale, point and ask students to repeat.
- Students should copy both staves in their notebooks, highlighting hi do'.
Revise low la
Students revise low la.
- 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.
- Explain that Solfa Street is similar to the solfa staircase, where the positions of the notes, whether higher or lower than do, are easily seen.
- Draw attention to the position of low la, currently at the bottom of the street.
- Students can be asked to draw their own houses on the appropriate lines corresponding to different musical notes.
- This activity further reinforces their understanding of the relationship between the positions of notes on the musical scale and their comparative heights, fostering a deeper connection with the concept through a personal and creative approach.
- 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.
Revise low so
Students revise low so.
- Lead the class in singing Old Brass Wagon
- When secure, sing the first measure and ask the class to repeat after you.
- Ask where the lowest note is found in that measure.
- Teach that this low note is called low so, a step below low la.
- Project the score and point out low la and low so in the first measure.
- Sing the song again with the class, pointing to low so on the board.
- Ask how many times low so is found in the song [4].
- Choose a student to sing the song and point to low so.
- Ask students to sing and use hand signs.
- Explain that Solfa Street is similar to the solfa staircase, where the positions of the notes, whether higher or lower than "do", are easily seen.
- Draw attention to the position of low so, currently at the bottom of the street.
- Students can be asked to draw their own houses on the appropriate lines corresponding to different musical notes.
- This activity further reinforces their understanding of the relationship between notes' positions on the musical scale.
- Teach that low so has a comma to differentiate it from so.
Assess
Suggested lessons
Y1. Beat II
Y1. Beat III
Y1. Beat IV