Music express 7 8 environment

L E SS O N

Environment

1

Musical focus: Composition Subject link: Geography

The sound collector

1-2

Add sounds to the poem The sound collector

• Read the poem, The sound collector, or watch the movie.

A stranger called this morning Dressed all in black and grey Put every sound into a bag And carried them away

• Display The sound collector pictures. Allocate each of the

The The The The

Notice all the different words used to describe the sounds. sixteen sounds from the poem to a pair of children who select instruments to describe their sound (eg ‘whistling of the kettle’ – recorder mouthpiece/toy whistle; ‘turning of the lock’ – scraper).

• Read the poem, pausing after the relevant lines to allow each pair to perform their sound. Discuss the instrumental effects.

Could the sounds be more descriptive, eg louder or quieter; repeated; longer or shorter?

whistling of the kettle turning of the lock purring of the kitten ticking of the clock...

• Perform the sounds without the words, reading out only the first

and last verse. Use the pictures to remind you of the order, if needed. Make an audio recording of the performance to listen to and discuss.

Teaching tip: to help the children choose appropriate instruments have a selection ready for them to choose from, then invite one pair at a time. Repeat the activity later with different selections to give them experience of a wider range of instruments.

My place

1/ 1-5

Learn to sing My place in two voice parts

Chorus My place.

My place.

My place.

3-5

• Ask the children to identify the main features of their local

area, eg surrounded by fields, tall blocks of flats, local shops, church...

• Listen to the song My place, all joining in with the chorus

The place where I live.

The place I call home.

The place where I belong.

Doo di doo doo di doo doo di doo…

as it becomes familiar. Discuss the main features of the local environment described in each verse.

• Divide the class in two to learn to sing the chorus, then the

verses in two parts with the corresponding display pages and teaching audios.

• Practise singing the song all the way through in two parts, then perform it with the backing audio.

Teaching tip: this song about the local environment is ideal for inclusion in a geographic study and cross-curricular work exploring the local area. The questions at the end of each verse can prompt discussion about what other features can be found.

My place ostinato

1/ 6

Learn an ostinato accompaniment to My place using tuned percussion

6

• Invite a small group to learn an ostinato accompaniment to the

chorus of My place, using the My place ostinato display, tuned percussion (notes D G A), movie and teaching audio. parts with the backing audio, adding the accompaniment in the chorus each time. Confident players could finish the piece by playing a roll with two beaters on the note G on the final ‘My place’.

• Repeat the activity to enable more children to perform the ostinato accompaniment.

x8 My

place.

The place where I live.

Teaching tip: encourage the players to use two beaters and alternate playing left and right, even on repeated notes. To make the percussion part simpler, pairs of children may perform it together: one player playing the upper notes (G and A); the other the lower note (D).

LESSON LEARNING

EXTENDED LEARNING

• Selecting descriptive sounds to accompany a poem • Creating a musical re-telling of a poem • Singing in two-part harmony • Accompanying a song with a melodic ostinato

Descant recorder players can play the G and A ostinato during the chorus of the song My place. If you have other beginner instrumentalists who know the notes G, A or D they may form an ensemble to play the accompaniment, eg open string violins can play D throughout; ukulele players can play alternate G and A strings.

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Music Express Age 7-8 © 2014 HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd

• Once the ostinato is secure, perform the whole song in two

L E SS O N

Environment

2

Musical focus: Composition Subject link: Geography

Under the bridge

1/ 7-9

Sing Under the bridge with expression to reflect the lyrics

v1

Under the bridge, ferns and mosses...

v2

Near by the bridge, cars and buses...

v3

Down at the bridge, shimmering water...

v4

Over the bridge, loud, vibrating...

v5

Under the bridge, ferns and mosses...

7-8

• Display and listen to the song, Under the bridge. Ask how the

voice and instrument sounds reflect the lyrics of each verse, eg – gentle sounds ‘under’ and ‘down at the bridge’ contrast with rhythmic, louder sounds in ‘near by’ and ‘over the bridge’; – louder voice in the ‘near by’ and ‘over the bridge’ verses; instruments play rhythmically to describe the transport sounds.

• Learn the song by copying each line of the first verse with Under the bridge teaching audio, then practising the complete song with the performance audio.

• Explore ways of using your voices expressively to sing the song,

eg: verses 1 and 5 – smooth, medium volume; verse 3 – quiet and breathy; verses 2 and 4 – strong with accented consonants.

• Practise singing the song expressively all the way through with

the performance audio, then perform it with the backing audio.

Teaching tip: encourage the children to explore different tones and volumes with their voices which match the lyrics. Ensure that the melody and lyrics can still be heard when they sing quietly, and that they do not shout when singing loudly.

Bridge composition

1/ 8

Create descriptive music for each verse of Under the bridge

7

• Listen to the backing audio of Under the bridge, and notice

how the note C is used as a drone throughout, either playing sustained, longer notes in the gentle verses, or quicker repeating notes in verses 2 and 4.

• Using the Under the bridge display as a pictorial score,

allocate one verse image each to four groups: ‘under’; ‘near by’; ‘down at’ and ‘over the bridge’. Appoint one or two drone players to each group. The remainder of the group will play untuned percussion.

• Ask each group in turn to select instruments which they think

they can use effectively to play descriptive sounds matching the words of their allocated verse image.

• Follow the score, practising one verse at a time. Each instrument group adds their chosen sounds to the backing audio.

Teaching tip: encourage the drone players to explore ways to play their note to capture the mood of their verse, eg play a steady beat; quickly alternate two beaters on a chime bar; play longer note lengths.

New bridges

7-9

A

B

A

• Look at the New bridges display and discuss the way the

musical ideas from the lesson have been combined in a ternary structure for a performance: – A: sing Under the bridge with drone accompaniment and added bridge compositions on instruments in each verse; – B: a conductor leads an improvised instrumental performance of the bridge compositions from activity 2 by pointing to the pictorial score in an order of their own choice for as long as they wish; – A: repeat the song performance as before.

• Divide the class into three groups – singers, drone players, and

instrumentalists – to perform New bridges. Appoint a conductor to direct the B section using Under the bridge pictorial score.

Teaching tip: lead the drone players performing a steady beat as an introduction and accompaniment to the A section to keep everyone in time.

LESSON LEARNING

EXTENDED LEARNING

• Exploring timbre to create a descriptive piece of music • Learning about ternary form • Singing a song with expression

Extend the composition by creating new verses describing local environments the children have explored. They can then improvise further instrumental descriptions for their version of the song.

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Music Express Age 7-8 © 2014 HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd

Perform Under the bridge with compositions in a ternary structure